                                                                   `JUNE 15, 1945                                                  NUMBER 18

                                                                              regard and keep it. An 6tid to all perfectidn  he had

              ME-DIT_i!i!ION                                                  seen, but the perfection of .the Word .of. God  is bioad
                                                                              beyond his comprehension. . . :_          '
                                                                                  An,d thus also in the ninety-third `verse:            "I` will

                                                                              never f,orget  thy precepts."

                                                                                  "For with them thou hast quickened  m&!"  .'
                  I..JjW Never Forget!                                            Wonde?ful  Word of God'! . .
                                                                                                             . .
                                                                                                        :                                 `.
                     I will never forget thy jprecepts: for with                                                             `.
                  them thou host. quic,ken;ad  m.e.                              Thy pxecepts  !
                                                    -Ps.                       But emphatic@y  ai
                                                             119:93.                                   Thy -precepts,! .-
        _ Marvellous Word of God!                             -                   Precepts, not as a prescription, not as a cod,e-of  laws.

          Wonderful, because it is God that lz;I)eaks, and it is              atid ordinances which a man may- nail to the walls of his
      quick, and  powerful, and s$aTper  than any two-etiged                  office, or oxrrry  in his pocket; which  he. may  consult                        -_
      sword.                                   . .
                    . . .                                                     occasionally to refresh his- memory, and  `tihieh he may
         -Glorious, too, :bscause  of its infinite perfection, for            keep and obey; ?r, :perhaps,  when there is no one Bear,

      always God speaks concerning Himself, and thropgh                       to' enfdrlce  them, violate to his own advantage or, at

      that Word addressed to us He  reveals;  Himself ai the                  lea:t,  with impunity.

      Holy One of Israel, as ,GOD,  the incompasable  One !                       Yea; precepts, not &en  as t_he.mere  recor,d  of divine;
          That Word is the theme <of t,his entire psalm, but                  ordixignces  and revelations as !we have them in the

      more particularly in this secti,on.                                     Bible, and may leia,rn .them  by heart, useful and saiu-

         -We'remember  that the one hundred an*d nineteenth                   tary;  yea, indispensjslble  though that may be.                      .
     . psalm is divided into twenty-two sections according to                     But precepts as the living an,d powerful  and qui&
      the number,,of  characters in the Hebrew alphabet, .and                 axid efficacious_ Word of God, the Wo.rd  w-h&h  -God                            .
     that each  of these sections has its own main theme. The                 Himself speaks  even though `it be t&rough  -the.  ,Worrl

      beauty and power and glory of the Word of God is  %he                   that is preached.

      chief subject  of this part.      The poet beholds the  W6r.d               Of that Word the poet is speaking here; That  0

      of God in the.he'avens.       It-is  established there for ever,        W,ord,  !a8 precepts, was the means: whereby God whim-

      I,t is revealed  in God%:  f!a,ithftialness  upon .earth  thr,ou6gh-    self .quiokened  him.. God spoke it .to  Him and' he lived.                "'
      out all generations, for by it He  establis$ed  the ,earth,             And, therefore, that Word, as precept, he will never'

      an.d it abideth.       All creation reveals that  Word of God,          forget. . .. .:
      for it is only through the ordinances of the Most High                     By different names that one Word may be called,  '
      th&  heaveli  ,a.nd rearth  cotitinue,  `and all creatures are          and ih thij3. psalm it is designated by different terms.

      His servants, obeying His preceptsI.  That Word of                      It i& simply the Word of God; or His  law,  or His com-

      God, too, ham,  been the delight of the poet: he rejoiced               mandment, or Bis statutes, or His testimofiie&  or His

. in it, relied on it, kept it,  ,boped in it, put all his trust              promi.ses.    And here thart  same Word of God ilsl indi-
      in it; and it kept him from perishing in his afflictdons.               cated ,by the term, "precepts."
     And seeking the Word of God, he was  con.scions  of                         Exsentially,  that Word of God is one, even as Gdd is

      being God's servant, an:d Ifound  confidence .to pray:                  one. It is always.  the revelation  of ,God to u's, for by
      Save me ! The wicked  waited  for him to accomplish His Word .God  speakis, concerning %meelf, and con:
     his' utter ,destruction,  and that, too, <because  of that               cerning,no  one a.nid nothing ,else.    He spoke concerning

     ~~~33 of Gocj  wbiclt he hued ; yeti he w~ulcl  continue Lo              HimxelS through the prophets of the okI dispensation;
_                              -

                                                                                  .-


                                   : ..3
      406                   ,- ";                       T     H     E          STANDARD- BjEA&,.ER  _ _,

      and in these -latter da.ys He has spoken to us through                               And as He speaks His' Word, precept and promise,.
      IHis                                                                         we hear and are saved!
              `Son. He a,Feak$ concerning *Himself  in the Word
.     of: creation`, and `in the Word of ,providence,  for. the                            Of t-bat  ,one  Word of God, from the as;pect  of pre-
      hF?vens  ,dezlare  the glory `0-f God and, th,e firmament                    c&t,  w.ikh  `which, how&er,  the promise is inseparably

      sb,&(tth  His handiwork; day unto day utt&eth  speech,                       and immediatfely  connected, the poet speaks here.

      a&$  night unto night sheweth  knowledge. And the                                    These precepts of His God Gere  ,wonderful  to him,:.,

      w,ua,th .of. God is revealed. from heaven over all iniquity                          Never would he forget them !
     - a&$&ngod4iness  of men that hoId  the truth in unright-                        For by thein God had quickened iim!
       $T": . .
      qusti,ess;      ,And  He speaks. concerning H.imself  in the                         Mighty `W0r.d  of `God!

      W6l;d`  of the gospel, the Word He speaks through His

      S$, our Lotid.  Jesus Christ: the Word that makes Him                                Quick and powetiul  is the Woad !I

      kfio&  as the God.  of our salvation, full1  of grace and                            As such the poet had experienced it.

      t r y t h .                                                                          An.d it is because' of that  experience that he is able
              Yet, as. that Word of God iaddresses us, it has                      to vow, that he ie ia,bsolutely  assured th&  he will nevel:
      different aspects.                           _                               forget the precepts of his  God.'

          It comes to. us in the form ~of .rich and. glorious                              For with them~t$ou  hast quickened me!

      promises, of Is!alvation  and redemption, of the forgive-                            The Word of God he had experienced in its quicken-

      ness of sin and eternal  righteousness, of the adoption                      ing power, in its power-&o  make.alive.  `To him it had

      unto children and heirs, of `deliverance -from  the .do-                     been a word of resurrection  never  to qbe forgotten.

      minionof sin and d,e!a;th,  of the resurrection and eternal                          God's precepts to him had been: Ar.ise from the

      glory, of the inheritance incorruptibe  and undefiiable                      adead! And he had heard,  and obeyed. And he lived I
      and unfedable, of the new Jerusalem and the new crea-                                And thus it is the experience of every child of God.

      tion. And all these promise-s; are one in Christ Jesus.                      By #His Word ,God  has os.used  him to live, to rise from

      For even in th& promises the Word of God speaks of                           the `dead.

      .Him, +d by it He promises  Himself and IHis fellow-                                 By nature we are dead, atid  we lie in the midst of
      ship : I will be thy God !,,            c                                    death.,  For we have sinned, and the Word of God kilis
              And- it reaches us iii the form  of precepts, equally                the Sinner : the .d,ay thou eatest thereof thou shalt-surely
      rich and wotidizful;  in which the ,God  of our salvation                    die.      And ,death  had come at once.         For as t:he  Word of

      ca% uti `to repent and believe;to  come to Him `and drink.                   God is quick to make alive, so it is quick and po,werful

      t: `5% from the .dead and live, to come' forth out of                        to kill. _And  thilz.  death implies that our whole'nature

      darkness! intd `His niarvellous light, to forsake  inilquity                 ,is become Bopelessly  corrupt; hopelessly that is, as fa_r

      land.  loye  righteousness, to se'ek, not the things that are                `as mai is c&cerned.  His mind is darkened, so  th!st
      berow,  but the things that are above, to put off the old                    even the light that is in him is darkness, and he loves

      and to put ,& the new man, to be faithful  `even  unto                       the &darkness of the <lie  rather than the light of the
      death, to,. waik!.as,  chil,dren of light, to fight the  good                              .
                                                                                   truth. HIS will is perverse, so that he is always, in-
      fight of faith, to trust in Him, to tell His wonders, to                     clined to wallow .in iniquity, and can nevermore choose

      proclaik"  His praises. And again, all these precepts                        that which is good.           -All his iriclinat.ionsi  and desires are

      a& fund&hex  tally one.               For also in the Word of His            impure, so that lie hankers after the lust of the iflesh,
      p&ce#s  God speaks I$ Hi!nself  to UK                  He 5wills  that we    and the lust of the eye,.and the  pri,de  of life.          From the

      will Him, that we shall hunger and- thirst for Him:                          heart his whole life is, motivated by `enmity  against,
     @LGveMe!.  .                                                                  God: he cannot, he will not,  and he cannot will to love
              And once more, these precepts as tile  one precept,                  Godb

      !a.nd  these promises as the- one promise, are the ,one                              Such  is his ,death!

      Wind  of God !                                                                       And t.his death is the Word of God!
              For the one cannot be `divorced from the other.                              Exactly that iIs; the horror of ,death.       it is the Word
              He that -hear&  the Word of God as precept, hears                    of God spoken to us aby IHimself,  quick ansd powerful to
      it also las the promise;                                                     kill ! `.
          : And .onJy in the way of the precept  `can the promise                     The Word of His &rath  !
      be attained !                                                                        The curse  !
              For in t.he (keeping ,of  His Word there is great re-                        ICursed  is every one tha.taabipeth  not in my Word,
      ward !                                                                       in the Word of my precept!                And who shall resist or
              For God is one, and His Word is one. Never does He                   overcome the ,Word  of God? An.d if it be impossible,
      speak the. Word of precept without the Word of prom-                         and it id, to overcome the Word  .of  God, how shall man
      ise ; nor does He ever utter His Word of prom$e  with-                       wr& himself from the clntches of this mdeith  and
      out the Word of precept.                                           .         escape?            J-Ie cannot. There is no way out, as far as he
              And it isalways He that `speaks it, effi~c~ciou_sly.                  is concerned. It is impossible for  him to live.
                                                                                                                     _


                                                T-H-E`STANDA.RD   B E A R E R                                                            4Q7


        Yet, what is impossible with man, is possible with            that would be over against the Word of Gold that held

 God !                                                                him subject to the power of  ,death'!         No word of man,
        And what itsi more, it must become evident that               no offer of salvation, no ,begging  of a preacher,, could
things are impossible with .man,  in order th,at no flesh             have been of any avail to  quicken  him.,

should glory in His presence, and that it may, become                    No, #but God had spoken His  ,own  Word to him:

clearly manif,est  that He'&  God, the Lord, Who calleth              By them thou hast quickened me!

the ,things  th'at  are not as if they were, and Who  quick-             And he had hear,d, not the word of man, ,but  the

aeneth the ,dead!       If it be the Word of God that kills us,       Word of God !
 and keeps us in the bonds of (death, no word of man, but             He had experienced that Word {as-quick and power-

 only the same Word of God is able to ,deliver  us, and to            ful to make alive!

raise us from the dead!                                                  ~His mind had been enli.ghtened,  hits1 heart and will

        And that Word He spoke, and speaks!                           and all his inclinations had been radically changed, so
        He spoke it ia,ccording  t,o his eternal good pleasure,       that the enmity against, God that was in his heart was

 freely, sovereignly, as the Lord!                                    overcome, he longed for forgiveness and righteousness,
        He rs,poke `it thro.u!gh iH,is  Son.    Even as in the be-    for life iaad the love of God. . _. .                                   :
 ginning He spoke through the eternal, Word, and the.                    And the promise had followe;d  ,the precept  !
 heavens and the earth were created, so in these last                     Through the .power  of the Word of God as: precept

 days He spoke through !His Son, Whom He appointed                    came the faith to embrace the. promise!              :
 heir of the world, *and  salvat,ion,  ,deliveran.ce  from sin            The Word of the ~commandment  gave the.  power to

 and death, eternal righteousness and life, wcere  estab-             obey !
 lished for ever.       He spoke as the ,God of our salvation,           iHe had risen from the dead,. and he lived  !
 Who loved us, freely, sovereignly, from before  `the                     $uickened  `by the .Word of God !
 foundation of the !world. . He spoke, and the Son as-
 sumed the flesh iaad blood of the children: the Word                    Never will ,I forget !
 became fl,esh.  He spoke, and He was made sin, that                      Does the poet here offer a vow,` make a pledge?

 we might become the righteonsness of God in Him.                         And, if he does, is not the vow Ia. rash one fo,r a sin-
`He spoke, and the Son descended into the deepest depth               ful man to make?                                                  __

 of hell and damnation, bearing the curse that was upon                   Yes; and <No!               '
         and offered Himself ias the perfect sacrifice of                `A VOIW,  indeed; but not a pledge that is based on the,
-us;
 0bedienc.e..  He spoke, and the world was reconciled                 weak and deceitful choice of the will of sinful man, but

 unto Him, their sins being blotted out, for ever,. and               rather on the faithfulness of that same Word -of God

 everlasting righteousness; being ,obtained  through the              that quickeneth him, and raitsied  him from the dead.

 blood of the cross.        IHe spolke,  and the Son was raised           A vow, but first of all the expression. of an inner

`ifrom  the ,dead,  was taken up into the highest heaven,             assurance : never will it lbe possible for me to forget thy
 was exalted at the right hand of God, was given the                  precepts!    And only as a result of  that assurance does

 promis,e  of the Spirit, returning unto. His own, that to            he make the pledge to remember God's precepts; always.

 them this; World of life, this Word of quickening, the                   There are things we cannot forget.. There are

 Wor,d of the resurrection from the (dead,  might be                  things we would abe  glad to forget,`.but  which. remain

 spoken. . . .                                                        constantly in our memory.             An,d there, are things `we
        The Word of God through His Son!                              rej,oi.ce.  -in, recallmg  and.  tibntemplating  ia.11 our life.

        The Word of salvation!                                        Things there are, of such tremendous: imlj,rtancZ,  that

        The Word of righteousness overcoming sin, of life             they remain ,engraven  upon the record of our mind,

 overcoming ,death, of grace. ,over,coming  wrath, ~of                and the,memory  of which-we  take with us to the grave.

 sovereign,election,  of light out of darkness, of `eternal               Such a profound experience was the quickening

 glory out of everlasting desolation !                                from the .death  into life of which.  the poet speaks.
        Arise from the dead ! Come and `drink! E:a.t, and Never woul,d he forget the Word Aby which he had been
 your e:oul shall live ! All ye that are thirsty, come to             raised from t.he <dead.      Still more. The experience con-
 the waters !      See, ye .blind I Hear, ye deaf ! B'e eleansed,     tinu;ed.-  Still that Word remained with him. Still it
 ye lepers ! Leap, ye lame! Live, ye !deed! Love Me!. . . .           &led  him. Still it quickened him, `day by `iday.  And
        The precepts of the Go'd  of our salvation!                   he (knows  that that Word -will never fail him. How

        That Word the *poet  had  exper,ienced  !                     then can he forget ?
        0, make no mistake ! He had not bead  about it.                   He will remember it, keep it in  mind, have hiIs ,deL
 He had not-heard the ,word  of man, the word of some                 light in it, walk in its `way.       He may stumble, but never
 preacher, .calling  him, begging him, urging him to hear             will he finally forget. . . .
 an'd to. obey, offering hik grace and salvation if only                  For .the  Word of God is faithful!

 he wouId  hear and come.          How vain, how utterly futile          E v e n '   u n t o   t h e   e n d !                       Hi H..
                                                                                                                                )


   408                                                                                            T H E  STAND.ARD  BEAR'ER.                                                                                                      .
                                                                                                                                                                               i

                                                The.  S'tu&d.hi,'                                                                                                     ,:

                                   Se&-Monthly,  except Mlonthly  in July.  and August                                                                                                   _
                                                               P u b l i s h e d  by

                                             The Reformed. Free Publishing ..Association'

                                                         9!6 Sigsbee .St;eet,  S. E,
                                   .
                                                   EDITOR - Rev. I& Hoeksema                                                                                          :
   Con.tributing  Editors: - .Revs. J: Blankespoor,  A.' Cammenga                                                                                                                                `. The complainants insist -that  the preacher must
P. De Boer, J. D. De Jong, H. De Wolf, L. Doezema, .M.                                                                                                                                         prodlaim th.at  God sinc'erely  seeks the salvation of the
        Gritters,,  C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers; G. M. Ophoff; A.                                                                                                                             reprobate. And in spit,e  of this. ,ostenzibly  Arminian
        Petter, M. Schipper,  J. Vanden Breggen, H. Vddman, R. ,Veld-                                                                                                                          position they dlaim  .the sole right to the name. of, being
        man, L. Vcrmeer,  ,P. Vis, G. Vo,s, W. Hofman, J. Heys:
             `.                                                                                                                                                                                ReformTed.      This claim they defend by  ;apDealing  tothe
                    Cpmmun~catio~:  s relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                 principle(  ?) of irrationality. They take the position
        to REV. II. -HOEKSEMA,  1139 `Franklin St., S."E., Grand                                                                                                                               that `t.he  .Reformed  faith `is irrational.      And on that
        R a p i d s ,   M i c h i g a n .                                                                                                                                                      position noone can suizcessfully  attack them.
                    Oommunications  relative  to subscription should be addressed                                                                                                                  But, as we have seen, if we ,deny them the right to
        to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 946 Sigsbee St-S.  E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                               that. irrational pos:ition;_  {and, as rational beings, try to
        Michigan. _ All Announcements, and Obituaries must be sent
        to the above address and will aot be placed unless the regular                                                                                                                         explain their positio~n,  we discover that they embrace
                                                                                                                                  - _f
   fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                                        the Arminian view of reprobation.
                                             (Subscription. price $2150 per year) ' .                                                                                                             ,But  `let us now -also- demonstrate how superficial  _
        Entered as Second Class -mail at Grand' Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                              ancl erroneous this part of the `Complaint" is.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   The complainants find it strange that Dr.. Clark is..

