VQLUME               X    X        I                       SEPTEMBER 1, 1945                                                     NUMEER  21

                                                                          kan hij dezen dienst niet opzeggen, wanneer hij wil?  .
               MED.IY.i!A,TION
                                   8'                                     0, hij stemt het u toe, voorzichtigheid is hier geboden.
                                                                          Teveel zich aan tdezen dienst te wijden is gevaarlijk.
                                                                          Wie ,zich laan allerlei .uit;%pattingen  overgeeft, wordt
                                                                          door gewoonte een slaaf zijner eigene verkeerde d,aden.
                  .Door Genade Vrij'                                      Maar overigens is de zondaar vrij.                 Hij zondigt, omdat
                                                            - . .         hij de zonde liefheeft. . . .
         _*                                                                    Zo lijkt het aan de oppervlakte.
                  _ Want  de xoade xal over u niet heerschen;                  En zoo wordt het verstaan en geleeraardrdoor hen,
                " w,ant  gij xijt niet onder de--wet, maw ordey           die bazelen van de vrij,heid van -des menschen wil, en
 . .             de genade.                                               die zich op het stuk' der zonde nooit dieper indenken
  . .                                           R,om.  6:lO. _-
         -_                                                               dan het,geen betrekking heeft op de dsad der zonde, en
 .- Niet h e e r s c h e n !  .                   `.                      dan nog liefst zich beperken tot sommige beps,alde  uit-
          Welk eene voor den. zondaar, dip vernederende ge-              spattingen.        Och, de dronkeman kan zich immers onder
dachte ligt er in dit woord!               -                              den drang van bepaalde omstandigheden wel bekeeren                            ~_
                                                                          van zijn dronkenschap; de hoereerder heeft wel de
 De zonde zal over u niet heerschen. . . .                                macht om zich tot een oppervlakkig Ikuischen wandel
          Neen,' ,de. apostel begint hier niet bij den zondaar;           te. bekeeren, zodra  de vrees voor de bezoldiging dier
hij' zegt niet, wat de mensch .niet zal doen: hij zegt                    zonde hem beweegt.                En zoo blijft men aan de opper-
hier, wat de zonde niet Ba.1 doen in n over den verlosten                vlxkte, venstaat  niet den ernst van Gods  lwet,. ziet van
zondaar. Over hem zal zij niet heerschen. En dat                          verre niet de macht der zonde, en leeraart,  dat de
veronderstelt, dat gaat .van d zekere veronderstelling                   mens&  vrij is en- blijft, en te eeniger tijd de macht
uit; dat over den natuurlijken mensch de zonde                            bezit om den weg der zonde te verlaten, den dienst der
,heersch.&                                                                zonde op te zeggen, en zich te begeven op den weg der
         --Zij is zijne meesteres, hij is haar slaaf.                     gerechtighaeid.
          Ze i;s! de koningin, hij is haar onderdaan.                          Wie- de Schrift kent, en in haar licht de maicht der                -
   -      Haar ,wil is wet, en aan hare wet is de zondaar ge-             zonde beziet, weet beter.
bonden; <zij gebiedt, en hij gehoorzaamt.               En van haar
ontvangt hij loon . -Want de bezoldiging der zonde is                         "Niet `de zondaar heerscht over de zonde, de zonde
de dood. . ; .                                                            heerscht over hem. .
 `Ach,  `t lijkt den zondaar zoo iet toe. In den dage- _                      Wie d.e zonde dient is een slaaf der zonde.
lijkschen.  sleur van den dienst der zonde gevoelt hij _.                      En !a.an  die slavernij der zon&  kan de zondaar zich
`zich niet gebonden, maar vrij ; hij is geen slaaf, maar                  n i m m e r m e e r   o n t w o r s t e l e n .
meester. -En hij zal het u nooit toestemmen, hij aal het-                      Noch ook is dit moeilijk te verstaan, zoodra ge vaa
u zeer kwalijk nemen, en met verontwaardiging verre                       de oppervlakte ,dier beschouwing, die ,de zond alleen
. yan zich werpen, als ge hem zegt, dat  d,e zonde heer-                  wil zien tils -eene daad, naar de diepte afsteekt, en de
schappij  over hem heeft . Is hij niet vrij in het dienen ongerechtigheid  l,eert zien als eene macht, als eene
van de. zon,de  ? Dient hij haar !n,iet juist omdat hij                   inlklevende  boosheid, als eene zaa;k, niet slechts -van d e
zich in haren dienst thuis gevoelt, omdat hij dien                        uitwendige handeling, maar van de natuur des zon-
dienst bemint, omdat hi.j ,de duisternis liever heeft                     daars, van het diepe .hart. En dit wordt overvloedig
dan het licht? 1,s hij dan geen heer en meester van zijn                  duidelijk voor wie verstaat, dat_  de wil Gods  voor den
eigen doen ,en laten, oo:k -als .hij de' zonde dient ?               En mepsch zich niet beperkt tot zijne daad, maar b e s l a g


470 --                                              T,HE ST,ANDARD BEAtiER
 ._._       __. . . _. .- ~.                                                                         \

`legt op heel zijn leven, op zij,n. denken en Yvillen,  en .be-                         Of is het dan niet zoo, dat. er slechts En is, d i e
geeren, op de verborgeG  motieven, de neigingen,- de                            b o v e n  de- wet is v-rheven, <de &xe,  souverein vrij&
diepe roerclen des harten ; en dat _die wil niet;3 minder                      absoluut ,eenige Heer-e van hemel en arde, en dat SI
eischt dan dat Iwe den Heer onzen God zullen lief-                             wat schepsel i;s aa.n Zijtiefi  $1 onderworpen is en blijft;
hebb?n met geheel ons verstand, met geheel onzen wil,                           om dien te doen?
met al ons begeeren, met geheel onze  iiel en met al                               Qf zon de apostel misschien enkel het oog hebben op
on.ze krachten !                                                                de instellingen des ouden verbonds, de wet der scha-
         Dan blijkt het klaar als de zon aan den hemel, dat                     duwen, die in Christus haar telos, hare vervulling, efi
de zonde over den mensch heerscht.                                              daarom haar eind had? Neen toch, want er is in,heel
         IHij heeft God niet lief: hij is een. vijand  Gods.  .                 het verbxnd  geen enkel zwoord,  dt ons het recht ,zou
         Hij kan God-niet liefhebben, want d,e lisefde Gds  is                 geven al%oq  het begrip wet hier- te. beperken.                   ;
eene zea.k des harten.                 En' juixt daar, in het`hart, van          M a a r  wat,  d a n ?           ' :
waaruit de uitgangen des levens zijn, heeft de  .zonde                                  Nadruk zal moeten worden gelegd-op  dat woordeke
haar troon gevestigd, heeft de vijandschap tegen God                            oy,dey.  Wie alleen .maar  onder de wet staat, la.ls een
haar wortel geschoten. En over dat l$rt heeft hij geen                          macht, 91,s.  de uitdrukking van ,den levenden tiil des
tiacht. Zooals zijin sart is, zoo is hij zelf.                                  Allerhoogsten; zonder ook {n die wet zich te bewegen
         Maar juist, daarom bestaat deze heerschappij der                       en te -leven, over dien spreekt de wet. onverbiddelijk
,zond.e  niet in een ,dwingende macht over den zondaar                          den vloek; het doodsvonnis uit. En daarom is hij een
tegen wil `en dank, yoodat  deze zich gaarne aan (haar                          slaaf der zonde : de zonde zal ovier hem heerschen !
zou willen ontworstelen, doch gedwongen wordt het                               Hij is, wa,t hem betreft, reddeloos yerloren !-
dwangjuk der zonde te torschen.                                                         Verstaan we dit, tolch  goed.
         Del .zonde heenscht van binnen uit !                                           De [wet des Heeren is niet maar eene uitvaardiging
         En de zondaar is een gewillige slaaf, doch z&, dat                    van enikele, meer of min willekeurige regels; waaraan
hij niet het vermlogen  bezit `ooit iets anders te Tillen                       die mensch-  zich te houden heeft, en. die hij misschien
zijn.                                                                           kati overtreden. zonder gevaa.r  te loopen  zichielven in
         Zijn hart is verkeerd, kn werkt in de richting -der                    den dood te storten.       In tegendeel, ie is de het schepsel
o n g e r e c h t i g h e i d .                                                 aan alle zijden omvangende Wil des  All,erhoogsten,
         Zijn verstand is yerduisterd, zoodat hij .ht goede                    waaraan het creatuur gebonden is, waaro-p het in zijne
niet kan kennen, en de leugen bedenkt.                                          nstuur  *is aangelegd: tegen denwelken het zich, zoo het
         -Zijn wil is gebonden .in v&kcerdheid5  zood& hij                      tegen. dien wil zou willen -ingaan, te morzel stoot.
de gerechtigheid Gods  niet kan begeeren of venkiezen;                          De visch-vindt  zijn leven in het water ;, Idat is zijne wet ;
do:ch de duisternis liefheeft.                                                  daarbuiten ligt voor, hem de dood. De boom  i;s voor
         D e   z o n d e   h e e r s c h t   o v e r   h e m !  1               zijti welwezen gebonden in den grond ; ontrworteling  is
         En nu richt zich het W:q.?rd des Heeren tot d,e ge-                    voor hem verdorring..  En de wet des Heeren voor den
-1oovigen  ,in Christus  Jezus met h&t vrijheidswooid :                         mensch is uitgedrkt  .in de woorden: Gij zult mij lief-
         "De zonde  zal over u niet heerschen !"                                hebben !
         En let er wel ,op, dat dit woord niet komt hikr in                      . . Dat is voor den mensch zijne l,evensfeer!              -
den vorm eener vermaning. De apost,el  schrijft hier                                    Die wet is `onveranderlijk. Tot in alle eeuwigheid
niet : " L a a t   d e   z o n d e  oVer u ,niet heersch&".  `t Is              blijft de mensch onder ,die wet. Edoch, zooals de Heere
waar,' zulk _eene  vermaning kan wel volggen, moet wel                          God`hem  oorspronkelijk formeerde was hij ook 2n die.
volgen op dit woord.                   Doch hier (bedoelt Gods  Woord           wet.. Want hij waas  op baar aangelegd. God schiep
eenvoudig een feit te noemen, eene wga,rheid  diep in                           hem naar Zijn beeld, in waarachtige.kenni&  gerechtig-
het geloovig.bewustzijn  van Gods  vo1.k  in te doen drjn-                      heid, en h.eiligheid.      De tiet der 1iefXe [was i?n zijn hart
gen.         Want feit is het, dat in de sfeer der genade de                    ingeschapen.       En levende in de sfeer dier wet,- genoot
zond,e  onttroond is, van haar .macht om te heerschpn                           hij de gunste  en vrenldschap  van den God des ver-
beroofd is.                                                                     bon,ds.-  Dat wa.s zijne vrijheid, zijn leven, zijne zalig-
         Immetis,  gij zijt niet ofider  de- wet. Wie onder ge                  heid..     Want alzoo  was immers het woord.dier wet pok
iw& is,. over dien heerscht de zonde.                                           voor hem: blijf in mij, `en gij zult  l&en!
         Maar gij zijt onder' de genade.                             -                  Doch de mensch heeft zijn$e  zaligheid niet geacht.
         E n  d.ara.r ie  v r i j h e i d !  -`-                          ._
                                                                                        -Hij meende den levenden God te kunnen  trot-
                                                                                teeren, en buiten den kring der wet zijn heil te kunnen
                                                                                vinden : "Gij zult niet s&rven;  gij zult als God zijn!"
         Niet onder de wet.!                                                            En toen werd hij nameloos <ellendig!
         Wonderlijk woord !                                                             Want die wet ueranderde niet.       Zij .bleef zegien : I
         Of is ea blijft dan de menyh niet tot 31 alle eeuwig-                  "Gij zult den Heere uwen God liefhebben met geheel
heid onder de wet? . .                   _ !:                                   UW `hart, en geheel uwe ziel, en geheel Uw pgz+quj  en
                                                                                   .


