       V O L U M E  XXI _                                                MAY 15, 1945
        -.                                                                                                                          NUMBER 16

                                                                                      He&e,- in ihe old dispensation He spoke "at sundry

                                                                                      times and in divers manners," for the  Wand was  never

                                                                                      finished, never  e`omplete,  never  actiomplished.     In these
                                                                                      la& days He hatll.  spoken once, and .thk Word .is fin-
                                                                                      iihe,d.                                        ./ _

         Chd Speaking Through His Son                                                         The 11%~  came by Moses, &r&e  and truth `came by'
                                                                                      Jesus Christ!
              ,
                         Who being the brightness of his glory, and                          _ Through .Moses  I% spoke to the Church of the old
                         the express image ,of his pirs'on,  md upF;oBd-              dispematio$  and the result was a shadow df t,hings  to

                         ing all thin& b,y the word of his  po!wter,  when            come.       An earthly tabernacle represented the Word of

                         he had by himself pkrged 02~~  .sin.s,  s;at  down           God.to  His people, and in it ministered a human  .high

                         on the iight hand of the' Mu,jesty'  on high;                priest, himself a .sinner,  whq offered the sacrifices of

                         be&g made so much better than  the ar@s,                     bulls land goats.that  could never purge awgy  sin.

                         as he hnth by inqhetita/nce  ,obta;ilned  a more ex-                But when, `%,n these last days," He spoke by His

                         cellent name than. they.          ~    Heb.                  Son, the sins of the people were blotted out for ever
                                                                        I.-Z?,  4.
                                                                                      by the perfect sacrifice of the true High Priest, and the
         : .Marv&ous  speech of God !                                                 real and heave@y  tabernacle was established, our High
         Word of Goi whereby Christ, having.  purged OLW                              Priest b1ein.g  exalted at the right  hand of the Majesty
       sins, now sits at the right hand of. the  Majest,y  on high!
                                                                                      on high.
                   For this, acconding  to the epistle to the Hebrews,
      .is the heart of the.whole  matter;. the essence of the ex-                             Through Moses God spoke, and the people cam&
                                                                                      u&o the "mount that might be touched, and that
.      cellency of the new dispensation, its superiority over
      the old, that "in these last days" G&d hath "spoken                             burned .with  fire," and unto "blaeknesi,  and idarkness,
     unto us by his Son."                                          .                  an'd tempest, and the sound of a trumpet,  a.nd`the voice
                   In the old dispensation He spoke through the  pY'o-                of words ; which voice they that heard intreated that
       phets,. "in. these  last days,`? in the fulness of time, He                    the-word shoulld  not be spdkcn  to them any more.         For
       spoke through  l&s Son.             And this. is- the `cause  of the           they could not Iendure  that which was conlmatided.
     d.ifference  between the two dispensations, that before,                         And if so much as a beast touch the tiounfa.in. it shall
      and -that which followerd  "these last days." The fact                          be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so ter-
      that God spdke through the  -prophets in the old. dispen-                       rible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear
      sation made that entire yperiod  one of shadows, when                           ,amd .quake."  m
     He spoke through His Son reality came. As long as                                : -.By-  His Son God spoke, and now  we "are come unto.
      He spoke through the prophets, salvation was  a .mere                           mount Zion, and  unto the city of the liping Gold,  the?'

      promise;  when .H,e spoke by His Son the promise tias                           heavenly Jerusalem, and to an in.numerable  company

      fulfilled.         His Word through the prophets was, indeed,                   of angels, to the general assembly and church of the

      revelatory, inform!a.tive,  shedding light in the dark-                         -firstborn, which are `written in heaven, and to God  the

      ness, filling the hear+,s.-of.  the. heirs of the pr,omisle  with               J%dge of dl, and to' the ap$rits  of j.ust  men made per-

      ho?e, because iti assured them of the salvatiou  He ~woulcl                     fect,. and  to JE',%ds  the,:mediator  of the new covenant,

      accomplish ; I!& .Word by+Iis Son is power&l,:accom-                            .and. to the'zblood  of. qprinkling, that speaheth  better
      plishing that which it expresses, an act o-f-the :$lmighty                      things thm that df Abel."

      Who calleth ehe  things  that +are  ni& ~cs if they were, and                           That is the vast, the amazing difference between
      Who quicken~eth the dead.                                                       the old and the new dispensation!

                                                                                       _.


                            ._
   358                                     TXE STANDAR]D  B~~AREE


          All because. then He spoke through the prdphets,                 For it is this Son, the  brightnas  of God's glory, the
   "in these last days,," that  is, in.the Gays that lie betweexi       express image of His substiance,  that..still  upholds all
_ the incarnatioil  .of the Sari of God and His exaltation              things  bjr the Word of His power.     He is in the heavens
   at the-right hand of Go!d, He spoke by His Son.                      an.d in the earth, transcendent above all, yet immanent

          He spoke, `and the final result is that the Son re-           in all, sils the Word of Gold by Whom the heavens declare

   ceived a glorious name, and is exalted at the right hand             theglory  of.God,  and the firmament sheweth His handi-

   of the Majesty in heaven !  _                                        work, -day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto

          See that ye refuse not Him that _speaketh  ! i                night sheiveth knowledge !
          Mighty Word of God!                                              Andnow,  in these last days, He spoke  aga& through

                                                                        that sami  Son!

          By His Son!                                                       He syjoke  a different Wor!d,  a Word more glorious

      .`Gqd  spoke  throtigh  .God!                                     even than th&  by which the worlds were niade,  and

     --For  this Son; thrpugh  Whom -God spoke in these                 through which they are upheld, th& Word of salvat,ion  !
  -`last  idays,  is very God Himself.                                     And while. through His creative Word He became

          The prophets, even though God spoke through                   kno$n  as the One that calls the things that are  n'ot as

   them, could .only speak `w:ords ;.but ,the Son ,iis the Word I       if they were, by the Word He spoke in these last  da.ys

          He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the           He stands revealed as the One that quickeneth the dead !

   express image: of His person, or rather, according to a                  Of that Word the heirs' of the promise stood' in need  !
   better `tvanslation,- of His substance. For He is very                   For soon after God had.  spoken in the beginning-the
   .God,  co-equal -with the Father as to His substance.         All    light  in which alone man could see the light ha& beea  ex-

   the divitn'e  virtues are His. He is very God Himself,               tinguished.    Darkness, t& diarkmess  of sin and of [death,

  eternal, immutable, self-existent,, transcendent' above               the darkness of the wrath of God and  of condemnation,
   all -that is named creature, infinite in power, in, know-            had spread its horrible wings over the world of man.
   ledge, in wisdom, the implicat&  of all perfections, the             Adam hard not regarded his excellent gifts and position,

 Holy On&  the mighty Lord of all. And He is  sech as                   had turned :a.way  from the Word of God to heed the
   the Son. For God is one in essence, yet three in  per-               lie of Dhe evil, and had, accor'ding  $0 the Word of God,
   solns.    And in the divine economy the Rather  eternally            sunk into the depth of death from which, as far as he
   subsists as Father, the Generator of the Son, the                    was concerned, there was no.  ,escape.  -Anid iInto  that.
   Speaker; the, Son as Son, the Word of the Father to                  depth pf deso@ion  he had dragged with him the entire
   H-imself,  His effulgence, the express image of J!Zis  sub-          *race, even also the:  heirs of the promise ! The covenant
   stance, the Speech; while the Holy Spirit subsists in the            of friendship, life and joy and fellowship with the liv-
   infinite essence of the- triune God as Spirit, the  (One             ing God had become impossible.        The light shone in the
   that .is breathed forth and proceeds from the Father                 Idarkness,  and the darkness comprehended it not!

  . to the Son, land through the Son .to the Father; the                    Th.ere  was no way out!
   Speaking.      Eternally the Father speaks of  aimself &d                But the thijngs  that are impossibl:e  with man are
   to Hirmself  in the Spirit atid through the Son, and eter-           possible  with. God !
 nally  the  Son is the essential and infinite reflection of                He would speak again! And speaking once more,
   the Fathei,  the brightness of His glayly,  God of God,              He would reveal Himself as the One that is mighty, and
   Light of Light.                                                      willing, to call the light out of darkness, righteousness
          T.hrough  that Son He spoke in  "these~last  days."           out of sin, glory out of shame ,life out of death!
     0, He had spoken through Him before !                                  Through the prcphets He. spo&  poil&ng  them, .a.nd
          For by Him He also made  the worlds.       For in the         those that heard their word, to the time when He would
   beginning was the Word, and the Wond wa.:with  God,                  once -mor.e  speak to His. people through  His Son !
   and the Word was God. The same was in the  begin-                        And in these last days He fulfilled His Word!
   n'ing  with God.      All things were made  by ' him; land               By His Son, the eternal Word, th9 brightness of
   .without  him was hoi anything made that was made.                   .His  glory,the  express `image of His substance, He spoke
   John 1 :l-3. Through the Son, the eterna.l  W.ord,  He               in the fulness ,of  time!
   spoke, and the heavens and the earth  ,wer6 brought                      He spoke His mighty Word of salvation j
   f,orth, the things. that are not were cz+lled  as if they               Wonderful Word of God!
   were.     He spoke and there was light, and a firmament,

   and the waters fled, and the earth brought forth herbs                  -He spoke and it wias done!
   and grass, and the lights were esta.bl.ished  in the hea-  _.           ,And  the ultimate glo?y that was accomplisned  by
   vens, an& the living souls were  called into ,being,  and this. speech of God  t,hrouih  His Son is that the Son

   man was formed after the image of God. . . .                         received a new name !
          Moreover, through the same Son He continued to                   For; ,ev.ijdently,  it is to His name  as the Christ, as
   speak,                                                               the Son o'f .God ia the flesh, as the Mediator of God and


                                             -T H E           S T A.;N-D A R D .IEi E A R E R                                                 359 -
                                   .

 man, that, the .text  refers.          Otily this name, the :%&me              Wor,d became flesh!            That same Son of .God,  Who is

 He received as Son of ,God  in human nature, could He                         the bright&&s  of God's glory,' ;a.nd  the express image
 inherit, and the tlext  speaks of a name which He ob-                         -of His~sttbstance  ; that/`&me  Word, through Whom HIe
 tained by inheritance. As Son of God in the divine                            spake `in the beginning; and by the Whom the worlds
 nature He possesses all power and might'and  glory in                         were created ; that same mighty Wond that still upholds
 Himself: to Him no name could possibly be given by                            all things, that transcends all things, rand  that is in all

 inheritance.      Besides, the Word of .God here compares                     things, ,now  is inseparably united with the flesh and

 Him with the angels: he is made so much better than                           blood of the children, dwells among us, lives with us,

 the angels, as he hath by inheritance  .obtained  a ,more                     speaks to us face to faCe and mouth to mouth !
exlcellent  name than. they.       But all comparison between                       God spoke.and the Wond .bec;ame  flesh and dwelled
 the Son of God in the divine nature and the angels, or                        among us!

 any other creature, would be impossible.                                          He spoke, and that Word in the flesh descended into
  -     The Son of God in human nature inherited an ex-                        the depth of ,death  and bell!         -
 cellent name.                                                                     For also the cross is the Word of Go!d  through His
        -And the name, here as always'  in: Scripture, is ex-                  Son !
 pressive of the nature and position of the bearer of that                          On Him He laid the-iniquity of us all, even as He

 name. It denotes that which one may rightfully  a.nd                          had ,or.dained Him to be the Head of .His  own from be-
 properly be called.          .                `-'                             fore the founda.tion  of the world. `-,Him  He brought
       . This name of the Son of Go'd is expressive of and                     .into -judgment for the transgressions of 33s people.
 consists in His excellent position.          For He sits "at the               On Him He poured~all  the vials of His wrath against
 right hand of the Majesty on high."  .God  `is "the sin, and Him He caused to bear and to taste iti all its
 Majesty," the Greatness, the sole `and absolute Sover-                        unspeaka;ble  bitterness the terrible curse of death. As
 eign .of heaven  and earth. His alone is all th:e  dominion,                   He spoke throulgh  His Son, that Son in human flesh
 and the power, and the glory for ever;                     His is the sole    entered into all the desolati80n of being forsaken by God,              _
 prerogative to rule. -And to be exalted- at His right                         and sustained the bur,den of God'cs wrath to the bitter

 hand signifies a position at the very pinnacle of all                          end, thus britnging  the perfect sacrifice that purged

 created thi,ngs,  .in which one is authorized,  %o exercise                   away sin, :a,nd obtained for us perfect and everlasting .
 lordship over all things in the  na.me of God. This is                        righteousness !
 the present position$f  the Son of God in~the  flesh.                  He         &id the Word -of God through His Son continued

 is exalted above all prilncipality  and pow,er,  and above                    to speak.
every name that is named, not only in this world, but                               For having be,come  obedient unto death, yea, the

 also-in  that which is to come.          All things are subjected              death of the cross, and having purged away all the  lsins

 under Him. In His name every knee must bow, and                               of His people, the Son of God was na,ised from the Idead.

 every tongue confess that Jesus  .is'Lord  to the glory of                    .Through  His Son, and unto gis Son in the flesh, the

 God the Father!                                                                Majesty `on high spoke: "Thou  art my Son, this day

        A more excellent name than the angels He obtained.                     have I b:egotten_  Thee !"        And it was so.      And He arose

        A posi.tion  in which even the glorious heavenly                        from corruption int,o  incorruption, from .death  into

 spirits must bow before Rim  in aw.e.                                         immortality, from.. weakness into power, from flesh

       And in harmony with that :excellent  position; He                       "and blood into the glory ,of His resurre&ion  body. . . :
 .wa:s  en,dowed  with excellent power.         For .He  .was  made                The Lord of life and death  !                -
 more excellent `according as He. received a more excel-                           And still God spake !

 lent name than the angels. Power and `wisdom and                                  He spoke : "Sit thou at my right thand, until I make
 knowledge and might land honor are bestowed on Him;,                          thine,  enemies thy footstool." And it was so. And He

 in order that He might be able to  ~bccupy  and function                      ascended. up on high, 1eadin.g  .captivity  capt,ive,  and sat

 in the position at th,e right hand of God.                                    down on the right hand of the Miajesty  on high!

        Jesus is Lor,d !                                                           It- is finhhed!
       The Son ,of  .God is the -Christ !,                                         :God  ,has  spoken thr.ough  His Son, and His Word is

       The heir of all thmgs!                                                  a c c o m p l i s h e d  ! .
        To this He was appointed by the.di,vine  decree from                       `That is the .gospel!          The Word that is preached
 before the f,oundation  of the world. And this eternal                        among us!

 good pleasure ,of  the Father wa.s  realized in thes:e  -last                   The Word of salvation!                    '

 days, when God spoke His Word of salvation  thr,ough                            Once m&e He will speak through the same Son,

 the Son!                                                                      shaking the heavens and the earth!

        He spoke and it was don.e!                                                 That His Son in the glory of His new name may

        His mighty Word pirocekded  forth from His. mouth,                     appear to all,!

 and the Wonder of all -wonders is accomplished: the                              .For everanldever!               __ _                   H. Iw.
                                                      *.