                                                                                                                                                                                               reluctant to admit that' the gospel is $an offer and an
                                        :                              :                                                                    _                                                  invitafion. .-And they quote from the  Westminster  Con-
                                                   .-                                                                                                                                          fession to condemn this relu,ctance.  on the. part .of Dr:
                                                             COp?TENTS                                                                                                                         Clark. That corife?sion  does not hesitate. to speak of
                                                                                                                                       '
                                                                                                                     0                                                                         t.he gospel as. an. offer;      For,- in VII, III, we rea.d  :
                                                                                             r
                         ._                                                                                                                                                                    "Wherein (in the covenant of grace, H.H.) he freely
                                                                  1
   MEDIWATION  -                                                                             _. .'                                                                                             offered unto.sinners  life,,an,d  &alvia.tion  by Jesus!  Christ."

                                                                                                                                                                                                 ,But how superficial is the reas-oning of the  corn-.
        I WILL NEVER FoRGET! . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . ...' .I......... ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
                                                                                                                                                                      .: -.                    plainants,  here ! Dr; Clark-is reluctant to `speak of the
                                ' Rev..  H .   H o e k s e m a                             _                                                                                                   gospel as an offer and "invitation" in the sense in
                    .                                                  .                                                                                                   ._ . .              which the Arminian$  and also `the lcomplainants  .use
   l&TORIALS  - o                                                                                                                                                                    :. ;",    these terms.      They- understanld  these .terms  as mean-
                                                                                                                                                                                               ing that in-the gospel God sinoeqely'seeks the salvation
        `THE `TEXT  OF A COhMPLAINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 of -the -reprobates.. .Buf the 
                   E X P O SI T I O N   O F  T H E  HEIDELB!ERG  CATECHISM......~~~                                                                                                                                                `Westminster Confession
                                                                                                                                                 : : ,                                 :       in the. passage quoted, knows nothing of this modern.
                                 Rev. H. HoeItsema                                      -.                                                                                                     connotation of the terms.       This should be evident from
                   THE LORD DEPARTS FROM SAMSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...*. i.i.413                                                                                              the fact that the word  offi?recZ is used in the sense of
                               : Rev. G. M. Ophoff _-                                                                                                                                          the Latin !'offert"  from obfero,,and  may be translated
                                                                                                                                                                                               just'as  well,by  "present".. But that it was far from'the
                   TBE MOTIVES  oF,IDOL-WORSHIP.                                                                              `.
                                 . _                                                              . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..!..Z  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417                      minds of theauthors  of the -Westminster to teach that
                         .r       Rev. A. Petter                                                                                                           i                                   in the .,gdspel God -is sin~cerely  seeking' the salvation. of
        ,                                                                                                                                                                                      the reprobate .is esrpecially'  evident from the rest of: the
              MAN'S RESPOI%SIBI.LITY  AND GOD'S PROVIDENCE..CiD
~,..                                                                                                                                                                                           same passage 
                                 Rev. L. Doezema :                                                                                                                                                              : -"an.d promising to give unto all those
                                                                                                                                                                ._                             that- are ordained unto life his Holy Spirit, to `make

                   -THE TERM "SOUL"_IN  THE OLD TESTAMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 them wilhng and able to believe.`.! -This,' then, is the
                   . Rev.. H-. De Wolf "                                                               -                                                                                       p.romise  of -the' covenant,. the promise that must;be
                                                                                                                                                                                               preached : God will give-td .a11  the elect His Spirit.      .But
                   OUR OWN S~CHOOL - AN' INJUNCTION ?. . . . . . . . . . . . :..: . . . . . . 428                                                                                              the coml3ainants  .iase  not i?atisfied  with -this.    They in-
              _.                 Rev. R. Voldman                                                                                                                                               sist that Dr.- Clark..must  preach and teach "that in t.he

                   WE,LGELUKZALIGE  .WONING  
                                                                            . . .' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    4 2 7 gospel .God sincerely, offers sal,vation  in, Christ to all
                                 Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                   who hear, reprosbate  as well as elect;"          :
                                                         . -                                                                                                                                       It is, therefore,' not .strange  at all, .but .quite under-
                               -- - _. -----------Id..-.~p  - .___ ___                             ^ ._~__ __ __,.                                       .____                                 atasdable that Dr; Clgk  iq, wi!!ing  to subscribe  to' the
                   .'


                                  _      _                    _... ..-._.
  `statetient  in .the .Westmmster.  to. whi;cli  `the cor&Zn-                                      "That"Godtias  some say4by'  an eterriai  and.  u&

  ants refer, while, at `the sz.me  time, he is very reluctant                               change?,ble  ,decree  ordained sonic to et&nal  life, ,others
  to use the  term%  "off&' ,apd:. "inM&on'"  when  re-                                      to eternal .damnation,  only becafise  of His `good plea?
  quired to `do so in the. sense. of the co&&ainants.                           :-          I::ure,  m,tiith&  regaid  to their righteousness or dig- -
      The Game waperfilciality  acd adodging  b? thk real                                   obedi,ence.  _ That further in viptue  of a-second. decree
  i s s u e  Fharacterizes  the.-f,o,!low&  pamgraph  ; _                                    the elect must necessarily and  ,inevitably  be saved ;a.nd
      "Di-.  Cl&k stedfa&ly  r&fus+  to-,d&cribb  BS sine&c                                  cannot  ,be lost, and the reprobate-constituting bi far

  the offer !which God makes  `to sinne.rs  in the gols!pel.                                the lagger   p a r t - m u s t  ,necessarily  and inevittibly  b e
  This is surprising strange., To be sure, the West-                                         d;amned."
  minster Standards do `not employ. the owo,rd  sinceye  in                                        They could not accept the <doctrine:
  thilz:  connection ; but is it not_- a foregone ,conclusion                                      "That Jesus Christ dcd not die for all I&I&  but only
  that the offer is sinc$re3  Woul,d it not be mblasphenip                                   for the elect"; and that in the elect "the Holy Spirit
  to deny this?      For that irery  reason there was no need                               operated with `irresQtible  `power, so that  they niust be
  df the Westminster !dilvines' ,describi:ng  the gospel                                    converted anld believe and thiis  neeessariljr  be saved,
  ,offer  as sincere. Its sincerity  goes. without saying.                                  while tl&  r&pfobate  do not receive this gralce."         .~
  But obviously that is not Dr. Clar;k"s  reason for refus-                                  .'    They `did, indeed, point to the inconsistenc$.  that the
  ing to characterize it as- sincere."                                    :,                -reprobate, `according to the revealed will of _God, are
      No, indeed.     Nor would Dr. Clark obj@$  to .use the                                also called to conversion and faith, but that they ration-
  wdrd  "sincere" to characterize the offer  .df                                            ~listically  concluded from this external c~:lling  to a
                                                                   .' God as
  explained in the We,stmin&er  : ,Gtid  promises to give                                   denial `of reprobation, asp the' complainan,ts  interuret,--

, unto ;a.11  `that ar,e  ocdained  u.nto  life his (Holy  `Spii-it.                        of t&-one  ,does  not find a tra'de in the Remon&zntie.
  Atid  yet, `it is not "surpassing strange"  that he refuses                                      It would  seem, thel:efore;  that they simply impose
  to employ .that wogd  in the sense in *hi-ch the com-                                     their own interpretat!&  upon the history'of the Armi,-
  plainants would have hini tise it :.. that God sincerely                                  ,ils.n  controver'sy,  in order to show t$at.Dr.  Cl&$,  by a       _
  offer,:, salvation $0 the reprobate as- well' as to-elect.                                similar,  rationalistic error, moves in the tipposite di'rec-
  And' this l$one  .is the %suie.             :                                             tion; and `denies- the since&  offer of s&&ion on the
      The following int.e?pretatiori  tif the Arminian con-                                 `part of God to the reprobate. This  iti superficial be-
  .trovers$.`appears  to be &specially i&&&d  to `fit the                                   cause it falsely interprets the facts.
  facts in the &cage  of Dr. Clark as the compllsinants                                            Stiperfilcial,  too; ia.nd erroneous,, is the.  quotation
                           .._                                       D
  see them:                                                                                 the ,complainant:s,  offe? from the Canons, and the  &rgu-
      f`W@n  the' Arminian contro?ersy  was at ih3 height                                   ment baded  on this erroneoils  .quotatidn.  The quotation
  the R!eformed  churches f(a.ced  a different situation.                             It    as it appears  in the "Complaint"  iis: & follows :
  was contended emihatically  tby%hhe .Arminialis  ihat  the                                       "As ma.ny  ati a&e called by the gospel, are unfeignedly
  Reformed doctritie  of reprobation rules but ,the  sib-                                   called.      For God" hath mqst earnestly &nd truly' de-
  cerity  of Gdd's offer bf `salvation i@ the reprobate and                                 clared in E&is  `Word what will be acceptable to him ;
  that, consequently, the Reformed faith has  `ia. gospel                                   name!y,  that all who are `call&d `should comply with
 only' for the elect. Precisely -the.~inc&ity  of -the Igospel                              the ,in.vitation."`.  : (Third and Fourth Heads of Doc-
 `offer :was  now  at issue." p. 13.                   .'                                   trine, art. 8).                                             I
      `The `.complaifia@s  should not m&k;  Such broad  -                                          And the argument the` coinplainants  base on t)tis .
  statements interpreting: historical' ;f&ts  without bffer-                                quota.tion  iS m folloiTis:           -. -'
  ing defiilite  proof.      And where `w0Ui.d they'  find such                               ' "In th.e  course  of- his eiramination  Dr. Clark ,di,d
  proof?    One would natuna.lly  look fdr it iri the Reinon-                               indeed express agreement .with  this teachiiig  of Dort,
  stiantie;~composed  by the Aktiiniarux,  in 1610.                 At that                 btit  he rnide  it clear that, in ,doing  sb.he  conceived OE
  time the "Arhinian:  -contro+rsy `was at `its height."                                    thk.gos$  as a ct5mnia&l;  .' : . . He said that.%  is the
  Moreover, in that ,document  the` Retionstraiits'  car&                                   preceptive  will >f God%&  those  who.  hear- &a13  be-

 fully formulated tEei.r  objectiolis  to t%e Rgfortied  ,con-                              lieve the gospel, &d it is. `acc&ptabie'  t,o,`God  `that they

  ception  of predGstin&ion.           But-iti  vain ,do& o& look                           *do- so bee&use  he insists' on being obeyed. But t&e
  for support of the interpr.eDa.fion  ,of.tl&r  stand offered                              Synod of Dort obviously  meant &ch mqre.  than that

%y the complainants. They si,hply  and openly rejected                                      when it employed'the.  word taccebtable.'        That ap'pears
 ahsolute  predestination, both *eliiction  :and .reljrobatioli,                            from its description of the gospel,  `2~ $n invitation, fr'om

  and instead' offered, their own, &at  of `election on the                                 %s insiistence  tl$.t 611 <who  are called -are called `unfeign-

 ground  of foreseen, faith and obedierice,  and of ?eprbba-                                edly,' as tie11 ai from the fact that it w.as  refuting the

 tion on the ground .of  `f,oreseeli  .unbelief,.--aiid-  di&                               Arminian  conteetion  &at the `Reformed faith l;aves
 obedience.`                                         _* .:                                  no roomy for `:a. bincere  offer of `salvation made by God

     They expressly objected `to the doctrine (I translate                                  to the reprobate. W&at  the authors of the  Canons
 from $hi Dubch)  :                                .I. .:. " : I                            had in mind was that God haa `no pleasure in the


,410`  '                                        T H E  STA.NDARD  BEAR.ER
-. _.._._  ., . . . . ,.                   . . .
.death  of the wicked, but that the  wickefl  turn horn-his

warand live' (Ezekiel 33 : 11).                                           -1. -The Triple Knowledge
_,Y~;. iNow, we do not have to defend  Dr. Clark%1  position

that the gospel is a command.                 This is ndt the point

we wish to make. Nor `is it our  `purpose  la;t present

`.to refute the interpretation the  cqmplainants  give to                  An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
this passage ,of the Canon?, though it may be remarked
that on the face  of the matter it seermji  very farJetched.                                       C a t e c h i s m
 Surely, if it had been the  Sntention of the fat,hers  `of
Dort to express that God sincerely seeks the salvation                                                part     T    w     o    .
                                                                                           0
of the reprobate, they could have chosen less ambiguous                                         Of' Man's Bedtimption
words.                                                                                            Lord's Day `XVI.
      But the point  we do wish to make is; that the com-

.plainants  very superfileially quote a wrong trtinslla;tion,                                         .l. "
thus arrive at the conclusion that t&e  Canons character-                          The Death ,Of The Son COf God (cont.)
 ize the gospel as an invi$ation,.anci  mak,e  this error the
basjs  of their .argument  against Dr. Clark's refusal to                     What, then, is ,physical death?            What does it mean
 call the gospel by that name.                                            for kinful.  man to die? A;nd what is the mea.ning  of
      ,If laymen, who have access only to existing transla-               the grave?
tions, make such errors, it is excusable.              But that men           From the viewpoint of experientie,  of what we, who
 of learning, who <are.  able to consiult  the  Latin original,           `are on this side of the grave,, can see of' death, it is the
and,  besides, are' acquainted with the FHollBnd trans-                   complete -dissolution of our earthly house, the end of
lati&  of the Canons, make such blunders is not to be                     our earthly `existence; and the grave is: corruption,
 excused. When they, nevertheless, `do meet their op-                     our return to the idust, whence we are Dal&.               .
ponelits  with such erroneous arguments, they give                            It is an utter 10%.
evidence of. having  done very alup&ficial  ,and careless                     Iti ,death the organism of the body collapses and is
w     o    r    k    .                                                    dissolved, and-with it man's entir,e  earthly existence
                                -
      Fact is that the Canons, in the passage quoted,, ,do not            is completely destroyed:  As far as this world is con-
 describe the gospel as an invitatidn at dll.              The Latin      cerned, -he is no more.      For it is through ,the  body that
original. is as follows: "Serio enim et verissime  osten-                 man Ps ia* living soul.     Through his physical  organism,

,dit Deas verbo  LS~UO,  quid si:bi  gratum sit, nimirum, ut              wdth  its senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste,  an;d tsunell,

volcati  ad se veniaat."  `That is: "God seriously and                    he has contact ;with the outside world, the world of his
truly <declares in `His Word what is pleasing to him,                     experiences. . .When  his body  is dissolved that entire
namely, that the called come unto. him."                 And this is      tiorld,  aE; *he- object of his experience, dissolves with it.

 correctly rendered in the- ,Dutch  translation : "Want                   In death he sees. and hears, he ,tastes  and touches iand
God bbetoont  ernstigl.ijk  and- waarachtiglijk  in Zijn                  s&ells, he teats  and <drinks,.  he: thinks and speaks, he

Woord,  wat He& aangenaam .is ; hamelijk,.  .dat de ge-                   desirezi  and pursues, he craves. -and  .deli&ts  in the
 roepen  tot F&m komen."                                                  things of this wor1.d  no- more. Everything is taken

      The passage, therefore; does not :describe the ,gospel              away from him.           His power -and_ tiilents,  his house

 ai an invit&ion.  And the argument that is based on                      and-possessions, the objects  of-l.&  love and friendship,

this, `wrong translation must fall together with the                      his position -and.name,  ,the  fruit. of' his toil and labor

%ran@ation.                                                               and invention,-all -are suddenly- and completely lost.