                                      THE,  ST`ANDARD .BEA.RER                                                                    471

  al uwe krachten!" .En nog altijd was de mensch, ook                  `der heerlijkheid der Binderen Gods., En dat alles,. om-
  nu hij zich `uit de levensfeer der. wet gewroilgen' had,             dt in de- sfeer der genade alles ,door Jezus Christus
  nu hij niet meer &z de wet was. onder'de wet.             Doch nu    Iwordt beheerse%.
  vloekte hem de wet.: "vervloekt is een iegelijk,  die;niet               Hij tol& is de Zoon des levenden  Gods!
  blijft in al hetgeen geschreven is !"* Zij veroorcleelde                 En Hij is vaneeuwigheid ver,ordineerd om t#e staan
  hem tot den dood. En zij voltrok het vonnis des doods                aan de spitse Zijner uitverkosene Kerk.
  over hem!-                                                               En als Vertegenwoordiger dr Zijnen kwam ook
     Tot dien dood nu behoort ook, dat, hij in geestelijke             Hij O~K&Y  de wet ! Hij nam ,de positie in dergenen, die
  ,dui&ernis   v e r z o n k .                                         `niet meer inzn, mIaar toch wel ow65er  de wet waren.      Hij
     Zijne kennis werd leugen, zoodat hij het goede                    ging vrijwilliglijk staan `daar, waar de, wet  verloekt,e,
  niet kent. Zijne gerechtigheid werd verkeerdheid van                 waar dte dood heerschte, waar Goddelijke toorn brand-
  1&1,  zoodat hij, het waarachtig goede niet kan begeeren             de. Maar Hij Zelf Inas en bleef in ld:e wet. De wet
  of Biezen. -Zijne  heiligheid werd onreinheid, oppositie             Zljns Gods  was in het binnenste Zijns ingewands, en
  tegen den levenden God, zoodat hij ver van God de                    het was Zijne spijze den wil odes Vaders te doen ten
  weelde zoekt !                                                       eind,e toe.     Ook toen de wet tot Hem zeide: "Gij zult
     De wet ,der liefde in zijn har.t verkeende in vijand-             den `d:ood sterven," ook toen Hij op de plaats der Zijnen
  s c h a p !                                                          den dood moe% smaken, ,ook toen al de violen des toorns
     Hij werd en slaaf der zonde.                                     Gods  over Hem werden uitgegoten, ook toen Hij  weg-
     Van terugkeer -was geen sprake.                                   .zonk in de diepte der hel, waarin Hij vragend  jia,mmerde
     De zonde heerscht over hem.                  ,                    over Zijn verlaten zijn van God,-ook toen heerschte de
     Niet iln, maar onder de wet,!                     .               zonde geen oogenblik over Hem; ,ook toen bleef Hij
                                                                       Zich bewegen in de sfe!er der liefde Gods: . . .
                                                                           Hij werd gehoorzaam tot !den dood, ja, den dood des
                                                                       Bruises !
                                             -
     Door genade vrij!.                                                    Daarom, omdat Hij in vrije gehoorzaamheid der
     De zonde zal over u niet heerschn !                              liefde, den eisch der vloekende wet heeft genoeg ge;
     Wa.nt gij zijt niet onder ,de wet, maar onder da                  ,daan; kan 1d.e *dood over Hem niet meer heerschen: Hij
  genade !                                                             is opgestaan !
     Genade maakt vrij, niet tot bandeloosheid,' maar                      Daarom kan de wet nooit meer vervIoeke,n  en ver-
  van de heerschappij der zonde, zoo vrij, d:at d,e wet                doemen tot de slavernij der zonde H.em ,en de Zijnen. -
  ons qimmermleer  kan vloeken en het doodsvonnis over                     Daarom heeft IHij eeuwige ,gertechtigheid  en het -
  ons mtspreken;  zoo  vrij, dat we. weer in de sfeer der              eeuwige leven verdiend voor al ,degenea, die de Vader
  liefdewet leven !                                                    Hem gegeven heeft.
   Gij zijt onder de genade!                                               En daarom is er in Zijn'e'levenssfeer, de sfeer .der
     En 1wla.t wil d,at nu anders zeggen, dan dat ge in                opstanding uit de dooden, waarachtige vrijheid. Dat
  Christus Jezus zijt., en dat in d,en Geest van uw Heiland            is de sfeer lder gei1,ad.e. En onder de genade zijn wij
  VrijIgemaakt  zijt van d w,et_.der zonde en.des doods?              vrij van de heerschappij der zonde, <om in de Ievens-
     Daar, in ,de levensfeerlvan  Jezui Christus, waarin ge            sfeer der liefde Gods  ons weer met vr.ij.heid te bew,egen,
                                                                       thans mett'ene  vrijheid, ;d.ie nooit `meer in slavennij
  LI door het geloof bew,eegt (want uit genade zijt gij zalig
geworden, door'het ,gel,oof)  , is geen verdoemenis.          Daar     kan veranderen, juist omdat ze gegrond is in de  eeuwige
  kan u de wet nimmer vloeken. Daar is geen dood en                    -vrijheid van den Zoon qGod3!
  geen uerderf. Da& kan de zonde niet beerschen. Daar                      Weet het dan (en, o, het is zoo dringencfnoodig,  dat
  kan de dood zelfs .nimmermeer binnendringen. Daar                    ge ,dat weet, waar het i,mmers zoo dikwijls alnders met
  is eeuwige gereahtigheid, eeuwige vrijhei,d, eeuwigs                 .u schijnt te zijn !) : ,de zondezal over u niet heerschen!
  zaligheid, het eeuwige leven!                                            Want gij zijt niet_ onder de wet.                      *
  `.. Want immers iln die levenss'feer  wordt alles be-                    Maar onder ede genadte.
  heerscht door .Jezus Christms.    En ,daarom  zijt ge daar                                       1                       H;  H .
  geheel en al onder. de genade; ,genade, die gegrond ,is
  ,op het heiligst recht, maar ,die juist daarom in den
  vollen zin genade. $.     Daar, in de sfeer van J,ezus
  Christus, in de levenssfeer van Zijnten Geest, geden'kt
  God aan u in genade, handelt .\HOj mt u naar genade,
  oordeelt Hij u naar genade, .bekleedt Hij u met ge-                               Lor,d, my Bod, `do not forsake  me,
rechtigheid naar genade, vervult Hij LI met leven en                      _ . ,Let  m e   k n o w  :that Thou art neer,      '
zaligheid naar genade, verlost Hij u dor genade van                                `Under Thy prot$ction  take me,
  de heerschqplj der -@%de  en stelt Hij u in de vrijheid                            As.my  Saviour now appear. :


 4'72                                                                                                                                   T H E   ` S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R '  -.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                               .               EDITtkIALS  :
                      Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July anrl  August