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   `: .. .                                                           9 4 6   S i g s b e e   S k e e t ,   S .   E .                                                                                                                  The Text of a.Compl&nt  .
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                                                             EDITOR - R e v .   H .  Hoeksemr
  I
                   Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor,  A. Cammenga,                                                                                                                                                      The question-is whether there is a real or apparent
                  P. -De. Boer, iT. D. de Jong, H. De. Wolf, L. Doezema,                                                                                                                                                 cdntra'diction  involved in the truth of God's sovereignty
                  .`M.  Grittera,  C. Hank&  B. `Kok,  G. Lubbers, G, M. Ophoff,                                                                                                                                                                                                               .,'
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         and.  man's responsibility.
                  .J4.  Petier,  M. Schippw,  J. Vanden  Breggen, H. Veldman,
  -R. Vkldman,  L. Vermeer,  P. Via,   G .   V o s ,   W .   H o f m a n ,                                                                                                                                                       Let us put both truths in propositional fol-m :.
                   J. Heys, Mr. S. De Viies.                                                                                                                                                                                     1. God is abisolutely  sovereign, &en so that Hie de-

   ".              &inmuni&ti&  reiati& to contents shoiiid  l&  addressed                                                                                                                                               termines the moral acts of man, .both good `and evil.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           __
                   to. REV.  H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E;, Grand                                                                                                                                                        2. Map is responsible before  Gdd `for all his moral
   .`. Rapids, Michigan.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         racts.
            " ~Communi~ations  relative to subscription shotilb-  be ad-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Now, the question is not whether there is a problem
       : dressed 60 MR. GERRIT  PIP& 946 Sigsbee  Street.  S. E.,
                   Grand Rapids, Mich.  All Announcements and Obituiries                                                                                                                                                 here.      It may well be that we cannot answer .the ques-
                  must  be sent to the above address +nd will not be `pitied                                                                                                                                             tioc how God is able to determine  man's,  deeds without
                  unless  the regular fee .of $1.00 &companies the notice.                                                                                                                                               destroying man's responsibility. That He is able to. do

                                                                    Subscription $2.60 per year                                                                                                                          so is asserted plainly by the two propositions sbated
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            ., Entered as second class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan                                                                                                                                                    above.       But whether. or not we `can understand,  this

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         operation of the sovereign God upon  man  is not the

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         question.      The sole question is whether the two propo-

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         sitions concerning God3  sovereignty and. man's re-
                                                                                          CONTEN'I'S                                                                                                                     sponsibil;ity  are.contradictory.  This we deny. In fact,

             MlEDI/I'A;ION  -                                                                                                                                                                                            they mnnot  possibly be, for the simpl:e  reason that they
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         assert something about ttio  wholly .different  subjects.
                   GO,D  SPEAKING THROUGH HIS SON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 They would %be  contradictory if tihe first proposition
                                 Rev. H. Hoeksema
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         denied what is affirmed .in the second.                  But this is n+ot:
             E D I T O R I A L S  -                                                                                                                                                                                      true.      The first proposition asserts something about

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         God: He is absolutely sovereign and determines  thp
                   THE TEXT OF A CO'MPLAINT                                                                                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..A.............%.........                    360
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         acts of man.       The second prop.osit.ion  predicates' some-
                   AN INTEaESTING DL%CUSSION                                                                                       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ,.362
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         thing about man: he is responsible for his moral acts.
                   EXPOSITION OF THE H@DELBERG  CATBCHISIvi  . ...363
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Does the first proposition d:eQy,that  man is responsiblle?
                            _ Rev. H. HoeItsema
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         If it does yciu have here a contradiction.                   But it does
                   SIIBON  PO,SSE&SE,S  THE GATES OF HIS ENE-                                                                                                                                                            not.      Those who- iike to discover a conkradiction  here,
                   MIES . . . . . . . ..>............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366                  usually the enemies of the truth of God's sovereignty,
                                Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                                        simply take for granted that *to assert that God- is

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         sovereign even over man's acts is to say. the same as
                   EEN'GEBED IN OORLOG .,...................,.......  *.,*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  y. 4370
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         that man is not responsible. It must be pointed out.
                                Rev. G. VOs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         however, that _this  is neither `expressed nor implied
                   THE OR!@HODOX  CHURCH `IN  RUSSIA . . . . . ..I.................... p72                                                                                                                               in t,he first proposition.                In the two propo.sitions  re-
                                Rev.. B. Kok                                                                                                                                                                             sponsibility is not both confirmed and denied  la:t the

                   THE DEACONATE AND CIVIC  CSHAZITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...374                                                                                                                      same time to man.
                               Rev. C. Hank0                                                                                                                                                                                 The two pyopositionti  would, ?of :course ,also  be con-
                                                                                                                                                                                                 .                       tradict,ory  if the second proposition denied what is
                   THE .MAN  WITHOUT .+ WlEDDING  GARMENT . . . . . . . . . .;.376                                                                                                                                       affirmed in -the first.                 In that cas.e,  sovereignty ,even
                               Bev.  J. De Jong                                                                                                                                                                          over the acts of man'woulld  b"e both.affirm@d  and denied

                   OUR MISSIONARY CALLING                                                                               . . . . . . . . ** . . . . . . . . . . . . . :.; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379     to God.      But lalso  this is neither expressed nor implied
                                                                                                                                                              Ti
                               Rev. W. Hofman                                                                                                                                                                            in the two propositions, unless it can first be shown
                                                                                                                                                                            ._                                           conclusively that to lsay that man is responsible is the
                   `GONTRIBUTION                                            . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..".,.,.......  . . . . . ;....380             same as declaring that God is aot sovereign over his
                               Mr. G:Ten  Elshof                                                      -.                                                                                                                 moral acts.      And iJ& has pqyeg  keen demonstrated,  nor'
                                                                                                                                                                                  ,_.-                                   is it self .evident,       . .                                  .'
                                                                                             . . . -. _.... _._"                                                                                  -__. __                                           -. __f. --         2 7,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             - 0


                                                THE,  STAN'DARi)  BEARE-R                                                              .              361


             If they were really contradictory they coulld  not                      cretive  will. at the expense of His preceptive  will.. He

      both be t.he object of -the ,Christian$  ftiith.         We.lcould             deems it essential to hold. that Scripture Idistinguishes.

      only conclude that either the one or the other were                            betw&en  the sphere of divine sovereignty.-rand  the

      not true.                                                                      sphere of human responsibility, and `that this  distinc-.

       .     Now, however, ain'ce they involve no contradiction,                     tion is so absolute that one can never pass from the

      and since `both are"clearly  revealed iln Scripture, we                        one into'the other.' (Dictaten Dogmatiek, Locus de Deo,.

      accept  both, whether or not we `can combine them into                         part 3, p& 113 ff.) .           In th% light of-~  history we cannot

      one concept. :                                                                 but hold that his nationalism exposes -Dr.-  Clark to the
             And the attempt to do so, to solve the problem,                         peril of Antinomianism.

      must be considered laudable.                                                      "Here attention must be called to his treatment  1
            Wihat  pastor  has not ,confronted  the necessit*y,  in                  of human,  responsibility -in the.  article- `Determmism
      his catechism classes, to a@wer a question concerning                          and Responsibility'.            Reformed theologians generally
      this problem when he was instructing his pupils in the                         are ,exceedingly  &rcumspect  when they discuss the re-
      truth ,of God's immutable dlecrees ? And what in- lation of the divine decree Iand divine providence to the'
      structor was satisfied to reply to his earnestly inquir-                       sin of man. There is excellent reason for their care-
      ing'pupil  that here we fake  a contradi,ction?                                fulness.  They are zealous to maintain God's holiness

            `To me it would seem that the solution of the prob-                      as well as His sovereignty, not to  .detract,  after the
      lem, as far as Reformed theology is concerned, must be                         manner of the Antinomians, from human responsibility.
      sought in the ,direction  of properly defining man's re-                       But Dr. Clark says boldly: `Does the view `here pro-
      sponsibility: If the question is asked huw a Idivinely                         posed make God the Author of sin?                Why the learned
      determine,d  creature can be. responsible for his acts,                        divines who formulated the various creeds so uniform-.
      it stands to reason that his freedom and responsibility                        ly permitted such a metaphorical expression to becloud'
      must be defined as falling within the  comp&s  of.  God's                      the `issue is a puzzle.          This view certainly makes God',
      decrees and sovereignty.         Man's freedom  is a ,creaturei  ' the ,First and Ultimate Cause of everything.                          But very
      ly, and, therefore, a dependent `freedom. And so is his                        slight reflection on the idefinition of responsBility  and              = _
      res$ionsi'bility.                                                              its implication ,of a superior authority shows that God
            However this may be, and -whether  or not Dr. ,Clark'.s                  is not res'ponsible  for sin' (p. 22) . It is meaningful that'
_     solution is acceptable, his attempt to solve the p,roblem                      Dr: Clark is not careful to say, as so many Reformed
      is laudable. And it is a very- strange procedure to                            theologians are, that God is not the  efIicient  cause of
      accuse a man of heresy because of the very fact that                           siln (e!g.  Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 108)  .",
      he attempts .a solution of !a Idifferent-problem.                              p. 12.

                                                                                         And. at the end of this part of the "Complaint'" the

                                                                                     complainants conclude that Dr. Clark's "rationalism
            While the attempt on the part of Dr. Clark to solve                      has resulted in his departing from the historic Reform-
      this -problem is labeled as rationalism, the solution he                       ed doctrine of human responsibility.             In his attempt Co
      offers is characterized as clrrt;+inorntim.        `.                          reconcile by human re&on  Idivine  sovereignty and
            We quote from the "CompIaint"  :                                         human `responsibility he has done decided violence to
             "The lzistory  of ,doctrine  tells us that the view'und.er              the latter." p. 13..
      discussion is- far from innocent.        The..tenet  that divine                                         .-
                                                                                        Dr. Clark, therefore, is an antinomian rationalist,
     sovereignty and human. resjponsibility  are logically re--
                                                                                     according to the complfaiJnants.  His refusal to accept
      concilable has been'held by two schools of thought, both
                                                                                     contradictions makes him "one-sided."
      of which claimed to be Reformed but neither of whic?l
      was recognized as Reformed ,by  Reformed churches.                                 T.here is nothing original in this accusation,
      One of these schools is Arminianism.            It m,eant  to up-                  It- has become rather customary in  .recent  -yearsi
      hold both divine sovereignty and human responsibility,                         especially since the Christian Reformbed  Synod ofJ924,.
      especially the latter, but in its rationalistic attempt to                     to explain all forms of heresies as rationalistic at-
     harmonize th.e two it did great violence. to the former.                        tempts to solve contradictions resulting in onesilded-.
      The other school is Antilnomianism..  It also meant to                         ness; This makes it so very !easy to classify one whom
      uphold both ydivine sovereignty a.nd human responsi-                           we seek to expose as a herletic!             You oan pick ,out  al:
      bility, especially  the farmer,. but in its  _ rationalistic                   most any. classification you ,like.            Thus, ,e.g.,  under-
      attempt to h$monjize  the two it did great. violence to                        signed has been lagbeled  an Anabaptist, an Antinomian,
     ?,t.he latter.    D& Abraham Kuyper has described &Anti                         an Arminian, a Barthian, etc.
" nomianism as                                                                          The complainants adopt the same policy.
                           1 go (dreadful sin which occurs almost
      exclusively in the Reformed churches'.            He says that                    Arminianism, say they, is the result of a national-
      what accounts~for  this  phenomenon. is a one-side9                            istic  attempt to reconcile God's sovereignty and human
                                                                                1
      emphasis i&i&h  Reformed preaching:on                                     responsibility. So is Antinomianism. Both become
                                                                GQd's-  de-


            .362                          1. `-
                                 _ "                     TH.E STANDA,R:D..  B&AR,E_R                                                                   _ .._

                 onesided  in their attempt.. So Dr. Clark tries to. solve
                 the same problem with the same result of onesidedness                             An Interesting Discussion
                 on the Antinomian sirde.  Heinz@,  he` is an Antino-
                 mian.                                                                                              ' ( continuled)

                  But is all this true? ,Or  is it merely an attempt,
                 a, purely rationalistic attempt too, on the part of the                   " The Rev. George W, Marston  reread the statement
                 complainants to find a heretical name for Dr. Clark?                    which Mr. Hamilton (had prepared and with which
                 Is Arminianism  really.the result of an attempt to `Iup-                Dr. Clark had expressed himself in, agreement, and
                 hold both divine sovereignty and human responsibility"                  asked the complainants to comment upon it.                    The
                 as the @mplainla;nts  claim? _ Was .it not from  the:very               Rev. Leslie W. Sloat objected'that  an answer had been
                 outset an attempt to deny and d&rove the doctrine of                    prepared by the committee but that the committee
                                                                                         $a.d <made  no attempt to have its printed answer con-
-.               absolute predestination and of the sovereignty-of  Gocl
                 in relation to the freedom of_ man? `And is .Antino-                    sidered fmor  adoptions;  instead, a w.holly ti,evci ,document
                 mianism. to be explained as an attempt to solve  .the                   -which  no one had an' opportunity to study had been
                 problem cof God's sovereignty and ,human  rksponsi-                     introduced by one. individual, and the complainants
                 bility?     Anyone that is at all acquainted with-the facts             were now bei_ng  asked to discuss it as represent.i.ng
                 knows better. It was conceraed  with, .the rebtio.n,.of                 Dr. Clark's position.
                 justification and good works, and rejected.the  moral                        The Rev. Franklin S. .Dyrness  said, "Wle should
                 law as binding upon Christians.        It is`true that man?             be sane and sensible in facing this matter."               He de-
                 of them were also strong in their emphasis `on  pre-                    clared that the presbytery .was not in session to con-
                 destmation,  but this emphasis also was. ,especially  ap-               sider the answer but to examine the complaint. The
                 plied to their vi,ew  of the ju&ification  of the elect.       Rut      presbytery had really been' indutging  in a re-examina-
                 Antinomianism cannot be called a                                        tion of Dr. Clark.       He referred to Mr. Hamilton's alle-
                                                           : rationalistic at-:          gation of fifty-seven errors in the complaint and to a
      _     tempt to harmonize divine sovereignty and human re- _
      _ . sponsibility..  AnId whatever: must be tho,ught  of.                           previous speaker's statement that they 
                                                                                 llr.                                                          `were not in
             Clark's attempt to solve this problem, it .ca,mot~_~be                      lr(e,a.iity  of central imporDance.           "If those items were
             branded as Antinomian.                                                      not ;important,".  he asked, "why did the complainants
                                               .,        ~' 1 : ":.,.:"' " :
                    Besides,  the indictment. that Dr. Clark does violence               put,them' in the lcomplain't?"  He cited Dr. Clark's
            to or denies the responsibility of man bequseiiof.  his                      denial that -the ,complaint  gives a fair representation
            onesideid  emphasis on the sovereignty of God, is only a                     of his position, ,and pled for Ea,irness  and honesty.
            ,conclusion  which the complainants draw from some of                            Mr. Marston  felt that, while the complaint and
            his statements. Dr. Clark himself would never admit                          the answer had been widely cirdulated,  the presbyters
      the truth of the conclusion. He never denies the re-                               had never had .what  they really needed mosean oppor-
            sponsibility of man, nor does he ever present God' as                        tunity for. each one to have his own copy of the tran-
                                                                                         script of the record of Dr.  Clark%  theological examina-
      , the real Author of human acts, though he, insists that
            He determines them. He ,only  maintains that "deter-                         tion, on which both the complaint and the answer had
           minism is consistent with responsibility," a  statelment                      been based.        "Without it," he asked, -"how can we .
            which itself proves that he does not  eli~minate  the re-                    judge ?`,'

            spon,sibility  of man in-his  attempt to harmo.n-ize  it with.                   After recessing for dirmer,  the prsgbytery  voted.
            God's sovereignty.            It is always [dangerous to draw                down a motion to postpone further consideration  unti1
            conclusions from someone's statements in order  thzn                         a,fter  mimeographing and circulating the written
            to attribute the conclusions to `the author of  t,he state-                  speeches which had been delivered by several of the
           ments.            Let `us not forget that enemies. of the truth               complainants and by Mr. Hamilton.
           drew conclusions from Paul's .doctrine,  accused him of                           Mr. Hamilton then .again  arose to [deliver another

           " Antinomianism (Rom. .`3 :8 ; `6 :i) , and,..of  making God                  paper on. the. relation between regenezsition  and .human
            the author ,of sin and denying the responsibility of                         understanding,. .which again he'said  had reaeived Dr.
            man. (Rom. 9 :19).                                     :. I                  Clark's approval. Confusion was injected, however,
                    It seems to me that this part of the  .f`Complaint"                  by the interpolation of some of Mr.  I_Iamilton$,  own

            utterly fails -to prove its point.                                           observations which had not been approved by Dr.

                                                                     H .  ti..           Clark.        In the course ~of the speech, Mr. Hamilton de-

                                                                                         clared that notitia (knowledge) and assensus  (assent)

                                                                                         could be,  possessed by the unregenerate man but that  1
                            Jesus, the spri_ng- of joys divine,            -             fiducia  (trust) could not. These are three theological
                            Whence all our hopes and comforts flow,                      terms to. designate the three elements--of saving faith.

            _       Ij.- _ Jesus, no other name but thine,                          \    Mr.. ,Hamilton  was promptly challenged for holding
                            Can save us .from  eternal. woe.                             thatthe unregenlerate  man possesses two-thirds of the


                                                                                                                                         1

                                        T H E   S T A N D - A R D  BEAR.ER                                                   363
                                                                                            _-

 elements of saving  faith. On this position,  ,sa.id  the        meeting was adjourned until 11 a.m. on Thursday,

 complainants, the only thing wrong `with the unre-               Mla.rch  29th.

 generate man i's that his saving faith is one-third

 incomplete. Moreover, since the answer terms assent
 the central element in faith, the.  unregenerate man                 After reading the above report, we are still of the

 might then, on Mr. Hamilton's position, be. said to              opinion that the issues involved in the Clark contro-

 possess,the  central element of saving faith.                    versy are matters for discussion by a theological con-

     Mr. Hamiltonthlen  said that he had-~  just been told        ference rather than grounds of complaint against the
 that Dr. Clark would Inot ,a,gree  th,at.  the unregenerate      licensure and ordination of a candidate for the minis-
 man was in possession of the first two of the three              try.
elements, but only- of the ,first.    It then became clear                                                          H. H.

 that this portion' of Mr. Hamilton's speech was his

 own interpolati,on  and had. ,not  received Dr. Clark's                                                            I


 agreement. It seemed also that Mr. Ti'chenor,  chair-

 man of the committee, held to a [different conception                    The- Triple Knowled,ge
 of the subject from that  which  had been defended by

 Mr. Hamilton.