      As far as .this  passage of the  Canons is con'cerned,              His very place knows him no more.              He may have been

Dr. Clark doa not have  to call the gospel an invitation,                 very important, ,he-may  have-,occupied  a position of

.z&d.yetains  the right to his interpretation that it is a                ,honor and great influence ; perhaptsi,  he was considered
 command . And that the co8mmand be obeyed is pleas-                      indispensable : -all his importance and infl.uence  ceases
ing' to God, because it is pleaking.  to Him -that men                    -absolutely land with utter .fmality  when he dies.             His
1 glorify IHim.           This interpreta,tion  is given of the eighth    very name perishes.
article of %he  Canons, III, IV, more than once.                  See.        No.,  he is not ianihilated.  He continues to be, though

 e.g. Ds. T. Bos, De Donltsche  Leetivegelew,  p; 155.                    he cannot possibly conceive the mode -of that  exilstentie
,!    But whether this is the correct interpretation of the               on the other side of ,death  and the grave_.  For it.is very
 passage or not, the complainants should not make the                     really .he that dies, and that passes through this ter-
bluhder`  of basing. an -argument  on a+ erroneous trans-                 rible reality` of dying.      But in and through ,death,  he
-1ations.  .,_/ I                       ' ..,;, H. F.                     is left utterly qa8ed.      From the.viewpoint  of his pre-
                                                                          sent existence, fdeath  means that he iis; adeprived  of all

                                                                          rights and privileges.                                     /


                                              T H E S T A N D A, -R-D B p A-R'E-.R                                              411

    _ And the grave seals it all, and signifies that there            entered into' this.death.      He-became `like us ig every. re.

  is no return, means that -there.is  no way out 18,s far as          spy&,  sin- excepted'.      He assumed the, :flesh  ia.nd blosd

  hit. own knowledge and power can conceive  ,of  and ef-             of the children.       #He took upon -Himself the  +k~+n,e?s  of

  fect such  an escape.     In the grave the corruptioh  and          siifu! flesh . And in that likeness He was; even z&,_@.
 ,dissolution pf his ,body  are finished.. It becomes a mere          are, in the midst of death.         But He came voluntarily.

  heap of >dust' without form ,aind meaning.                          Sol-'  IHle is the Son of God. He came from *w3hout,
     Such is the meaning of death as far as we can even               though H&e is, born of a woman.  .Into  -the prison ,of

 now interpret its mystery.                                           auk death He entered by an ia.ct of His-own, in obe$.ense

     But in the light of revelation w,e know far more                 to /the Father.                                                  .' .
 about Ideath.  For the Word of God reve;ads  to us th.at               ~, And all His life He tasted death.
  des$h is not a normal process, .but  a violent interven-                     1
                                                                                He could ta&e  death in all its horror, because He

 tion`of  the haed of God to take away our name. Death                w& the Son of God in sinless human nature.              He&n:ea
  is punishment. It is the wages of si,n.  It is -the  ex-            &nd experienced the ,reality  of - cde&h, for He appre-
 pression of the wrath of God, the revelation of His                  he+ded  it as the expression of the wrath of God, as  t!$e
 justice agains,t  the sinner.          We do- not simply die as a    ,exdcution  of God's justice agaii:st.  the `workers..  of
 matter of fact: God kills                An,d therefore, death is    iniquity.       He felt that.--in death the hand, of `God was
                                  us. 
  God's verdict over us. ,In death, physical death, God               hekvy  upon Him.        Nor was `HiIs;  attit&e  tow(s.rds  *death
 ideclares  that we are unworthy, wholly  ,un.worthy,  to             th& of courage. afid ind?fference  in the worldly sense
 have a place  and `a name ,in this worl.d,  that we have             of /the word. `He knew the fear of death.              And this
 forfeited the right to be, to  e&t, and that, on the                 suSfering  of death and of  the,fear  of death w!as,aggra-
 other hand, we have made ourselves worthy of deltruc-                va$ed  as His "hour" approached. -Just  hear.  Him
 tion : "the day thou -eatest  thereof, thou sh$t suiely              complain, as the shadow of the cros$ begins to creep
 die !?                                                               ov& His: ~0~1:        "Now is my soul troubled ;..iaad  what
     S$ill more.                                                      sh&ll I say?       Father, save me from this hour: but for

     Death, so Scripture. informs us, is the  end;  but it is         thi's cause came I untb  this hour." -John 1.2-27.  Or

 .also  the -beginning. It is the end of all  kxistence  in           ..be$old  Him, on the-eve of His deliveran.ce  iL,o  hands of-

 the world ; it is the beginning of eternal .desol%tion.              sinners, as He casts (Hims:elf  into the.- d.ust of Geth-
Physical death is only the entrance of a darkiand  h&-                se#ane,-  a worm tind  no man, -Hi,%. soul :exceediilg.sor-

 rible  p,it, the pit of hell, of outer  dfa.ykpess,  where           ro,pful-  even unto death;  `His agony so .great and ,deep

 there is nothing but the .experience  of the just wrath  of          thdt His sweat became as it were great  `drops!  of :blood,

- a righteous and holy God.        There shall be weeping and         c&g  from the depths. of fear to the, Flather  that the
 -gnashing `of. teeth,-and nothing else !                             IX& may pass from Him if it w&e  possible!
     That is why man is terribly afraid of death,  and,                   ~' Yet in all His fear and suffering -Re never .be'came
 always being in-the mijdst  of death, the fear of death              didobedient  nor did He ever despair.         His was the true
 holds him in bondage throughout all his pr@ent  living.              co&rage,  th'e  only po!ssibl&courage  &er -ags.inst  <death,
 Nor should we `characterize this fear of #death  as                  thk courage that is abased on -the Assurance that  .God
.. edwardice.  On the contrary, for mere sinners, apart               .w$,s  with Him in all IHis dying, even unto the' end.
 fr.om  Christ, it is mere folly and also haughty rebellion           For,  first of all, His dyin,g was an act of perfect obedi-
 to pretend that we are able to face .death  without fear.            enLe in the love of God. Knowing death as the just
 How can mere man speak  ci crurage over agaiast  an                  judgment  of God against sin,. and standing in the place
 enemy he cannot sqccee~fully  hope to oppose, he can-                of ~Hiiz: sinful people, IHe willingly assumed the suffer-
 not even begin ~I!I fight? W,e may cover our coffins                 in,b of death. In iall His life He died, an'd in all His
 with beautiful flowers, and decorate our graves, but                 dying He was obedient.         And being obedient in dying,
 thrdugh  ,it all the grim spectre  of dea;th  mocks our vain         H$ nkver lost-the consci&sfiess  of. God's favor upon
 attempts to deny Him, and strikes terror into the very               H&i persbr&ly,  even while IHe experienced Hi&  wrath
heart of every man                                                    in idying.      And in the consciousnesisl  of His perfect obe-
                       !
     Christ also die,d.                                               diknee and' of t&e favor of ~His God, He trusted th.$
                                   -
     Arid He, too, was `buried.                                       G&l Gould  not leave His soul in hell, nor  suffer .His
                                              , .`.
     But `His dying unto death' wasi  from beginning to Holy One to see corruption. And, in the sedond .place,
end a,voluntary  act of His own.                                      in ihis consciousnees  He was constantly assured ;of the
     FPom  the very ,beginning,  He, the Son of God, until               I'
                                                                      victory.       He had power to- lay dowii His life, and He

 He gave up the ,ghost Iat the cross, performed the act               ha/l power to take it again.        Trusting  in: God, He saw
 of dying. tie lie in the midst of  ideath.  All our                  th$ongh  Ideath'  and looked forward- to- the resurrection.
 present .existentie  is oppressed by death. Death sur-               H&ce stififering  the -fear  0-f ,dea.th;`He  was sot afraid.
 rounds us ori @very Fide,  and' the fear of death  pur-                 1 Add so He died.                                        .
 -sues us every moment,        And` at His incarpation He                 0, ye,s, it was necessary -that He,`.  too, should ,di:


 the physi?al-  death.     He might not' simbly  suffer the And so, He accomplished all o!f death, and fulfilled all
-agonies of tdeath  on the cross, in order then'to  .be re-        r i g h t e o u s n e s s .  I
 vived or. glorified in the sight of the enemies.    I+might       , _[i_.<: And. thus satisfaction Iwas made for `our sins: : For,
                                                                        ..-_
.bear  the wrath of God to the end.       The senten&of  .God      ass: the -Catechism explains,. " with respect  to the'justice
:in phynitial  death is tba.t  the sinner has absolutely for-      .&cl truth of <God, satisfaction for our sins! could. be
 feited every right to his existence in the world.         This    made no otherwise than by. the death of the Son of
 sent&me  must be executed upon Christ also.         God takes     G            o    d    .     "
 away lITis_  whole earthly house.       His very name per-             `A <bold expression this is i "the death of the Son  .
 ishes.    HBs;  body, too, collapses, and He gives up `the        of God."                    There are those who consider the  phnss,e  too

 ghost. Also upon Him the sentence is pronounced                   bold. They argue that the Son of God -is very God  .
 that .He is unworthy to ,exist  on the earth. -Only, as'the       Himself,  that He has life in Himzelf,  and that, there-

 -Iead  of, His people, He' agrees with the sentence of            fore; `,it is blasphemy to speak of His.  death.                     It was,

 God .with  all His h'eart.  He makes:  of ,death  an, act.        therefore, the man Jesus that Idied  on the cross.                           And

 His life ,He lays down even as ,God  tiahes  it. .His spirit      even while the m1s.n.  Jesus died the Son  ,of. God lived in
 He commends to God, His body-He  delivers over nint,o             .eternal  glory. '                                                           2
the place of corruption:" His name and-positi0.n  He                            But this 0bjectio.n  iis; <based  on a misunderstanding

 freely offers up to the righteousness of God. And in               of the phrase, and the expression should certainiy  be

 delivering up tHis soul unto ,death  He confesses : "`Thou,        retained. It is quite true, of course, that the divine
 -Father, art, just and righteous, when Thou judgest that          nature cannot- suffer death. God is the .Lord.  He is

 the sinner has no right to be, `should be utterly  destroy-       the living God. He is life. IIle is the most Blessed

 $d from th.e ea.&`,  and &ould'&nk  iinto  everlasting            for ever. In \His divine being He cannot'suffer..  But
- Idesolation.  .Take  my life, #my name, my all.     Freely I     this is not denied by the expression.: "the dea-th of the
 offer' it in love to. Thee.     For even now it is my meat         Son of God."                     W,e  must remember that Christ is th.e

to do .Thy will !"                                                  Person of the Son of God.  ASI such  He subsists eter-

     And so He was .buried..                                       nally in the ,divine  nature.                  Aed in that divine nature

     The Catechism explains that He was`buried to prove             He is in the bosom of the Father, and  live-,,  the life

 that~~He  was really dea,d..  If this may 8be  iexplained  as      of inf,initely  perfect divine\  friendship with the Father
 meaning that His burial a& the seal upon'His Ideath,               and the Holy Ghost .in in.finite  Ibliss.                   But this same

 inasmuch as the grave is the place of corruption; the              Person of the Son also assumed the human  nlattdre.                              He

 finality of death, the return .unto the *:dust,  there is          is, not two persons,. a human aed divine ; but He is-and
 sense in (thi:s  laaswer.      EIowever,  if it merely `means      remains ,one  Person, the divine Person of the Son,

 that from His burial it became evisdlent  that He had              subsisting in two natures, the divine and the human.
 died on the ,crotss,  the answer. ,is hardly correct.     One     And it ,is this Person of the Son of Go3 `that suffered
 hardly buries a pers0.n  to prove that he is dead.         Be-    the death of the cross, :and  that was in Hades:, tha.t

 sides, such proof .was  not needed in, the case -of the            committed His -spirit t.o God, and that` was buried
 death of Clirist;     ,If there had been any d%ubt  that He        in the sepulchre of Joseph. <Only, it must be remem-

died `the moment He cried out: "Father, into Thy                    bered that He suffered all this, not in the divine, but

 hands d-o I commend my spirit," it should' have <been              in the human nature.                    .And  so it is `perfectly prop.er  to

 completely removed by the. spear thrust that pierced              speak of the.,death  of .the Son of God.

 ~IIi;s  heart, and caused bl,ood  and water to gush forth                      And this. -expression must ,be  retained, because
 from lHis_side.      But Christ must :die  unto the end. He,       "satisft%ction  for our.sins  could be ma&de  no otherwise
 too, must enter into the place of corruption.        He must       than `by the death `of the Son of God.:'                     ._

 deliver `His body to the humiliation of the grave, to the                      If it was `a mere man that died on the cross, the
 place where the sinner retur.ns  to the dust.       In perfect     cross is made vain. No mere. man, even though he

 obedience to the Father He enters into Hades, and                  were righteous, could lever  bear .the'  ful1 punishment

 commits His body to the grave. For let  U,sl not for-             for sin and fir&h  it.                  Still less could a mere m1a.n  make
 get that even His burial was an act of His own.          As He    satisfaction for others, and that, too, for countless

 entered into the womb of the virgin,. and, thereby into            millions of sinners.                   Only the Son .of God c0ui.d  taste

- likeness of sinful flesh; as He voluntarily suffered the          the depth of death.                  Only !He (could bear the full burden
 reality-of death  all His life; as `He willingly entered           of the wrath of God and sustain it to the end.                              Only,
 into ,death finally, and ,gave  up the ghost; so He                He could make of death an act of  obedience,  and

-.obediently  submitted to the sentence of God:  `<dust             voluntarily lay `down the life He had voluntarily as-
. thou art, and to idust thou shalt return,`) and entered           sumed.                `Only  (He could finish .death  ie dying:.  And only
 into the:gr;axe;  He could ,do so; because' He was the             He had the' right and the power to take the p&e  of

 Son of God, and the person  `of the Son was never                  the ,elect,  ,and  satisfy the justice of God in respect to

separated from H.is human nature, `even in the grave.               their sins.                 ,Only  His :death, tie ,death of the Son of-.God

                                                                                                                                           I


                                                                                I              u.
                                            THE- STANDARi3   B E A R E R                                                                   413


  Himself in human nature, cou1.d be so [deep, sb precious                  ruptible  and mortal body.       Living our earthly life, we

  i-zi  the sight of God, that by His obtidiefice  many'could               diei;constantly.  The power of death reveals itself in al!

  be made righteous;.. Only when  the death of tlie cross                   the;!.  Idiseases,  suffering and sorrow of this presen.!

  is the death of th.i Son of God can  we have th& assur-                   t,ime;  If, ther`efore;  the elect tier& to e;s:cape  physical

  ance that our sins are-blotted oui; for ever, land  that in               .dea&  they  Gust be regenerated and lc.ompletely  rei

  Ch$st  we have the righteousn&s  of God- by.faith.                        neqed  at their coming ,into this world, and at once

                                                                            taden  into hesven;  But this' is absurd,  f&r in that

                                                                            cask  the Church of the .elect  could ,not ,be .brought  f.orth.

                                                                            `The generations of `the eject  must be lborh:  And to

                                  2.                                        thdrn we can give birth onljr in our present, &arthy, and
                                                                            corktiptible  bodies. And in these corruptible bodies
                    The Death .Of `Believers
                                                                            wei lie iii the .mi&t  of death, an,d must needs pass

      The question arises~  quite naturally : why must be-                  thr:bugh  death and the grave irito  glory.
  lieve&: [die the :physical death?         Christ, died `for us.               IiMoreover,  it- is no doubt the will of God that the  _
  _His  death is the satisfaction for our sins. Now, if                     gloky  of His grace shall eternally sh_ine  forth in the
  physical d'eath belongs  to the punishment for sin, and                   Chilrch of the redeemed. `And this glory m&t be

  the death of .Ch&t  i$! really satisfaction, it would ap-'                r$!lized  in the corisciousness`  of the elect.         They  must

  pear to follow-%hat  believers; were also delivered from                  kndw  ,by experience from how great  a* #depth of sin
  tempona.1  or physilcal death. Y&t,  this is not the case.                and mi;z.ery  and.,death  the marvellous grace of God re-

  The Catechism, therefore, `iqquires  into this matter,                    ded'med  and delivered them.  But unto this end they

  and a&s the questibn:  "Since Christ died for us, why                     m&t have experiknce  of *he suffering and pdwer  of'

  must we also dib?`"`             `.                                       ,dea!$h.    From the depth they must cry unto God, that

      We may r&ice .that  the Heidelberger ,does  not dir:                  they ma.y  for ever extol the wonder of IH<S (grace  where-

  ectly answer the question.       It does, indeed, explain that            by /they are redeemed.       And; therefore, they must not

  the ,death  of tbelievers  is no satitif&ion for.  sin, iand              at .bnce  be .glorified  in body  and soul, when  they are

  it. removes the apparent contr;adictioa  between the                      redenerated,  but as renew&d chil,dren  of God  in prin-

  death of Christ as an atonement for sin and the death                     ciple suffer a while and gass  through the darkness

  of those &for whom He atoned.           But the question, why             of heath, that-.they  may taste  the goodness an'd glorious

  the ,dtiath  of .believers,  -even  though  it be ,nb satisfaction        gr&e, the mighty-power and dominion of God  their

  for sin, is still necessary,  is not ansiwered.       The ,ques-          Rebeetier,  Who calls the things that are not as if they

  tion remains : why is it that believers must pass                         were,  atid  Who quickens the .+ad.
  through the suffering of physical  ,dea,th?  Why could                        i _:                                           H      .           H    .
                                                                                                                               -
  .th@y not be trar&ated  without enduring this sufferifig?                     1
Enoch  was `so translat.ed.  Elijah iascended  up into
                                                                                /I
  heaven without seeing death.           The s&&z  that Shall be                I'                        -
  living at the coming of the Lord will- be bhanged  in a

  moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Why could not
                                                                                1;.                  __.'
  :a.lso  believers be glorified, and taken up into heaven,
  without having to face the horror of death and  the                          The.~Lord Departs From Samson
  grave? ..                                                                     I' "
                     .                                                          iI
    Several answers may be suggested to this ques-                              ISO had Samson, in his carnalitjr,  played into the

  tion. And these answers are  really ,a11  controlled by                   hatids of the enemy, who finally succeeded in getting

  the one f&t  that,  before the saints can be compl&ely                    hi&into their pbwer  through the treachery of a woman.

  glbrified,  all thi.n.gs  must be ready, the.  &tire elect                W&h him asleep  on her knees, she  ozused  the seve?

  Church must be born and saved, and the new heavens                        lochs of his head to be shaven off; and sh'e began to

  atid earth must be created in which righteousness shall                   aff/ict him and his strength went from `him. At  the
                                                                .
  ,dwell.                                                                   aoupd  of her cry., "the Philistines  Se upon thee Samson,"
      If the elect were  to escape the suff,ering  of physical              he Iawoke  out of his sleep.       Still feeling secure in his

  death  in all its implications, they would have to com-                   s&ngth, he said, "I will go'out as at other times before

  pletely be glorified at the moment of their regeneration.                 anA sha;ke  myself.      But he wist not that the L&d was

 And what`.is  niore, their regenertitioti,  and also their                 dedarted  from him."         And the Philistinea took him

  glorification would have to .take  place at birth.                 For    and bound him tiith  fetters of brass."

  the  reality of physical #death is not limiked to the                         iThe  statenient,  "and he wist not,that  the Lord was
  moment  when. we give. tip the fghost,  and ou? spirit                    deda&ed  from him", calls for closer .study.            The sta$e-

  leaves tGe  body, but involves'.our  &tire -earthly ,exi&                 me&  is- significant.     It .forms  the.clue  to a right under-

  ,ence.*  We are born ia: the midst sf death, with a ~cg- sbsbding  of! Sarhsdn's  achievements as the deliverer of
                                                           I


                                                                                                                               .- .
  4    1    4                             THE STAN.D;A&:.D;.:  BEA.R;EB.