                                                                                   Publislied by
          ,-                 The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                                         946,Sigsbee  Street, S. E.                                                                                                                                                               : _*
                  . .                                                                                                                                                                                                                The Text of a bom$l&nt  :
                    : . `,                         EDITOR - Rev. H. Hoeksema
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         .
  .CoWributing  Editsrs: - Rev&J.  Blankespolor,  A. Cammenga                                                                                                                                                                 The "Co&plaint"  Guotes  a lbng  listi of .references  to
   P.- De-  Boer,. J. D.. De Jong, H. De .Wolf,  L. Doezema,  M.                                                                                                                                                          passages'in  the Gospel according to John; in which,
   Gritters, C. Hanko, B. Kok,  G. I&bbers,  %. M. Ophoff, A.                                                                                                                                                             according,`to  Dr. Herman Kuiper,  from [whose  book on
   Petter, M. Schipper,  JI Vanden  Breggen, H. V,eldma&  R. .Veld-                                                                                                                                                       Calvin on Common Grace  the list ii3 fobta%ned,  Calvin
   man, L: Vcrmcer,  P. Vi.s, G. Vo.s,  W. Hofman, J. Heys.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          finds "the idea that God invites both elect and repro-
   3 Communicatioqs  relative to contents. should be addressed                                                                                                                                                            baXe men`.to  salvation and offers salvation to all men
   to REV. H., I-IOEKSEMA,  i139  Franklin St., S. E., `Grand
   Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                                                      promiscuously."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              We have! neither the space nor fhe. desire to: check
          Obmmynications  relative to,subscription  should be addressed
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          up on this list of texts.
 `to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 946 Sigsbee St., S. E., Grand Ra.pids,                                                                                                                                                                                              One or two remarks  may ishffice
   Michigan. All Announcements, and Obituaries must be sent                                                                                                                                                               in this connection,.
 to the above address and will aot be placed unless the Tegular                                                                                                                                                               First.of  all, for my own satisfa&ioh  I did lobk  LZP
  fee of $1.00 accompatiies  the notice.-                                                                                                                                                                                 half a dozen of the references quoted, and  discovkred
    :                                 (Subxription  price $2.50 per  y e a r )                                                                                                                                           that many `of them have nothing  whatever to db with

   Entered as Skcond  Class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan..                                                                                                                                                             the ,que%tion  .under  di,&ssion.        Thus;  for instance, one

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          of the references is. John  1:6.        The text reads : "There
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          viras  !a. man sent from God, whose ,il%arne  was John."
    -
 .-                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Curious how Calvin coulld discover in &is passage "the
                                                                             C O N T E N T S                                                                                                                              ideea  that God invites .both elect and reprobate men to

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         salvation and offers salvation to all men promiscuous-
MEDIaTATION  -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ly," we looked up the reformer's' commentary on the
DOOR GENADE VRIJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . h69                                                                 text, and f,oLmd  nothing that seven approaches $he above
                   Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                                      mentioned idea.         Nor ,did we find a&hing ,on some of

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         the ,other  passages referred to.
EPITORIALS -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Secondly, I consider the conclusion arrived  at by t.ho
THE TEXT  0 FA GOMPLAlNT                                                                                 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . .    4?2      auth,or  of "Calvin on Common &ace;  alnd quoted by the
T,tiE  ATOM&C  BOMB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                       474      complainants with evident  approval, very  supe?f  icial.
+Hti LIBERATED CHURCXiES.IN  THE NETHERLANDS..474                                                                                                                                                                        That conclusion reads  as follows:
         _. Rev.' H .Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                                                 "We may as Iwell  try to budge a mountain of solid

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         granite with our  finger as end.ela.vor  to harmonize'  these'
TeKE: OLD AND NEW COVENANT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         dec]aration;s."..
THE DOCTRINE OF !I'HE  EARLY CI-IURCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,481                                                                                                                                                                                      :+_. .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "Must we then conclude &at Calvin taught that
         Rev. G;. k. Ophoff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         God has a double will and is at variance with Himself?
,GEBED  OM GENADE VOOR  GENADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  483.                                                                                                             Our ra.nthor expressly declares that he emphatically
                  Rev, G. Vos.                                                                                                                                                                                           repudiates the view that God has more than one will.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         He expli,citly teaches that we must not think that, God
COMMON GRACE  & ;rHE  TWO  TABLE$  OF THE LAW.;..485,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         has a .double  will.     God does not in Himself will oppo-
   Rei.  H.  V e l d m a n
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         isites.    But i$ is impossible for us to comprehend and
T&E  SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN THE PAROUSIA....487                                                                                                                                                                       `fathom  the Most High.           To .o,ur  apprehension the will
         ReG. J.. Blankespoor'                                                                                                                                                                      .                    of God is manifol'd.  As 5a.s as we ,can  see,  God does

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         will ;+hat  seems to be ,opposed  to His will."
THE COVENANT OF SINAI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489                                                                                     "I&n short, Calvin makes it plain that in his view the
. R e v .   P .   D e   B o e r
                                                                                      .-                                                                                                                                 paradoxes which we have  just reviewed are paradoxes
I;GEZONDEN                                 . . . . . a.._ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491    involved in the .teaching  of Holy Scripture itself."
    M r .   J .  VanderWal                                                                                                                                                                                                    Now, 3 is, indeed, true thta.t ,one  may select a list

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         of passages in the. volumi!nous  writings -of `Calvin that
CONTRI.BUTI6N _..".........:....,.,,*,,,,  . ..`......................................,.,..... 492
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         would seem  to corr,oborate  the view expressed above.'
          M r .   J .  B. Hoe&a  ,~
                                              ._                                                                                                                                                                         And this need not  surprisie us.          In. his relativel-y  short
                                                                                                        n                                                                                                                life Calvin wrote-many books.            He wa,s  a prolific writ-


                                             .THE  S T A N D A R D .   B E A R E R                                                                          473
                                                                                                                            . .
                                   i
er. F,rom  the -ti.me  he began to write his Institutes,                           Let me adduce just one or two more'quotationsfronl
when he was only twenty-four yez.rs  .olld, until his death,                  Calvin to prove this statement:
he wrote almost incessantly. It need not surprise us,                              When Pighius opposes the truth by  appealing,  to
then,' that if one peruses Calvin? works supe~f_ilci~lly,                     .Ps. 145 :9 (a text also quoted .by the Chr&an.Reform:
with the purpose in milnd  to,  prove that he taught that                     `ed%ynod  of 1924))   t h e   r e f o r m e r   r e p l i e s :  .`_ .' ' 1
God earnestly seeks the salvation of the. r,eprobates,                             "Let ,our r.eaders  lYence.  ga&ther  haw  much,..religion
laad that there .are contradictions .in Scripture, he will                    and conscience P.ighiUs  has in dealing with 1Ho1y -Scrip-                           -.
find what he is looking $or in the first place.                It would       turej  He then adds from the Psalm, "The Lord is
not be ,difficult,'  according to this superficial method nf                  good to all" (145 :9), fr.om  owhich he concludes that
studying, to #demonstrate  that Augustine did not believe                     theyefore  all were ordained to eter.aal  life. Now, if                                    .
in absolute predesti.nat%n,  or that Dr. A.. Kuyper ~a.3                      this be true, the kingdom of heaven is  open:for dogs
a Hegelian Pantheist.                                          -              and a&es!.  Fo.r  the Psalmist is not `magnifying .that
    Pact is, however, that oa,e may also find `many pas-                      goodness of Go'd only which he shows to inan, but that
sages in thse  works of Calvin, in (which he explains those                   also which He shows to all His `works. But.why shizul.-l                                   .
texts of Holy Writ that appear  to te,&h  God's saving                        no-t;  #ighiu$  thus fight fdr his:. brethre'n  ?" CcZZwinls
love for all men, and explains them'in  the light of the                      Cnlwwinism,  p. 88.                                            `.      1" . _ .
doctrine of predestination, par,ticularly  qf'reprobation.  _ ..Again.:                                                                              . . .P
                                                                                                   "
In other wo:ds,  those passages ,of his writings in-which                          "The  next Scripture which he tacks on ta:h?s  srglil
he seems to be satisfied t.6 let the paraidox  stand,. the                    ment is that of Paul,  who {declares :(he says) -that  Gbti                          "
apparent contradictions unexplailned,  are not hi,s Bast                      `included all under sin,  tha.t He might  have mercy-tiipbn
word.                     -                                                   all? (Rom. 11:32).           As if Paul in this `pa&age  iwere
                                                                              disputing about' the rizArnb&*  of men
    That this is true,' we h.ave-  already abundantly                                                                                  !    Whereas he is
                                                                              ab,stnactedly  lauding the grace *of God towards all of ~1s~
Ijro$ed  tby quotations from his writings.                It was espec--
                                                                              who attain unto salvation.            Most certainly hothing'  was
iia,*llg whe:n  the opponent of the truth of predestination
                                                                              less in the  mind of the apostl'e  than `an ,ext.&&on  of the
attackect_  his position that .the  reformer set himself
                                                                              mercy of God to all men.             His sol'e object was `to pros-
to explain the texts adduced by  thoiFe  opponents, and
                                                                              trate all glorying of the flesh, that we  rll&y. clearly
which seemingly teach`  that God wills the salvation
                                                                              na~derstati~d  that nb man will ever be saGed  But lie tihoni
o f   a l l  men..
                                                                              God ,gaved .by grace alo&.                   Behold;then,  iyith  what
    Whit else coul,d .he do?
                                                                              glorious arguments  our <opponent  `demonstrates that
    ,Or.  what else (would you expect lalfiy  truly Reformed                  none are chosen unto sldvation  from above in.pref&`-
m a n t o d o ?  ,~'                                                          ence  .to  others ! And yet this ape of Euclid puffs `him-
Always these opponents fling the same texts in                                self ofif  in the titles of all- his chapters as a reasoner."
the face of those that uphold thk  ,doctrin'e  of,._absolute                  Op. Cit.. p. 89.
predestination. -And let if; be a warning that  these                              When Pighius refers to the text in I Tim. 4:2,  gir-
texts are the very same  thaf are now appealed to by                          ing it the `same interpretation `the .complai.nants  prefer,
the complainants . They are in lbad compaily. They,                           Calvin answers, first of iaal: "The difficulty. . . . is
i.,e.  the opponents of the trut,h  of God's sovereign pre-                   solved in one moment, aed  by one question, namely,                                  '
deStinationi  made use #of such texts` a: Matt.. 23 :37,                      How ,does Gold wish all men to. come to -the knowledge
I Tim. 2:4,  II Pet. 3 :9, etc. to oppose Augustine, to                       of the truth?        For Paul couples this salvdion  aed  this
gain;Fay  &lvin,  to refute Gomarus and the fathers of                        calming  to the IcnowkcLge  -of the truth cog&her.                      Now,
Dordt, to contradict Dr. A. Kuyper Sr. tihen  he began                        I would ask, did the same will df God stand.  the same
Do take  a stand for the Reformed truth  of pr.eQ&ira-                        from the beginning of the world or  not?  .For if God
tion.                                                                         willed or wished thlat His-truth should ,be known unto
  And what di.d  all these men ,do ?                  I : _                   all-men, how was it that He .did not proclaim tind make
.' Dild they admit that these p&:sasges  from Scripture                       kn,own  His law to the Gentiles also?  Why did. He
actually taught what the opponenlts  made them say?                           confine ,the  light  wit,hin the .narro,w  limits of Ju,&ea?"
Di.d they seek an easy refuge in the doctrine of con-                         And this part of the-,argument  the reformer concludes
tradictions ?                                `. __                            as follows : "Now l,et Pighius bo:%t, if he `can, that .God
    They. most emphatictilily  d,id not.                                      willeth all mern`  to be saved 
                                                                     .-v .                                            !            The above arguments;
`On the contrary, one and all they `explain&d those                           founlded  on the Scriptures, prove that &en the external
passages  of -Scripture and harmonized them with the                          preaching of the doctrine of salvation, which i;3 `far
truth of sovereign ele&ion  and r&probation.                                   inferi,or to the  illumination `6f the S.pi+it,  was not
 - So (did  A u g u s t i n e .                                               ma,de  common to all mem.`" id&%,  bp. 103, 104;
                                        '                                                                                                              .'
    -And Calvin f,ollowed  him, as is well kn,own, a,nd-  did                      ,And he continues to explain r                                  .' _'
the same thing.                                                                    "The knot immediately before us is tidt jret,  I con-.