     The supportem  of Dr. #Clark's  theory made valiant

 efforts to defend the statement of. the answer that               An Expnsitibn  Of The He#dberg
 "regeneration . . . is not a change in the understanding
 of these w,ords (Christ died for sinners) ." Mr. Kuschke,                               Catechism
 on the other hand, de,fended  the position of `the com-
 plaint and pointed out- that, when content is injected                                .  P a r t   T w o .
 int,o  the sentence, the unregenerate man must in-`                                  Of. Man's Redemption

 variably inject the wrong content and the regenerate                                    Lord's Day XV
 man the true content.
                                                                                             2     .
     The comp18ainants'  contention that Dr. Clark  appar-

 ently'was  reluctant to characterize the free offer of                           Under Pontius Pilate (Cont.)

 the gospel as "sincere" was discussed after Dr. Clark
                                                                          The condemnation of Jesus by the worBd  was the
 had left the meeting. In the course- of debate Mr.
                                                                  jed*gment  and condemnation of the world.
 Tichenor said-  that in his own opinion Dr. ,Clark  would
                                                                          T*hus  the Lord had spoken a few days Before he
 .prob.a.bly  interpret as referring only to the. elect  t,he.
                                                                  st,ood  before the Roman governor, delivered by .His
 following two passages : "God our Saviour,' who will             people, to !be ,tried  by that representative of worldly
have all men to.be  saved, and to come unto the know-
                                                                  justice : "Now is the condemnation of the world, now
 ledge of the truth" (41 Tim. 2 :3,4)  and "As I live, saith
                                                                  shall the prince of thils world be c!sst  out." John 12 :31.
 the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the
                                                                  And there can be no doubt about the fact that he spoke
 :wicked  ; but that then wicked turn from his w'ay and these words wit,h a view to his own' condemnation and
 ,live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways;' for why
                                                                  death.      What was historically, as men view the events
 will ye di,e,  OBhouse  of Israel?" (Ezek. 33 :ll).
                                                                  of this world, the trla.1  and condemn.ation  of Jesus by
     Dr.; Eldward  J. Young of. Westminster Seminary              the world, was in reality ,and aceordmg  to the purpose
 gave a detailed and carefully worked out exegesis of             of ,God,  the trial and judgment of the world.
 many of the :Old Testament passages dealing with the                 This is to be understood, not as a figure of speech,
 ,doetrine  of incomprehensibility, but lack of space for-        but in the literal sense of the wond.
 bids an inclusion of them in this report.                            The w&ld,  the.  whole of sinful humanity as it re-
     T-he question was again called for. Professor                veals itself and develops in the present world, the world
Woolly had already reminded the presbyters that they              in its ethiadly  ,evil sense, with its lust of the flesh, and
 ,should vote $6r the motion to dismiss the complaint             lust of the eyes, and prilc1.e of life, was tried, weighed in
 only if they &ere completely satisfied that Dr. Clark's          the balan& of God's justice, exposed as corrupt and
theology w;as$a  proper presentation of the Reformed              found wanting, and condemned, when it passed judg-.               _
 Faith. ' $                                                       pment  upon Jesus the Christ, thee Son of God in the
     A r.ol"i call: $ote  was taken, showmg a tie vote of         flesh.     It is true, Scripture teaches us that there will
 twenty to twenty, which meant that the motion to dis-            come a final day of judgment, a rday when the ever
 miss the com.$lajnt  was, lost.                                  righteous judgment of God Ishall  be reveal,ed,  and when

     Since ther$$as obviously little chance of compllet-          all that is implied in the judgment of the ,cross shall be

 `ing the business of the presbytery-at this session,  the!       openly and clearly manifested, but that does not alter

                 _-


                                                                                                                       .
       364                                    ; -TH.E  STANDAXXD  `BEAR.ER'


       the fiatct  that Inineteen  hundred years ago the ,&orl,d         tion of their ethical worth, of the intent&  and imagina-
       stood in judgment before God, and was condemned in                tions of tlreir  inmost heart.     The question was a search-
       the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from t,he          ing one.      It .was  8, question of life and  `dea;th.    It was
                                                     ._
       dead.                                                             intended to r,eveal  whether they loved ,or hated the
              And in that `hour of judgment the world was well           truth, whether they were in harmony with or opposed
       represented.                             .              1         to the will of God, whether they were children of God
              This was necessary. _    For. .in and through those        ,or children ,of  Meir  father the devil.
       that, were present at and took an active part, in the                 HI&tee,  it must become very plain that Christ repre-
       trial'and condemnation of Jesus, the whole world of all           sents the light, and that they are perfectly aware that
       ages, from the beginning to the end of time, is judged            there is `no' darkness in Him at all. He had gone,
       anId condemned by God. There may, therefore, be no                throu.ghout  the land- doing goold, and revealing the
       room for complaint on the part of the world that it was           Father.       He represented the light in a world of dark-
       not well represented. Its representatives must belong             ness.    And in that fmal hour He stood before the world

       to the very best .the  world is able to produce.        Not a     without power and without defense. Freely, without
       tribe of ignorant savages, or a band of criminals from            fear of human might or revenge, the world could ex-

       the lowest strata of society, not men whom the tiorld             press its judgment, reveal its inmost heart, and -in
       itself dra.ws  into its courts'to  *judge and condemn them,       judging the Christ ,of God principally answer the queg-

       may kill the Christof God. Not on the ,outskirts'of  the          tion: what will ye do with God, Hie truth, His right-

      ~wor)d,  far from the pale. of civilization may this judg-         eousness;,and  holiness,' if He is represented .by a weak

       ment take .place,  and the cross of Christ be.erected.            an,dhelpless  man?       And the ansver they gave with one

       Not in a period of darkness and ignorance, when                   ace&d  was : Then we tiill kill Him !
       h.uman  `culture  stands  o,n a l&level~ is the Anointed of           To ,th:at  vvorl'd  also belonged the power of the
       the Lord tried and condemned by the world.  ,On the               State, the sword-power as instituted by God for the'

-      contrary, in the ,center  ,of  the world, in the very heart       punishment of evil-doers and the, praise of them  that
     of civilization, in the fulness of time, ,Chriet is judged,         do .well.'

       and in that' very judgment the  worlld  is condemned.                 And. the sword-power, the institution of the State ~

       `rhe center of the world, and of history, was in Jeru-            of all ages was well represented.at  the time by the

       salem in the year thirty three, of our era.         There, in-    Roman`worlld-pbwer.-

     d:eed, the whole world in all its culture land civilization             And the representative of that. Romiaa sword-power
                                                                                                                                     . . .
       was present.     There were t,he representatives, not only        in Jerusalem was Pontius Pilate.,                                    ;
       of culture a,nd philosophy. ,and human justice, but                   He, too, therefore, must be confronted with the

       also of the world of religion, as it had been enlightened         (question f what wilt thou do with the Christ of God?
       by` the law and the prophets.         There were the- leaders       ~ No,`he was aot the sole representative of the world
       of the Jews, the theologians of  .tl-&  day, teachers of          that judged Christ and was itself condemned. Ju!das

       Moses, sitting on Moses' seat, proud of their knowledge           had- given his ;a,nswer  to the qu&ion.  ' So had the "

       of- and. keeping of the law.      And there was .also the         Church-institute, represented by the Sanhedrin, Annas,

       Rsoman  court of justice, famous f,or  its knowle:dge  of         Caiaphas, the leaders of the  Jews.  So would Heroid,
       tihat  is right and true among men. j                             "that  fox', face and answer the question, when, by way
              That world was tried land exposed as evil through          ,of an intermission in the trial  -by the- Roman goVernor
       the trial and condemnation of the Christ of God..                 the Lord `was sent to him.           So did the ,aoldiers,  the"

              By that trial it was very really called before. the        representatives of Roman might, give an answer to the

       bar o,f divine justice, examin'ed,  anld exposed in its           same` question, when they made Him the -object and  _
       corruptsion,  its hypocrisy, its worthiness of damnation.         victim of their ribald and cruel mockery.            Anid. so did

       It ~a3  for,ced  to cast off' its mask of goodness and            the Church as a congregation, when they voted in favor`

       nobility,, of justice and love of the. truth, in order to         ,of  a murderer, and demanded that the Christ of God

       become manifest in its inner wickedness and  rotteness,           bd'crucified.
       its love of tlie'darkness rather than the light, its con-             Ilnd yet, whether in the Apos&mm  the.  words
       stant suppression of the. truth in- unrighteousness; its          "under Pontius Pilate" are intend,ed  as a mere temporal
       enmity against the living God.                                    qualification or not,, the, Confession touches the very
              For this purpose, the world must judge the Christ;         h&t of the matter in this phrase.          For Pilateultimate-
       <God's  Son, the holy child Jesus.     And in this judgment       ly was `the representative of the highest worldly  tri-
      -they `must give an -answer to the question: what think            bunal,  -without whose ver.dict  Jesuscould not have been

       ye of the ,Christ?     Mark you .well,  they must give- an        crucified.
       answer to this ,question  not iln the way of theological              He suffered unlder Potius Pilate!

       contemplation or as `a result of philosophical- thought,            I Simple words, but tremendous in their significance,
       not in a disinterested, impersonal way, but as a repela:          when. we .consider  that- in $he judgment of Pilate the


                                                                                                                                          u
    .- ^                               '~H.E-~TANDARD  BEA-RER  .                                                               _ 365
                                                               .
w,hole world is finally t,ried, and condemned.                        world, the world of men.       And its Mood-guiltiness and

    One of the most remarka:ble  and striking. features               condemnation can- never .be removed, ulnless its. guilty

of this trial, as reported. to us. by the gospel writers,             stains are washed away by the very blood that was shed

is that the j_udge r,epeatedly  Andy most emphatically                on Calvary.

`declares that J1esus is innocent. He. makes it very                      For them that !a.re thus washed the judgmen.t  of the

plain that he is perfectly convinceid  o:f Jesus: right-              cross is removed by God's verdict izn the resurrection
                                                                                                                                _~
eousness.     He finds no fault in Him. When he finally               of Jesus Christ from the dead.

renders the verdict, that is to send Jesus to the. death              `For He was. delivered for our transgressions, and                       p
of the cross, hial sentence is not the result  ,of a mis-             raised for our- justification.

understanding. Nor is he finally convinced that Jesus

is guilty.    On the contrary, to the very 1jst he. empha-

sines  that the Lord is innocent.        ,H,is original j u,dg-  -                                  0
                                                                                                    3.
ment is never changed: "I find no guilt in him at all!"
                                                                                         The Death Of The Cross
    Yet, even so the way is open for the Roman judge

to answ,er  the quest,ion  : what wilt thou do then with the              In the Apostolic Confession the fact that Jesus
righteous Jesus, the light in darkness, the revelation of died the Ideath of the cross receives special mention.
the Father.?     And an answer he must give.        He repre-         Christ "suffered under Pontius Pilate, w&s  cm&

sented the sword-power of the worlfd.        And he is very           fied". . . . '
deeply co.nscious of the fact that he has power-to release                And to the meaning. of this- death  .by crucifixion.

Jesus, and power to send Him to His death.         But in this        the Heidelberg Catechism calls our attention in question

particular instance ,he .does not like his position, is not           and answer thirty-nine : "Is there anything more  in
well pleased with his power.       Under ,ordinary  circum-           .his' being crucified, than if he had :died  some other
stances, he would have revealed little or :no hesitancy               death?    Yes, there is;, for thereby I am assured that

to send the innocent to his death.     An'd`even.now  it was          He took on IIim  the curse which lay upon me; for the

not love ,of truth and righteousness that caused  .him  to            death -of the cross was accursed-of God."

waver.      But he was afnald.  .Caring  little for truth and          .The  Scriptural reference here is to Deut. 21:.22,  `23

-justice as such, he was anxious about his own position.              as iinterpreted  in Gal. 3 :13.     In the former passage we
On Ihe one hand he was afraid of Jesus.          %Ie probably         read: "-And  -if any inan  have committed a sin worthy

had hea.nd of Him.` His calm and majestic appearance                  of death, and he be put to death, and thou -hang him

must have impressed him.          And his, wifels' report of          on a tree: his -body shall not remain all night  upo.n

her dream, and her request that he would have nothing                 the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that

to do with this righteous man, increased his anxiety                  day; (for he that is hanged is accursed- of God ;) `that
and trouble not a little. ' O,n th;e ,other  hand, he was             the land be not ,defiled,  which the Lord thy God-giveth
afraid of the. Jews, and above all of Caesar. By all                  thee."    The reference is, not to- tiapital  .punishment  by

means, he must remain Caesar's frienld.        Tossed to and          hanging, but to the hanging'and  pu~bli~c  exposure-of the

fro by these various motives and circumstances, hp                    bodies .of those that had `been put to death by the sword,

repeatedly seeks a way out, and tries to release Jesus.               .or by stoning.     Such a public hanging was considered

Desperately he. attempts to -avoid  !a definite answer to             an intensification of capital punishment.       It was, there-

the `question-: what wilt thou do with the  perfsectly                fore, the hanging itself, and not the death by hanging,

righteous? He- places the people before the ch:oice                   that wes  an abomination, and that caused the hanged

between Barabbas and Jesus.         He tries to rBd himself           one to be accursed of God.          And the entire passage in-

of the troublesome case by sending Jesus' to Herod.                   Galatians is -as follows: "For as many as are of the

He .has Jesus scourged, and brings Him out to the                     works of the law :are under the curse : for it is written,
people, perhaps to evoke their pity.        But all these eat-        Cursed is. every one that oontinueth not in all things

tempts- fail.                                                         which are written in the book of the law. to do them.

    Pilate must give Ihe answer to God's question.                    But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of

    And the answer he finalIy  gives,: I have no regard               God, it is evid:ent  :-`for the just shall live zby faith.

,for  -the righteous and:.for  righteousness, let the blood           C;hrist  hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,

of the Righteous be- shed!                                            being `made a curse for- us : for it is written, Cursed is
    He suffered. under Pontius Pilate! That means,                    ,every onme'  th1a.t hangeth on a tree."`3  :lO-13.

indeed, tliat He was innocent and yet'cdnd,emned  by                      Now, the quotation in vs. 10: "Cursed is. every one

the worldly-judge, in order that; as EIe vomntarily  sub-             that continueth not in -all things which are written in

mits to this judgment, and willingly goes the way of the              the book of the law to do them," is from Deut.  27:26.

cross, we might have a strqnlg  assurance that He                     -And the context of that passage is remarkable, in as

bore, not IIis own, but. our transgressions on. the tree.             much as; it shows how really `5a.s  many as are of the

    But it Ialso' was the Cggdemn.ation  .of the world,               works ,of  the law are unider~a curse,"      &loses  gave corn--
                                                            OUT


      366 _                                 iTHE  S T A N D A R D  BEAR:ER


      ,mandment  to the people of Israel that when they shall           to have been nothing short of sheer recklessness on
      have crossed over Jor.dan into the land of Canaan,  half          their part to assume responsibility for the curse at all.
      of the tribes shall take their position on mount Gerizim,         But in Christ they could assume that responsibility.
      and the other half on mount Ebal. And- then the                   Christ was in their loins. And that Christ was !able,
      ,lLevites  shall read ,to them the curse and the blessing,        and would bear the curse for them, in thei,r .behalf  and
      and the people shall res,pond  .by a solemn Amen.         Tnhe    in their stead, `was dfemonstrated  to them daily by their
      _ reading of the curse was to be as follows: "Cursed be           sacrifices.    And in the fulness  of time Christ did come.
      the man that maketh any graven or molten1  image, an              He, too, came under the law.         A,nd with the people, His
      abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands ,of              own, the heirs of the promise, he also came under the
      the craftsman, and, putteth'it  in a secret place. And curse, though by a voluntary act of His own. He, so to
      all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed be speak, took up His position on mount Ebal, and to Him,
      he that rsetteth light by his father aed mother. And              too, the curse of the law was read. And He, too, re-
      all- the people shall say, Amen.          Cursed be he that       spoaded  by a solemn Amen.           And He wa.s  able to as-
     removeth his neighbour's landmark.                 And all the     sume that responsibility, and to fulfill it.      For He was
      people shall say, Amen.        Cursed be he that maketh the       the -holy Child Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh.         He
     `- blin'd  to wander out of the way. And all the people            could bear that curse in such a way that the demands
      shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that perverteth- the                of the law were .satisfied, so that it would no lonIger  '
      judgment of the stranger, fatherless and widow. And               curse the children -of the promise.       He could work His
'     all the people shall say, Amen.           Cursed be he that       way  through the curse to the promise, through death
      lieth with his father's Wife  ; because he uncovereth his         into life, through hell into eternal glory.       And this He
      father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.               did. Figuratively speaking, His cross was planted on
       Cunsed be he that lieth with any manner of beast.                mount Ebal.      And there He fulfilled, once and for  ever,.
      And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he                  the curse of the law.    For Christ became a curse for us,
      that lieth with his sister, the daughter  ,of his father, -as it is written : Cursed is every ,one that hangeth  on
       or the daughter of ,hi,s mother. And all the people shall        a tree.
      say, Amen.         Cursed be he that. lieth with his mother           It wai principally Christ that covenanted with God
      in law. `And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be            on mount Ebal to assume responsibility for the curse of
      he that smiteth his neighbour secretly . And all the              the law,
     people shall say, Amen.          Cursed be he that taketh  re-         And it .was  Christ again, this time on the real mount
      ward to slay an innocent person. And all the people               Ebal of Calvary, that fulfilled that responsibility, and,
      shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that' confirmeth not                becoming a curse, removed it for ever.
      all the words' of thits  law to do- them.         And all the                                                        H. H.
      people shall say, Amen."                                                                          P
           From this it is evident that all that were. under the
      law, not only were actually under a curse, in as much
      as,no ,one  cou1.d  keep the law of ,God perfectly, and the
      ,people  ,of Israel in the course o,f their history had
      taa.mpled  the law of God imder foot a thousand times;                 Samson Possesses                             Gates
                                                                                                                 `the
      b$ also that they had solemnly covenanted on mount                                  of His Enemies
      :Ebal to take this curse upon them.        Did..all this mean,
      then, that the promise had, been made of non,e effect,
      seeing that the law and its curse had been super-'                    Attention was directed to the reactions of the
      imposed upon it, and that no one could fulfill the de-            Philistines to Samson's' exploits among them. First
      mands  of the law, nor bear the #curse and remove it?             they chose to .regard ,Samson's  attacks on them as the
      How is it possible that the heirs of the promise could            evil work of a Hebrew stung by  person!al  insults and
      thus be made subject to the law, and that, too, as a              injuries, thus as -a private quarrel between himself
      condition unto life? And how could the curse they as-             and a fe.w Philistines,  and therefore took no notice of
      sumed  on mount Ebal ever have any other result than,             his doings. But when, as a result of Samson's slaying
      that it made the promise for ever impossible of realiza-          them with a great slaughter, it became plain that he
      t i o n ?                                                         had designs upon them all and that his real grievance
       . . . The answer its in the thirteenth verse.                    was their oppression of his people, they bestirred
           Tp be sure, all that. are under the law are. under a         themselves.     They were decided to .get Samson in their
      curse.       And Israel as such, by itself, coul!d never: bear    power. The menace has to be removed at all costs.
      that curse and live. It could never work its way                  So did they, in their unbelief, continue to fight God.
      through the curse, so to speak, unto the promise, and             They would not .discern  that in Samson they had to
      unto the inheritance of eternal life. It would seem               do with Israel's mighty God,         Samson, ISO. they reason-