  Israel. The Lord had departed: from  .him.  It implies              he had but one .pair  of hands wherewith to fight.. His

  that hithertco  the Lord was with him as his helper.                great'strength  alone.cannot  account for the.  dead lyiw
  Having determined, in the light  ..of_  the Scriptures,             dktit hunin  heaps  after his encounter with the Philis-.
  wherein this help consisted,. lwe will know what .it                tines at aehi. And they were all his victims,  `slam

  means that the L%ord  ,departed  from him in the moment.            by his own hand. .`That .was `truly astounding. Vet.
of his defilement. This help consisted firstly in the                 things similar to this had taken place before in Israel's

  Lord's endow-ing Samson with great physica.  strength.              ,wars  with the heathen.     In these wars  Israel was the

  How-`wonderfully strong he was. With no effort to                   few, comparatively spea.king  and the heathen the many,
  speak of, he rend'ered  assunder  the jaws of a lion that           Israel the weak, from the point of view of Inature,  and

  roared against him on the way -to Timnah. He  va,n-                 the heathen the strong, thus' the few against the many,
  g&shed, in ,battle,  as a lone hero, an army of Philis-             the weak against the strong, with the few, the weak,

  tines whose mmber may have run into thousands.                      always the victor,, when the people of Israel kept

  He bore :3way on his shoulders the ;doors  of the gates             covenant fidelity. `.The  complaint-of.:the  spies, report-

  of ,Gaza,  the dcors  and their two posts. When they                ing to Joshua, was true.     The peopl.e.,of  Israel'lwere  no

  thought him impotent in bonds, rhe  broke the chords                match for the Canaanites;       From the point of vitew  of-

  from his arms like thread. And when they finally.                   nature; the' proposed warfare was doomed to `failure.

  had him in their power, he pulled down over himself                 For the Canaanites were. the. stronger and their cities

  and them the temple of their god where they were con-               were walled an,d very great and the children .of, Anak

  gregated; and his soul died with the  Philistines..-  In-           were me*n of giant_ stature.     `For this. very reason, all

  deed, Samson was wonderfully strong.                  .             Israel's wars with the :heathen  wlere  foolhardy under-
       Yet, it would be a serious- error to  :aseribe  his- vic-      takings, humanly speaking. "In these: conflicts, it wa-s

  tories. over the adversary in battle to his prodigious              al-ways the weak against the strong, the few -against

  strength. Ordinary warfare` is `a `pitting of .pow.er               the many. `. What  brings this out is the langua.ge used
  against .power  and, speaking now,  ,of  modern warfare,            to describe1  the,  military might of th.e  heathen.      The

  the greater power-the side that can boast of the                    combined armies. that went forth. to do battle with

 larger and ,better  equipped army, bett,er  trained sol-             Joshua :were "much people, -even as the sand that  is-

 .diers :and generals of surpassing military skill, can               upon the sea shore in.. multitude, with horses an4
boast of the larger number of formidable battle lwagon:s,             chariots very many.`. ' Joshua 11:4.  The -Lord drew
  in the `air, on sea  an,d  on land-wins the war, -and this          unto.-Rara:k.  and Deborah to the-river Kishon `%isera,
  aoc,ording  to the law that, `in _or,dinary  warfare, the           the captain of Jabin's  army, with his `chariots and
  victory goes to th.e  strong. Therefore the nation,s  of            multitude. . ; ." Judges -4 :7.. . Against~this.~`~`multitude"
  the world strive to"overreach  one another in -military             Barak  was iastructed.  to. oppose but ten thousand. men.
  might.    Such might is the arm of flesh in which they              Of the Midianites  it isreportedthat,  "they,came  up with
 put their trust.      Hence, their is nothing miracul,ous            their cattle  and .their  tents. . ., : -as grasshoppers' for
about the military achievements, of  the.nations  of the              multitude," `and that "they and`their  camels were with:
  world on the field of battle. The w&asker  of two ,op-              out number." Judges 6.:5.        But. they. were overcome
  posing forces must yield ground from the nature of                  by-Gideon's  <band of three hundrefi;  Samson slays a
  matters. God so wills; We deal here with a idivine                  thousand :Philistines .with the jaw bone of: an ass.
  working. For all. power is %lis. The superior mili-                 Some twenty years thereafter "the Philistines gather;
  tary power of the conquering nation is, his. Hence,                 ed themselves together' to fight with Israel, thirty
_ it is He Who gives victory, not in love, but in His                 thousands chariots, .and six thousands ,horsemen,  and
  hatred of man's  world-the world that lieth in `dark-               people as the sand'  whi,ch is on the sea. shore in  multi2
  ness-and in punishment of the unrighteousness of                    tude." I Sam. 13 :5. W,hat  worsened the situation is
  man's world. The strength of a .big  brute of a man                 that the Philistines had so completely disarmed the.
  who murders a defenceless  `child is God's.         In this case    Israelites that "there was neither sword nor spear
  too,_God  gives.victory  (if the word  victorz~  is in place        found in the hand of any of the-people that were  w.ith
  here), but not in love of the murder.er  and in, answer             Saul and Jonathan." I Sam. 13  :22, The above-cited
  to prayer. God does all things in love `of His people               cases : of the surpassing might .of Israel's adversaries
whom He knows and chose in Christ.                                    are but few of the many reported to  us; in the,  Old
       As to Samson, his conmbined  victories present to              Testament Scriptures,. Humanly speaking, the Heb.:
  us a case of ,one man chasing a thousand. Therefore                 rewsin  Cana,an  were doe-med  to extmction  at all times:
  his war with the Philistines was not ordin*ary  war-                In battle they Iwere  always outnumbered ; and their
  fare. It was not huma.n  might pitted against human                 war equipment included ,nothing  more formidable thal  I
  might with the superior might the victor as in  #ordinary           the bow, the sword and the: spear. `. .The use .of -th!l
  waj?fare.  `The explanation of Samson's victories was               horse and the chariot was forbi.dden  them. :Alwa.ys

 .n$his  strength. For, however remarkable his strength,              were they the few against the  many?  the.w;tak  against

                                                                              I
                                              .- _
                           .


         the strong, the smaller military miiht.. .In  `Gideon's           thus foolish and untrule  to say that Germany was  de-

        .band this might was reduced: to :a. paltry  three hundred         &royed  because God lfought  for the .Allies  and this

         aa,d in Samson to.a lone individual,      Yet it :was  to this    even in answer to the fervent prayers of those praying
                                                                              -._
.-       band, to ,the  few and the :weak,  that the victory -Xv&it.       preachers among the Allies.     God fights for His .chosen
         This was the miraculous :element  in Israel's warfare             people, ,whom  He chose and knows in Christ. And

        with the heathen . . And it had .been foretold, promised.          therefore they have the victory-the victory that  over-
         Spake the Lor,d  to Israel by the  .mouth  of ,Mo.ses,  "And      comeththe worl,d.    Alnd their victory is their faith, the

        ye shall chase, your enemies,  .and  they shall fall .before.      working :of their faith in prayer*-the  fervent prayer

         you .by.the  sw.ord.    And- five -`of you shall ,chase-  a       of righteous-men.    Yetj to be sure, the surpassing mili-
        hundred, and a hundredof  you'ishall  put .teil  thousand          tary might `of the allies was and is God's, the victory

        to flight : and your enemies shall fall .before  you .by. the      that was :achieved  was efficaciously willed. by .Him,
        sword." Lev. 26 :7;8..  At Joih. 23 :lO it is .said  even          and it came forth out of the .womb of `the-,sovereign

        that "one manof  you shall cha.se  a thousand.". Samson            providence of the Most !Bigh.  Yet, ,for  all this, it is

        was not'-theonly hero in Israelitish  history. in whom             `amiss to' say that .God fought for the Allies .and this

        this .promise  was fulfilled'.    It was fulfilled also  in the    in answer to prayer. l
        mighty ,m.en.whom  David .had.         There #was  .Adino;  the       What,. then,: was &at domg of God, a-cording .to

        Tachmonite, of .whom it is related that he lifted up his           which H,e fought for His people, for the  few;  the one?

        spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.             First, it was a"work  of love; a manifestation of grace,

        .There  was Eleazar the son of Dodo,  who ,arose  "and             an indication of. a gracious attitude.    The Lord love:!

        s~mote  the Philistines until his .hand  .was weary, and           His people Israel, they being .His chosen people ; as
        his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought                moved by the pity of love He fought f,or them in their

        a great victory that *day..,  . . ." M'ention. is .made-  of       distress and thus saved them from the power of the
        Shammath, the son of Agee,  .' "He stood in the midst of           greater, the overwhelming, military might for His
        the ground, and defer&d it, :a.nd slew the Philistines:            name's sake, in order that He might  *be feared.       Thus
        and the Lord wrought a great victory."         "Three mighty       His fighting for His people was a gesture of love,  a

        men (of David) brake through the host of the Philis-               revelation `of her mercy upon such as fea.red  Him and

        tines, and drew water out .of the well of Bethlehem,               kept His covenant. Secondly, through-that doing of

        that was by.the,  gate. ;' . .1' I-`Abishai,  the brother of       God according to which IHe fought for Hisi people, for
        `Joab;  lifted up his, spea.r  against three .hu.ndred,  and       the few or the one, the victory always w,ent to.  His

        slew them.`? II Sam. .23:8-18.                                     people, to the .few.  Lastly, the doing of God with

            So, .theri,  in Isralel's  warfare; the victory. went to       which. we -here deal was .a special divine working,  a

        the `few in `combat with. the many, even to the. one in            w.onder of Isra.el's God that, in combination with the

        `combat with  a thousand. And the one and the few                  diminished mil.itary  might of His people, plainly

        were God's people. I What,;now.  is the explanation of             brought out that, the victory was the Lord's  and  .not
      the victory. of the one and of the few. Not, certainly,              His People's.     There is t,hen this question finally.

        ,the  strengthof the  one and`the  few but the fact that           Just what .was  that wonderful work of God,?      Wherein
        ,"the..Lord  .your.  God; He .it is that fighteth for you,         ,did  it consist?, Scripture makes this very plain.    T.urn-

        :as He hath promised- you."' Josh. 23 :lO. `The reason             ing to Ps. `78 :12, wie read, "Marvellous things `did he

      .that is here. given [for". the victory goi.ng  to the few           in the sight of the-fathers in the land of Egypt," and at
        :or the one calls for <closest  :attention.  In the Old Testa-     verse 43, "(How) he had wrought his signs  -in Egypt,
        :ment  lispensation:  there .was but, .one  nation under           an8 his wonders in the field of  Zoan?     Recallmg  these

        heaven, of whom it could be said that the Lord f.ought             signs, the psalmist continues; "He turned their rivers
        for it; That.nation  was Israel. And;?soj  too, now in             into blood; and their floods, tha.t  they could not ,drink.
        .this,  dispensation there is__@t  one nation under heaven         -He  sent .divers sorts  of f,lies  among them; which ,de-

        of whom it can be said that the Lord fights for it.                voured .them;  and frogs, which destroyed them. He

        That nation' is still. .not;.the  - Jews a,n@ neither the          gave also their increase unto the caterpilla.r,  and their
        American, British ,.and .Chinese:nations  for that mat-            labor. unto the locust. .He destroyed -their vines with

        ter, but the .true  Israel, the Church,, that people to            hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.. He gave

        whom the apostle had reference when he said, -"But  `ye            up their cattle also to hail,  an.d their flocks to hot

        are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an' *holy             thunderbolts.    He cast upon them the fierce,ness:of  his
        nation, a peculiar people:; that: .ye show. forth the              anger, wrath, and indignation, an@ trouble, by'sending
        .praises  of. him .who hath icalled  you out of `darkness          evil-angels among them.     He made a way to his anger,
        into his marvellous .light:  .which  in time past were             he .s.pared  not their soul from death, but gave their
        `%ot  a .people,  but are-now. the people of God : .which had      life over to the pestilence;  and.smote  all their first-
        $ot  obtained mercy; but. now have .obtained~  mercy."             born in Egypt ; the chief of their strength in the  taber-
        I Pet;-33:  t9, ;19. <It is thtwoughly  `~unacriptum~  and .nacle.;of @Iam,"  ' Through the centuries.tlie,  Lord con-


  tinued to *do marvellous  things in Israel,-things,                people throybh  His terrorizing the enem;  by laying all

  wcmders,  by which he gave victory to the few,  ,to his            his tionders  upon their heart. Therefore the  vict,dry
  people, saved them from the arm of flesh  ,of_ the -a&             went to the few, even to the one.          And therefore there
  versary.      .However,  these wonders wotiked  s&&on              victories, without exception, were pkophetic  `of the
  only because they were accompanied ,by another  work-              victory of the church over  the world  i3n the last judg-
  ing of God i.n the minds  and heart of the adversary.              ment.    Then, too, the victory will go to the few; be-
  What was known of God th.rough  these wonders, name-               cause Christ .will fight .for His people.          For in that
  ly, His power and Goidhead,  IGod :a.lso `revealed in them,        _ day, too, God will dd wonders.         There will be `si great
  the:  adversaries of His people. Iln the words 3 the               earthquake ;. the sun will become black as sackcloth: of
  sacred narrator, he laid His plagues, upon Pharaoh's               hair, anId the mqon  will becorn@ as blood ; ahd the star:
  heart (Ex. 9 :14)  ; I%e looked unto the host  ,of the             of heaven  will fall imtd the earth, even as a fig tree
  Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud              coa.steth  her untimely fig&,  when she %is shaken .by  a

  (Ex. 14 :24).        He put the speech that  went forth from       mighty  wind.          And the heavens shal! depart as a scro'l

  these signs in the heart of the enemies and thereby                when it is rolled together: and' every mountain  an;

  filled them with the terror of God, so  .that  they said,          &land will ,be moved out of their places.         AId God will

  as said the Egyptians, "Let us flee from the  -face  of            lay the& wonders  upon the. hearts of the wioked.          And;

  Israel,.  for.  the Lord ,fighteth  for them against the           in the language of the' apostl,e,  the  kings of the earth

  Egyptians, "and they confessed, as did Pharaoh, "the               and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief

  Lord is righteous and I and my people ar,e sinful.        And      captains, and the mighty men,. and. every bondman,

  so. di,d  the Lord, through the speech  bf his signs con-          and every free man, will hide themselves in the ,dens

  tiznue to terrorize the adversary ili every coilflict  with        and  the rocks of the mountailns  ; tind will s&y to the
  `His people Israel. Their will to fight was broken down ; mountains and the rocks, Fall on us, and-hid$ us from
  and with the terror of the almighty in their soul they             the face .df him that sitteth on the throne, and from

  *Ied in four directiohs.       In. the tionds  of the psalmist,    the wrath of the lamb ; for the `great day `of wrath is
  God arose, He scattered His enemies, and they tl-rst               come ; and who shall be ,able to &anc$" Rev. 6 :1.2-1'7.
  hated Him fled before Him.         As smoke is drivefi  away,      In the  Old Dispensation; God terrorized the heathen dn

  so `God drove them away,-- as  wax melteth.  before the            the .battlefield  ; and all their opposition to Him.and His
fire, so the heathen that went forth to do battle  ;a$ainst          `people ceased ; and. therefore, inn the words of Joshua,
  Israel, perished at the presence of God. Ps. 68.  it is            the tineniy  was bread for Israel ; their ,defencti  was
  thfs doing of the Lord about whlich  the psalmist ~sings           departed from them.           God in Christ will again terrorize

  Over and ,ov,er.      So in Ps. 48, -"Great is the Lord, $tid      the wicked ih the-judgment by His presence; and their

 ,,greatly  to be pY;aised  in the city of our dad,  in the          o$position  to God and H-is Church will cease everlast-

  mou#ntain  of his holiness.      B@autiful  for situation, `the    ingly. And- the victory will go to the few., That will
  joy of th6 whole earth, is mount !&q  bn`the sides of              .be the final wonder qf His. grace.

  the north, the city. of the great king.        God is known            In the light of the above  obs&vation  the eSsentia1
  in her palaces `for k refuge.        For, `lo; the kings were      difference between Isra&`g  ,ki&tori'&,  ovel' tji,.  heathen

  assembled, they  .passed:  bjr together.    They saw it, afid      and the military aehievenients of the nations ori the

  they tiarvelled  ; and they were trou)bled  and hasted *ba.ttle fields of the world  is plain. Not the lattep btit
  away.       Fear took hold Upon  the%i*  th&e,  aad pairi,  as     the  fol"m&  only are .wonders`.of  [God's  grace  bespeqxing

  of ti woman in travail.' ' When &r,a.el walked in the (H~is mercy ,tipon His gchosen people. In the light of the
                                                                                      `-
  way of Gdd's  covenant, thk terror  of <God  wa$ in'the            a b o v e  obs'ekation,  we can  a& expla$  Samson,  his

  heart of the heathen in their cotiflicte  %ith IHis people.        victo?ies  over the Philistines.  In his prodigious @en&h
  Therefore they  could not stand before the few  even               he was a sign, a wonder of God.          As `such `he also spoke
 `before,  the one.     Said Rahab to the spi.es,  "I keoti  that    td `the Philistine's ; for' the Lord put the speech of `his
  the Lord hath given you the land, and that you? terror             amazing strength in their hearts.             And that speech
  is fallen upon us;  and that all bhe inhabitants of the            was that Jehovah is the God and t&t tie is mi&ty
  &+nd  faint ,because  of you. par we have  hearId  how             and willing to avenge  the  wrongs dotie  .His Ijeople.
  the Lord dried up the .water  of -the Red Sea for you              This speech was "so applied to the hearts o!f the Philis-
  when. ye came out of.  `Egypt ; and what he did unto the           tines t&&t,  a$ the sight of Samson, their souls' were
two kiq,q  of the Amorites, that wer.e on the other side             seized by the-terror of God :a&  their defence  departed
  of the Jordan, Sihon  and Og, whom ye utterly Idestroy-             from them and they became bread for Samson. So
  ed.    And as,soop  as we sheard  these things, our hearts         did the Lord' fight for him.         Thus his victory was not
  did melt, neither  did their remain any  more courage in           his strength; his victory was his God, his faith `in

  any.man,  because of you : for the Lord your God, he is             God,'  and .his holding sacred, under the. con'straint  of
  God _in heaven. above, and in earth beneath." josh.                that faith, the consecration of his p&son  to Gbd. But