-474                                       !iYkE  S T A N D A - R D  BEARER


fess, untied.    I have nevertheless extorted from Pighius           brought the horrible struggle of nations to a close.

thu,s  mulch:.  that no one but a -man deprived of his               But who did not ask the question: what will the-next

cuminon sense and common knowl&ge  can believe that                  @r ,bring? When one think's of the power of sin, of

-icalvation  was *ordained  by the secr,et  counsel of ~God          efimity-.against  Goa and-against one another, that moti-
 eqwdly  and, indiscriminately for all mti.              The true    vates the heart of natural man, and that is more power-

meaping  of Paul, -however,  in the  passage now under               ful, more unconquerable than the striking force of a

consideration is perfectly clear and intelligible to every           thousa.ad  atomic bombs,, we are reminded of the  wor3

one who is not determined' on  eontea;tion.       The_ appstie       in the book  of Re!velation,  chanalcterizing  men  as those

is mexhdrting  that ai1 solemn `supplicatiojns,  prayers,            that destroy the Barth. .
interoessiom,  and giving of thanks, be  made, f,or all                  And again, it seemed to us that we ,already, began
men: for kings and all  that'are in authority.' And                  to'hear the question men will proudly ask at the time

because there Iwere,  in that age, so n&y  aand sucli                of the antichristian world-potier  that is soon to come:

wrathful and Ibitter  enemies of the Church, Paul, to                `&who is able to make war with him?"
prevent ,despair  from hindering the pr,ayers  of the                    Then, too, the inveation of th,is bomb fills us (with
faithful, -hastens to meet their  bdi&resse,s by earnestly           amazement Lt the power that $s still left man aft,er
etitreating  them-to  be instant in prayer `for all men,'            the f!aL.  How. great is the remnant of natural light
.antd especially for `,a11 those in authority.' `For (Faith          which he still possesses!        And what terrible fruits so-
the ,apostle) God will have all men to be saved.'            Who     called "common grace'.! p&duces!                 _
does not see that the apodtle  is here speatking  of orders              Finally, men unwittingly, an&d  ia a' `small way,

`of men &her than of indivi~duals?"~idem,  p. 105.                   demonstrate how the end of the world may be,'  when
  How superficial and misleading is the  caitclusion  of             the fashion of this world ,shall pass ;a!way,  .and the very,
.the -author  of Calvin  eon Commons Grace, when he in-              elements shall bur,n  with _fervent_~heat  ,!
+sists that Calvin is satisfied with pare&xes!                           Are l!ve not hastening .on with amazing speed.  to
    And how di;fferent  ,is the reformer's attitude, his             that final day?
position with regaad to the question under  consi,de.ra-                Let            be sober, and-watch nnto  pra.yer
                                                                                us                                           !'                -
tion,  from that of the compldnants,  who rather explain                                  I                                H .  H.
I Tim.' 2 :4 as meaning that God sincerely offers  salva-

tio.n to those whom he has predetermined t6 leave to

the just recompense of th&r  sins, and that IHe is a
.benevolent  Being that #delights not in the suffering of                                       --  ,
Hiis creatures, etc. Cf. "The Text of aI Complaint,"

p .   1 4 .
                                      /            H .   H .                    The Liberated Churches
                                                                         _ -..          In The ,Netherlands                             '
                                                                                         - ,
                                                                       ..A11 our readers  are by this time, no doubt, acquaint;:

                                                                     ed (with the fact.t;hat,  during the period when the, old

                                                                     count,rjr,  w'as  occupied [by the Nazis, al separation. 
        The Atomic Bomb.                                                                                                                     0'1"
                                                                     secession took place of -considerable  dimensions i.n the

                                                                     Reformed.  (Gerefo&eercle)  Churches -the&+  and that

    The news that. an "atomic bomb" .had been perfect-               said separation was attributed largely to the influence
ed, and the- des&ipti,on  of iti horrible power df de-               iand -leadership-  of Dr. K. Schilder;
@u&ion, was a shock even to the Iworld.                                 Until t&e present moment, we were  inot `in a position
    What a tremendous instrument of destrtiction  has                to writ,e  about this. new movement!, for -the  simple
been placed .in the hands of sinful men by this inven-               reason that all oul knowledge of the matter was based
tion!  With one blow it is caa;pable  ,of  wiping out whole          on mere ;ery  vague rumors.          All official and matter'of
cities, and of sending to their ,death  tens of thousa<ds'           fact information was utterly lacking.                         I
`of men, women, Andy childre!n,  that .are  literally seared            To be sure, we felt that The lkrbver,  which rushed
$0 ,death. Its heat is so tremen,dous,  accoading  t,o re-           i%to -print about this split, cockstire  that the thing
liable aep`orts,.  that steel towers are evaporated ifito            was- to be condemned, that it 1was  all abo&  "common
thin air by it.    We shuddered when twice, it was em-               grace",    and that it justified the.  awalrning  which, the

ployed to bring destruction to two &es of Japan, and                 editor of that weekly had sotinded  3 few years ago
to strike fear anId SdeZeat  into the hear_ts  of the enemy.    .    against opening the doors of. the. Christian Reformed
    A born...  of peace it is called5  &h_er paradoxically.          to Dr. Schilder, 7 I say, we felt that it was utterly
And, tie doubt, it .was  one of the means by +hich God               mistaken, and  th?,  when the facts  came -to light, it.
                                                   -_


                                                            .