                                                      TH,E STAND.`AAR   B - E A R E R                                                  367


ed, could be overpowered and' rendered harmless in                             than the thousand that had been slain.        And all must

  bonds.    There must be a limit to his power. And they                       have :been armed. Bow could a lone warrior slay a

  wanted him not ,dead but alive and .helpless.  ,As was                       thousand a:rmed  `men and put. to flight perhaps several              `.,

  said, it womd  be soothitng  to their wounded pride,                         times that n.umber  ? There is but one explanation. =. ,$ `-
  compensate tlhem for the deep humiliation that they                          The Lord had fought for Samson in this way. When :.: `:

  had suffered at his hands,                         they deride him, shout    the Philistines saw that he was free, their souls, must  ,:I.
                                           could
  their curses in his `ears, with him alive .and in bonds,                     have been seized by a paralyzing fear and their will to  `.      .
  helpless at their feet, and under their heel, utterly                        resist was broken.        Throwing' away t,heir  weapons,

  powerless to avenge himself. So they tsuddenly  ap-                          they took r,ecourse  to flight `with the terror of God in

peared  on the soil of Judah with an army, They had                            their hearts .and.  `with Samson in hot pursuit deaiing,

  come, they said, to bind Samson. The men of  Ju,dah,                         out his dealy  blows. What an amazing spectacle! A

  hearing this, were relieved. For they had conclnded                          w,hole  army routed and destroyed by a lone warrior

  that the Philistines had come with warlike .purposes                         armed with nothing more formidable than the jaw-bone

  against them.                 To save themselves. from the wrath of          of'an ass. T.hat, plainly, was the Lord's `doing. But
  the Philistines, they  agreed to cooperate `with the ad-                     the Philistines would not be instructed.. As we shall

  versary for the capture of Samson, their deliverer.                          see, in their unbelief they continued to oppress God's
  Three thousand of their number :now hastened to the                          peoplle  an'd to.plot  Samnon's  downfall.

  rock of Etam to bind Samson.                      For their sakes he de-             The men of ,Judah.  must. -have been spectators. of      .
  livered himself insto  their hands.                 And they bound him       that battle. Though they had not  pa,rticipated  in the
  with new cords and brought ,him  up from' the rocks.,'                       confhct  in order not to be held. responsible. by the
  Judah did not recoil from delivering his -deliverer' into                    Phi&tines;  it is not likely that they had taken them-

  the hands of the enemy of God and His people.                        The     selves off.     T.hus  it must have been his  o,wn brethren,
  Philistines, who must have been doubtful of thesuccess                       to which he had returned after the conflict, &ha&  he
  of that perilous ,expedition,`were  awaiting their coming                             addressing when, pointing to the jaw-bone that
                                                                               Wads
  at Lehi. Seeing the Hebrews with Samson among                                he still graspe,d,  he said, "With the jaw-bon'e  of an ass,
  them in bonds, they were jubilant,                    Yet, they were n'ot    heaps upon heaps, with the jaw-bone of an ass  :&ve  I

   without their misgivings, premonition of evil. They                         slain a thousan,d men."       This was meant as a rebuke
  must have doubted whether;`tlie  Hebrews could be                            ,of the treachery and cowardice of their unbelief.     Had

  trusted; Where was the `evidence that a struggle had                         they gotten their way, he would have been a `prisoner.
  taken place. There wm none. The three thousand                               Could they go on denying that the Lord was with him?
  Hebrews had returned none the worse for their under-                         He ,had slain a ,thousand  men.      Would they  not decry
  taking. And not one of their number was missing.                             their unbelief and receive him as' their deliverer? "And

  True, Samson' was in bonds, if their eyes were not de-                       it came to plass,  when he had made an end of speaking,

  ceiving them.                 But .did those cords on his hands mean         that he cast away the jaw-bone out of his hand and
  that he ha#d been overpowered?. And were those cords                         called that place "the lifting up of thle jaw-bone." Such

  a hindrance t,o him?: Doubtless, the Philistines were                        is the meaning of the name "R&ath-Lehi,,.  So did

  sceptical.  And their scepticislm  tempered their vile                       he give a :name  `commemorative of the victory of `his
 glee. They would put the .matter  to a test. Keeping                          faith. It was too great to allow the historical recol-

  themselves at i safe distance, they shouted again&  him.                     lection of it' to perish.

   That was a. challenge for him to break  assunder his                                The exertion of the Iday  and the burning sun over-

  cords, if,he could.              It was a challenlge  for God to ,delirer    head &d com,bined  to ex.haust  the strength  of the                   .
  his servant.           And He did so. "The Spirit of the Lord                strong man.       He was sore athirst,  `(and  called on the

 came mightily upon Sarmson.  . . ." `His heart *boiled                        Lord, and aai,d,  Thou hast given this great deliverance
  wi6h indignation. His strength kindled, and he was                           into t.he hand of thy servant: a:nd now shall I die for

  ready fmor resistless ,deeds.             The (`cords that were upon         thirst, a&d fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

  his arms becameas  flax.that  was burnt wit. fir.e,  and                     But God clave  a hollow place that was in the jaw (this

  his bands loo;s$l  from off his hands." He was free  ;                       should be translat,ed,  that was in Lehi), and there
  and the eneniywas before him. Onward ! To battle !                           came water thereout  ; and when he had drunk, his spirit
  Any weapon would <do.  The jaw-bone of an ass recent-                        came argain,  and he revived 
                         .:.                                                                                    : wherefore he called `the
  ly fallen .was at hand.              One instant, and he was among           name thereof E,nhakkore  (mea.ning,  the well of" him

  them, ,dealing'$ut  deadly blows.                  When1 he came to rest,    that calleth),  which is in Lehi unto this day." -

  the dead lay $out him in heaps. A thousand of the                               Samson's giving names to commemorate his  achieve-

  enemy .had fallen.                                                           men.t  onth.e.  battlefield of ILehi and God's answer to his

      The ensuing, .`slaughter  and victory were extra-                        prayer, the prayer as such, the sentiments expressed

  ordinary.    A great  miracle again had been performed.                      therein, confirm the `view of the man that we  th&?ar

  There must l-&e been'many  more Philistines on hand                          have sought to develop.         The prayer lays bare his
                  ;>!


            spiritual life ; it forms the inidiex to his mode of.tbought      in his lirfe .one  such mbment  as Gideon and Jephthah
            and- volition and to the,mainspring  of his conduct in the        kriew  pf high religious `daring.         Thus in default of any

            hours of spiritual elevation ,of soul.     He confessed that      excitement such&s-he craved .in the towns of his'own

            the'source of his strength was the Lord . He gave Go.d            land,. he turned. his eyes to the Philist.ine cities which
            $he `glory for -his achievements. . He dilsicerned that the       presented a marked *cohtrast.  Wherelife was [energetic
            victory that overcometh the  world is fiaith.       His great     and gay, there .mma;ny  .pleasures  were to be had.          The

            grief was the desecration -of God's name  by the un-              stronb  eager man, full of animti:l  passion, foued  the life

            circumcised in the oppression of._his people ; and the he cr&ed .in Gaza. There was opportunity for ecjoy-
            ends that he pursued  were the liberation of Israel that          ment `which at home he coul,d not indulge.               There in

            God might be feared.          In the h6art of his .dispdsil&m     Gaza  h,e coul,d  fake  his fill of sensual pleasure.

            he hated the world, understanding, .as he ,did, that                  If this <depiction  is -true to -the life of S!a.mon,  to

            the Srienldship  of the world is enmity of  G,od.      To the     ;the `workings of his soul, there *was  nothiing  of true

            waF$ane that he ,warred  he knew him,self  called of God.         godliness in him. But, as has .already  been pointed out,

            And the love of God  cons$+ned  him. ThereXore  he                the'writer  to the Hebrews says' of him that he was  a

            was.not  discouraged  by the tre,&hery  and the cowardice         hero of faith who lived' by the pyomi@.  Samson's

            ,of the c&%al  ,Is:ra!el.  He represented Gad's  believiilg       reason for going to .Gava.  was unquenti@ably  good.

            people  for whom  he cherished the fondest affiection.            After, his victory at Lehi, the Philistines were:  leaving

.           For them he-fought and jeopardized hias  life. For upon           h.im severely alone.      N'ever  again di,d  they confront him
            s&h,  .he* knew, are th:e mer9ci&  of -God everlastingly:         in open combat.  They.,had  learned their:lesson.  But

            ,And the .token  thereof was his vickories.     Therefore `he     their. entire downsall  was not yet completed an,d would

          could nbt $.a11 into the -hands of the uncircumcised.               not be anti1 t,he jufdgship  of Samuel.            Samson only

            For?  the Land -had @ven  this grea:t  .d&v!erance  .into  his    began ;to deliver Israel (chap. 13 :5).         Thus  Israel was

            hand.      3What he dreaded is not death for thirst but the       still not >dwelling  ip peace and security af6er the battle

            enemy's -shou.&  of triumph over the faith of Israel a.nd         of Lehi. There doubtless had come some relief;  abut

            over Israel's God on account df his.,death.  -What  would         ihe. enemy still lorded  it over Israel, and &us  the war

            the enemy -say shoul,d  `they next see him la Melhess             between SiaJmson  and the Philistines ,con$ued.  It is

            corpse.     Thus he ,di.d not pray for, the prolonging  Of        theref,ore  a.good  conj,ecture  to-say that Samson went to
            his life but for th,e  prospering of the-cause of his God-        Gaza  ,in pursuance of his calling.            He igain  sought

            through the prolonging of his life.         He was the sole       occasion aga.,inst  the adversary.        The fund&mental goo,d

     .      champion -of this cause, the dnly aeprerslentative  of the        ness ,of- Samson demands that we so interpket this move
            true Israel at rthis time.      Should he fall, the .Iast bul-    of his.    It is even more than ,likely  that: he went to

            wark would -be leveled.                                           Gaza with the fixed plan bf teaching the-iadversary  ,a

                Sam&on's v@toyy  at Lehi mzde  a -deep-  itipression.         great lesson by takilig off w,ith t,he gates if their prin-

            His brethren received him ,now as their tdeliverer  and           ciple city.    CertaCnly,  his departure from.Gaza,  in the

            jndge ;:.for it is in connection with the great victory at        dead of the night, wa.s deliberate ; t-hat is, .his reason
            Lehi that: th@ sactie,d writer reports  that Samson               for leaving at that time was no$ that he would have
            "judged Israel .in the .days of .the Philistines twenty           been killed had he tarried until the meming;  The

            years." Now the men .of Judah acknowleclged  :his                 Gazites dare,d not con,front  him at any time. But,

            divine sending E& yielded him their confidence.                   though. Samson .di,d  not go to Gaza to frkternize  with

                The sacred,_writer  .goes  on to-`sa2y,  "Then ,Samson        the godless enemies of. his people -land of ,@s God'and

            went to Gaza; . . ." For what reasoin  went he thither? because he craved the pleasures of sin-if this were
            Some maintain that the motive was unquestionably                  true of h.im,  he would have been reprobated-bit in

            bad.     But the only proof >hat  `is offered i.s a view of       pursuance of his calling, he n&erthele&  again fell a

            Samson's spiritual life that-is .purely f.ioticious  not only     victim to his sensuality there in that wicked.c$ty.           He

            /but -negatory  of ;the  testimony -that the Scriptures give      s6.w there ,a harlot,anld  went in unto ,her. -The Hebtiew
            of the man.       From his youth, it `is said, Samson was         `wond translated 0`fh8rlot"  is `!zon.ah"  from the verb

            recklms,, adventurous, ever craving some new excite-              "zanah" t8. commit fornication.              The word "zonah"
          ._ meni  Igood -or bad.    He could do anything but quietly         ha:s  been- given the-double meaning of "f emale-inkeeper?
            pursue a path of *duty;  and  in the small towns  `of Dan         and `%arlot".        The -houses -of harlots, it is ~sai'd;  were
            and the -valleys of Judah he bed  little to excite an,d           thol3e  that stoo,d  -open to all `comers, including such
            interest him. Ha,d'  he been deeply interested in  re-            strangers .as had .no relations or acquaintance with a:ny
            ligion;  he woulsd  have found -opportunity enouih  for           one-in the .city.     On this account, the spies, also, whom
          exertion., Had he been a reformer of the right kinid! he            Jqshua  sent, out                 quarter themselves nowhere in
                                                                                                    coul~d.
            woul,d  haye  ,found  .opportunitjr  enough .for a task into      Jericho but in-the house of such.`a.zonah.          Samon  did
           which he might  hame  thrown all his for&            But Sam-      likewise ; .aa,d he, no more than the spies, was influenced
            son #did not incline to any .such  doings.      We never see      by sensual impulses.              Ae wished to remaid  in Gaza

                                     I


       overnight; and there was nothing for him but to abide                        say, ~they  agreed to take no action  against him until

       with the zonah.  The narrative .gives  no occasion- to                      the morning. They "were quiet all night, saying, In

       tax him with sensuality.                                                    the morning when it. is. day, we shall kill him". a But                            .
          But this will be seen to be a ,doubtfuf  reasoning                       why should they wait until the morning?                  Because they

       when vBewed  in_ the light of thenarrative.               There is no       .were  afraitd ,and  had n,o intention to l&tack  him at ,any.,

       ground-  t,o render `-zonah"  "hostess, one, .who keeps 3                   time, aeither.  in the night, or at dawn.               They- were re-

       public house ;" anld though the notice "and:he  saw there                   lieved when he was gone.               But they boiled with.anger..

       a ba.rlot"  forbids .the view that he came to Gaza for the                  at the tho'ught  of his having taken off with the.  gates
       purpose of forming an illicit  conneoti.on  with a:harlot,                  of their city with thems,elves  as helpless speettators.

       he nevertheless did just- that.           What brings this clearly          Yet they had ,also  -marvelled  once more. at his  .power  :
       ou,t  is that his stay is spoken of in language that  .differs              and were now more ~determined  than ever to learn it:;.
       from thcat  employed with respect to the. la)bode  of the                   secret,. as if they did `not know-know that. the mighty
       spies in the house of -Rahab.            Of `the spites  it is reported,    God of Israel was. his strength.              But of .this they were.;
       "And they came into a harlot's house, named Rahab,                          willingly igiiorant.            For God hardened their  -.hearts.

       and lodged  there."      But of Samson `it is written- that,                And therefore they p~ersisted  in flghting:.God  through
       seeing there Ia, harlot;he.  went in unto&e? and, in verse                  plotting .the.  downfall of Samson whom they did not.
  three, that he "lay till mi,dnight".                The text here makes          dare to meet in open combat.                                   .
       no mention~of  .a house.. Doubtless, th,e time that they                        The meaning and significance of Samson's., achieve-.
       weretogether  was spent in the open field.                 It was the       ment at Gaza                    not be -Iallowed  to escape us.     The 
                                                                                                         tiuat                                                -.
       exegencies-  ,of the hour that drove. .the. spies into the                  gates of a city symbolized its strength.                 To take pas: :
  house of Rahab.          They were ,in.:the  .need of a pl,ace of                session of an enemy's gates was to obtain a complete.,
  refuge against the king's ,deputies  by whom they were                           victory over him. ;One  element in the promisemade  to:-
  being pursued.         But Samson was driven into the arms                       Abrahiz,rn  was to the effect that "thy seed  shall  possess ,,
  of .a .disreputable  woman, not certainly by fear  .of  the                      the gates of its ~enemies."  Gen. 22 :17.                Rebecca was
       Phihstines  but by the l,ust  that rioted in .his .sinfu`l                  sent away with the same  ,blessing (Gen. 24 :60)., "May
  flesh.                                                                           thy seed possess the gate of those that hate it." Thus,
                                 .                                                                                                                                         `-
                                                                                   S,amson's taking off with the  ga.tes.  of Gaza was.the
          It was told the Gazites that Samson wa,s come
  hither; and they were sorely afraid as appears from                              worst humiliation `which he could inflict upon -. the.
  their strange conduct.              .They  knew -Samson's strength,              Philistines..  It betokened his supreme mastery over  the,                          :
  knew that,' should they attempt to lay violent hands                             enemy, ,his,  reigning in their midst; it symbolized that.::.

on him, all would be dead m,en.                         So the silent. and         he was their lord into whose hand they, the .whoIe.                              :: :.
  unexpressed resolve of them all was not to provoke                               Ph.ilistine  nation and not merely these Gazites, had                             ' '
  the Hebrew by confronting him in combat, and not to                              been. given an,d. whose footstool they had been made.

  interfere with his coming and going. 1 The resolve was                           Hlow obviously true this was,               Samson did not escape
  adherred  to, though actually expressed by no one.                               from ,Gaza. The word "escape" is not in place here.