  11:8-U.  The Lord did very ac%u:ally  fight for H i s               he allowed him-elf to .be de&my4 as the Walking altar


      of God.                                                  .
                          We now  see what it` means that, on this a&-
                                                                                                                                   1
      count, the Lord departed from `him.  -`He.means  that                                                                 . . Thb Motives of Idol-Worship
     the Lord took from him his strength7"and  his strength                                                                                                                          _ "
      departed from him"-and with his strength tie&  his
      6ourage.               Thus he ceased to be 8 sign; a .wond,er  of God.                                                .' Before we enter upon our subject it may not be
      Hence he ceased to speak  t,o the Philistines for he had                                                             superfluous to determine what we mean by. i,dolatry;
      destroyed ,himself  as a sign, thus had silenced tl:c                                                                This is the more necessary ,because of the definition
      speech that -went out from him as the wonder of Gal,                                                                 which is: so familiar to us, from the  iHeidelberg-Cate-

      the speech by which the Lord had terrorized the  Philis-                                                             chism.  For it ,is only because of the wry practical
      tines. Hence, with his seven locks shaven off,  thei;>                                                               purpose of the Catechism on the first commandment

     fear ,of him was gone. For the Lord had ceased. to                                                                    that we accede to and justify the very broad and some-
      fight for him, had ,ceased  to' put Hi8 terror in their                                                              what figurative definition.     It is also from this motive
      hearts, had thus very actually <departed  from him whilzh                                                            that Dr. A, Kuyper in his commentary, `fE VOTO"

      also means that He now made the Philistilnes  bold so                                                                `in!cludes:all  thoze  things in which men seek their wel-
      that they .drew near to Samson and laid `violent hands                                                               fare without God and with  (bold and forceful strokes of

      on him. It was all the Lord's doing. Thus, the w,ord                                                                 a genius .brings  it all into a construction.
      of God `Ione- man shall chase a thousand" ceased to                                                                         abut  strictly speaking it is undoubtedly better to
      apply to .him.                    For he had broken the covenant of his                                              limit the idea of idolatry as the act whereby man seeks
      ,God.          The Lord departed from .him  and he knew it not,                                                      a fellowship and favor which is,  .due only to God; with
      until it was demonstrated unto him. Then he `knew.                                                                   some being in whom he assumes a conscious reaction
      But he could have known even ,before  then ; for he                                                                  possible toward hi.mself.
      must have been aware that `his seven locks had been                                                                         However even so limited the field is of immense
      shaven off. But perhaps he did not think that the                                                                    embrace and brings, us to the #very beginning of peoples
      Lord would take so serious what had been, done to him.                                                               ;as we-know  them Ifrom  Scripture and the pages of pro-
      But the Lord ,did take it serious, for Samson had                                                                    `fane history.

      allowed himself to- be destroyed as the wonder of                                                                           The statement is often made that the.  explanation
      God.                                                                                                   ..,           of man's tendency to worship  iIdols lies in the fact
                                                   .-                                              G. M. ,O:               that he is so created that he has to worship s.omething.  '
             !'                                                                              `. ' ., ;.                    .We  may take the, presentation of "E Voto" as typical.
                                                                                                                           The author writes Vol. III, p. 516: "By virtue of his

                                                                                                                           existence as conscious creature man must worship

                                                                                                                            (eeren)  something above himself, but that something
                                   -
      I ::_                                                                                                                 can be either God or something else, and from this
                     , ._                                                                                                  follows the necessity that the urge of man's being to
                                        <WEDDING   A N N I V E R S A R Y                                                   worship something, must receive guidance and direc-

                                                                                                               j           tion iand' therefore. man must receive the command:
                                                   1905 -                     1    9    4     5
                                                                                             `, ' .                        `you must worship IGod  and not something ,else in His
                                                                    -
                   On May 1.7                                                                                              stead';"

        1                                                                                                                   `,    Now there is indeed in this presentation a very im-
                                             ISAAC KOR;H:OR&'
                                                                                                      `.'                  portant  element `of truth, namely, that man-does easily
                                                          and .                                                            `because of his nature turn to the worship of some-
                             HENRIETTA KORHORN (nee Z&ma)                                                     i '          thing, yet it does not give the true cause `and as it

      celebr ated  their 40th Wedding Anniversary. We their grate-                                                         stands leads, in the wrong ,diredion..
                                                                                                                     .-
      ful children -and grandchildren are indeed thankful to our                                                                  To, say that man must worship something ,does  not
      Heav.enly  Father for sparing. `them for each- other and for  US.                                                     at all express the true "nature  .of his being.      In this

      We extend to them our sincere congratulations and pray that                                                          presentation the worship of God aa the highest, pur-

      the Lord will `continue. to. bless and. keep them in the years to                                                    pose is left out, of sight and the idea,  of an impulse to

      come.                                  `.                          .                                                  serve is greatly exaggerated.                   '
                                                         Mr. and, Mrs. Maynard Veenstra                                      The fact, however, is that the purpose- of man's
                              _
                                                         Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Korhorn                                        creation is not to serve  ;:omething  merely but to serve

                                                         Mr. and Mrs.  -Bert I.. Korhorn
                     _                                                                                                      God his Creator, and the only necessity that is laid
                                             i           Mr .and Mrs., Jacob Kuipers                                        upon him is to fulfill that service. .Hence,  if he does
                                        f                -Mr. and.Mrs.  Henry Velthouse `.                                 not fulfi.1 that service he is not of necessity shifted
.                                                        Betty Korhorn                                                      to another alternative, <namely,  .to  find another object

                                                         2 2   g r a n d c h i l d r e n .                                 -but he. ian also, and may just as well serve nothing

             Grand Rapids, Mich?gan.-  -'                                                    ..                     . .     at alli"  _


                                                         `a


              &3                             - I                  :`I`.&E.  STA`N&AR.D  :BEAR'-ER                                               _


                     We may_`,demonstna.te  this with both an illustration                  as the h&hen  ,did.        Israel borrowed its idols from

        an.d a::$?al@  .daqe. ... *                                                         surrounding-nations And is so usually for  politic&l and
      _ -            A? an illust?ation  `I may' say man TzLst  eat.                Then    s_@al  rqsons,  further with the `idea that+eg  might n
        having severely est;a4blishcd  this d&urn  J can say he                             also  help them as they [did the heathen, iand fin$lly,of$en

        must eat food; but. if. he. does not do this then he. must                          for the very deb&ucher@s  and  orgies  that aocompanied

      eat'.%shes  `Or poison. N&v  plainly i&s alternative is                               the' worship; : ~
        hot  vS;l%d .atid that for the sitiple.  reason that the                                 But we. fi.@  an indication &f fhe motive in Xhe

        -e~ti~g:.~and:  i.ngestion  of.- foreign material is not the'                       Scriptural characterization of it as fearing idols, trust-

        i?uli& ,nejessity.  and -is. not the &rl  in itself,  but the                       ing in idols, #boasting i.n idols, `and being lead by dumb

        ilee& jod -nourishment must contrdl,  this,- ingestion.                     Man     i!*ols.     And ti explain .this we .mu;s;t.  remember that

        must eat: fool; if he does not ingest food there `is EO                             idolatry grew tip out of .the  life of the nations. Ths

        2=e&all  So+  c0ntinuin.g  to eat.              7                      ;            idols of t,he various peoples ,are very closely related to
        '            Buti we:  also have atparallel  to the,.c$se  T;ye are con-            that ,whiCh is prominent: in their several environments.
        s'iderimg;r ;We  see in the angels; namely,' a case of                              The sun, the moon, the stars, the rivers, the mouctains;

        &reature;z,  who are : made to O. sepve  and ' worship; even                        the wind,. the fire, the lion,. the ox, the ancestors,: all
        as men are made `td worship God. And yet  when3he                                   became object  of worship %or ihe various peoples; j
        .angelS:  apost&tiz&.  from- the service ,of  their Creator they                     In view of this the motive is plain. Although  @an

        :do%$turn~`to- idol  worsh-lp. _ :VVe have no reason to                             has lost God and the  kfiowledge  of Him through sin,
        &lieve &he&&e thayn  &hat  thep serve  nothing. -And                                yet the  remains surrounded with .His revelation, .His

        should: .,we ,here be,  inclined&o  .counter  that. even the                        power, His wisdom, :His  wrath.. These fvirtues  la,re

        apostate `angels serve themselvaq  then  we are plainly                             manife&d  `in all the impressive powers and m&e-

        transgressing: the <definition  of idolatry.                                        ments  of the creature.     &Ian  sees and knows that the-r

        :,. -.I.; If :-then.;  we would desire to persist that man m&t                      are greater aad  stronger than he; by :comparing  them
        s&ve`  something because he iis, so created  we ,can only                           with hiniself-and ,other  livi?g things that ke knows; .he

        ma.intain  this in the sense that he must and  sh&ll,and                            comes to the conclusion that they- are;&reat-  and mighty

        ultimately  .,do&  even  how serve Him'  w.ho-  m?de  him                           `tionscious  powers and he learns  to Iear,  trust and- adore

       G fcrr'th&  en&  .: :: : : `, .,                           :      .:                 them as deities.

              G J. :Thele  3s a&ther.`approa&  sometimes mad:ea.to  this
             ._..                                                                             This view is sustained both lby the fact that the
        firoblCm..-,  This  vi&w  begins with aan's corporiety.                       It    history of primitive religions reveals to us this ani-
        .hdld% that+iecause  tian  is a material  corpor&al  being                          mistic origin an,d by i&e  fa&ct that even modern man

        ~he:e%si$  turns to the worship of.some-tangible,  visible                          reveals a dependency.on  the creature that often la,pses
        .objb;isct;  and"so:his  .siri.Clies3 in his desire to visualize the                into trust `in magic `and charms.
        wfiolly   - i n v i s i b l e   O n e .              ;                                  This motive or motives of idol-tiorship  is al_so  very

        a j .,Again&  ..this  two :considerations  are effective. to                        instructive' for us as Christians.. Is it .not evieent  that
        show  i&:.invalidity_  ' .                                     %. : \               if man does not  retain his proper rela.tion  to his God
        - : `:...Jfi:  $he fifst pl'ace  :the. leau;s,e is thus `sought not iti             he can no longer be the master that he is  .tieant  to be
        :his perve'rsity,  but :iri the. manner. of his creation.                           over the creatur&  in which l&d lays  and reveals His

                     Secondly, that this desire to see God is not in' itself                mighty power?        If man is a faithful  willing servant of
        sin a&ears'~from~~the  fact that vision  is one of nian's                           Gold he has dominion over all the creatures  of the
        ;n&t  noble senses` .whereby  .he, `receives contact and                            earthly creation, but when he `forsakes .God's Eervice,
        k+no.wl&dgc  iof. things' outside: of himself, :and that God                        he loses ,dominion.  and control and ,$ands  Qften  frus-
        ..the r..Itivisible  43ne:.  `has -ex;a.ctly  made Himself, known                   trated :aad in fear in trembling amid those powers and
        by coming within the reach of  .man's  benses.                 Thajt fact           creatures. alid  in' his folly kneels `to  thkti  and `ii$or'es
        `is! : evX&nt  i'ti. cre&iory;,  .in the. Tabernaelej  :and in the. their favor: He Idoes not know `or titiderst&d  3he
        :I%`car.tiation.~  abut  &an's: -perverse  desire. to deal.  with                   creature since'he has lost the light of .God"s`  revtilation
        1% `.god:.  wh..o&  the j perversion. of, the true. God, tauses                     2&d so he tremblingly worships the riir&r that .c';dr%i&
        &im:to:misuse  his,,power  bf visual Contact.                                       `his boat ,or $destroys  his crops and endangers his'iife.
                     What then must we consider man's motive  for turn-                     He worships the sun that can warm his body and ad-

        :fixg:ix :idols?~:33ur~first,  remark by way o$ an answer                           vance his tillage.      ,He  trembles .before  .the wind and
        :is':that.Scripture  nowhere `gives  .a Idirect  answer . The lightning `and rain or Adore them when they prosper
        !retisoti  fol; .%h,i;s,.  is. evidently -that  Scripture in a,il. of its           him. ~ -
        detilings :wi&h.i,dol  worship is l$ery'poCtive,  and eipecial-                       Arid let .us not forget that this is ess'entially  trnc
        ily:i :tdward:.His. own  : .people,.Isimply  con&mns.. Iit as                       even today with modern man. Although he may no

_.      :s&$edn&,s  an&$olly.  : .,;_.. : ;.. ._:_.t : ._. ; ,, -                           longer seek  conscious favors fr6ti the powers of nature
        3 ii.: :&. this `: c&&&io_n  .we :, mu.&  peme&jer  that Is,rael                    yet man strives .cor$i:nually  andfutilly  to bring nature
        hid not have its own idols  .and  did not worship:them                              under his subjection, - With all his `,appa?ent  pragress
                                                                                                  `.


                                          T H E .., S T A N D A,R_D  B,E A.R*.E R                   .                                          q19
                                                                                             . . .                                        .
we must confess that he has not at all succeeded in                  in IBis hand and. that. all things are for. them?  Jbbecause
really making the creature his docile and' -dependable               they :by the exaltation of Christ have become:the,true
servant. Wars .and  famines and ,economic  reverses                  lords of `%reation  .and the God of peace. shall -,al-so:  pre-
continue to vex him and .he fears and'  trembles;in                  sent&  qush Satanunlder  .their  .heel&  : : i , :: ; :.. L ! -. :.: :::
anxiety at t:he prospect of what that,mystifying  power                           ._

of nature may have in store for him.

 .`. Now-  wherein is the situation of the, Christian

different from -this?          -
  Then in the first place we must. answer that also

the Christian has fallen uinlder  the curse with its
resultant l'oss of dominion over the ,&eature.               `The

ground'yiel:ds  thorns ia.nd thistl.es  under his filling'hand;

the 0% %hat.  should pull his plow gores him to ,death

in %n'unguarded  moment ; the car that, should so much
`elevate his life plunges him to  sdestrudion.

s But that is not- the last" word. In principle' his
dominion has indeed been restored. Not now in him:                                      .      `. : `;              : _'  (, :`.`i i: , ,_, . . .
                                                                                                                                               .I . .
                                                                         The .reader  will notice that .`the, above ..;subject i$
eelf it is true, `but through -the second man who has
                                                                     formulated differently from the :usual,  formul~s.tio&
received ail things in su.bjection  under His feet land we           Usually ,our:  attention. ii;, drawn to. the :formulat5on
do see all things now put under Him.                                                                                                                  :
                                                . And so he' goes    "God's Sovereignty and Man's ReSponsiJsi~~~`~~.=.~i~~~
about `his service with the creature.            He ,gties  about
                                                                     sentially there is no difference in expressingthcfipro&
his plowing and his motor trip in the consciousness that
                                                                     lem in these two ways.              However,. as the ~.prol&!m  $6
all these things are in Christ's .hand, that all things
                                                                     formulated :a.bove  it 
whatever betide, must land are working together for `his                                        seeks to ,bring  out the@%possibi&y
                                                                     .of  denying the.  sovereignty of.God.&!~~any  way in: :hisT
salvation and his service of the one only true God.'
                                                                     tory.     If we ,confess  God's Providence:as  it i;$ implied
    He, is no longer an idol-worshipper who trembles                 in SCripture  we do more than just speak of:God"s.soSer-
in anxiety at the fortune that overcomes him from the                eignty in His counsel, but we also  &q$ain His counsel
mysti~cal  power and course of creat.ion,  but he is a               as a living counsel,. a sovereign- rule:. executed over all
`worshipper of .the one'  only true God and knows that               things.. T&t  makes the problem: of man% ,responsibiJ;
in His Almighty hand' are also tF,,$owers pf .n$ure                  ity more acute.                                    :.      ,:,, 1 * ;. '
for his good.                                                                                    . .          .'                .~.)a                . .
                                    `,,.. :.                             It is the purpose of this-article to  present$he  prob
    In the New Testament this$ priaciple  is carried                 lem of man's responsibility and  to maintain%h&&h~
through so that in a figurative  sense  any trust in-the             sovereign power an,d rule. of bGod:.bring;s.  out and maim                             -
creature is'called  -idolatry, as also our Catechism does.           hains 'man's  responsibility.            --I,  .. .' x .. ...: ., .>, ,t
So the apostle Paul calls covetousness something that                . . Of .late  we have been reading .and  hearing .about
is of the nature' of idolatry, (Colos, `3  :5 !%,,Eph.  5 f3-5)      the su)bject of God'Tsovereignty  .and  man's responsi-
and John warns that any departure or untrue  concep-                 bility  as `almystery.      With,  this is meant that it is im-
tion-of the only true God whom he has testified gives                possible forman to harmoni.ze  the sovereignty of God
place to a god that is colored *by our own imaginations              on the -one:hand  with the responsibility .of man on the
`and that is an idol. i Therefore-little children, keep              other.     So far it is easily understandable how that. our
yourselves, guard yourselves from the idols. 1 John                  interpretation of: the Stiriptural  teachings :a,bout  God%
5:20,   2 1 .                                                        sovereignty and `its ~n~p~asis~,u,~~m;~a.n~~.~~~p.on~ibil.itg
    `The ultimate manifestat,ion  of this principle of idol-         may lead .us to such a conclusion. However;i&  :s.lto~
worship will be, revealed in the end-time when Anti-                 gether  another matter to ,do:g~atEcally-~a~~~~~that  one's
christ shall appear.     H,e indeed will have such power             own teaching of the relation of' 4he'sow&&gn%&l  ,to
over nature that the, inhabitants of'the world will stand            man who is responsible is the correct  teactiing:  of Sorip;
in awe at his lying wonders.           They will really see in       ture. Furthermore, r it .& another, .matier to use&he
him that which they have always sought and they will                 conclusion that, ,this  is a mystery `as an ,excuse  for th3
worship him ts,s God.                               `.               failure to study .Che problem- any further. `. v.1 d%
  : Yet in the.mi&t  of those times when all the powers                  We -should realize. that .althaagh  our fin.ite  minds
of'nature  seem to be against the Christians and their               cannot fathom the infinite, nevertheless, we majqat

cause even,w&n they will not be deceived to'worship                  despise the teachingsof  God or ;s@ a&l&each anything
this glorious idol, for they will testify by faith. that             `contrary thereto.       We should rea%zo_that  although'.we

although God is ,nowhere  to be seen an,d seems to be                are dealing with a problem,. it is exactly at this.point

against them yet they know th:at  all things,' are still             of difficulty that the danger of ~~rr'@~is~  so .immanti$fi