                                                  -THE STANDAR,D BEARER                                                   475



  woul,d have'to change its position eatirely. 1.n the ,light     alle dienaren des Woords geldt. IHet moderamen wilde                 -
  of what we knew about the doctrinal differ,ences in             het gevoelen der Synode ter zake kennen en met drie
  the Netherlands before. the lw!ar, and about the wide-          stem_men tegen gaf ,deze aan #dit college halr sanctie op
  spread controversy raging  about. them, we consider~           het_b,esluit tot same_nroep.ing.
  it `was very improbable  that the separation revolved              Irn deze zitting (ider Synode van l.Febr. 1944, H.H.)
  around the person of Dr. Schilder, `and that the only,          heeft het brieven geregend ,op de moderamentafel van
  or even the chef point tait issue was the theory of com- _ allerlei-bezwaarde en onbezwaarde kerkelijke; vergadr-
  mon grace.                                                      ringen en personen. Wee noemen alleen maar het stuk,
  .    1 believe that now we have  suficient  data to state       ,dat door .llO -bezwaarde ambtsdraJgers  wat geteekend.
  coa;fidently  that our,conjectures were correct, and that       De synode, na8 vrijwel geheel in comit vergaderd te
  the premature judgmtent expressed by The Banner was             hebben, sprak uit, dat de :bexluiten van Kampen en
  entirely erroneous.    .Ia fa&, as we receive more an.d         Giessendam "in wezen niets anders :dan scheurmakerij
  more items of reliable information, we came to the              zijn." -Zij benoemde voorts zeven ,deputaten, ,die tot
conclusion that it wil1 nat ,even be an easy mat,ter for          taak kregen o.m. de betrokken kerkeraden er op te
  the Christian Reformed Church in honesty to  deter-` wijzen, dat zij hun besluiten behoorden in te trekken,
  mine with which part of the divi'ded Church they wil1           en die gemachtigd werden zoo !iToodig  biet moderamen
  maintain the relation of sister churches..                      te verzoeken *de synode saam te'-roepe;:.
       And seeing thait our people are inberested in the             Daarop kwam de synode 24 Febr. opnieuw bijeen.
  matter, 1 wil1 take the time ot to begin a d-iscussion         Gerapporteerd werd, dat de kerkeraad van Kampen
  of ,what took place in `che old &untry,  and of the doc-        zijn besluit vervallen verklaalrde en.die van.Giessendam
  trinal questions involved in tlie movement. True, we            c.a. zijn voorstel bij .de classis' Gorinchem voorloopig                       _
  did. not yet receive any printed `documents, sinee the ingetrokken .had. In deze zitting besloot. de synode ook;
mail does not carry  printed matter from The Nether-              naar aanleidmg van het feit, .dat prof. dr. K. Schilder
  lands.    But we do hlsme in our possession some closely        zijn brief, aan yalle kerken gezonden had, eveneens een         _
  typewritten material, ,opied from official publicatioas,       brief tot :de kerken tel doen .uitgaan.
that  is entirely reliable.    And since Dr. Beets published         In Maart kwam de synode de 15e en 16e bijeen, in
  a letter from Dr. Adders, in which the latter  furnishes        tielke zitting .o.m. gediend hebben de' beken!de  brieven
  US with partial and, therefore, distorted  information          der Haagsche predikanten.. Vervolgen;3  23 en 24 Maart,
 _ about the separation and its history, we  fee1 that we         toen zij prof. dr/Schilder op grond van `een zestal over-
  should nat wait, but make a start lwith our- discus&            w,egingen  schuldig bevond "aan de in art. 80 K.O. ge.
                                        -
  of the objective  fa&.                                          noemde zonde van scheurmakerij" men hem voor ..drie
       In order to give tal1  our readers an opportunity to       maanden schorste als hoogleeraar van Kampen .en
  f,olow  US, we wil1 offer the material that is sent to 11s     e m e r i t u s  predika,nt van Rotter,dam-Delftshaven.  Het              .
  in the language in w,hich it Icomes, present a digest of        besluit viel met 41 t,egen 5 stemmen, terwijl twee leden
  it in English,  -&d  also conduet .our ,discussion. in the      ontbrak&.
  language of our ow,n land.                 -                       31 Mei zag Utrecht de synode-leden weer bijeen in
                                 _..              - .             d,e ,Oosterkerk.  De zitting duurde de geheele week.
       Here follows a "Kerkelijk Jaar Overzicht."                 Prof. Nauta rapporteerde namens ,de ,deputaten voor
       Nadat de Synode 16 Dec. 1943 provis'orisch  w_erh. zwarigheden `over tal. van zaken, al;sme.de ,over ver-
gesloten, kwam, zij 1 Febr. 1944 in spoedvergadering              schillende iilgekomeri  verzoeken, zoowl de_ schorsing
  bijeen, waarvan het voors@1 tot de classis  Zwoll'e,  ge-.. van prof. ,dr. K. Schilder, als de bindendverklarmg op
  richt ,door den kerkeraad van Kampen, die uitsprak              te heffen.    De synode handhaafde al de door haar ge-
  met 50 tegen 10 stemmen, `(dat hij zich niet gerechtigd         nomen besluiben en besloot ook te pogen met prof. dr.
  acht van de predikanten en andere ambtsdragers te               K.- Schilder een broederlijk contact tot .stand te bren-                            _
  vorderen,-dat zij bij_hun  leeren in, niets zullen afwijken     gen vr `dat de schorsingstermijn  verstreken `was.     De
  vla.4  de in .1905  `en 1943 gedane-leeruitspraken", de oor-    synode verlengde ,de achorsingstermijn met n maand.
  .zaak `was. Voorts ;stelJde  Kampen voor, dat xde classis          24 Juli kwam ,de synode bijeen voor een vergadering
  bij "haar examina de candidaten tot den heiligen' dienst        van twee weken. In deze zittingen viel het besluit tot
  niet meer d.en eisch van instemming met deze-leeruit-           afwij,zing  van alle tusschenvoorstell,en, waarvan het
  spraken zou stellen . Daarnaast -zbaarde  ook zorg het          voo8rstel  Amsterdam in betrekking tot de- leerbeslis-
  voorstel van Giessendam-Neder-Hardinxve1.d  aan de. singen wel het voornaamste was; werd prof. ,dr. S.
  classis Gorinchem om. uit te spra$ken, "dat het in deze         Greydanus  voor drie maan,den  geschorst op ,grond van .,,
  omstandigheden naar eer en geweten niet alleen on-              zijn publicaties en zijn nietdbereidheid  "zilch  `gewillig
  rechtvaardig, maar ook kerkrechtelijk zinl,oos en om-           te onderwerpen aan de uitspraken der synode over zijn
  wettig moet ,geacht worden van candidaten eien andere.          gravimina," waarom. hij schuldig bevonden werd aan.
 -en meerdere instemmi'ng  te eischen, ,dan welke voor            "herhaalde overtreding van het 5e en 9e gebod"; ,werd


                                            :
                                                    I
 4 7 6                                   THE ~.T.ANM.RD  WARE%



 het naipport uitgebracht over de samenspreking,  die                    .The last- statemetii  in the la)bove  Commnication  re-
 22 Juli j.l. tiet .prof.  dr. K. Schildeo~  gehoud& was, en         fers, `of cburse,  to t,he situation during the-latter  part
 viel het ingrijpend'e besluit om prof. dr. K. Schilder t3           of' 1944.      Ac,cording  to a postscriptum, which the
 ,ontslaan  als hoogleeraar  t,e, Kampen en af te /zetten als        sender adds,  in July of this year the number of liber-
 emeritus predikant van Rotterdam-Delftsha@.                         ated chuuches  had increased to on4 hundred and twenty
     In de zittitng v;aa half Aug. - ;de synode iwas weer            two.
L in .spoedvergadering samengeroepen :_wE;rd$n  tal van                  plet me now give a brief digest of the :above  genera1
 ambtsdragers van de derk `van Kampen Ige+horst  en                  review of the history and situation in the.Reformed
 werd aan al de leden, die tegen de door  :de synode ge-             Churches of .the Netherlands in the year 1944.
 tPoffen tuchtmaatre~gelen   g e s t e m d  haclden, Ide vi-aag.         The synod of'those churches, after it had, in 1943,
 gesteld of zij zich aan de gevallen  Eeslissitig  confor-           adopted certain :doctrii~~al  doclarations,  had, in $944, 2
 meerden.                                                j           uery busy year. Many were aggrieved by $he action
     In de zitting, van 28 Aug.  d.a.v. volgde de! afzetting         of tba synod (1943), could nat agree with its doctrinal
 van ds. C. H. Linde;boom  t,e Karpgen en in tiie van I              decl!a,rations, which were made binding on al1 offic.e-
 Sept. werden een aantal ouderlingen <der K&nper ker-                bearers an'd members, and opposed. the h`ierarchi.G%j
 ken afgezet, allen op grond van de  in artt.  791en  80 ge-. a c t s   o f  the. broadest  gathering.       It rained protests.
 noemde zonde van ,openbare  scheurmaking.               pok werd    And so; the synod was convoked in, special sessions
 besloten de kerk van Bergschenhoek `(waar  p$of.  Schil-            several times during the year 1944, a!s fellows:
 d e r  na4 zijne afzetting, en ,candidaat Schildyr, tiadat              Feb. 1, where several protests  were considered, de-
 h e m   z i j n  preekcotisent  ontnom.en was, .geprbekt  ha+       clared io be a matter of schism by synod, and deputies
 d e n )  niet meer in het verband ,der kerk& te be-                 were .appointed to admoi& the protesting churches of
 schouwen. De syfiode stelde de gedragslijneL  vast in-              Kampen and Giessendam.c.a.  to ietral&  their decisions
 zake de behandeling van ageerende gemeent&ede'n, en                 and to abide by.the ,decisions of synod.
 besloot n.a.v. bij haar ingekomen verzoeken pitis. dr. J.               Ma&  15, 16, swhen the above dieputies report&
 Ridderbos op te dragen een eenvoudig geschrift tnn.                     Plarch 23, 24, when Dr. Schilder was suspended,
 behoeve. van de leden de? gemeente in betrefiking  tot              both-as:  proftessor  at the Kampen Theologicsl  School;
 de ,hui:dige moeilijkheden samen te stellen. / Dat ge-              and as emeritus minister of Delftshaven. ..The ground
 schrift is inmiddels ver&henen oilcd,er  ,den titel "Kerk-          of -is susTpension:  alleged schism in the churches.
 scheuPing."                                                           May 31. Olil this synod there appeared seueral re-
    Na 1 Sept. is de synode niet meer in ve$gadering                 quests tot, retra@t  the decision concerning the ,suspension  .
 bijeen geweest, want de inmiddels uitgebroken  spoor-               of Dr. Schilder, ind the binding fouioe  of the doctrinal
 wegstaking maakt ook k;-r het bij e;enkomen, onmoge-                d:sclarations  of 1943.    Synod maintained its former
 lijk. De schorsing van. prof. :dr. S. Greydaiius  loopt             decisions, decided to seelk contact awith Dr. Schilder
nog steeds, want de synode had besloten,  ddt, indien                (who was "underground"), ati:d  for this purpose length-
 onvooriiene omstandigheden haar zouden veihinderen                  .ened tbe suspension-term from three to four months.
 samen, te ktomen; de schorsing zou voortduren;                          July 24. At this time synod met for two weeks.
    Inmiddels hebben ook de- bezwaarden dun actie                    Al1 compromise motions. that. were offered were re- )
-Voortgezet.    We .noemen in dit-,verband de g;oote ver-            j ected.     Dr. Greydanus wai lso susp&ded on' the
 gadering, die 11 Aug. in de Luthersche Kerk ie `s-Gra-              ground that he refused.  to aequiesce in the synodical
 venhage onder presidium ma.,n dr. Herman @oop  van                  degsions,  and that he wrote about them in  public.
 Delftshavn  is gehouden, -en \yaar  de hoogleeraren prof.          Dr. Schilder was discharged  as professor at Kampen,
 dr. K. Schillder, prof. ,d.r. S. Greydanus, .ben&ens  dr.           `and deposed as minister of Delfshaven.
 D. van Dijk het woord `nebben gem,oerd.         Op !l_eze .yer-         Aug. 15.     A laTge number of pfficebasrers  -of the
 gadering is ;de bekende Acte van Vrijmaking of Weder-               church at Kampen were suspended.
 keer aangenomen en seidert *dien is deze door hAnderden                 Aug. 28 . T'he Rev. C. H. Lindeboom of Kampeo
 leden der gemeente ~`bij  hun respectieve ke&k&reden                was deposed from bis offilce.  And on.Sept.  1 a num-
 ingediend.     Hoewel &lie  communicatie geb&kki&  is,              ber of elders of the same ehurch were also d&posecl,
 gaat  de uitbreiding *der vrijgemaakte kerken, / ,blijkens          lwhile the chureh pf Bergschefihoek.  was expelle$ from
 de binnendrupcelde berichten, nog steeds doo$, en ter-              the denominatioa, on the gr<ound  ;that ,both  Dr. Schilder
 wijl wij dit schrijven is-het  aantal kerken,..datj  het ve?n-      and candid& Schilder had prea&ed  there, the formelU
 band.-m'et  de Gereformee~~d~e  Kerken verbrok&  heeft,             after he had been suspended, the latter after-,consent
 gestegen tot 46, waarvan de meeste, in Groningen en                 to"preach had been taken away from him.           It was also
 Zuid-Bolland  gevdnden worden. Het :!antal Ijredikan-              deci,ded to c.ompose fan addrecss  to al1 the' chnrches.
 ten, dat zich vrijmaakte b+lraagt  ongeveer 36, en het                  In the meantime the aggrieved officebearers  an,d
 aantal theologische candidaten 10.                           I/     mem.ber.s-  held a meet.ing  in the Lutheran  Church in
                                                               /I    The Hague, Iwhere an "Act of Liberation or_-Return"