  But there.  was no need ,of this ,as they `well knew one                         It is. the prisoner who escapes when the guards on  dut,y
  another's thoughts.            Samson lay till midnight, when                    fail to be watchful.- It oa,n -be said of a man that he
  he arose and went calmly and unresisted to the city's                            escaped only if his leaving could have been prevented.

 `gate.       With the bands that -lay  ,in wait looking sillently                 But wlho  or what could have detered  Samson? Not

  on and preteadling  to hear nothing, he took the (doors                          the accumulative"stnength  of all the' Gazites. Calmly

  of the gate and their posts, placed them on his shoulder                         land majestically he proceeded to the @ate  of `the .$ty

and proceeded on his .way `home. It is plain that the                              with his enemies all about him, sil.ent  and .&potent  by:-

  ,Gazites  at no time,  had intendedto attack. him.:- For                         a paralyzing fear that his-sudden presence..among  t,hem

  they knew th&,  when he was aroused, his strength                                had inspired. No Philistine or combination of Philis-

 , far surpass,ed  the accumulative strength of a thousand                         tines dared waylay him, not even whenthey saw him
  men.        The thought was too terrifying for words,` and                       calmly  walking off with the doors  .of ,their~ city. He

  just as ,humiliating  to their pride.. -He had dealt them                        was no prisoner there in Gaza, but the master,. the

  blow upon blow, without their being  ,able  to .do Ianything                     lord.    Gaza w~as his prisoner.          Gaza was the spoils with
                                                                                                                                     .-
  aboutit  so #far as his person was concerned.                   Yet, when        which .he ha,d .victoriously  emerged from his; warfare.,
  to th'eir great h?orror,  he suddenly appeared in. their                         with them.      And the spoils  he carried to the city of.

  midst `once  mor&for  what reason they knew not, but                             his God and thus gave glory to Him  w,hos!e was the

  they m.ust  have feared  the w,orst-they  pretended to be                        victory.    "And (.he) carried them up to the,: top-of a,n
  brave..  They  &ted and spoke as though it were the                              hill that is before Hebron."                                        . .

  easiest thmg  for them. to do him to death at ,any  time                             It is this achievement of Samson that forms the

  they should..choose.          So they compassed him in. Bands                    climax .of his whole oareer,  which now drew rapidly.

  were stationed in. the Igate  *of the city.               But, strange to        to B e.ad  but -yet victorious  close.          In his carnality he

                                        , ._                                                       _.
 -.                     ,- '


 now played  into the lnands of tiis enemy who, haviang            uitgevonden. hetgeen Jezus Zijn jongeren leerde: "In
 learne,d  the aecret  of his power through a woman  in            de wereld zult gij verdrukking hebben!"          En `waarom?
 whose hands he bc&e as clay,.  succeed!ed  finally in            "Zij hebben Mij gehaat: zij zullen ook u haten!"            -
 getting  him into ;their  power. They put out  his eyes               Toen volgde er een .letterlijke  beschrijving met
 &nd made  him grind. in their mill.        They buried him        naam en toenaam van alle die vijanden.          En zagen wij
 with'  curses aad  mal&dictions  kand gave glory  for thezir      het  verschrikkelijke ervan, om met name bij Gold be-
 triutiph  over  h,im  to their gads.    But at the high point     sehuldigd  te worden. Er zit een waarschuwing voor
 of. their ju.biliation  they were pi&&eid  headloqg  into         ons in.     Laat af van Gods  volk!       Die Zijn mvolk-  aan-

 hel1 when  he pqlled down over hims#elf  and them the             raakt raakt Zijn oogappel aan. Hij zal het zien  e:n

 the temple of their Igod where.  they were congregated.           zoeken.

 His soul died w.ith the Philistines but his spirit 1~4s            Nu gaan we verder.`
 carried  to heaven  ; fox he bid foaght the goo!d  fight.             Asaf's nazaat zal,uit  de geschiedenis vau1 Gods volk

 Thus .he died as he had 1ivedLa  king. We want to                 gebeurtenissen aanhalen en vragen of de Heere met, de
 say .more  about this in a following article.                     huildige -vijanden  doen zal gelijk Hij `in het. verleden

    .A man must be blind if, especilally  in this great           gedaan heeft.

 achievement of Samson-his  taking off with  the gates                 "Die hun al&  Midian, als Sisera,  als Jabin  aan de

 of Gaza-he ean't see reflected the Chrmist  of God, His          beek Kison !`!
 warfare aad victory over al1 the enemies of His people,               Ja, die geschieden& kennen we. Ge  kun.&ze'opslaan

Hits rcigning  in their midst with them at His feet  a.t           in het boek der Richteren, hoof,dstuk  .4 en 5. Jabin,

 al1 t,imes,  His supr'eme  Lordship  both as the humiliated      ,d'e goid.delo0ze  koning Yati  Kanaan,  .;had  zijn krijgs-

 and .ex$ted  Savi'our.     He was never the -p?isoner  of        overste Sisera  afgezonden met een groot heir om

 men. Al1 things  were in His hands always. Of His                 Israel te benauwen. Doch de Geest des Heeren  kwam

power an~d$iory  aad  triumphs Samson's. .triumphs  were           op een godvruoh;tige  vrouw die `henenzond en Barak

 but a dim reeection.      Samson bore al1 the ,defets  of. a     tot zich riep om hem .van den Heere te jgelasten  de

type. He p&ceeded  to the gates  af Gaza from the                  wapenen op te nemen tegen dit &o.ote  heir. En tde

 embrace  of a harlot. -Y,et  fundamenbally  he-was a man         uitkomst was mootsch  geweest. De Heere benauwde

 of faith.    And it ought to have become  piain  now that        het leger ,der  godvergetenen en de krijgboverste  Sisera

 his reascxn  for ,going  to ,Gaza  was good.    He w,ent thee    was gevallen door de hand  teener  VTouw,  Jal, Heber's

 on the great mission  of his life.       And-  of this hg was    huisvrouw; Later werd ook koning Jabin verwoest

 aware.                                                           -door   I s r a e l .  --
                                                  G. M. 0.             Dat wm een roemrijke overwinning geweest en

                                                                  Deborah zong haar overwinn,ingslied  !
                                                     ,                 ,Al de vijanden werden te  Endsr  verdelgd en wer-
                                                                  den "tot drek der aarde!" Vreeselijk oordeel  Gods.
                             -                                    Ze waren gekomen met veel machtsvertoon en het einde

                                                                  was drek der aarde.          Ik denk hierbij  aan de versehrik-

              Een Gebed In Oorlog                                 kelijke photo's waar we Mussolini  met zijn bijzit zien
                                                                  in Ide courantenplaatj es, terneder geveld, vertrapt, op-

                                                                  gehangen.        Dat is het. einde van dien snoever, met de
                    (Ps,alm 83 ; Tweede Deel)                      kin uitgestoke.n,  b1af.fend.e  van af het balkon zijner

     In het eerste  Qpstel over dezen psalm hebbmen we             paleizen. Doch-$at  is het ergste niet. Hij is nu ge-
 het als onze opinie uitgesproken, dat:  .de historische           vallen in de handen van den levenden God.
 achjtergrond  van dit lied gevond,en  werd in het tijtdstip         Wel&,  He&&!  Miak onze huidige uijanden z6oals
 toen Edom & Ismael met de kinderen van Lot en de                  Sisera met de Knaanieten die op roof en  buit belust
 goddeloozen tezamen spaaden  om Israel  onder Koning              aankwamen, doch niet wederkeerden.               Met andere .
 JosaBt  te benauwen.                                              woorden; verdelg onze v.ijanden.
     Toen is .de Heilige Geest des Heeren  gekomen op                Nog andere voorbeellden  worden uit de historie
 e&der  nazaten van Asaf  om den Heere aan te  loopen             aangehaald.         Bovendien wordt ook het motief *der  god-
 in ,den gebede.     En het product van dat gebed beluiste-        deloozen  gesChetst.        "`Maak hen en hunne Prinqn als
 ren we in dezen psalm.                                   _        O?eb  en als Ze;b, eri.:als.  hunne vorsten als Zebah  en
     In het eerste,gedeelte  hoorden we het smeeken  van           als Zalmuna."                 . :
 Gods volk  om redding en verlossing van de  goddeloozen.              Ge kunt die historie.vindeti  in Richtenen `7 en  8,
 `Tevens zagen we, !dat  de goddeliooz:&n en ontrouwe Esdo-             Ook deze geschiadenis  is tr,effend.  Eerst zou ik
 miete&&  Moabieten Isreel  haatten omdat zij God .haat-           U willen wijzen op het feit, ,dat ,de Prinsen en Vorsten
 ten. Dat kunt ge toepassen op het wereldgebeuren                  der vijanden Gods met name genoemb  worden.            Ja;shet
 in alle ,eeuwem     Josafat en Israel  hebben voor Golgotha       volk was k . goddtiloos,  Idoch het was zooals'  heden


                                        .THE  STANDARD  BEAR-ER                                                             371


ten dage: de grooten  der aarde leiden hetgewone volk,                 En wat is het oordeel waar Asaf  `om bidt?
worden door hen opgehitst en zullen daarom veel meer                   "Mijn God, maak hen als een wervel, als stoppelen
gestraft worden dan de heiracharen die zij opriepen                voor #den  .wind."
ten atrijd,e.  Mak hen als Oreb en Zeb! Wat een ge-                  De*geleerden vertellen mij, tdat in het gebruik van
schiedenis!      De eerste werd geslacht op .den rots Oreb         het woord "wervel" Asaf  (gedacht heeft aan het blad,
en de aandere in de perskuip   Z e  b !  Waars&ijnlijk            het groote blad van een plant ,die in Palestina gevonden
waren het plaatsen die naar hunnen naam genoemd                    wordt. -Als die bladen verwlelken,  w.llen zij af en
waren.                                                             worden Idoor den `wind als raderen over de velen ge-
        E!n ,de held Gods  in deze geschiedenis was Gideon;        jaagd. Ditpast  bij .de "`stoppelen" waarvan het tweede
die met een klein aantal den strijd  Godes  rstreden.              gedeelte van dit vers spreekt.
        En gelijk Gideon gedaan had aan deze vorsten, deed            Dit beeld is tref.fend.
hij ook aan Zebah en Zalmuna.'                                        Ge zingt ervan in Psalm 68 :l.
        En wat was het motief toch  ,dezer goddelooze vors-            Ge hebt het allen gezien voor Uwe oogen in het
ten ?                                                              najaar, als de bladeren voortgejaagd worden `door  den
  . Het antwoord vindt ge in het dertiende vers: "die              stormwind. Grillig, vreemd, wild, zonder regelmaat,
zeiden : Laat ons de schoone woningen Gods voor ons in             vliegen de bladeren daarhenen.            .
erfelijke bezitting nemen !"                                          Zoo zullen de go:ddeloozen  als wervels en stoppelen,
        Dat motief vi~ndt ge in de harten van alle godde-          door God op ,de hielen gezeten, verjaagd worden naar
loozen.      Ik heb m!ij vaak verwonderd over het, feit, dat       de eeuwige tochten .der hel. David zong: "De Heer
de goddeloozen God niet met-rust kunnen laten.           Huns      zal opstaan tot den strijd'; Hij Zal Zijn haters  wij4
ondanks bewijzen zij steeds., dat er geen praktisch                en zijcd,  verjaagd, verstrooid doeu zuchten;  Hoe'trotsch
atheisme bestaat.       De sprake Gods  in `t diepe hart.is  te    Zijn vijand wezen moog'  ; hij zal voor Zijn ontzaglijk
duildelijk.:  het doet te veel pijn -(Openb. 11 :lO; het           oog al sidderende vluchten.       Gij zult hen, ,daar Ge iu :.
laatste gedeelte).      Zij ,ergeren zich aan Gods  schoone        glans verschijnt, als rook -,en idamp, die ras verdwijnt,
woningen. Diep opgevat is d.it Jezus. Daarom werd                  verdrijven en doen dolen.         `t Goddelooze volk wordt
Bij zoo vreeselijk gehaat .door alle. goddeloozen.; Pilatus        haast tot asch ; `t Zal voor Uw oog vergaan als  was?
ergert zich en is, bang; -Herodus  spot; Judas verkoopt            dat smelt voor gloende kolen !"
God voor Idertig stuks zilver ; de Joodsche kerk spuwt
haar venijn uit tegen Hem; het  vlees&  in alle dis-                  Het la&ste gedeelte van dit psalmvers past ook op
cipelen wordt gergerd ; de oude Petrus verloochent                de vendere plagen ,die Asaf  afbidt  voor den goddelooze.
Hem: er is geen plaats voor Jezus.                                 Daar staat verder: "Gelijk het vuur en woud ver-
    De schoone woningen Gods!                                      brandt, en gelijk de vlam de bergen aansteekt, ve:Folg
  1 Zij willen die veroveren, doch niet  ,om naar Gods             ze alzoo met Uw onwteder, en verschrik ze met Uwen
bevel met Hem te `wonen.  0 neen ! Zij willen die                  draaiwied  !"
woningen verontreinigen, verbranden met vuur.                         Ik heb n,ooit een woudbran,d  bezien van nabij ; ver-
   De schoone woningen Gods : en dat is Jezus.            Wel-, lang er ook niet naar. Doch we hebben wel een berg-
gelukzalig ,die in Hem bij ,God  mag. wonen.         Derzulken     brand [gezien in California. Als wij dan in de vallei
leven is immers met Christus verborgen bij God.                    ,omhoog  zagen en ,de vuurvlammen z2gen met, de wolk-
   Vervuld, steeds weer vervuld door de eeuwen  heen.              kolommen, ~dan werd het bang. Het onweder en de
Ik denk hieraan de vreeselijke, godslasterlijke boeken             wervelwind zijn vreeselijk hier in Iwa en Minnesota.
die ik gelezen heb vanuit Rusland. Daar woonden de                 We hebben de resultaten ervan gezien, nu al  jareu ge-
Russen in de kerken en naakten' spotprenten van de                leden. De huizen werden letterlijk omgekeerd.                   '
Heilige Majesteit!      In die boeken waren plaatjes, spot-           Dooh [dit  alles is slechts beeld. De Heere heeft
prenten van Jezus en het Kruis. Het Bloe,d werd als                ,door.Zijn  Geest *de vreeselijkste dingen afgemasld  in
onrein .uitgekreten;                                               dezen psalm. De werkelijk.heid  is veel erger. ,Denkt
 Zij, o ja, zij zullen worden als Oreb en Zeb, als                hier aan d vervulling van wervels, stoppelen, ,bosch-
Zebah en Zalmuna ! Gotd.  zal al die. goddeloosheid zoe-           brand en vlammende ,bergen, met onweder en draai-
ksn.                                                               wind, .doch die allen te zamen zijn maar een flauw
   Ik denk ook a& het vervolgen vatn Gods  volk in                 beeld van wat het zeggen wil om met schrik en angst
Dufschland  en het versnijden van Gods  Woord in .de               en. wanhoop aan te komen in ,de. put des vuurs  die
godfdelooze  universiteiten in Amerika !                           brandt van vuur en zwavel. En  .alles wat die arme
   Waarom laat men God .niet met rust? ..Waarom                    menschen en ,duiveleq zullen zien is, `t viammend Oog
moest. Profes;& Jansen den Bij bel met zijne wonderen              van God. D:e groote dalg Zij_ns tooms is gekomen en
aanva:llen?     Y, Had veel beter geweest voor dien armen          wie kan bestaan?
man als : hij in 1918  Bibliothecaris geworden -ware,                 Daar bidt Asaf  om.
dan na zijn afzetting,                         1.                                                                                       _


                    Asaf zegt : `Maak hun aangezicht  vol schande, opdat                Jezus van Nazareth zeide  : gie tot Mij komt zal 1 k
               zij,. o.-Heere!  Uwen naam zoeken.                                    geenszins uitwerpen!                     t
                    ,O neen ! hier wordt [niet gesproken van het zoeken                  En die in het diepe -hart (gegrepen  werden zochtn
                van ,Gods  naam tot ,behoudenis.           Diat *kan niet. Het       ook den Naam  en zij zongen:
               verband  is.er  tegen.       H,oe-zou  er `dan op kurmlen volgen :               "Toen vluchtte ik tot Jezus! Hij heeft mij             _
               :L?at ze. beschaamd en verschrikt. weBen  tot in. eeuwig-                             gered ;
               heild, en laat ze schaamrood worfden  en omkomen'!?                       Hij heeft mij verlost  van het vonnis ,der                         "
                    Neeu, miaar  !dit  is de.beteekenias  van het zoeken van                         Wet ;
               _ Gods  naam der goddeloozen: als God met,  Zijn eind-                           Mijn he.il, en mijn vrede; en mijn leven
                oordelen  kimt,  zullen alle goddeloozen luirdkels  t&                             werd Hij ;
                God roep&  en Zijn naam al sidderende  belij,den.                               Ik boog me, en geloofde & mijn God `sprak
                    Zijt `ge het vergeten hoe men ons meldde, dat, de.                   -_-         mij vrij !" _                            G. V.
               .goddelopzen  die in ;de schipbreuk van de "Titan@"

               c@kwam.en luidkeels tot Gold. geroeplefil  hebben?