                                            .
          4iO
            _.. .__ ~. _:                         .THE  S T A N D A R D  .,,BEkER
                                                      .I
          Our calling to warn from  heresy  is in place here                   the sovereignty. of God in action, ,irIis power ,and the
          especially.                                                          direction of that power in the deVelopmer&  of a!1
                                                                                                                                __ 
              ,History  reveals that many coilceptions  of the, re-            t h i n g s . ,                                         I I
                                                                                 , .1.
          latioa-of the divine to the human are contradictory. to               The .Bible teaches. u;s  plainly that the" governing

          the plain teaching of the Bible. Usually  human re-                  -pow:e?  if God  ldetermines  the :good  and the evil deeds

          sponsibility is empha&ed  to malke  room for the Pe-                 of men.     Ephesians 2 :lO. is a proof f,or his determina-

     lagian  and Arminian  Idesire to make man somehow .a                      ti& of the  good -deeds of His saints. The text not

          determining factor. in the matter of salvation. IOften               only says th.a.t  the gdod works `{were  afore  prepared

          the emphasis upon human  respon&b$ity  is nothing                    that viie ,should  .walk in them"; it also states- that we are,

          more than an emphasis upon the Pelagian teaching                     H?s workman$hip.

          h u m a n   a b i l i t y .                                           p Proverbs 21 :l is a very strong &tatcmeqt  ,of the
              The ,problem  of human resporisibility  in. relation             word  `sf God respecting this problem, afid  which gives

     to God's Providence arises from the problem of $he                        dgfin-it&  proof of the -determining power of God with

          freedom of the will.       Human .responsibility  implies            r8spect to. &oral  ,actions  of me%-  We read,."The  king's

          human  freedom.; Moral accountability demands a free                 heart is in the hand of  Jehovih  9s the water cour,Fesf

          moral agent. .Thus  the problem is to explain-how such               He turneth it withersoever .he will."         <Out  of the heart,

i         a moral agent, man, is free and accountable to God who               are the iss,ues  df life.    The Lord theretoye  controls the
          is sovereign in d&eYmining  all things, whose will is                source of the actions of' ma&i-nd.  Everfihing  serves

          free in the-sense that no one can resist it.                         God's purpose.      Proverbs 16 :4, .L'Jehoyah  hath msd?

              If we apprijdeh  this problem  froin a philosophical             everything for $,s, own' en.d ; yea, eveti,.lthe-  wicked for

          rather than a thedlbgic&l  point df View we tire doomed              the `day of evil."      There are, besides thkse passages

          to failure. G. Watts. Cuilfiingham in his- "Problefila               many others which speak of this  providelice  of Go+.

          of Philosophy" and in lQS cha@r on the Problim  of                   See, Ifor example, Acts 2 :23 ; Psalm 115 :3.: Daniel 4 :35 ;
          freedom begitig.  by stating that there ~8s altiayg  a               Womans  11:36.

          controversy in %heoldgical  discussibng  &bout this Sub-.                If: we were to leave the  subject of God's provi&&e

          ject.    However, he decides upon the approach, to                   here without giving -`the further- elucidation  bf Scrip-

          slim&ate  the tl&dl@&&l  Setting.          He wyites,  "En-          `tu-re  as to the responsibility of man, we .would  leaz

          meshed in its th~ologi&l  setting  the problem .is prac-             room for &he charge thhat this is determinism.

          tically  `hopel&s  from.  the beginnib&           There  are here        Determinism contends that ,man's  will is deter-

          so m8ny~8by:patlis  tiot cleaily mafked,  so many l&by-              mined by his nature.         It, I therefore, denies :man's re-
          rinths of traditional feelings and preconceptions, So                sponsibility, if it does .nbt  explain itself further in the

          much vagueness iii short, that a st&ightforward  fol-                light of the truth of Scripture.        There i;s an element of

          lowing of the mziifi problem is rendeu'ed  pya8ically  im-           truth in the position. of the Ideterminist.        Corr&ctly  he
          possible. So WE!  shall arbitra.riiy  I&&Q.  aside the re-           stat& th;at  man's will- is largely determined by his

          ligious bearing of the problem and endeavor to fix                   nattire.    Who cdn deny the reality of her&dit,y  and. the

          attention upon its-simpler and more immediate phases."               part-it plays in our choi,ce  of action. Psychologists

              IIf we .b&lieve  in the sovereim  God of the Scripttir@.s        are observing a tr,uth  and are correct with qualifica-

          we tinnot  begin a..study  of any prtible'in  withou't  ap-          tions in their .contention  that man i;s a victim of cir-

          proachirig  it' from`  that point of view, that is, &ki.iig          oumstances.      In. the Bible the tFuth of man's total

          what the W&d of G&d  teaches us. We must cohsider                    inability to do any.good  is c1ea.r.      He is .born  in death, _
          ou.rselves  iti the ilght  ,of  God; OUT problel$s  in the           and unable: to -will even t'o do the, good.       The truth of
          light qf His Word.;  history in the light of His coimsel;            Scripture is that `man is not morally free and able to

          our l+fe and accountability' in the light pf His law and             will the good. His will is in bondage.. Ilk our con-
     providence.                                                               sideration of the problem .of the responsibility ,of  man-

     .        The IHeidelberg  Catechism gives ,US  in a brief state-          we must  ta.ke  this truth by all means into our cbnsidera-
          men't the teaching' of the Word of God about  His p&vi-              t,ion.  From the philosophi8cal  point of view the free-

          ,d&ce.  It states that it is the almighty and every-                 dom -of the will is postulated without consideration of
          where present powel:_of  God ;`-whereby  as it were by               the truth of Scripture and.  the truth of experiepce.
          His hand, he upholds and gov'erhs  heaven, eartb,  and               Only a few exceptions of childrgn  and mentally in-

          all creatures.` . . . so that all things  come, not by capacitated in:dividuals are n-&de to their. assumption
          chance  but !by.His  fatherly ha.&.     For our purpose it           that man has a free  will;      In the Bible there is no such

          is only n,eceTsary  here to emphasize the point that the             ,distinc&m  niade.  The d&on .poS;sessed  are examples

          Scrjptures  explain that this almighty power of' God                 of all mailkind  iil the service  arid-bondage of the adevil.         *
          also ,governs  the moral action; of .mankind.           Thus we      The miracl&  of .JeSus  in c&sting-.o&  the demons is the

          ire, not. only concerned here- with the s&ereig&y  of                igospel  to US`  that so He shall -#deliver  0;s  from the bond-

          God `in His counsel, .in the matier -of chaice,.  but. with          age of .sin, - - ~. .


                                                                                                                          - :


   Nevertheless, each individual is. responsible. That          ness, upon th$  basis of having the freedom of will in

is each moral rational creature of God is held a_ccount-        Adam.,

able before God of the (deeds  ,he h&s.  doile in the, body.       In the providence of God all creatures are caused `to
(,Cf.  2 Cor. 5 :lO et. .al.)    Furthermore, ,the la%r,&l      en~~~~`~he=~~~iitation. in which .tcey  stand condemned

the admonitions of the Word of God irrevocably $ace             before thk bar of God's justice.          In the providence of
before mankind their responsibility.                            God their responsibility is made plain  to +hem.  for
    This places the problem squarely before us.      We are     their sin in A'dam  and the, actual sin which develops
now committed to the truth ,of the position of the deter-       from it.      So it is ordain&  and who can speak  against
minist ; yet we must maintain the responsibility of  man..      the sovereign Lord who has ordained it so and work;;  .it
We maintain the providence bf God ,and  a1s.o the re-           dut in &is  providence. Compare Romans 9.
sponsi*bility  of man.      K. SchiPder  corre-t!y  warns us        As `new creatures in Christ we are given a  new.will
thia,t  bettieea    "natuurwetten en normen,  natuur en         and abi.lity  to fulfill *he law of God.     W,e do io'now  by
Geest,  noodwendigheid en vrijhei,d  nimmer een tegen-          faith.     That faith iti Christ .also  causes us to isee how
stelling mag worden  gezien, die mij of  andereti  zou          that we coul,d  not fulfill ,our responsibility in our old
machtigen het &tie` tegen het andere uit te spelen."            nature, &cl `cannot  ,even  now with a new_  nature fulfill
(IHeid. Cat. Bijlage, II 25).                                   it in `the  old.    We see *he power oif ,our .bondage  and
                                                                .cry out "who shall deliver?" (Romans 7).          Our deliver-
    We get no further by taking the position of  4.
                                                                a.nce  is in the mortifying of th,e  old and the putting oti
Kuyper who distinguishes tbetween  Absolute  providence,
                                                                of the new.         -
that, is the theologi?al  poifit of view, and the providence
                                                                    The solution of the problem is not in ability of the
df God from the human subjective side.              (CC his
                                                                old but in the ability of  .the  new man, whi& is given -Us
cl&pter,  "Gebonden tech  Vrij,.in De Gerlieene  Gr-atie,
                                                                in God's providence, by `grace  in Christ.
vbl. II, p. 387 ff,)      If I from my subjective *point of                                                         L-D.
view am impressed with .-my. responsibility that  does                                                                      -
not answer  the problem' at all how that God from  `His

point of view,  from the point of view of the  preaching

of His law, can hold me respqnsible.

    If we explain human responsibility as. ,huma.n  ability

we have  denied the sovereign power  Oaf God apd His

claim in His Wand  that there is no possibility of sal-                   .`l'he Term "Soul" in The Old
vation except by ,Himself,  through His Son,, Jesus
Christ. This' position destroys the problem and cuts                                     Testament
the Gordian knot.                   ,
    Hbwever,  we should not contend that the problem                In `our stpdy bf the Olid Testament term "SO&~  and
is. :a. "Gordian knot" for the Scriptures. Our effort           in `determining  the meaning of that term,_ it will lbe
shoul,d  be applied to searching its unfathomable depths.       necessary first of ~$1 to gather what inforhatidn  : vire
    There are some passages in: @criptur&  which will           can concerning the use `of the term in the Old Testa-
enlighten us more.        Proverbs 16 :l expla$s.  -that God    ment Scriptures, and then, in the light thereof, we niay
is not the author of sin.        He does nq$$etermine  man      attempt to form some conceptioti  of it.         We must also
so that he forces him to sin. Sin iarises.  out :of the         bear in mind that the term "soul", as  SO m?ny  other
heart of man.       "The plans of the heart belong %o man".     concepts .of Scripture, is not an isolated  term;"'  We
Yet. God determines the course. "But the answer of              cannot-treat it as we would the concept "maJn" or "tree",
the tongue is .from  Jehovah."      (God  made Baalim speak,    which belongs t;o a category all its own.          The concept
contr:a.ry  1;o his own plans;  Yet Baalim sinned and was       "soul",     on the other hand, is very closely--related to
held responsible for his plafi and given no credit for          other aimilar concepts, such as "heart, life<  Ibodjr'! and
his praise of Israel.                                           "spirit",     especiaJly  the ,l&tter.    It will ,b& necessary
    God ldid not make us with a depraved nature` which          th.eref?re  that we take some of these terms into  ac-
only gives us the will. to sin-i to hate God,~  -and OUI*       c&u.nt, especially in as far as they relate to `the term in
neighbor.     He made us in His ,own image,  free to servn      :question.     At_ the same time we must' be careful that -
Him. The, Bible explia.ins  the situation very clearly          we remain within the proper limits of our subject
in Romati 5 :12.        There is the explanation that we are    `material  and confine ourselves to the term "sbul".
responsible for our sin because we have sinned in               Only in as far as the related concept;  rel.ate  to` the
Adam.      `Though we now #do  not have the will to serve       concept "soul" are  they .to be discussed. The main
God, that does not mean that #God  deprive8 us of that          question is, what is the meaning of the term  "isdul"  in
will.    We deprived ourselves of that freedom in Adam.         the Old TBstament?  And in arriving- at the aanswer

So we are yet held responsible in the way  af righteous-        to that. -question we_ shall have to ask ,ourselves also


                                                                                                                                    _


         422 o                                    ~TH  E    S T A-N-D A-R-D            B E A-R E-R


         such .questidns  ais : How is the term  used in the. Old            cannot be separated.     It was therefore the whole man,
         Testament? Wherein ,does  the .soul differ fr.om  the               soul a& body, which' God formed from the dust iand
         spirit and how are they related?        Does the term "soul"        into who&  He' breathed the `breath of life. In the

         always.denote  the sake  things? etc.                               second place the.animal  lilkewise-was  created body aid

             It is interestilig  to note first of all that with but          isoul from the earth. Scripture teaches. us that the
         one ,exception  the word "sdul"  in our -English .Bible,            soul  of the anim,zl  is in the blood, Lev.  17:14.          There-

         is a translation of the  ,original  Hebrew word nephesh.            fore Israel was not to ,eat flesh  in which th&e  remained

         However the Hebrew nephash  is not always translated                blood. In fact this same text tells us even more. It

         by the word soul, which means that the Hebrew word                  says that the life (nephesh, i.e. soul)  is .the blood and

         for soul hais a much broader meaning than the English               that is true of all flesh, "for the life  (nephesh)  of all

         word soul.    Ngphesh  is translated also as, tcrrzy,  appetite,    flesh is. th6 blood thereof".         From this it is `evident

    beast, body,, breath, we&we, tIesire,  ghost, heart, life,               that the soul ha& a physical existence. It belongs to

         lust, man,  mdkd, pemon,  ptea.swe,  S&f, thing  and will.          the..body and is, as belonging to the  `body, destzoyecl

         It will not .be necessary for us. in this `disc&sion  to            with it through adeath.  . In this sen:e  we may say that
         `consider .a.11 these terms, although we shall have to bear         the soul is the seat of all physical life, in respect to man

         in mind that these various. terms are used  for-  the               as w.ell as the animal. Therefore Scripture uses the

         .Hebrew  mzphesh.  !In this light, we understand,,  ~for            word Izephesh  to denote that life and we so'often read

         `.example,  that when Genesis 2:7 tells'ns,  "and man be-           in Scripture of those whose life was sought, or whose

         came a living soul", it does not mean to say that man               soul was sougl$  (in both cases the word is 4nephesh)

         became a, living soul in ~distin&.ion fr6m  the animal.             which means tl$ men sought to kill them.                    For the
         For in Gen. I:21 -and 24 afid  other passages, where                very same reason Scripture uses  .the word soul n?ephesh

         Scripture spea~ks  ,of "living- cretitures"  we find in the         to-,denote  the sYhole  mBn,  where. k&h&h  is tr$&ated
                                                                                                                              ,.
         origitial:the  term mphesh.      The  animals also are called                                                                    _.
                                                                             $emon.
l&in~  SOULS.  Gen. 2:7,  therefore does not mean to                           . To ihis ,phy@&l aspect bf the soul-belong -what we
         emphasize the fact thii man is a living soul (but rather            call the `five s'&m.     The power to see, _ hear, smell,
         `how m9n  became a li.ving soul. Man did not become                 taste and touch &e powefs  of the soul  in connection

         a living soul in tihe-same way in which the animal be;              with the <body.  Tl&efo$k when that somatic-soul is

         came a living soul.     This does not mean, however, that           destroyed th,rough'death  the body is left wiihout  the

         man is a living soul exactly in the isame  sense iand only          power of action ,or *perception even .though  it retains

         to the same extent in which the an`imaq is a living soul.           the~.in$ruments  of that activity. .And  so the I?salmist

Nevertheless, there is a point of similarity. Notice                         of Psal&`30  can !ay, `What-profit is there in my blood,

         that in the forming of both man and animal as Z&Czg                 when I go down'.to  the pit? .Shall  the dust praise

         SOUZS  the ILord uses the earth. When He creataa  the               thee? shall it declare thy truth?"  *
         animals the Lord simply calls them.  forth~  from the                  However, Gen. 2:7 teaches is more than this.
         earth.    He says, "Let the earth ,bring  forth the living              In view of the fact tha.t man  w&s  <made  a liying
         creature (nephesh) ".      In the creation of mlan, however,        isoul in a-different  way from that  in which the'animal
         we read that God "formed man of the  :dust  of the                                .
                                                                             b&ame  a livmg  soul, .we mu&  con&de  th& there is
   ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of                       more  to .man's being a ,livjng soul &%~what  h!as .been

         life".    Although therefore there iis. indeed a di5ference         said above, which applies to both. The manner in

; in the way in which each was brought into being,. they
_ . .                                                                        whifch God created man denotes the fact that man wlas
   + n.evert@_eless  both are ,brought  -forth from the earth.               a`very special creation  of G6d. He was created after
         And since in both cases it is stated that each became or            God's (own  image;    He  is therefqre not simply & litiing

         was a living soul, we may conclude that there must be               soul' but dso-  a, spiritual soul.      For Gdd formed  hiin

         a sense in which the soul of man and animal are alike.              aft& ,His image and breathed into his nostrils  $he

         And then it must be evident that they ar? alike in the              breath -bf life. Job ,exi>resses  this ,beautifully  when

   sense that in each case not only the body  ,but  also the                 he aays in Job 33 :4,  "The spirit  ,of  ,God  hath made me,

         soul belongs to the earth. This is levident -from two               and the -breath  of the Almighty hath given me life".

         things. In the first place from the fact thlat  when                This seems to indicate- tha.t it was through the.  in-

         ,$ripture  describes to us-the creation of man and tells            breathing of-God. that man was icaused  to be a mccn,  .
         us that God formed him from the dust of the grotind,                ihat  is, a rational-moral being. He does not  me?ely