                                                                   .THE  ;S.T..ANDqeD-.-BEAR`E.R  I ' `.                                                                                                                    477
            .                                                     .~.        . .                                .._                          1 ;. .-                                                                _. --
       was adopted. -And. the -liberated-  churches quickly in-                                                                                                .H.D.W.;  A,P.                            4
  .                                                                                                                                                                                                                  5
       creased in number until,. fat `the present time, they `are                                                                     THROUGH THE,                                   I. _
       more.  than one hundred and twenty, - .-                                                                                     .AGES..  `.
                                                                                            :                                         (Church History) `. G.M.O. .4                                           5
                 __- .I                                                                                                               IN.HIS   F E A R
                  Before we enter i,nto a discussion of this, strange                                                                 ( E d u c a t i o n )  ; R.V.; J.D.J.  I
       history, it will benecesaary  to :become  acquainted with                                                               *                                          J . H . ;  C.H.-  4                        5
       the doctrinal. decisions of 1943, `that became,. together                                                                      PERISCOPE
       with the church political inciictment  of hierarchy, the                                                                1 (Review of events                                                                          `.
  cause of' this upheaval, and: the grounds `upon which the                                                                           especiaily  in the                   .
                                                                                                                                      Church' at -large)
 "Act of Liberation-or Return" is based.                                                                    . 1                                                      W.H. ; `M.G. ;                                          1
       .          Also ,on `this we are in a .posit,ion  to offer official                                                                                      L.V.; B.K. 4 5 .5
       information, and .that  :not  only from`Dr.  Schilder him-                                                                           MaJy  I suggest that the appointed contributors meet
       self, but also from others.  And `u,nder.  the @&urn-                                                                   .to d.iacuss  their 8department,  and somew.hat  systemat&
       stances it is probably best to let the others speak first.                                                                   their material?         The idea is, of course,. that the editors
                  But this must `iyait till our ii&t  issue, the Lord
                                      .I_                                                                                           take, care of `their departments consecutively;~  the' first
`willing..                                    =                  . .                                    ,_: .'                      named beginning October 1, etc. If they shoul,d  `de-
                           :                 ;_ .                        _. `.                        _ IH: H. .- `-                cide to assign the department to each editor for a'long-
                                                     _..
       ,                                                                  ., L                                                      er period than suggested above, this will be perfectly
                      . . '                                 t                                                                  ,satisfactory.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   H. H.




  .-.Schedik  For Th&itandatid Bearer                                                                                                 ,
                                                                                                                         `-

                  The following schedule for the next volume of our

 paper speaks for iixelf.  For various reasons, we  $de-

  I ciaded to introduce a few- changes `in, the setup, of the
 SCundard  Bearer. 1:nsteeh.  :of assignin,g  different sub-                                                                                                                          .            _.
       jects to various individual coiltributors,  we suggest                                                                               We !arrange               materials under the following
                                                                                                                                                            OLIT~
       that the material `of our ma.gazinebc  brought `under                                                                        `three points. .                 2
  various rubrics, and, that ldifferent  editors choose. the@                                                                              ;- _ 1) The Scriptures make mention of two `.
       own subjects under these rubrics. It seems to us that                                                                                   s u c h   c o v e n a n t s .  `"
       it will improve the.  &tents  of our paper by giving
                                                                                                                                             . .- 2) The two covenants compared.                                          - "
       the editors an' opportunity tp produce more systematic-                                                                 ._'             3) The relation .between  the two. '
 : `work.             Our choice of editors- was, in part, determined
       by the-desire to avoid conflict with `Concor$a.                                                      Natur-                          1) We are iustified.  in speaking.of  two such cove-
  ally; in our new system we have need-of fewer contribu-                                                                           nants  in view of the laa,guage  of the following scrip-

       tors than i.ii!  the old.  `And: we:limited  ourselves: in our .-ture  passages. i Jer. 31:3!-34  : "B,ehold, the days come,
       `choice, .as much as possible, to those of our ministers                                                                     sadth the Lord, that I. will make a new covenant with
  .who  are not already writing regularly for Co&or&.                                                                               the house  of Israel, and .with the house of Judah : N.ot
                 H.ere `fellows the' p&posed:  schedule                                                                        ,aoeording  to. the. covenant, that I made Iwith their,
                                                                                                 :                              -fathers .in the day that I took them by the hand to
                   .Rubric                   Editors                    Space-in Space ,in                                          bring them out of the land. of Egypt, which covenant
                                `.                                . .columns typewritten they brske, although I was a husband unto them, saith
                                             _                     -of S.-B.                          pages                     `the Lord:  .-But this shall be the covenant that I shall
M E D I T A T I O N                               H.H..            _._ 6 `.                               7-                        make with the house of Israel.                          After. these days, saith
       EDITORIALS                            H.H;                         4 5.:                                                the Lord; I will put  my .law in their inward parts, and
       OURDOCTRINE H.H:-. .7 _`_ .8 ._                                                                                              writeit in their hearts ; land .will.:be,their  God,. and they'
  .THE  DAY `OF                              .' _ .'                                                             .                  shall be my people.         And they shall teach no more,e+ery  :
 S H A D O W S  :                                                                                          .' ,'               --man `his neighbor, and every man .his`zbrother,  saying,
       (0. T. History):                           G.M.0,:'  : `7                                      8 -                           Know the Lord: for they shall  allknow-me, from the
       SIONS-ZANGEN.  G.V.-  -;                                           2%.                             6-                   `least of them `unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord ;
 * FRdM  H O L Y   W R I T  `.                                                         "                                            for I will forgive their- iniquity,  .and,  I will remember
 `.: `(Exegetical): G;L.;  H.V. ., c:                                                                                               their sin no: more." 
                                                                                  ,                                                                                             :     `.                      ' _ L
                                                                                                                                                                                             -.                             F-
                                                                                                                                                                                                   `-                              I.


              49%
                   _.,  `$ . .                            _                THE .S~T,ANDAR.D  BEARER -. ' ,, -. `_
                                                                o                   ,.                                _..

                         That the things here. prkdi,cted,  Iwhich  can ,be in-                                              .`Aoconding  to the above-quoted Scriptures, the` char-.
              cluded in the one statement, "`And I will make a new                                                   `acteqistics  of-the New Covenant l&re  the following::                   : .I
            covenant with the house of Israel" have- reference to                                                                                                           `\                  *:
                                                                                                                                It was new.                    `_,
              the ,N&w Dispensation and were.  fulfilled in the'inca$-                                                                                                 '
              nation.of  God's only begotten Son, His atonement,  exalt-                                                '       It does not wax old and vanish away but abides
                                                                                                                                e v e r l a s t i n g l y .
              atioa, ,+cl return to %His church in the Spirit,' is indi-
                                                                                                                                It, was made not lwith'the  fathers !a,&-  the time the
              cated  ,by the fact that the substance-of the above-cited
                                                                                                                                Lord' toolk them `by the hand to bring them  out of
            ' passage is quoted by the'writer  of the~Hebrews  i,n the                                                I / - the land of Egypt but twith Abraham; with Ada@
              tenth chapter of his epistle, as follows, "Wherefore the
                                                                                                                                i#q par&dise, better said with Clirist as its second
              Holy `Ghost is al;?a  a witness to us : for after thait  he
                                                                                                                                part `in the silence of eternity.                 :.
             hath said before, This is the covenant that I will make                                                                                                                             .-
                                                                                                                                -Further, it is )a unbreakable covenant by virtue
            * witsh them after those days, Saith the Lord, I will put
             Imy  lalws  into their hearts, !and in their mi&s "will I                                                         `,bf Christ's being its surety.
                                                                                                                                It is a covenant with more excellent promises.
              write them ; and their sins and iniquities shall I re-                                                   1.
             `member no more."                                                                                                 ,' Finally; it is a covenant  whose,  ,members  do not
                                               '                                                      ,                         say to one another; Know the `Lord.'
                        The matter to be observed is, that in the prophetic                                                                                                             a
              discourse of Jeremiah, .mention  -is made of two icove-                                                         _ Plainly, this new covenant is the- true covenant of
              nants, that the one iin distinctio.n  from the! other is                                                grace, the essence of which i.s love-God's love of His
            ' said to be. a new covenant, whitih saying implies that                                                  people in Christ Jesus and in that- love this people's
             the other stands out in the mind `of the prophe asbeing                                                  love of God. "I%LIS  it is pllain t.hat  the Scriptures do

              the `Old. The writer of the Hebrews over and  ov!e:r                                                    teach two covenants, the, Old and the New. T.his hav;'
      ,'      returns. in his epistle to the matter' of these two cove:                                               ing b:en  established, let me now say that my main pur-
     n a n t s .             Attend to these statements from his pen.                                       "By       pose m this essay is to bring out the difference be;
              so much was Jesus made aa surety of a better hovenant,                                                  twylf;en  these two covenants,. the Old and the New.                     Just

      ad chs.,p.  `7 :22 ; again iin the tihapter'  `following_ iBut now what was this Old Covenaant in ,distinction  from the
              hath he-namely Christ-oibtained  a more iexcellent' `New? It is .predominantly  with this question that I

             ministry, by. how much also- he is the tied&or  ,of  a                                                  am occupied in this writing;

             better covenant,' which `was establisheld  upon better                                                           Now- then .,just,  what was thisOld Covenant?