                  En .zoo  .is het steeds geschied.        Van vele godhaters                       . .
                hebben  we het gehoord: bij het. e$de,  v3.n hun_ leven

               waren ze bang .om  t,e sterven ; sommigen moest men inet
               :&aii&krachten  op het `bed ho.udien.             Ze wisten, dat

               G$ls  hand klaar stond om hen  aam te grijpen:            Zoowe!
               .ls  Gods  v&k  eed  voorsmaak .v!a.n den hemel op zijn              The` existente  of Ch&tia:nity  in Russia. dates  back
               `sterfbed mag,  smaken, proef,den  vele goddeloozen een               to th:e  tenth century.       It was, not until the twelfth cen-
               *voorsmaak  vari  d6 hel vooraleer zij stierven. De his-              tury, howeirer,  that Russia was considered  a+being
               `torie gei@gt  zulks veelmalen en op velerlei wijze.                  ,numbered  among ;the christian  nations.            It was espec-
                    En' &n het einde van de go!dverlgetenen  zien we                 ially  under  the influence-of  fhe Eastern Greek -Orthodox
               n!a:a?.  Asaf%  woord                                                 Church that Christianity first struck root in gussia,
                                         : schande,  a,ehaamte'  en schrik. Leest
                                                                                     and thle `first  convert  of* aote was $.he Elmpress Olga,
               h&%&k  in de verzen  17 en 18.               Hier `moet  ik weer
               .onwillekeu&g  denken aan Mussolini.              Aan het einde       who was baptize.d  at Constantinople in the year 955.                       .
               van zijn ellendige leven, terwijl de vingers zich knelden             However,  it was through the efforts of ,her  grandson,
               `om de trekkers cder  geweren, schreentide  hij in ver-               Vlaldimir,  that Christianity spread in Russia.            History
               twijfeling: `Neen! Neen!                                              records-.that  under his influence i6he  inhabitants of Kiev
                 Schande en schaamte is als onze werken bevonden                     threw their idols in $he  Dnieper  River, and `were bap-
                Worden  -ijdel en goddeloos te zijn. Als  Go,d ons hart              tizeci  by the thousands,  while Vladimir .knelt  on the
                binne&te  buiten keert  en laat zien wie en w!at  wij                river bank in gratitud to God. _

               werkelij,k  waren, dan wordt het aangezicht rood van                  s In order to understand the Orthodox Church of
               schaamte.       Schaamte ervaart men !als men ontmasker;d             Rus+a,  we -must briefly consider  the history of the

                w o r d t :                                                          Eas+drn  Greek Orthodox Church from which it sprang,.

                    Tc&  Hitler zichzelf van het leven beroof,&e;  heeft             and with w.hich it is stil1 associated. 1~ the  eleventh

                hij ton  mi,sschi&  gedacht' aan het snoeven in het                 century the' Catholic Chureh  yas divided into the

              _. Sportpalast? _ `.                                                   Eastern and Western Churches, the former headed.  by
                God tieid@  eenmaal  : Tot Mij ia1 alle vleesch kome:1  !            the patriarch of Con&antinople,  and the latter  by
                  Jzi; -maar o ! het maakt zulk een vreeselijk verschil              the Pope of Rome. Although the events which  oo-
              ' hoe men tot God komt.                                                ,casioned  the -final  ,divisi'oa  of the  Catholic  Church into
 `.                 Deze;imenschen,  waar Asaf het over heeft, zullen                the- Ea.stern.  -nd Western Churches were questions

:.             `met; s,ehaamtei.en  schrik naar ,Godrs,  naam vragen, in             Rertaining  to:bhe  doctrine .of the Holy  Sp:irit (The Fili-
_. -""., ;  I.i'i'_.de~~rv~twij.felin,g  der: wanhoop. Dat kunt ge duidelijk oque) , the real causes lay deepe;. One was t,he ,differ-
      .* i      hi_en,,  uit het laatste vers  : Op!dat zij weten dat Gij            -ence  of race.    In the West the dominant race was the
                lleefi  met -Uwen naam zijt  ,de Heere, de Allerhoogste             Lat.in;  which had been strengthenejd  by mixture  `with

                over,.de  gansche  aarde.. Die w,etenschap  te vergaderen,           bhe %ermanic,  while in the East  it wa:s  the Greek, in-

               $erwijl  het. bloed van Gods volk nog aan de vingers                  flusilced  gr:eatly  by the OTiental.         Another cause  of the

                kleeft,  gelijk Kain van.  ouds, is bang. . .                        .divisi'on  of the Ghurch was the division of the ru!e of
                    Evenwel er is een ander vragen en verlangen naar                 the empire betweenz  East and West.               Th6re  was con-
               .den  N:wm.                                               _           stant  rival?y  bettieen  the ever-incpeasing  claims of the
                    Gqds_-  des levens,, ach;, wanneer, zal ik naderen voor          bishop  of @mej:  !a.nd  tbe patriakch  .of Constantinople.
                iw oogen  in Uw Huis Uw Naam verhoogen?,                             The final: rupt,ure'  cameiin  1054;  from which titie Dhe

                    ,O ! dut vragen en zoeken,, xubk verlangen-,ien  hun- Greek and:Roman  Churehes  stood  apart, !each clainiing
                keren is goed, is eeuwig.goed.                                       to be $he true Catholic Ghurch  and  refus.ing  any r&og-


:nition to the other. .The Greek, or Eastern Church                population of European and Asiastic  Ru'ssia  numbered

comprised Greece,' `most .of  the Balkin peninsula, and            125,640,021;  of this number 87,123,604  belunged`to  the

Russia, with most of .the  Christians in Asia Minor,               Russian Orthodox Chuych,  and 2,204,596  to v+rious

Syria atitd Palestine.     The rest of Europe obeyed the           sects of this Church, including the above mentioned .
Pope.                                                              `Old  Believers'.     We have no .religious  statistics of

    In the year 1453 there fell upon the Eastern                   .modern  Russia, but we do know that  $here  was a Id-rap  .
Church `ohe greatest .Idisaster  -of -its .history.    1~ that     in t.he number of local parish churches from about

year the Turks captured Con&antinopl&  The Eastetn                 50,000 in 1917 to Tess than 10,000 in 1938. There  are

Empire, in, the which the Church h!a,d flourished from             a great many villages where the priest has been exiled

the Idays of the apostll&,"fel!  into.  the.  hands .,of Islam.    and the church property ,tal&n  over for a granary `or

The Turks now dominated the famous  patiiarohaties                 for :some  other use. The Russian News SerGice  in

of Antioch,  Jerusalem xAld. Alexandria, ea;;. well as Con-        London on August 22, 194i,  stated that 8,338 places of
stantinople.     Thus. the seperation  between the Eastern         worship were open in Russia, of  which  4,225 `were  .-

and Western Church .becak.e  even greater.         At the fall     `Orthodox.                 .
of Constantinople many G.re,ek  sch,ok+  fled to Western               h w,orship  a.nd ritual the Orthodox Church is  r~uch
Europe, and there took pa+ in the Rlevival  of learning..          like the Roman Catholic, while the oelebratibn  of the _:
By the departure .of these scholarly and iearned men._ sacrifice of th!e m,ass as it's center, with an equal and

the intellectual life of the .Eastern  SChuEch was s,erious-       even greater neglect of the sermon, and is alddressed
ly weakene,d,     The clergy became ignorant and preach-           more to the senses and  im&gination  tian to the int&lect

ing practically ceased, and all emphasiF  was placed               and the. heart.      It is strongly .Oriental,  uni-ntelligibiy

upon the traditional. Th.e  Eastern Church was in no               symbolical and mystical, tind excessively ritualistic. In

way affected by the Reformation of the  sixteen@  tens             their services they reject orgms,  n&.&c%1  instruments,

tury.    It lived  in another  yorl&  ?nd  experieqced,..noth-     arid Eculpt,ure,  an,d make less use of the fine. arts, in

ing of the religious r.evoiution  which was sweep&g-               their ,churches  than .the Roman Catholics ; but they
the Woestern  Church.                                              ham  even  a more coinplicated  system of ceremonies,
    It. was during this time-that  the center  of influence        with gorgeous display, semiba@a.ric  pomp, and endless
of the East;em  Church shifted from Constantinople to              changes Of sacerdotal  dress, crossings, gestures, pros-::

Moscow, Russi,a.      It was in 158'7 that-the metropolitan        tration, washings, processions, which so absorb tl-+

of Moscow was paised to the rank  of pat.$rch.         During      attention of the senses, that there is  li.ttle  rwe_ left

the 17th `century the Russian  .Church,  especially under          for the intellectual and spiritual worship. To many

the_ famous;. patri&ri&  Nikon, (1.659) .,s.howed  some            Russians `worship is chiefly reverence of the icons (holy,_.

signs of new life.    He persuaded the Czar,to  ifitroduce         pictures of the virgrn Mary and  the saints) by crossing                -.

into th! *worship the Greek Psalter, ,and also to- call            themselves, lighting canIdles, and proistrations.  Ser;.

together an eccl,esilastical  assembly to revise  the text         mons are rare.       The chief sairit  next to the Virgin, .$

pf Scripture. It was in objection to- the policies of              St. Nighokas.  The rigorous fasting, for which the Rus-            -

Nikon that a large igroup  of schiimatics  Ileft  the Ortho-       sians were l&g famous, seems to have ,diminished  in

dox Russian -Church, which to. this Iday are .kmswn as             recent years. The worship of saints, relics, pictures ,
thg "OJd  Believers".     The Holy ,Synod  was instituted          (icons) and the cross is carried as far as, or even

by Pet+r  -the Great in, 1718, to take the  place  of the          farther than, in the Roman Catholic Church  ; but
Patriarchate.  To- a large extent, however, the Tsar               statutes, bas-reliefs, and crucifixes are  s forbilddcn.
ruled the Orthodox Church. He was considered the                   The veneration for `pictures of the Vir!gih Mary and,

guardian of the true faith and of the welfare of the               saints is carried to the utmost extent,  -an,d takes the.

Holy  Church. In the organization and administration               place of the Protestant veneration for-the Holy Scrip-

of the `Church, the .Tsar  held a po;sition  of a.uthority,        tures. The holy picture (idon)  with the lamp burning

and he exe.rcised  it through his minister, the  ,Ober-            before it is- found and  worshipped  in the corner  `(the

Procurbr,  who transmitted the Tsar's,  wishes to the              sacred place) of every  room, in the street, over g+te-

Holy Synod,. and thence ih. l?egular,  manner throu,gh             ways, in offices; taverns, steamers, railway and  tele-

the bishopsto  the Consistories, rural deans, and priests,         .graph  st,ations,  and ia carried in the knapsack  .p.f eyery

The -Holy  Synod had'. the right to ,dissent,  to.  refuse,        Orthodox soldier, not as a work of art, but an emblem, .
to petition the Tsar, ,but  sincie ..the Tsar could change         a means of in$ruction,  tin aid to devotion.      The Ortho-

the  perso:nnnel  of the Synod, it eventually  proved  sub-        doxRussia&  are, very religious in outward  observances f
n&sive.  `On the other hand, the Tsar vas largely                  and devotio?s,  but know very little of inward piety,

guided by the intentions of the  Ober-Prgcuror,  who               and personal commupion  of the soul with Christ.

really- had the strings of. Church  government in his                  The circulation .of t$e  Scriptur?es among  the laity' ..

hand.                                                              is not encouraged, but has never been prohibited. The

 According to ,tbe statistics published in 1905,  ,the             Orthodox Church has always had. a popular yersion  of


 374                                      T,HE STAND~ARD  BEAREii


 the' Bible, first i.n the old Slavic, and now in modern           of the government.      However, we fully agree with Rev.

.Russian.'     The printing and circulating of the Bible in        Hanko (Standau?d Bearer, -Vol. 21, p. $52) that Russia'3

 th:e Russian language, ,and @thin the Orthodox Church             change of attitude is only a clhange in policy.

 is under ,the ekclusive control of the Holy Synod.         As                                                        B .   K .

 f;ar  as:  we know the Bible is not being printed in Russia

 toclay,  for all the printing presses are controlled by the
 Communists.                                                                                     --

        The celebration of the Lord's Supper in the ,Orthti-

?lox  Church, though agreeing in essence with the Roman
 Catholic, differs very much" I"n form.      "F&e  loaves -are        The Deaconate  and Civic Charity
 laild on the a&r,  each stia,mped  with the sign of the

 Cross and the inscription, "Jesus Christ Conquers."                  In times of local or national calamity  the govern-

 The officiating priest selects one of them for the sacri-         ment&steps in~to  aid.the  &&essed.  Whether a certain

 ficial lamb ; and with a symbolical re'ference  to. the           community is inundated by a flobd, so that homes ,are
 soldier wlhd pierced the side of Jesus with a spear, so           destroyed and crops  are ruined or whether the whole

 that bloo!dl  and water  flowed from the wound, he cuts           na.tio:n  suffers from a depression, the government is.

 the loaf, by thrusting the holy lance,  a -knife ih the           called upon to send the necessary -relief. She also
 forti of a lanoe-into it, `while at the same t,ime  the           serves by erecting institutions for the' psychopaths,

 deacon pdurs the w.i,n.e  and the -w!atier  into the chalice.     ;s.anatariums  for the disabled and hospitals for the sick.

 Under somber dirges the elem.ents  are then carried in            This is_ndt  only taken for granted, but commonly con-

 & solemn procession, headed wit&many  lighted candles             si.dered  tb b!e her duty.    The government, it !has qften

 anld much incense-@urning,  through !he whole church.             h$en sa,`&l  owes us our living. And it is  frequently
and back again to the ralt,ar,  where -they are ideposited,                   fY
                                                                   regardyd  as a privilege to take as much advantage of

 like the body of IChrist  in the tpmb.  A curtain is              the g.eqerosity  of the government as possible.

 lowered befor`e  the altar; and, unseen .by the ,congrega-           Wliile on the other hand, the deaconate in the chbrch

 tion, the ellem@s `are consecrated whiie  the choir is            is co&idered'  a charitable &,titution  that must be
 chanting the Lord's Prayer.          When thk curtain is          shun&d  at any cost. Only as a last extreme, when

 dyatin,  the. altar represents. the tomb from which               everything  short df theft has failed, Will a pers.on  Is,ub-

 Christ- has arisen ; and, while the choir sings a hymn            mit to the di'sgrace  of making a Nicodemus-call on the
 of prai'se,  the elements are presented to the communi--          deacons.      &&&he  large majority of church members

 cants witihout any spec%,l  formula of dlstri,bution.     The'              much rather receive aid from a geneY;ous  friend,
                                                                   would 
 consecrated bread  is broken into the  consecrated wine           some .social  `welfare organization, or even from the

and-both elements are given together in a spoon.           The     government than to appeal to the deacbns  for charity.

lOrthddox  claim that this ,&stom  (kndwn  as &z,tGzction)         The office df the ;deacon@te  stan'ds  in dishonor in the

 da& back to the time of  Chrysostom.         It-never  gatned     church, and thols,e needy who consider it a  .disgrace  to .
 foothold in the Western Church, and was forbidd,en  as            appeal to it are directly responsible.      But no less re-

 uns6riptura.l  by Pope Julius I. (337-352) ." D. S.'              sponsible are the well-toYdo  whd `proudly assert them-.

 Schaff.                                                           selves as if their own hanid had prospered them, so that .
 j TKe.present  head of the Orthodox Russian Church                they oan  rightfully look down with ,disdain  upon the
 is Patriarch Sergius, piatriarch  of Moscow and of all            @stressed  and needy. And in many .cases even the

 Russia.      A stupendous &vent  for the' Russian Orthodox        deaconatre  itself has been responsible for such a state

 Church took place. when son  September 5, 1943, Stalin            of affairs in so ftir as they parsimoniously doled out

 and Molotoff gave audience PO Patriarch Sergius iaad              their funds as if they were reluctantly payin.g  them out

 Bishop Nicholas, Metropolitan of Kiev, and granted                of their own pqckets,  BO that the needy cou.ld survive
 their request, which had been steadfa.-stly  refused for          with but a meagr,e  existence.      But behind all this, the

 17 yc2rs, th,$  the Church be permitied  to call a Coun_cil       fault .must  be.  laid at t&e door' f thle church which

 to elect a `Patriarch.    This meeting was:  hell&  on the 8th    measures her spiritual grotih by her outward prosper-

 of Septembler,  at which time Metropolitan Sengius  was           ity and gratefully considers it a blessing that it cannot

 elected as the Patriarch of Mosoo~w  and All-Russi&,  to          be said of her, "the  poor ye have with you always."
 virhich  office he -was enthroned on the 12th..of  Septei-           The result is that the Be`nevolence  Fund often Suf-
 ,ber,  1943. As a. Pesult of this people who have-been            fers the ignominy of disuse. -Accondifig  to the fixed

 hisding  their religious feelings now  feel  more zfree  to       custom a c&llection is stili regularly taken or a .cerbabn

 express. them pulblicly, and  gr,oups of such peojple, in         amount is ,duty  set aside for this purpose, but the
 places. where the churches hay&  all- bee% closed, are            rat,e`that  thiks.  fund grows  shows how little real interest

 r;egister,ing  as new congregations and applying for the          the congregation has in it. In some casts the money lies

use of. church: buildings, which are now in the hands              -u@sed `fr6.m year to.year,  so that no need is felt tq


   create a large'ftind;  in othercases  these.funds  are "bor-       in the sanckuary; B,preads  abroad the love of God in His

  rowed' `to bolster a depletion of some  @her fund.           All    Church.       Bi_-4t -that love they love Him and love one  an-.
 too frequently the idleacons:  become a tierelsupplement             other in Him, but also ma>nifest that love im. Christian

  to the consis!ory  to take care of the financial matters            benevolence .according  to their  mutual trials and suf-

  of thetcongregation.         And if, especially in the smaller      ferings. " The love of God in Christ, as it fills the
  congregations, a great .nleed  ..does suddenly *arise,  the         members of the church, causes them t,o .bear  their

   deacons are unable to extend the hand ,of mercy because            suffer,ings  mutually, so that-  they spontaneously ,desire

   of lack' of funds.      And too often the consistory'  feel!s      to aid the distressed,  care for the destitute and seed

  most reluctant to send an appeal for ai: to thie neigh-             the hungry.       Spurred on by that love the members  of

  boring churches.. With the result that the. needy -turn             the immediate family an,d %he .closest  relatives will- be

  elsewhere to seek relief.           _                               the.fir"st  to extend relief, but the others also will feel.
      The cause of all this is a serious failure to under-            and assume their obligation to do all they_ can, :accord-
  &and the .significance.  of the office of deacons witll             ing to the of,fice  of all believer&     After all, in extend-

  application to practical life.      Only when we- understand        .ing-tmhe  helpinlg hand to the least of Christ's brethren
  the calling of the ideaconate  as we should, will civic             they. are'doing  it to Him.      Him they find hung@ and

  charity, and for that matter every other form of  orga.n-           seed Him; Him they find destitute and clothe  Him;-.

  ized charity be relegate& to its  proper_place.                     .Him  they find in, prison'and  they v.isit Him.