         -it cannot simply have reference to the body of. man.               live ia. physical-earthly life as do all other  animated

         For we ,do n%t read- that God formed his body from                  creatures but he is also a spiritual  Ibeing.          He stands in

         the dust of the ground and  ,breathed  into him his soul            a Idefinite  relation to the living God because he is a

         btit th$a-t  God formed man,from  the ,dust  of the ground.         creature who can think and will. He acts xationtilly

         `The forming .and the breathing `into him the breath                and he is held accountable to ,God.         And the fact that

  .of life arg two. acts of God -that belong tsgether  and                   God so cr.eated  him when He made him & living soul


                                            `TH`E. S-T'ANDA-RD  BEAR.E$                                _-                             423.


w'ould  seem to indicate that tliere  is a positive relation          fore we read in Eccl. 12 :7, "Then shall the dust ret,urn

 between his nephesh and his being a spiritual creature,              to the earth. as it was  :. and the  spirit shall retur_n  to

 To ascertain just what position the soul of man oc-                  God who g13:vvB  it."      `The-nephesh  is the a,eat of man's

 cupies in respect to his relatiori  to God, we must iurn             life 6s a .p&sonal,  rational-moral individual in relation

to other passages of Scripture.                                       to the body through which he is joined to the earth and

    In the first place then we may not,ice that man  also             is active in it. , It is for this redson that the tern soul
 po;%esses  a spirit.      In speaking of man's spirit %he            Isnd spirit may b.e used interchangeably in many cases

 origina.l.uses  the Hebrew word ruach.          It is interesting    and that also the same thi.ngs  are predicated of bot&

 in this connection to note that Scripture sometimes                  For this reason also it is sometimes said that'the soul

 identifies .m&`s  soul with his spiTit-, and. oftentimes             lives.  ori after death and sometimes that it is the spirit

 uses them interchangeably, so that it says the same                  that continues.

 thing about the spirit that it does .concer&g  the soul.                 In the light of the above mentioned facts, it will be

 So, for example, dying is represented as a giving up                 evident that the term soul does not always have the

 of the soul (nephesh),  Gen. 35 :18 and Job 11:20,  .but             same meaning.       Since the  nephesh has ra physical &de
 also of the spirit (ruach),  Ps. 31:5 and Ps. 146 :4.                as well &as  a spiritual side and may ,be' viewed from

 Also cohditions  of grief and anguish are ascribed to                either aspect, the context will have to determine which

 both soul and spirit, e.g. Job `7:11, "I.will  speak in the          is m;ant.     In +ther-  case the soul msye  be said to be

 anguish of my spirit : I will complain in'the ,bitt,erness           the seat of m$n's life ag a rational-&oral creature and
 of my soul."     At t&e same time we &ght also mention               therefore the subject of all his activities.
that the very same things are-predicted of (both head                                                                 H   . D .   W .

 and soul. Also these terms are sometimes used inter-

 changeably.

    All this seems to indicate that Scripture does not

 always intend to make clear-lzut  distinctions between

 these terms and we cannot therefore cont,end  that in

 every given case, Scripture has only ,one  particular                 O&Own  School - Ati `Injunctioti?
 thing in mind and that in distinction. of other. Well-

 defined realities. The nephesh does not always m&n
                                                                                                                             `., .
 the soul in distinction.from  the spirit or heart. ,.None               ,OUR  CATECHISM, OIJR CHURCH ORDER,
 of these terms therefore necessarily excludes the others.                         THE BAPTISMAIL.  ,FOBM, -AND
 This. means +hat  %e are not justified in placing one                                THE SCHOOL QUESTION
 particular construction upon ealch of these terms ian

 ,every  instance, no matter in what connection they may
                                                           :
 appeak  ,in Scripture.               `.                                  I have been ca.sked  to introduce the following ques-
    This-<does  not mean, however, that there is  nb cdis-            tion:    Do Lord's Day 38 of our  I-Ieidelberg  Catechism,

 tinction afid that in many places Scripture does not                 Article 21 ,of our ,Church  Order, and the Bap,tistial
 have in mind the `idea of the particular concept, as dif-            Pledge enjoin us to h&ve schools of our own?                    .:z.
fering from other similar concepts.                                       Two remarks of a general nature may serve .Xo
    In general, the distinction between the nephesh on                introduce my introdyction.

 the one hand and the  .spri;t:and  heart on the othtir  is               Fir&  I am not too concerned la.bbut the question

 that soul is a broader term-and may imply  iboth'.heart              whether ,or not these particular passages directly en-

.and  spirit.    The term hecurt signifies essentially g'dif-         join us to have our own Protestant Reformed C.hris-

 ferent kind of concept.. It is the center of man's_  life            tian Schools..            understand, I am not indifferent
                                                                                         Y:ou
 from a spiritual-ethical .point  `of view and therefore              toward the idea of ,our own schools.        I `believe we must

,d,etermines  the spiritual character of a man's life as              develop our own educations.1 system. I believe no

 being. either ,good  or evil. Soul and spirit pertain to             Protestant Reformed patient may and will .dare  to

 man's Zfe ifrom`the  psychologiaal  -point of- view,. re-            `oppose  either the principle or its realization.          I be-

 gardless of its spiritual chara&er.                                  lieve that without `our own schools our `churches are

     As to the >elation  of soul aad  -spirit; it is evident          .doomed.  I agree fully lwith  the opinion expi%ssed  re-

 that tian  is essentially spirit.    In this respect he `differs     cently by a minister of the Christian Refojcmed'  de-

 fr:Gm_ the ariimals which, qlthough  said to have a soul,            nomination. When asked : Do y& `think our *Protest-
 are never referred to as spirits.           However, m&n  is .an     ant Reformed Churches have a future? this leader re-

 embodied spirit-and -in this- respect  he ,differs from the          plied: If they establish an.educational  system of their

 angels which, although said to be spirits, do not possess            own, yes ; otherwise, no. Still, I am ndt, `too excited
 a body ; nor- do wle aead of the sbuls:of Iangels. We find about the question: Do these particular Gassages .dir-
 therefore that man is &sentiallyspirit  and body. There-             ectly enj:oin  us-to. have our own  schools?-  If `the matter


                                                                                                                            ,
 424 y                                       T  H.E  S T'A'N'D  A ' R  D:  B E A R  E.R  :


is indeed one of principle it must and  tdoes rest on'much          train,ed  ministry is made possible by the schools.  .;'

more than a few individual passageis;  it rests on,truth                From all this we may draw some definite  conclh-

and principle ias a whol,e  ; it is based `on the whole             sions :
principle of Christian training, and the whole of .our               :- l--The immediate.referen:e  is to tho:se.schools  th;t
mandate as Christi,an  .parents  to know God and teach              are #directly  responsible for the training of the minis-

-Him to .our chill&en  as He is, aocordiag  to our faith in         ters of the'Gospe1,  seminaries and all schools of  theolo-

His revelation.      For this reason, I hope and expect to          `gy. * Ursinus, chief author of the Heidelberg datechism,
discuss these passages ,dispassionately  an,d in all fair-          the late Dr. A. Kuyper and all expositors  .of the Cate-

ness.      I have no desire land will make no eff,ort  to make      chism agree on this point.'

them say anything they really- do not say. i do -not                    2-However,  this does not m.esn  that, we need or

feel that the matter of              own schools stands.or.falls    shoul,d exclude  our .other  schools, elementary as well
                             our
with these places.       Hence, let them say what they in-          as secondary. All ,expositors  of our Catechism agree

tend to say, no more, no 1es.s;  land let the `chips fall           on thii3  also.    Ursinus refers in this cormecti,on  to
where they may.                                                     these other schoo1.s and he calls them: "Planthoven  der
 I.*' Secondly, I would caution you  : stick to your sub-           gemeente,, waarin tde jeugd niet alleen in het  lezen  en
ject  !    The question is not: Do I or <do  I not *desire          schrijven, of eenige iandere  eerlijke'  kunsten, maar
                                                                                                                      -.
-Protestant Reformed Schools? Are they mandatory                    voornamelijk in de kennis  en vreeze van God, onder-

for us? Are they neoessary? Shall we begin .with a                  wezen  moeten  worden;`opdat  er altijd mogen zijn,  die

grammar school, or is it the' better part of discretion             men tot Iden kerkendienst zal  kunnen  qgebruiken."              Dr.

to direct our attention towla.rd  the establishment of a            Kuyper assumes a similar position. Says he: "Chris-

high sch.001 first? IHOW must we go about this thing?               tian schools also have the purpose of  prepuring  for

Shall  it be now, or later; at ,once, or after further              the preaching of the Word.. . . . This is impossible if
efforts toward reforming the present schools? Re-                   chil,dren receilve  heathen education and hear another
member, this is not a propaganda meeting, designed to               language oniy  on Sunday.         Children must .always  hear
press a, certain cause. This. is a consistorial  league             the same language.       (It should be clear to all, that  I do

meeting and the.  question t,o be ,discussed  is,: Do the           not qeote  these lines to suggest that the  ,edul:ation  our

above mentioned. places enjoin us to have our ~ ow 11 -children receive in the. present school;s  is "heathen"
schools, yes or .no?                                                ,education  ; I only wish to emphasize' the principle that
                                                                    ,our  children may not hear a different language during

                                                                    the week than they hear on Sunday. (R.V.)                    We need

                                                                    sc.hools,  .also with a view to the ministry of the Word,
     What about Lord's D!ay  38 of our Heidelberg                   where preachers learn to preach  and listeners to listen."
Catechism? -                                                        Says Dr. B. Wielenga:            "The ehurbh  owes much to
     `The Lord's Day in qu#estion  reads as f,ollows  : "What       C,hristian  Schools also with a view to its ministry.
doth God require in the Fourth Commandment?               First,    Support of the Christian schools is tcertamly  our sab-
that the ministry of the gospel and the  schools be main-           bath obligation".      For two reasons, therefore, Lord%,
tained ; and that I, ,especils.lly  .on the sabbath, . . . ."       Disy  38 may certainly be understood to refer, not only
Do these "schools", for us  wlio  are Protestant Reform-            to our theological school, but to all ,our Christian
&, mean Protestant Reformed schools?                                .schools.  First,' the training of `our  children  as sutzh

     It i's the Lord's Day on the  isabbath.  To sabbath            ,belongs  to the idea  of the sabbath, the' idea ,of entering
means to rest.       God rested ; we must rest. The impli-          `into God's rest and being._  busy in the spiritual things
lsation  is: )we must rest God's rest.        Our lives must be     of the rkingdom  ,of  ,God.    Secondly; the Christian schools
patterned after the life of *God.        We must be busy eter-      are definitely involved i.n' the training of the ministry
nally in. the things of the Lord, in the glorification of           .of  the. Word.                              _
His name and His work of redemption in the Lord                         3-In the face of ail, this, the conclusion, with -a
Jesus Christ.       That heavenly bfe takes on tangible             view now to our suibject,  should seem forced to no one:
form, in this spiritual work we are busy, the sabbath               a. That not only the seminaries, .but  all Christian
we remiember  and Ikeep, especially in connection with              schools are referred to-in  this Lord's Day. b. That for
the instituted church with'its ministry of the Word and             our people this should..mean,  tha.t  not. only the former
the sacraments, We n,eed  that church and that ministry             but also the latter must be Protestant Reformed. Our                    _
,of  the Word.     W,e  "need them to inls.truct  us, admonish      children must enter into God's rest and be  tramed.  to
us, exhort and comfort us with respect to the things                be busy in the things of God in the_ way, not of the
of God; the revel&ion of His Name and the. work of                  lie, but of what wle are ,deeply  convinced is the'way of
salvation.      In (connection with this church and its             t.ruth.    If,, as the late. Dr. Kuyper sugge&, preachers
ministry ,of  the: Word the' "schools" are mentioned.               learn to preach and listeners learn. to listen in ,the

We desire and need a well-trained ministry. This                    .Christian  school (and this is a..deep  truth), we shall


                                          T    H    E     STANDARDBEARER                                                              j25

  certainly have to have Protestant Reformed schools.                     _mitted.  These ,&urches  saw tb it that schools were
  A Protestant Reformed seminary on the foundation of                     established wherever they were needed.               They ap-
  Christian Reformed schools,                                             p0inte.d  and Sexamined  the  teachers 
                                          : Protestant .Reformed                                                     ; they ivatched  over
preschel-s an,d listeners trained all. their lives. :by                   the.&truction  ; snd they t,ook  the necessary measures
  ardent'  supporters .of Christian Reformed Ichurches                    against `suiCh  teachers as did not meet with the re-
  and ,doctribne,  is illo.gilca.1  and inconsistent; to say. th.e        quirements. of such a church.' That made  the  schools,
  least.      On 4his basis the Protestatit  `Reformed ministry           not neutral schools, but iehurch schools in practise;
  of the gospel (and that is the specific point  ix this                  wholly controlled a& supekvised  ,b$ the church.
  Lord's Day) cannot :a.nd  will not survive,  any more -than               In the N.etherlands  the schools thus became  Reformed
  the Chrixtian.  Reformed ministry of the gospel w&&l                    Christian ;:chools,  though.govern%ent  sponsored. The

  survive if their preachers and their people .were  taught,              Reformed. ,faith  was spreading rapidly about the time
  year in and year  otit, by a staff of.Protestantt  Reform-              this. srticle  was written in its original form. The
  ed teach,ers;  Even our ,opponents,  I'm confi;clent,  mxst             government stood committed to the Reformed churches  ;
  s e e                                                                   consequently -it <was to them that the management of
             OUsr .point.

                                                                          these schools were entrusted. These churches saw to

                                                                          it, that the golvermtieat,  ,established  schools wherever`

     . What  about Article 21 of our Church Order?                        needed ; that tesqchers  were :a.ppointed, who were mem-
      prticle 21, as we have it today, reads as follows:                  bers of a Refdrmed ,chupch,  who professed the Re-
  "The cons&tories  shall see to it that there  are` goG1                 formed fiith,  who signed the Reformed  ,confessions,
  Christ.ians schools in w&h the parents have Lheir                       who walked in a godly way and who  .knew  anid. Icould
  children iristructed according to th.e  demands of the                  teach the Heidelberg Catechism. `The result  was::
  coven:ant."        What is meant here .by  "good" Christian             Ref0rme.d  sch,ools.      Our fathers` were sst$sfied  with
  s:hoolS?  What must we u&e&and  by "the demands                         nothing less. Hence, this article. "Everywhere  Con;

  of the covenant"? Does `this ,article,  then, enj,oin us                &tories shall see to it, that there are good school-

  as Protestant .Reformed.  parents to have our own                       masters, etc."     Y.es,  &was  a matter :of reforming the

  schools? ~                                                              setup that prevailed at that time.         Butt  theirs was not`
      This article has a history.          Originally it resd  con-       a hopeless attempt, like that of us who would reform

  siderably ,different  than it does today.                Translated     the present schools.      They' >wer&.  not content with hav-

  frdm the Dutch,. the article,  adopted in the year 1586,                ing d Ref`ormed  teacher here and there.              T.hey  re-

  read-as follows : "Everywhere Consistories shall see to dormrxl..the  is.chools from top to ,bottom  and wanted o'nZ,y
  it, that there are good schoolma;tters  who shall not bnly              tes chers  commit&d to the Reformed truth.

  instruct the children in reading, writing, languages                        About two score years ago this ai-tilcle was changed

  and the liberal arts, but likewise in.godliness  and in the             to read as it, does today.' The Change was made for

  Catechism."           (The translation is from "The Church              two'reasons.'  There was the practical reason  that the

  Order Commentary" of Van I Dellen  and Monsma)`.                        government withdrew more and more from the domain
  The main ,difference  between t.hi:  original reading and               of the chul-izh  and became netitral.        Consequently, the

  the present version, therefore,~  % this :             According  to    church 1o;s.t its grip on the school entirely.      This nece&
  the original-Consistories must see to it, that there are                sitateld  an entirely zlew course of action: There were.

good tencheys;.  according to-the pkesent  rexling,  they                 also the principal reasons, that the in&ruction  of OUI
  must see to it that there'are good schools.                             children_ is not the work of the gove&mext  at all ; ths t
      At that tinie,  almoist  four centuries ago,, free, paren-          also the church has not this task; that parents have the

  tal, Christian schools such`& we .h&ve no,w, were un-                   duty to instruct their children, and theref,ore  to estab-

 known. All schools were pwned,  controlled,. supported                   lish and support the schools.        Hence, the present  read-
  by the government. They were -pwbGc  schools.                  This     ing.
  doe> not imply, however, that they were neutral  schools.               We should notice, however,  that the fnndameata.1
  Todsy "public" and .".iledtral"  mean to .be synonomous,                prin,ciples  involved &xve  not %changed.       Our fathers of

  bxause  the government is no longer committed  tq any                   the 16th c.entury  saw, that the azhools  were of`vital  im-
  srecific.religion.  In- the days sf our fathers this was                portance ; that the welfare of the tihurches  was. wrapped

  #quite'  Idifferent.       The. goverinnent,  it is true, owned,        up in, that of the school ; "that", says Joh. Jansen, an
  controlled ana supported the schools.  T.he lines be-                   :authority  on Church OFdeer,  "the seed ,of the Reforma-

  tween state and church  and hqme  were not draivn as                    tion  would take no root, if the children continued to be
  tightly as they are now. However,  evizry  government                   instructed in then  Catholic :doctrine  in schtiol";  that

  in Europe stood ~committed  to some church, either                      everything, after all, depends on the school-teachers
  Roman Catholic br P,rotestant.  Such a government                       who instruct our children. Consequently, they wrote

 `left the management, the supervi'sion,  the actual Icare                the art.icle  as .they  did.    They ac;comodated  themselves

  Qf the schools to`the churcheatsiivhichth6y  werecom-                   to the conditions ,gf theirtimea,       They needed DO more


 426                                        T H E  - S-T-.A,NDARD  B'EARIER


to reach  their immediate purpose . The later faXhers                to the utmost of your power? YE,S."
saw, that the education of the ,child issthe work .qf t,he               TheBe  are many things here on which we  musf
parent, and that the teaching of the Catechism does                  certainly agree and which we may regard as  axiomatir'
not ,belong  to the task of the school. Therefore, certain           :a:s  far as our discussion is-concerned. Everything, ii.
changes  were calleid  f,or. However, they also saw,  a3             seems to me. Wea  agree: 1. T'hat  "t,hese  children"
did the fathers ages. ago, that the schools are of vita!             refers to all oti,r ,children  ; all who are born and baptized
import; that the welfare and  futur,e  of the.,church  is            in our Protestant Reformed churches.              2. That "the
bound `up in that of the  scKoo1;  that, say Van Dellen              aforesai,d  doctrine", in the mouth of a Protestant Re-

and Monsma in thaeir very helpful Church Or&r                        formed man, refers to the  .Protestant  Reformed doc-

Commentary, "the church cannot tolerate; to see much                 trine.     "Aforesaid" here refers to the preceding ques-

of her teaching contradicted and silenced 5 days a  (week.           tion.     `rher.e  our form  speaks, of "the doctrine -which is

year -af!er  year, in school,-in the fcrmative years of              taught here in t:his Christian church". T.hat can mean

life."      IHence,  the article as it reads today, a,n  improve-    only one thing. 3. That "instructed and brought up

ment, to be sure, but no- change fundamentally.                      in the aforesaid tdoct&ine  resers not only to the -indoc-

      In view of all ,this  the conclusion is not sought- or         trination of ,oulr  children in the narro'wer  sense of the

forced : that this article-does enjoin us to have `our own           word, butgso to their daily instruction in  school.            That
schools.  We- adopted  the Church Omrder  with applica-              has always been the position of  thb Reformed churches.

tion to our own churches.         Tq the Protestant Reformed         4. That "to the utmost of your power" rne?ps  exactly

man the Christian- Schools .of  toda,y  are .not  "good".            t h a t .