             promises. For, if the first covenant had. been ,fault-                                                          Let me ,affirm  in the `first place that the Old Cove-

             less, "then should no pltace  have been soughi for' the                                                 nant wais  not,, 18.8 to its essence, the  covenant  of grace.

       seconld."                 To, prove that God found .fault-!  with it,                                          Such is the view of Bavinck.                    We quote him, "Het Ver-

             the sacred  writer ins_erts  in his epistle thad passage                                                I bond ,op~ den Sinai is en blijft in  wezen  een genade- '
             from the ,discomse  of Jeremiah, quoted above j,and con-                                                verbontd.         Ik ben :de Haere Uw God, ldie U uit Egypte-
             eludes with saying, "In that-he saith, A new Covenant,                                                  -land, uit bet. diensthuis uitgeleid  heb, Ex. 20 :2, ,dat is

             he h&h made the first olid..                 .Now that which  idecayeth                                 . ?ii aanhef en grondslag der Iwet,  dat het wezen  van de
             and waxes old is_ re,ady'  to,  vanish away."                                The! implica-              genadeverbond. De Heere  is Isnsi!el's God voor en af-.
                                                                                                                                                                            ..
             tion of this last statement is, that the Old Covenant did  : gezien van alle waardigheid  van Israel en blijft dat
             ,indeed wax old and vani;sh  away.                                      " i                    eeuwiglijk.                   Het is een eeuwig verbond, dat zelf ,door
                        It is plain, that the Scriptures do teach two cove- geene-  zonden en ongerechtigheden  van Israel's zijde
                                                                                                                                                                                                . .
            -nants,  an old and a new, and that they very  e!mphatic-.  . *can Neflnktkd  wmh-"  1
                                                                                                                             . Mark you, Blaminck  here speaks  of "hetverbond  op
             ally adI'd definitely differentiate the.  two;                                     According
                                                                                                                     Sinai," of the covenant at Sinai, of the covenant that
             to the above quoted Scriptures, the-  characteristics of
                                                                                                      1 .,.          God instituted with Israel at Sinai.  Tjhus,  he here
             then Old Covenant are the following  :
                                                                                                      i              speaks of the ol,d covenant, that, God ,maide,  with Israel
                                                                                                      I-
                          It'was  old.                                                                               "in t,he day that 
                                            ' ' '                                                     I                                        `He took them," to ,express  ourselves
               It waxe'd,  olid  and vanished `aw'ay.                                            _i                  now in the language `of -the prophet Jeremiah; "by the
                                                                             . -                      !
                          It was, made with-the fathers in the  day! that. the                                       hand to bring them out of the  Iland of Egypt."                           And

                                                                                                                     the'teachiicg'  of Bavinck is to the reffect that this 01.11
*             L         ,`- Lord took-  them by the hand,`to  bring out `of the
                          land of Egypt. .                                                                           Covenant  is tissentially  the covenant of grace:                       But we

                         It was a' covenant with  membe,rs  in whose inward                                          again. affirm that this cannot Ibe,' the reason being

                          parts the Lord ,did not put hi;s law.                                 I'                   that, according to the S&iptures,  the old Covenant.
                                                                                                  :
                          It `was a covenant, broken by its members;  .4::It was                                     waxed old and vanished awa4y, while the new covenant,

                         thus far breakable covenant.                                                                the covenant of grace,, is everlasting. That'  Bavinck
                                                                     `.                               1.
                                                                                                                     here `makes the mistake of confounding  `the.  old cove-
                   .     It was a covenant whose members continually -said
                         toone  another; t`Know, th,e Lord".                                                         nant .lwith the new, that is with the  coven.&  of: `grace,`-
                                                                                          i                  _ .;
                                                                                                                     is plain from'the stamen& from his pen, just- quoted,
                         $t was a coyena-d  with infertor promise&
                                                                                               : !
                                                    -_' -                                             I
                                                     .                      -_                   .i,, _-                                                              .'


' `!Het is een eeuwig  velrbond,  .dat  zelfs :door  geene zonden                         which are written in the Lamb's  book. of life."

 en ongerechtighedsn `van Israel's zijde kan  vernietigd                                      The first Adam abided, not i-n the law; and he reap- .
 worden."                  Fact is that according to Holy Writ, the                       .ed ;death.    Man by nature is not in the law; he .is ,dead

 old. covenant was destroyed; it  tvlaxed ol :daed vanished                               in sin j and. Ideath teverlasting  .must be his portion,.
 -away; and thi,s  destruction. was occasioned by its being                               "God's people are in the. law, they being in Christ;.-for

 broken by Israel: Herein precisely this covenant  dif,                                   Christ is the righteousnessof His people.        Hence, they

 fers  from the new ,`which is never destroyed. .We con-                                  have life everlasting. To be in the law `must not be

\ elude; theref,ore,  that, Bavinck notwithstail:ding,  1 the                             confounded with- being u,nder' the law.         To be in the
 "oltd covenant" w:as  not the covzenant  of grace proper.                                .la,w is to .b:e in Christ Who is our righteousness, and

            `Now let me affirm in the second pip that neither to have the law in our inward parts. Thus, to be in?
 `was  the ol:d covenant' a covenant of works.                                  That      the law is to be lawful.     To be under the law is not to;
 nevertheless so'me  have held to. this view, is explain-                                 be in. Christ, is not to have the law in.the  inward par.&
 able.            This icovefiant,  being what it was,- a covenant,                       is thus to be lawless.      The wicked .are  under the law:.
 had two parts  to it, namely,~  Jehovah on- the-one hand                                 yet they are lawless.      God's people are delivered* from
 anhd  Israel on the other: `In this covenant, the people of                              the law by Christ's, ato/Dement,  yet they area  lawful,
 Israel were placed under the moral necessity of keep-                                    f,or  Christ put His law in their inward parts.  .Thus,
 ing the                                                                                  the law .from  whi,ch Christ delivered His own is'the
                   whole law perfectly.                  Obedient; they Iwould live ;
 such `was the promise:                        Disobedient, they :w:ould  be de-'         law `as Iexternal  to them, the'law by `,which  they were
 stroysd  by `.the `curse .of the Almighty; such w;as the                                 being. cursed.,.  The law as put in the, inwlard parts
 threat;            "Ye shall therefore; keep my statutes, and my                         does not curse.      It is the law that is external to a  man
 judgmems: which if a man #do-he  shall live in t,hem."                                   by which he -is cursed.         That God's'  people were ,de-
 Len. 18 :5..  "Cursed be he that ,donfirmeth  not all `the                               livered'from the law, means something more than that...
 words ;of .the  law.to  do them,"- Deut. 27 :26..                        So :di,d the    they,were  freed from the ceremonial preceptsof  the old
 Lord charge alnd'threater  Israel in the mohd covenant.                                  covenant. It means certainly that they were .delivered
 But the inference that .on this account this ,covenant                                   also. from, the ten commandments  (bust  from. these'oom-
.was one of works is wrong.                              T.he  i,dea of a covenant  of    mamdments  as ,an external code. :
 works is, that man, through keeping `the law, merits                                     . But if. the old covenant wan neither  broperly  a
 with God. aed  .that  on the, ground' of this merit he                                   cot-enant.  of grace nor .a covenant of works,-what then
 receives life everlasting. But :where in all the Old                                     was' it? And the answer.  The olld covenant ,wa's
 Testament Scriptures or' in the New for that matter'                                     shadow, type. *The proof of this is  that;`according'to
does God command man t,o merit with him and on. the                                       Scripture, `the d ,typical  ~o@nances  of divine. worship
-ground ,of hiis merit .promise.  him life?                         No,w here to be       belonged t'o-this, covenant.