      It should be understood,. first of all, that charity              Yet it never  w&s  God's intention to leave the work
  ,does  not belong to man, but to .God.        All true charity      of charity only  to the iadividuals in the"chu?ch.,  That
  has its squrce  in mercy, @hd.  mercy is inot a virtue of           is eviidient from the institution of the office of  #d&cons
  fallen man, but i6 an attribute of God.        Mercy is rooted      among' the early Christians after Pentecost. As  .the
  in love, and even. as, there,  is ,only  One that is good,          Form for- the ordination of elders and deacons  states:
  so there is also 8but `Onle that i,s love, namely Go!d&.    G.bd    "Of the origin and institution of their office we may
  is.. merciful within Himself, and in turn is  :meyciful             read, Acts 6, where we finId that the apostles them-.
  unt,o  those He loves by delivering thim frbm all- their            selves did in the beginning serve the poor, "At whose
  distresses.and  bestowing upon  them the highest  gpod  in          feet w%. brought the price, of the thiilgs  that were
  IChrist  Jesus.  God is al'ways  merciful and [gracious             sold; anid distribution was ma-de unto every man, ac-
 toward His people, slow "to anger and plenteous. `in                 cordin& as he had need."        But iaferwards  when a muri
  Qcornpmussion.`    With them He Tldoes  not, .lead..  accortding    muring  arose, because the widows of the Grecians were
  to their sips,  nor wilt1 He forever chide,. nor keep His           negl,ect.ed  in the daily ministration: "men wene chosep
  anger forever. As the,  heavens  are high a&bove` the               (by the advice of the apostles) `who shou1.d  make the
  earth,. so great is Hi,s .&mercy toward them .that fear             e,ervice  of the poor their peculiar business, to the end
  Him, for He. has re?oved  their transgressions end-                 that-.  the apostles might contiD.ually  give themselves to
lessly far from   t h e m .          .Q1 I'                           prayer, and to the `ministry of the Word." Even  a%-=
      Ev,en  when  He san,ds .His people trials and suffer-           the ministry of the Word represents Christ  in His
  injgs during this.  present...titi&  He never does `it. in          prophetic office, and the offi&  of the elders repre-
  w&h, but in-that love which  causes all things to w&k               sents  the office. of the merciful H:ighprieist,  Who is
together for good t,o those who. love God and. _are  called           now in heaven and administers His- office in  `Band '
  according to Hi& purpose.         We confess that. He is "for       through the Church_ The deacons represent Him Who,.
  tlie .sake  of- Christ His Son, my God and Father, on               calls them and sends them out in His  oaame  to &ssist,the
  W,hom  I rely so entirely, that I have no  .doubt, but that         destitute and helpless with true  compassion  and hearty
  He will provide .me with all .thirigs  necessary for soul           affection. It is their priviIege  to visi& the needy in .,-
  !a>nd  body ; arid. furhher,.,  thai He- ,.ll make whatever         Christ's `Name, and to extend the  mercy df God to them;
  evils He sends upon ,me  .in..$h.is vhllex of tears  turn out       not only,in' the form of necessary  ai,d,  but also wit?1
  to my advantage tfor He Ss ab1.e  to Ido it, beii@Almighty          prayer !aad  thle cotif& of the Word. They extend the
  God, and willing, &ing,  a fafthful  Father."        Heid: Cat.     mercy of God to those in distress, even as God has.
  Lord'B:  Day 9.     From God w.e expect every good thing,           f2led  the hearts of His people with the eager desire to
  f,or  He supplies all our needs; _                                  help the?  in their distresses. The bounties which
      But it is given unto the church  to be God's witness in         God has bestowed upon. His church, the church through
  the world. She isGo,d's  workmalnship,  God's husband-              her <deacons  gladly shares with those in need.       And the

  ry, co-laborer together ,with  Gqd..  ,Ctiist  is her Head,         needy they have always with them, if they are but

  and sbe is His Body! And, even as the head operates                 sufficiently interested to search them ,out.  It. would
  thnough the body, so Christ wor&through  Hi.s Church.               seem a strange thing rf in a cworld  of growing sin and

  They are:  united tog.ether  * as l&ad. and Body, but, the          misery the need of the office of mercy. had dis-
  members tire ,also mutually knit to,gether  !as  part?.  of the     appedred..

  same Body. Christ, Who is the merciful  Highpriest                     From this it ,should  be evident that the church has `_


     been entrusted the administration of mercy, and not to                      all, we receive from God, our heavenly Father, Who is

     the magi&&e.           The magistrate also has a calling, but               the God of all mercy.             He Who cares for the sparrow

     surely .n.ot to- represent Christ in the world.               To th'e       ,has His own'  way of caring for UIS;, l3is children, even

     mqgistrate  is committeai  the  ~exercise  of the sword-                    though .we be the least of Christ's brethren.

     power, and with it the dispensing of justice, -not of                          To ignore .or slight this benevolenoe  is nothing
     mercy.      The government is called to protect the good.                   less than to despise th,e mer.cy  of .,God.                To turn'to  civic

     and punish the evil-doer. That is the extent of her                         charity in" preference to the deaconate  is. to choose

     calling. That .does  not exclude that ,she should make                      the charit,y  of `men  rather thiain  the goodness of God;.

     thi$necessary  Pa,ws  Eor'decency  ai& good order for the                   And that, too,. has its reward.

     welfare .of  her citizens.           Surely she is interested in pre-               Reth.inking  the calling. of the. deaconate is well worth

     v&nti,ng  the spread of diseases, cleaning up the filth of                  our while.       It can only mean that. all-niust profit,. aot

     the poverty-stricken slums and making other. laws the least the deacoliate  itself., - . .
     of Islanitation,  as `well as rele!aving  the streets .of the                                       _- _._I                                C. H.

     lone .Lszarus  who lies unattended at the gate of some                        `_
     rich man. Special times of distress may bring special
                                                                                                        c-
     demands upon the magistrate, !but that Hoes not

     change the fact that charity is the task qf the church,                                                       .
within her own sphere and as' much as possible round
     about her.     If the magistrate- is forced to take .oyer                            The Man Without. a Wedding
     because- the church flails to. assume her, obligation, the
     shame. is oln the church.                 Even ,organizations  for.                                 Garment .
     social .-welfare  should not replace the church in -her
                                                                                                       (Matthew 22 :ll-14)
     work .of tiercy.         This task rests  four-sc&Ye  upon the                                                                                        '
     church, and upon her alone.                      -                    _.            Our  subject deals `with the concluding verses of the
         What is lost sight of, is the fact that Christ` in . . .                parable known asi "The ,marriage  of the king's son."
     God's  name, and not `man, dispenses mercy in the `world.                   Before proceeding to read this article you would do well
     Many.would rather appeal to the good graces of their                        to first read the entire para$le  iaa found in Matthew

     fellow men than Ibe .privileged  to receive mercy from 22 : 1-14.
     God in Christ. J,eisab  through the office iti His church.                          To un,derstand.  our subject under (discussion we D
     True it is, that it is more  blesses`,  to -give than to                    must first .af' all uilderstand  the' main points of the
     receive.     The greater blessing evidently lies in thz                     entire `parabld       This parable was spoken  by Jesus in
-. ptiivilege  of being  a member of the body of Christ,                         the Temple, on the third day of Passion  week. It is
     whi-ch  has been endowed  from Christ with the n&es-                        very_ closely. related to the two preceeding  parables,
     sary meam  to be `able to dispense mercy in Christ's                        the parable of "The two s&s", and "The-  wicked hus-
     name among. the ,destitute.              Even so, by far the most           bandmen."          The first of these two emphasizes the
     effective way of performing this work of' benevolence                       point that publicans  and sinners enter into the king-
     is through the deaconate.              A gift secretly dropped1 into        dom of heaven. .in precedence to the chief priests land
     the collection plate is in !every  way a, better gift than                  elders.      `The second parable {emphasizes the thought
     the one that is flau,nted before the Ieyes  of men with a                   that the kingdom -would be taken &way from the Jews
     lot of fanfare.        Surely if we give our gifts to be seen and be given to a people bringing forth fruit. The
     of men, we have our reward as  soon  as men have seen                       parable of "T.he  marriage of the king's son," cl:early .'
     and acknowledged them with flattering- words.                        B u t teaches that the Gentiles will become heirs of salvation..
     he. who gives iti` secret through the dleacons  can  be                     The picture ,of the parable is very clear.                  A' king makes
     sure. that his left hand will never kno:w what his right                    a marriaage  for his son.              Hle sends forth his servant to
     hafid .is !doing.      He can .rest  assured that his gift will             call them that were bildden  to the wedding.                     However,
     reach the place that has  the greatest need. And he                         those bidden would not come. Again .oth&  servants
     knows that his Father Who sees in secret will reward                        are se;nit  forth to tell th&m  which were tbidden  to come
     him openly.          There can be no doubt about it, that  .it              for' all things are ready.              But those bidden make light
     is Blessed to give.            Even more bBessed  than to receive.          of it, they. find excuse:.  Finally, the remnant took
         But the fact pemains,  that in th!at case it mu&.also                   the king's servants and threatened them spitefully,
     be blessed to receive.             The more so, because we  receiire        even slew thein.       The king becomes angry, saying that
     not  ,.of  .men  who might .expect  our thanks, but from                    those who wlere bidden were not worthy. And sum-
     our own brethren,  the household of faith.                And w.hat         moning his armies the king. destroys thos,e  murderers
     is more; we .receive  from Christ, our merciful High-                       and bunn,s  their city.           Now  the servants are sent sut
     priest, Who is the good Shephend that cares  for His,                       once mqne,..  they must Igo into the high wayi and as

     sheep and. aids t$m in all their .distresses.             And above         many 
.                                                                                           as.th&y.  find they must bid to the .marria.ge.              Re- .:
                            ~ :.                                     n                                                          .-
                                                                                                              0                       ,.


                                   -

                                          :  T H E  "S.TKN:D.ABiD  -`BEAKER                                                     ..`377


 sult'is, that niany  respond to the calling and the wed-             .' -According  to the picture of the parable the wedding

  `ding  gas  - f u r n i s h e d  with gue&. '                     .is furn,isished with guests. When everything is com-
    Before ,we go further .I l,ike  to state that we, must          pleted the king comes, into the wedtding  chamber: He

 remember as far as the. picture .-is concerned, a>nd also          came to `see' the Iguests,  fo greet them; welcome -them.

  as to its spiritual application, that those who : were This final inspection naturally also marks the beginni.ng
  biddeli to the maraiage  `were under the obligation to            -of the `feast proper.        However, as th,e king Game  in

  come.    The bidding of -th:e king's &ervatn&s was not an         to see the guests, he saw there a man which had. not
-invitation  .in the usual sense of .the  word; but is tanta-       `.on  a wedding garment.        The  king said unto that man:

niotint  td a sultimons.     Those that -are bidden have .no        "Fr.iend,  how `earnest thou, in hither, not having .a, wed-
  right what&er  to refuis,e  to come. .Add  to this that           `ding  garment ?"        The original plainly implies that the

 --those who were bidden first had already indicated that           man Tcneno that he had no wedIdling garment and that
 they would come, they-were waiting for &he call of the             he had to have one.          This also explains why-the  hman

 `king. Hence,' this call when it comes is really  the              has no excuse to offer, he is speechless, according-to the
`final `notification that they :m'ust come; as they have            original "muzzled".         The  very fact that the man ,has *no
 promised, and as is their Solem.  obligation:-                     wedding garment implies that he despised the king, his
     NiaturalPy,  we can not enter at' present into `dIetail        son, the feast. ,Of course he had `comle; but he had

 `so.far  as the.sgiritual  meaning of all this is concerned.       &come the way he pleased.          H,is attitude -a;~expressed  in
 "However, here follcjw the main  thoughts of the parable           his action was : "i, am willinlg to coine and meet. the
in its spiritu,al  application.    The King is of course God        king, but I ,come  on my own terms and dressed the way
~ `Himself. The King's Son is Christ. The marriage                  I please."     It was of course obligatory  to -coke  to the
fea:st isi the Messianic  blessings of the Kingdom `of              king's  feast  in a proper, for the occasion  assigneot  wed-
 `keaven  as thley  are'also  to culmina$e  in. the Supper of       dinlg ga.rment.      Even today there are certain  occtisions
.' th? Lamb in the day. of, Christ's co&ing..        Those.. who    at which special garments are  to be worn, and they too _
 were  fir& bidden are' the-Jews.         Their -react%n  to the    ane obligatory.         Add to the foregoing, some ,claim that
 calling ,became  progressively' wqree  : "They would- not,         in the East  when kings br great personages ,made  an
 they made light _of it, they entreated the servatits:  spite-      entertainment, they were wont to present costly dresses
fully an.+ slew them."        Particularly the book of Acts         to the~guests,  and that such 12, custom heae is tacitly.as-
,is a vivid commentary upbn .these words.-Of course                 sumed.      In the light of all this it  stands, to reason that
 there were exceptions, there was also `among  the Jews             this man  was- of a low character.         Naturally, the more
 a remnant according to .election:  But the majority of             honorablfe  the person, and the more solemn thle occasion,
 th!e Jews rejected the  very Christ and.the  very Kingdom          the more fllagrant  the offence.          Here- the person .is a
 for which they had, according to-their own  word+s  been           .?x&I,  and the occasion the.marr+cLge  of his son.       Thepe-
 waiting f,ou'  for centuries.; The result is that the  city        fore, this man did not only violate the laws of common
 -of these "m.urderers'  WAS destroyed.       Jerusalem which       *decency and the rules of proper etiquette, but be defied
 .was tie longer `the city of God' .but  the city of `mur'der-      the king who had called him -to come to the .`wedding
 -ers' was utterly. ruined by the Roman legions.          These     of His Son.     We can readily underst,and  therefore that
: svords of. `Christ were indeed prophetic as history plain-        this man ,is treated as an intrutd*er  who could not  pos-
 ly proves,.     Thle destruction of, Jerusalem was the             `sibly  have come, here in the l~agitimate  way.       He is like
 official .end of the Jewish nation as thle peculiar nation         a thief who has no business `to be heae.            ,In the 4ight
 of the Lord.    0:f cuurse the Premillenn.ialists  claim that      of this!,  we can ials6 understand what was done to him.
 Jerusalem will be restored-again to the Jews.          But the     We read i "Then said the king to the servants, Bind hi,c
 Pre's a.re definitely wrong  in'this.     The Lord is finished     hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into
 with the Jews as a nation `and  God%;  clock~will  not be          outer /darkness  : there shall be weepin)g  and. gnashing-of
 t>urned back two thousandyetirs.          But the rejection of     teeth." (vs. 13) . .     The pietune  is very plain and ,fitting,
 the Jews became the riches of the Gentiles.           Also that    suggested .by  the parable itself. He is made `utterly
is prophetitilljr  foretold in this-p:ar&blie.     The servants     helpless, and his punishment is  ;ilNot merely privative,
go out iarnting  the Gentiles aad! a &l;eat  many of them           the loss of that which is good, but also the  pre,sence
.. heed th.e ,call,  embrace the gospel of salvation, and thus      ,of ievil,  he is cast oat. Cast out into outer darkness
the `wedding is fupnished  with guests. ~God's p&s                  ias contrasted with the light and feasting in the wedding
 .are not frustrated, in the least.         His counsel shall       chamber.
stand and. all the elect will be  @$hened  ifi, partake of              As to ii% spiritual significance we are at present not
 the Messianic blessings ,of the kingdom of .Goid  and              so ti6ch  interested in the question of the `punishment'
 e&er  .into the final glory of that  ,kingdom  as it shall         3s well as in the question  : "What is the weidfding gar-
 ultimat.ely  kulminate  in the Supper -of the bamb.                ment?"