Any fai?-minded  in;dividual  will` understand t,hat.  In                What is the only po&ble  conclusion? We agree

the schools of today our parents cannot instruct their               also, do we not? that the present schools Jdo not fill the

children "according  to the demands of the covenant".                bill,. for us. I know we' agree on  .thiK  It cannot be

To our parents that should mean: "in the aforesaid                   denied.      Our parents.are  not briilgillg  up our children
doctrine."       If, somehow, the .present  schools can be           in the "doctrine which is taught her'e..in this Christian

made to serve this iurpose,  w.ell  and good. If- not,               dhurach."     Nevertheless, this vow must be  {kept.       True.
the?e  is only one tilternative.      Schools are still of vital     the pled& does not mention schools at ail.. It says

importance. The welfare and future of the church                     nothing ,about  moral obligations, reforming the present
is still wrapped up in that ,olf the school.        If it is true    schools, etc . Hence, if this vow can be kept and t&is
"thb2.t  the seed of the Reformation would take no- root             purpose reached in any other way, well :and good.

if the children continued to -be instructed in the Catho-            But, if ?so.t,  there is only one alternative : `Schools of our
lic doctrine in school", it is also true, that the seed  df          own.

our Protestant Reformed idoctrine will take no root as                  Certainly, looked at now  solely from the viewpoint

long as our children continut?.  to be instgucted  iii the           of principle, the thing ii &s plain as the sun in the

Christian Reformed doctrine. What is sauce for. the                  heavens.      The present schools cannot properly instruct

goose is saui:e  for the gander. `To  us, too, apply' the            otir .covenant,  seed.    `They ca,nnot  be made to do so for `ti
words of Van Dellen  and Monsma : "The church cannot thousand reasons.                          Christian Reformed  boards mcl
toierate to see much of her t'eaching  contradicted and              teachers simply cannot instreet, and cannot be ex-

silence8 5 days a #week,  year after .year, in school,-in            pected to instruct, atid cannot be made to instruct our

the formatiye  years of lige." That our teaching i.3                 children      "in the raforesaid  doctrine";       They thenz-

cantr:stdicted  in thle'  present- schools is obvious to a!1         selveti  will corroborate -this in n.o uncertain terms.

who are willing to see.                                              Our childr,en;  from the viewpoint of ourr chunches  an3

      One need only to read the article carefully  t,o be            our doctrine, are' e,lowly but surely ibeing weaned

convinced :       "The Consistories  (,o~y  consistories, of         away.. Our own schools is the only answer.                 Else,
couaxe)  shall see to it t,hat  there are go'od.  Chris`tian         our-churches are doomed, becauSe.  we refuse to keep

schools, in whilzh the parents (ow parents, of course)               our` pledge. `Or should I say: our relucta&e  to want
have their children, (ouir  childrea.,.of  course) instructed        to keep our Baptismal Pledge is proof, bhat.we are lost
according to the demands of `the coven!a"nt  (Protestant already?
Reformed `doctrine, of course; not Christian ReEorm-                 `(Speech delivered at the last coasistorial  lea&e meeting,)
,ed)  ".                                                                                                                   R. V.


                                                                                                           -
     Plainest of all is the Baptismal Pledge.                                                      s
    `It reads as follows :       "Whether you promise and                       The Lo-rd takes pleasure in 6_Iis saints
intend to see these children, when come to. the years of                            He is His peopl,e's  strength,
discretion, instructed and brought' up in the aforesaid                         He will glorify the meek
doctrine, or help or cause  them to be instructed thereijl,                       With victory at' length.


                                            .T'H.E-  S T A N D A R D  BEAR-E-R--                                                             42'i: r


                                                                           bemint Hij mij ook nu.                En dan zal Hij tiij beminnen-
                  .Welgelukzalige  W o n i n g  -                          wanneer geen maan meer schijnt.. Nog meer : als God
                                                                           mijn God is, da.n mint Hij'mij ook toen ik nog  zondaar-
                               (Psalm 84) ,.                               was, ,dat wil ieggen, in den tijd toen ik \H!em  `nog niet
         Als wij altijd stonden kaar  !de dichter vn .dez$                kende. Als G$  mijn God is, dan bemint Hij mij terwijl
     psalm staat, behoefde de kerkeraad nimmermeer te                      ik zondig. Hier zit iets verschrikkelijks in. Gedenkt
     vermanen om toch de onderlinge vergadering niet te                    aan petrus.  T'oen hij vloekte, bad Jezus en werd hij
     veronachtzamen.        De dichter verlangt naar Gods  Huis.           door God bemind met ,een onveranderlijke liefde.
`Psalm 84 is een van de psal,me&  Idie Gods  volk gaarne                       En denkt nu maar niet, dat deze leer onvoorzichtige.
     zingt.                                                                en slordige me,nschen zal inaken.  Dat doet het nooit.                            _
          H o e  liefelijk  zijn Uwe wningen, o Heere der                Let er op: idit volk heeft God lief. `En da.t beteekent
     heirscharen !                                                         hetzelfde als te zeggen: zij haken het kwaad. En de
         Wel,-mocht  deze psalm gezongen "op de gittith"!                  gedachte, dat God onophoudelijk, eeuwiglijk, onver-
      Dat beteekent ,de verheuging der wijnper&ak.              Zooals     atiderlijk'hen beinint met al ,de liefde van Zijn Godde-                               1
     .men zich verheugde in den wijn, zoo  zal men opsprin-                lijk Wezen, doet ,hen vromelifk strijden tegen de zonde
     gen van vreugde bij de gedachte aan het ver1~eere.n  in_              en al het inwonend kwaad.
                                                    _.,
     de voorhoven des Heeren.                                                  En nu krijgen .wij een vers, dat moeilijk te ver-
          Hoe liefelijk!    Het woord in de Hebreeuwsche ta,al             kla.ren is. De opzet is zoo  hpo& het sentiment is zoo  _
     beteekent: geliefd, bemind. Het is een vorm van het-                  verheven, ;de `zielsadel is zoo wonderlijk schoon.                 Stelt
      zelfde woord David, de beminde ,des H.eeren.            De zan-- het u' voor: ,deie`zangen durft te zeggen; dat wanneer
      ger Israels spreekt uit zijn liefde voor en tot God.                 hij a-an Gods  huis denkt, hij verbleelkt  van verlangen.
      Want als hij de liefelijkheid der woningen Gods  be-                 Meer nog, dat hij verteerd w.o&t  van verlangen.                    Dat-
      zingt ,denkt hij natuurlijk aan God. Het gaat altijd                 is de 1,etterlijke  gedachte der woofiden.           Als er st?at  :
      om God.-                                                             Mijn  zi.el is begeerig, dan wordt er een woor,d  gebruikt,
          Uwe woningen! God woont. Evenwel moeten we                       dat letterlijk beteekent we*bleeken. Ik den&, dat ge
      niet ,denken, *dat God woont in denzelfden zin zooals wij            direkt verstaat, waarom dit woord gebruikt wordt.
      wonq. Als wij wonen dan omsluit het huis ,ons.              Zoo      Als ge iemand zeer lief hebt en plotseling aan hem of-
      woont God niet. Dat gevoelde Saloino toen hij zeide:                 haar herinnerd `wordt,  dan verbleekt mein van aa.ndo&
     De.hemel ,der hemelen kunnen U niet bevatten, o Heere!                ,ning.            Dat wil de zanger eigenlijk zeggen. Hij zegt
     IHoeveel  te milder dit. Huis  dat ik gebouwd heb.            Als.    tot U en mij : Als ik aan Gods  gemeenschap -denk, dan                       .
~     wij spreken van Gods  woningen en Gods  huis, ,da,n, ge-             verbleek ik, dan bezwijk ik van verlangen, dan wordt
      denkm wij aan Gods  nederbuigende genade, dat Hij                    ik verte.erd  (letterlijk) vai het hunkeren naar de zalige
      Zichzelf wilde openbaren, zooodat wij er iets van kun:*              verkeering met God.
      sen zie:1 hoe heerlijk en .glorieus  God is;         Zooals "God         Ach, wie staat daar altijd? Niemand.
     die de `eeuwigheid  ,bewoonY'  is, Bu(nnen wij nooit, zien.               Mijn  hart en mijn vleesch roepen  uit tot den leven-
      Maar op aarde en zelfs nu en  straks  in de:i hemel zien             den God.
      wij niet dan een openbaring van den wonenden ,God.                       IH:et  Woord roepen is luidkeels roipen of echreeu-
          Die woning des Heeren is geopenbaard op het heer'-               wen. Denkt niet dat ik overdrijf.                Ge kunt `trouwens
      Yjkst  toen Jezus op asrde kwam. In Hem wooat God                    hetzelfde wo0r.d vinden in psalm42 . Das.r staat toch:
      cx mensch te zamen in harmonie.-                                     alzschi-eeuwt  mija ziel tot U o God ! `Het oorspronke-
          Daar verlangt de zanger naar.. Hfet gaat F1i.j  hem              lijke woord beteekent een roepen, dat luid is. Het j.3 .
      &n 3e gemeenschap met God. Daarom gaan we <lal:.                     de. uitdrukking van het uerlangen tin het bezwijlken
      ook naar de kerk. Q kerkgang en ons werk daar is                    van verlangen.                   _
      de groote hoofdzaak van ons leven. En die uitdruk:                       Mijn hart en mijn vleesch. Hoe kan  :dat? k kaTz
      kibl:g  is eigenlijlk  ook .nog te zwak.    Ik mag nog verder        nog wel zi.en, d.a.t het hart naar God toe wil, doch het
     ,&$.n.      Ik mag d.e woorden van David hier gebruike:4              vleesch? Staat mijn vleesch IJiet allen godsdienst te.
      en zeggen: Wij b,egeeren  eigenlijk slechts n ding:                gen? i Het vleesch is niet het zondige vleesch hier.
      Dat ik alle *de dagen mijns'levens  mocht wonen in het               Het hbudt  in de openbaring yan den verborgen mensch,
      Huis des Heeren ! Dat beteekent dit: Alle andere din-                het hirt.            Ge moet vleesch en .hart tezatnen  lezen.      H&
      gen zijn slechts bijzaak; de groote hoofdzaak is God!                haft is het ethische centrum van ons leven.              Zooals het
      (Echt Gereformeerd !)                 -                              hart is van.den mensch zo9 is hij.             Dieper dan het hart
       De liefelijkste naam.Yan God wordt hier gebruikt:                   kunt ge niet gaan. Daar zijn ide uitgangen van ons
      Heere !     Die na.am Heere komt van een Werkwoord,                  leven.1 De eerste roerselen van onze-gedachten en nio-
      dat xijn bcteekent. God is ,de onveranderlijk Zijnde.                tieved en beraadslagifigen  kmen va.nuit d,aS hart: Ge
      Ik,zal zijn .die Ik zijn zal. 0 daar zit zooveel in. Als             zoudt fkunn.en zegge?, ,dat ge daar.het  eerste Zeeft.
      God mij bemint voor de grondlegging der wereld, dan                                                                                                    '
                                                                               Nu dan, het hart schreeuwt aacir God en Ikan- niet
                                                                                     1 = . .

                                                                                     \i

                                                                                     `1/>


.428                                        T H E  STAND-A:.RD  B.EAR'ER

rust&  tol&t het rusten mag in God.           En de zucht-van                                                                  .
                                                                                                              _.
-:dat  hart is zoo  sterk, dat het den geheelen mensch mee-                            20th ANNGAL  FIELD  DAY
leurt ,naar God.     Het hart staat  in vlar -van verlange:1                                            .
 en streven en het wordt gezien, het %ordt ,duidelijk                                          Icleal Piwk - Jhly   4
gezien :. die man, die vrouw wil n2.ar deq hemel, dar-
boven bij God.                                                                     SPEAKERS y MUSIC  - REFRESHMENT~
    Hoe teed.er.!    Hij spreekt :d,e smusch' en, de zwaluw
zalig. , Zij .wonen bij Gods-altaren.  Die. tiensch en                         Games a?cl Races for .Children  -. Prizes.
zwaluw zijn vertegenwoordigers van al .de andere schep-
selen: Zij hebben allen hun plaats ;bij  de altaren des                      Ballgames abetween single and married  men.
I!leeren.  We gevoeld&  het als kind,eren  wanneer. dit
ventje gezongen werd.       Als we dan; later de zwaluwen
zagen, werden we eraan herinnerd: God is o6k de God                            Meet `Old  F+ends  - Make New Friends.
der zwaluwen en der musschen !                .
    Welgelukza1i.g  zijn ze' di,e in Uy huis   w o n e n ,  zij               Come and enjoy one another's  fellowship !
prijzen U gestadiglijk !
    Hij dacht hier aan :de priesters ,en de levieten.            Wij
denken aan ,dfe leeraars, ,de ouderlingen en diakenen.
    Zonder twijfel, er is geen heerlijker leven, dan
leeraar  in Israel te mogen zijn.        0 ik weet het wel, dat
wij niet waardig  zijn, ik weet het ook wel,  :dat wij er
niet altijd titaan, zooals de di.chter ons voorstelt.: zij                             ATTENTION  - READERS,! '
prijzen U gestadiglijk.     En toch wilde ik er voor pl&i-
ten om het te' laten staan.      Zoo is het : -zij prijzen U              .All, readers interestbd  in a complete Stasdard Bearer
gestadiglijk. Laat dal1  de zond.e ons somtijds ,bevangen'              Index  covering  volumes 11 t,o 20 inclusive, can receive
en :doen zuchten. Ohk in dat zuchten Iword$ God ge-                     onc at the c'ost price of $1.00.                       The Board also comes
prezen;    Als de tollenaar zegt : 0 God wees tiij zoq-                 w i t h  the proposal for tchose who desire an- Index of
:daar genadig! Wordt God dan niet ,geprezen?                            the volumes 1 to 10, to sell both at the price'of $1.25.
   Laa.t het staan., Het is waar zooals het er staat.                                                                                     *
Wij mogen gedurig bezig zijn .met de- dingen van {Gods                     Let US al1 `cooperate  and send your order early 8:s
huis.                                                                   there is:a limited supply.            The Board wishes  to` r&nind
    Ge moogt gerust een zdienaar Gods  al h& goed en                    al1 these who take an interest  in society life to make.
het goud van, Uw huis ,bieden voor dat ambt: hij zal                    use of this opportunity.                                                                &
                                                                                                                                                    `6'
U ten eenemale verachten.                                               Please send orders to:                                                        i. ~
   En m.nstonds  zijn we a.llen gelijk ,daar waar  geen                                                             Mr. .S. De V&s                         "
tranen vloeien. Straks prijzen zij U allen, o Heere                                                                 700 Alexander st., s`:' E.
mijn God.                          :\                                                             . .               Grand Ra,pids  `7,. -Michigan,
   Zalig liet volk dat naar ,Gods  gemeenschap hunkert :                                                                . .
zij worden zekerlijk vervuld.
                                                        G. v:
                            9

                                                                                               I N   M E M O R I A M



                                                                            On May 18, 1945,. it  pleased  the Lord to take unto  IC@-

               OFFICI.AlL NOTICE                                        self,,  after a lingering illness of eleven   m o n t h s ,  our dear
                                                                        husband, father and grandfather,

  ' The Miaisters  Conference of Classis East  wil1                                   MARTIN ZUIDEMA (age 74  ye&)
meet on Tuesday, J.uly 10, at 9 :30 A. M., in.Fuller  Ave.
Protestant Reformtid.  Church, the Lord willing.                          _ Although  we mourn our  loss  we rejo.ice  in, the assurance
                                                                        that he is now' in glory .enjoying  the  rest tha6  remaineth for
PROGFAM   : -                                             :             the pcople  of God.

                                                                                                                    Mns. Martin Zuidema
  . "Supra and Infra in Bavinck ?nd Kuyper" - Rev.                                                                  Mr. and Mrs. Albert Zu'idema
Geo.  Lubbrs. .                                                                                                     &ee grandchildren.
  ,, "Th Old and _Few Cwenant" - RW, G, BI. Ophoff,                      _ Orand &pids,  Michigan.                                             I
                                                   g