     That -is, briefly, the setting, of the tett we -&e                 B&ore..we  explain the me'aning of the wedding ggar-
 dealing. with. in:otir.  subject  u!uder discus&n.         .       ment,  I like to remark the follQwing  : In the first pliacq
           _


                  _~
  .,378                                       T H E  S.TANDAR>D  ;B.EARER

  we must remember that we are \dealing  here with a                             of the new and spiritual man, in&ding  the &ith with-

  parable.     That is to say, in this connection, that every                    out which it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6),

  expression  in the text can not ,be literally iapplied  when                   and the hoZi?zess  without .which  no man shall see Him.
  it comles  to the spiritual significanoe.      It is e.g. impos-               (,Heb.  12 :14).      The parable Idtoes  not state how this

  Sibley.  to co,n.seive  of it that ther,e  ever could be any                   ~wedding  garment is to be obtained (which is of course

  person who would manage to get into heaven while he.                           by faith).      But the para`ble  does Iemphasize  very strong-

  had no place there. Such is possible in the.  picture,                         ly the ind~spmsibleness  of righteousness. Only those

  but not in spiritual reality if `we apply this. parable as                     -who  are clothed with the  righteousnless  of Jesus Christ

  we should, as to its ultimate meaning, to the Supper ef                        are adorn.ed  with the proper garments of salvation
  the Lamb in the day of Christ's coming.             The picture                which enable them to stand before God, be His guests,
  here goes far beyond the actual, spiritual reality.                            enter into the fellowship and connnunion  with `Him
  Secondly, the main thought is therefore not :. "How ,did                       anId>  share in the eternal blessings of salvation.
 this msn  come into the.  marriage feast?" As to the                                    In the day o'f Christ, to conf.ine  ourselves to the
  actual, spiritual, final reality hie never di'd get in, and
                                                             . . .               ultimate fulfillment of these `words, this man without
  it's wasting time to philosophize about the question:                          a, wed,di.ng  garment, `the  faksle  friend, will ,be. pointed
  "How did he get in?"-He didn't !-But, the main point                           out as a false frien(d,  a hypocrite, to- all: and he will
  i:sj.  the &dispemibleness  of the w,edding  igarment.               W.ith-    be severely but justly  punished.          Hle shall be cast into
  out the weldiding  garment one never will enter heaven                         hell, described in the text as a place of weeping  an.d
  and one will never partake of the Supper of the Lamb.                          gnashing of teeth.
  In the third place we must clearly  undterstand  who this                              Wle come to the conclusion, in the first  plaoe,  it is
  man is, what type of a man he is.           As to the question:                not sufficient to apparently heed the call of the King's
  "Who is this man?" several answers -have been given,                           servants.      Those called must not merely come but they
  Some have ,claimed  that this man `was Judaa.                       *Others    must come the way the King wants them to come.
  claim  that he is the. Antichrist.        Many of our fathers                  Inthe second place, all those  #:who are clothed with the
  said that this man was the Pope. Now all these so-oalled                       garments of the righteousness- of Christ are  w,elcome
  explanations miss the point at  smke.         They'ar.e  radical,              guests. If one seeks all  his righteousnfess  in Christ,
  one-sided, mystical, or all three combinedl.        It is safe to_             appropriates Him by a true and  living faith, wldks in
  state that this man represents a certain type of man,                          santtification  of life, one is a God-pleasing guest. In-
  not merely one single individual.          Besides, this man is                deed, the guests iare to share in the blessings of the
  defmitely  a chur,ch- member, -one who claims to have                          marriage Yeast, but after all not they but the King and
  obeyed the call of the Gospel, the outward call. His-                          His Son must be pl,eased,  for it is the wmktiage  of the
  torically he is among this guestsI.        Of-: course he is not               Kin&s  Son.
  atrule  member of the B,ody  of Chri,st.         He is a hypo-                         There are, of course, a number of' details which
  crite.                                                                         might be brought in for di,s&sion as well ias the eon-

      `And now the question, which is really the main                            cludingwords  of the parable.        However, space does not
  issue :at stake : "What is the wediding  `garment?" Also permit me to broaden out and I ,believe for our purpose
  this question ha*s been armwered  in various ways.                             we have suficiently  treated the subject assigned : "The
  Roman Catholics seem to agree quite generally that this                        man without a wedding garment.,,

  wedding igarment  is the indispensible  grace chc~&y.                                                                                 J. B.

  A charity that is seen, practiced, that is worn as  :t                           r'
  garment. The old fathers geeerally  agree that the

  .wedding  garment iis! charity or holiness.          Luther, as _

  might ,be expected, mikes  faith the, wed&ng.  garment..
  The simplest, most plausible and logical explanation                                                       N O T I C E

  with which we agree is, that this wedding garment is
   righteoqness  both "in its root of faith and in its flower                            Young men bdesiring  to prepare for the ministry
  of charity."          Scripture spea&l  `,of being cEothed  with               of the Word in bur Churches, and thlerefore  seeking
  righteousness.         In the book of Rlevelation  we read.about               admi.ttance  into our Theological School are requested
  the wife of the Bridegroom: "And to her was !granted                           to .appeaiat  the next meeting of the Theological School
  that she should be `-arrayed  in fine linen, clean and                         Committee to be held in the parlors of the First ,Pro-
  `white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the                         testant  Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, on the
saints."- (Rev. 19:8).            This man had not, according                    evening of May 22.        Applicants must present a certifi..
  to the pregnant' image of Pia.ul, here peculiarly appro-                       cate  of membership and a recommen~detion  from their
  priate : "Put on Christ." (Romans 13 :I4 and Gal.                              respective consistories and a certificate of .health  from
  3 ~27).     The.  `wedding. garment may be said to be the a reputed physician.
  righteousness in its largest sense, the whole adornment                                               The Theological School ,Committee,


                                                        c


                        `_                     -TH.E  S T A - N D A R D  BEA.R:ER                                         .            379


                                                                          may shine through all the house.          That precious heri-
                  Our. Missionary Cabg                                    tage which is ours, is the rightful possession of God's

                                                                          people Ieverywhere  and ours is the obligation to reveal

           Last !time `we :discussed  the m3ssionary  calling of          it to. them.
    the Church in general.             Our ,calling as Protestant R,e-        It was also pointed out, that through the pure
    formed Churches is not different than, or distinct                    preaching of the Word Christ  c~alls  His own unto Him-
    from, that calling, yet even as we have a specific place              self.    He has, promised! that He will and He does.         Cer-
    as Churches so do we have a specific calling within  t,hat            tainly, we ne,ed  not therefore fear or hesitate to go,
    gen,eral  -mandate.       This follows from our specific call-        e-yen to the heathen, with that full and pure preaching.
    ing as Protestant Reformed Churches; We believe that                  It is often said that we have no evangel, no gospel to
    by God's grace, we represent the purest manifestation                 proclaim. In reality `exactly  the opposite is true. If
   of the Church of Christ in our present time.               We be-      salvation depends at all, in any measure, on man's
    lieve, therefore, that Chr.ist  operates in and through               willingness to receive it, that saavation  is without hope
    us with His Spirit and Word revealing the.  will and                  or promise.       Only as the Sovereign .Grace, of God is
    counsel of Go.d in' all- its beauty, truth and fulness.               proclaimed is the .Gospel, the Good News, brought,
    Thus, we maintain to stand in the very center of the                  That message is the only one of Hope and Promise.
                                                                          God calls His own through that means. We' must,
 ( historical line of the Church throughout the ages;
    back through history, to the Apostles, to Christ,  t_o God            therefore, fulfill our calling as the pure&  manifesta-
    Himself Who instituted His Church. From this it                       tion of the Church that Christ's  Chur.eh  may be gath-
    follows that. we, of all Churches, can only properly                  mered  and His name glorified.        We hasten to `add that
    fulfill the missionary task of the Church, both within                this does not.me& that Christ w:ill not as.11 His own
   land  without, as stipulated by Christ, the Head of His                except by us, that does not depend  upon us.              But `we
_ Church.                                                                 must see an,d recognize that fact ast our subjective call-
                                s -
           Water never rises highter  than its%ource.         This is     ing and obligation, in keeping with our specific cal1in.g
    also true of all missiona?*y activity, whieh'will  always             as the_ Church of Christ.                            /
    only be the expression of the  (Church executing the                      How then shall .we  fulfill our calling? It stands
    task.       In the measure,- therefore, that a'Church  d.eviates      to reason that we cannot be expected to establish mis-
    from the Word and pure preaching of  it at home, it                   sions, literally everywhere ; nor L this necessary to the
    will also ,do so abroad. The result is that that Church               fulfillment of our specific calhng.  If this were our
  . tdloes not fulfill the calling of  Chri.st.  :As we believe we        calling, then. it is undoubtedly true that we would re-
    fulfill our ca1lin.g  to preach the Gospel ii1 all its ful-           ceive both the means and qualifiostions to accomplish
    ness so we must necessarily fulfill our calling to spread             that end ; through the appearance among us of men
  - it abroad, even in order to maintain and substantiate                 and means for that task.        As `it is we are smell and our
0u.r  c l a i m .                                                         mes.,ns:  are limited.    Thi,s *does  not mean, however,. that
           Thus, it is evident that our specific position as Pro-         `we may use this fact as an excuse or alibi to do nothing
    testant Reformed Churches lays upon us, `a specific                   1a.t all. For the past twenty years we have said the
    calling in. the sphere of mission work.               It demands      same thing and {during  that time we have grown con-
    that, in the extension of God's Church, `we.  must be                 siderably. But in thie same perio,d  of time, we have
    busy proclaiming the full counsel of God  1a.s revealed to            made very litt18e progress and effort to expand our
    us.      Further; that `w;e.  must !do so especially in opposi-       missionary activity.       We must  certainly recognize  th2t
    tion to, and in contrast with, the. prevalent activity                ideal as the'  end towards which we. as Church must
    is contierned  with "saving souls", "winning the world                `strive. `With a true devotion, in full conscious&ss  -of
    for Christ", etc.-  .To  accomplish this task it uses the             our calling, with a great effort and true sacrifice, on
    methods of ieducation  and civilization. We mlaint.ain                the part of each member; we are able, even now, to
    that th.e calling is to preach the Gospel, as set forth               go a `long way towards that ideal  ; much further than
    in our previ,ous  article, and the method must, be the                ,our present !efforts.  indicate. There must be, within
    full problamation  of what God has revealed to us in                  the hearts and minds of us all, a renewed conscious-

    His Word.          For these reasons our obligations are              ness of our calling ,expressing  itself in definite activity.

    special and specific also with respect to the missionary                  The first line of defense and activity must be the

    calling.                                                              "home -front".      The truth, a;:( we possess it,, must be

           The command of Christ should laa.y upon us `as an              cherished, loved, guarded, and proclaimed among us
    eslpecially weighty obli,gation.         If we believe to be the      nnceasingly.    This alone can awaken, and must awaken,
    purest manifestation of Hi,s Church, certainly that must              diesire and effort to the extension of that truth.
    express itself in the ,desire  and effort to proclaim that                The burden of the responsibility for th,e extension

   truth everywhere. We may not hid:e  0u.r light under                    The bur,den of.the  responsibility for the extension

    a bushel but rather set it upon a candlestick that it                 of the.truth  lies with the Churches as they have united


                    `r 380                                   ` T H E .  d$~!N:.DAR-D-  B`EARER  '
                                           . .,



                     .in-' an organization,    For them: the absolute present                                          Contribution
                    ,. mimmum  in fulfillment of their calling would -be  a                             _ ,__
                     program of missionary activity along the  following

                     lines : 1. Each Cllassis  shoulld have at least one home              Esteemed Editor: ,, ..
                    missionary actively. laboring within its boundaries.                        May I have just a bit of space to answer. the iques-
                     Wte  believe that this is both possible and feasible:at               tions raised by Mr.' Gritter in `regard to my former
                    present. 2. The united denomination should sponsor
          .                                                                                contribution?                                                                     :
                    and support a common Rajdio  bma;dcast  of a ,definit,e                                      '
                                                                                                IIn. the first place it lappears that Mr. Gritter does
                     church- extensional nature. 3,. The denomination should
                                                                                           `not know that the 
                     support, or ,contribute  to the support of, a foreign mis-                                             following `words' among many others,
                                                                                           are also synonyms for advera~~  and &pponent  : aclberse.
          sion- fields. 4. The individual. Churches should work                            party, `oppdsitioq  ' clisputant`  aid aontestasnt:                            I have
                     locally at this. task- through the Radio' distribution of
_                                                                                          quoted from what `is generally accepted as an authority,
                     literature iand all other m'eans  at their disposal.
                                                                                           namely, Roget's ~Thedaws.  Can it be possible that he
                         If this is to be  accompli;s;hed  we as indivitdual mem-
                                                                                           ha;s never heard of a debate wherein one party ad-
                     bers .must  have this. calling on our hearts.    We~too.  have
                                                                                           dresses the other as."my opponent"?
                    a specific calling. First of all, there must be, among                                                               . .
                    us,-prayerful consideration this work before the Throne                -    His second'que&on.  stems fromhis'failure to .fol-
                                                                                           low through'-and tiake  an appiication  of those virtues
                    :of Grace.     Through our prayers we must be stre,ngth-
                                                                                           w.hich  we,all  are obliged to possess. Tf he idoes so, there
                     ened .to our task.    At the sam.e time our individual and
:                                                                                          should be no question in his mind  :but  that `he who pos-
               * - `congregational prayers must ascend to the Lord of the                  sesses .that  faith lias no tieed  or Idesire to trust in the
                     harvest that He `will send forth reapers.  .Missionaries
                                                                                           arm of fiesh `whether that ial represented by an indi-
                     and .ministers: ,do not just arise. They are called by
                                                                                           vidual or an organization of  .a group of individuals
     .               Christ in response to the `prayers of His people that
                                                                                           banded! together' for one purpose. *
               '     they <desire  and feel the nes& for His servants working
                                                                                                ILastly,  "shiarper  than any two-edged sword" should
. .                  in His .vin$eyard.    Consciousness of that need will re-
                                                                                           have suggested to him. that wellknown  passage of Scrip-
                     sult in prayer to God to raise up His servants.         Second-
                                                                                           ture ,and in the sense in which I `use it slimply means
                    iy, the calling comes to each individual, -to  w.illing  offer,
                                                                                           that his opponent will not propose to sway him with the
                     sacrificially, to thie support of a h,ealthy  missi,onary  pro-
                                                                                           sophistry of the world, the reasonings or logic of a sin-
                     gram. _.Perhaps, we must relearn what sacrificial offer-
                                                                                           ful heart or the philosophies of great men but rather
                     ing means.     Finally, each one pf us must himself be
                                                                                           will base his; thought and logic on that Word which is
                    a "missionary", e&h in his own way and station.                 All
                                                                                           sharper than any two-eBgsd  sword.
                    ,together  Iand individually we must Ilet our light shine
                                                                                                I trust  that he will excuse my lack of `clarity and
                     expressing that we are of the party of the Living God
                                                                                           that ,neither  he, or anyone else, was offended by my
                     in the midst  of. a world that, lies in darkness. Pria-
                                                                                           arcadian  illustrations.
                     cipally that means that we must Zve the truth that we
                                                                                                                                           Respectfully, G. T. E.
                     profess in all that we do and in whatever position God
                                                                                                                                                -
                     has called us to assume in this `world. `Our lives must                                                                            ._: '
                     be. a testimony to the Sovereign Grace of God, in                                                .'
                    .thought,  word an,d deed.     This, it seems, is'the-absolute

                     minimum for us as indivilduals.
                                                                                                              - W E D D I N G   - A N N I V E R S A R Y  
                         Above all, at present, we must 1a.h be awakened,                                                                                                     ' ' :
                                                                                                                                                                .
                                                                                                                               190b  -  1 9 4 5           .'
                    : roused from our let.hargy,  to.a  true zeal and devotion
                     for. the cause of ,God's  Truth and! Word, in this case                     On May 1'7, jthe  Lord w$ing,  our  dear parents and grand-

                     if the spirit is willing, the flesh cannot, and` will not,            parents,                                                                         .'
                     be weak. The Lord of the harvest has promised: "L'o.                                                    H E N R Y   S T A D T
                     I am with you always, even unto the end."                  W. H.                                          a    n     d
                                                                           -
                                                                                                              SIJSANNA  STADT nee Smid

                                                                                           hope to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.                          We, their
                                            -NOTI~CE                                       children, are indeed thankful to our heavenly Father f,or spar-

                         The Consistory `of the First Protestant Reformed                  ing them for each other and for us.

                     Church sof Grand Rapids, Michigan hereby wishes1  to                                                       Mrs. Barbara Schaafsma

                    ..notify the churches that Synod will meet D. V., on Wed-                      i                                Mr. and Mrs. Gerr+t Stadt                       . .
                     nesday, June 6,' 1945. .The pre+synodical  sermon `will                      `_                          : Mr. and Mrs., Edw_&d  -Kooienga
                     be preac&d on .the previous evemng  at 7:45  by. the                               . _ -.' .' Mrl.,and  Mns. Herman Beusema .
               president of the Syriod of 1944, Rev. A. Cammenga.                                                                   .Mr. and Mrs. Egbert Stadt I

                                                      - G. Stonehouse,.  Cle-rb,                                                     4 six grandchildren.  -         . ' - :. .'