 SUpZ?.                   striving on the part of a m,an  to merit with,
                  The                                                                      Let us quote Scripture here. j "Then verily the first
 Go!d -is s heinous sm. -It proceeds from the unwill,  to                                                   we read at Hebrews 9, `t`had abio ordin-
                                                                                          COVeiilBnt",' so 
 be saved by Christ, Would G.od  then tell men. to merit                                  :a.ncesof  -divine  service ,and.a  worldly sanctuary."    T h e
 with ,Him?,  ,God's` purpose in adding the law t,o the                                   writer !goes  on to Idescribe the rites .and sacrifices `of
 promise was. that the *law  be man's `schoolmaster' to.                                  this sanctu.ary  and iends with, isaying, "Which was .a
 Christ. Would he .then  tell m,en  tomerit  with j him?                                  figure for the time then present, in which were offered
 Is God `one to command men to sin? : Is, He a preacher                                   both <gifts and `sacrifices, that could not make'  him that
 of- lies? - But what then is-to be ,done with the Scrip-                                 did the , service perfect, 21s pertaining to `the con-
 ture, "whioh,  if a main .do, he shall live in them."                           This     science.`" In this Scripture passage,  the-  typical rites
 is no mandate that men merit with  God ,through  kekp-                                   and sacrifices of the Old  Dispelilsajtion'  are said to of
 ing the -law and receive as payment for their effort,.                                   the, old covenant-verse l-are thus identified  .with
 life. ,The  truth set forth ,in these mandates is this:                                  this covenant. This .i,dentification  of.  the typical things.
 Obedience ,and life, everlasting life, go hand in hand;                                  of_ the lalw with this covenant certainly amounts to  .i
 and likewise :disobedience:and  ideath  eternal.                           This can      literal and direct statement to. the,:  effect -that:  this
also be teixpressed  thus :-The reward of obedien,ce  is life.                            covenant was typical as to its character. It means
 The reward of disobedienc,eis  death, that is, life is the                               that what I have. &tablished  is, that the proposition to
 portioa'  of `that man only -who is and abi.des  in the law                              the ,etffect,  that the old covenant was type anBd shadow _
 of, God..-'  This was:  true' then; it, is true now and                                  an.d as, such a premdication  of the covenant of grace,
 everl&&.igly                   t    r    u    e    .          .' :                       is atif thoroughly Scriptural teaching;
  .         Not to be-in the' la ,wis-  to be i&l'& ;' ,an,d  no lawless.                  We must next address, ourselves t,o the task  of ,dei
man `.will  inherit `the kingdom in_ the final judgment;                                  fining this ol,d typical covenant of' grace.     The corre&
 !`And  there shall. in no  .wise  .entler .into it.+nto  the                             definition of ,the  true covenant of grace runs as follows.
 New Jerusalern_anything  that defiieth; `meither  : what-, The covenant of grace is a relation of frienldship  ,be-
 sQeyer  wo&eth  &ominatioR  or ?n&eth  a lia ;~%oat  they tween the triune Jehovah and tHis people as chosen  in
            /'

       '


 Christ Jesus tinto  life:everl&ting  in which Jehovah. for                    feasts, their' theo'cratic  kings David and Solomon, an?l

 Christ's sake -is the redeemer God and' Father of this                        t,he eras in which they. reigned ,the material  .good that"
 people and, in which this p'eople',are  Hi's peopl,e;,  children              w$s :Israel's.  portion \vheil  he kept covenant fidfelity,
 and heirs., Thus, the old  typical.~covknant  is to be de-                    Sinai and Jerusalem, the Babylonian captivity, the re-;
 fined as B relation between. Jehovah and the. peoplz                          turn .of the `remnant. to ,Canaan,  J~ertialem  rebuilt, the

 of I&%1,  in whi.ch  rel,ation  Jehovah ;ih the .symbolical                   mending of,. the breaches in .Jerusalem"s  walls,. the,

typical sense and for M'oses'  &ke,  `id the redeemer God                      zecond  `temple and the restoration of the temple ser-.

 atid  Father of this typical people and. in  which  this.                     vice. All. iyas  typical, a shadow of things heavenly;

 people are  the chihlren an'd heirs -of Jehovah again. in                     And all these things belonged to the old  covecant.  NOW
 thle typical sense.    The people:ofIsrael  in theircapacity                  it wouldnot,  do for me to show this of beach  of these

 of type ,were  indeed baptized not into Christ. but into                      things in order to bring ,out the symbolical-typical  char-

 Moses as the type ,of Christ.              W,e  have this from Paul.          ,a.cter  of the old covena.nt.  There is no time for-this.    I'

 I ,quote,  "Moreover, breth-ren,  -1 would `not that ye be                    sh.all .concentrate  chiefly only ,on one of. these. thSng.2,

 ignorant, how that all-,our  fathers  were under the cloud,                   uamely  the. symbolical-typical sacrifice by blood. There.

 and -all passed ,through  the sea; and. were ,a11 baptized                    was. such a shadow, sacrifice, atonement, to wit, the

 into Moses in the cloud and in the sea," I- Cor. I10 :l, .2;                  suffering and' dyim:g  of .an animal, a suffering'and  dying

 If the people oi. Israel, as type, were baptieed  into                        that formed a symbolical-typEcal  satisfaction for. sin

 Moses; it must be that thti.  .old  -typical .coven@t was                     and the fruitage  of .which  wais a, symbolical-typical-

 instituted withthem for.Moses,  sake.-' You ,w$ll dotice                      forgiveness of sin, a symbolidal-typical justificatihl

.that  I omitted from the definition  ,of this Ol'd Covenant,                  that`included  a symbolical-typical s%-&ification.  That

the word. friendship. This `typ'ical covenant $vas not                         shadow sacrifice, atonement, that sha;.dow  `justification

a relation of- friendship "as is the true covenant .bf I grace                 and san&cation,  wfere actual,,  but actual, -however,.
 which it typifies,`the  reason being that it was sym-                         only as shadows. Just what was that symboltial-typical
lbolical-typical  as30 its character. In .this old typical                     forgiveness of&n? In. what dird it co!:lsist?       Here, too;
 covenant,' thee  people .of Israel, as to its eltictj  nuceus;                Scripture is.-our only guide.        The .correct  answer will

no more enjoyed the frieu,dship  of Gold and pbssessed                         come to us, if. regarid  be -had.  to. the typical ,passover
 his' love as shed abroad in their hearts, -than  they,                        and its'related  transactions.       On the tenth .day, of ,the

 in:this  covenant, were truly justified. an.d` sa&tifie!ri,                   month, the chiljdren  of Israel, according to the instrue-.
 saved from their sins;      This, of cours'e,  is .not jdenying               tion of Jehovah, took unto them every man _a- lamb,
that the. elect of j the Old Dispensation .erijoyed the                        according to the house of the fathers, a lamb  .for,  an
 friendship of Gad %n,d  were truly saved. Go'd  .was                          house. -Th.e  lamb was without blemish,. a male of. the.
 their friend and Savior, to be sure:  -And  ,they  were                       first year.' It ,was  killed on the fourteenth ,day  of the
truly forgiven. but not on. accoant  .of. their ,being in this                 moilth.  Its blood was struck  on the two  side posts
 old typical covenant but on account  of their. being                          and 8 on the upper Idoor posts of-the houses, wherein
 in the true covenant of grace.             This old. typical. conenaut        they ate it, A&,d they ate it with haste; it was .the  *
 was not'a.relation  of friendship.               How could it Ibe,.  if it    I&d's passover,          For the Lord paas,ed through the land
 waxed old' and vanished .away. Chp~  God's Bove of His                        of Egypt that night, and smote all the firstborn in the
people wax old. and vanish away?                   Not being a&elation         land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the
 of friendship, this old covenant could includb,,  :as it                      gods of Egypt he execute&judgment, so we read.            An.&
 actually di!d in&de, the reprobated as well.!as.  the elect                   the.  b1oo.d  was to the chil'dren  of Israel .fdr  a token
 in the Israelitish Ination.     The truth of this statement                   upon the.,houses  where they w,ere;  and when the Lord
,will :be  born out.  by what I' still have to preseni  i,u the                saw the blood He passed them over a&the-plague was
.sequence.  The very fact that this old  -coveuant  did                        not- .upon  them to ,destroy  them, ,when .He smote the
 inolbude also the reprobated,, is so much  more* prbof  that                  land of Egypt . So Idid the Lord pass  over them and
 l$ was n&a relation.of  friendship. -                  .'     . ;.      a     spare their lives. Why. `did  He? Because they `were
     Having-`,defined  the ol,d zovenant,  let us no@ ibring                   l&s deserving, of death than the firstborn of .-Egypt
 plainly out its symbolical-typical character.  I-This.-  is                   whom :He smote?           Nay, but the reason was ..that they
 ,done by taking notice -,of the typical `privileges .a~hd                     were ,covered  with the shed b1od.d  of a slain.lamb,-the
 pr,omises,  typical blessings and.&rses  of this covenant.                    blood. in w&h  was the soul .of the, an.imaI  that by- its
 All the things of this covenant were typical; the people                      travail, in death had. symbolicaUy  atoned their sin,
,of-  Israel, together `with all their `institutions, their                    satisfied the offended majesty of God.  ,Thus, `that.
 Egypti,an  bondage, their deliverance from this bondage,                      syrnboiical-typical forgiveness ,of  sin consisted in their
the desert atnd  their iYanderings.  and resilden$e,  iin it,                  being covered by the-shed.blood  of the slaim lamb and

 their :.wars,  their extirpation of -the Canaanites, the                      thus in .being  vested with its satisfa:action,a  satisfac-
`land of. Canaan as their pl'ace of residerice, their priest -                 tie&  t&t `consisted in its sufferin  gan~d  death.       And
Food, their temple .and its worship,  their Sabb:&hs.  and                     what now, was- the _ fruitage  of this .symbolical-typical          `-
                                                                  ,
                                -_,                               i-.
                                             _
                                       .                          j
                                 _                                                                s,


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                                          .THE  .STANDARD~   B E A R E R                                      -


 -satisfaCtion?.  Wherein ,did it cons&t?  It obnsisted  in                   Adam, but by a second Adam, human  an:d  divine.

  their .heing freed for the moment from the obligation.                          Tht?  relintion  of t/G divi?e  cm3 the hurmxn i.92 Ch&t.
  t&suffer. the Denalty  `of physical  death .and  ilil their                 Thi$  w`as not espec,iaUy  Idiscussed  and settled until the

  brein,g  brought by Jehovah f i!rst  -to ..hount  Sinai .and                Nestorian -and Eutychian controversies  of the fifth

  lastly-into the typical rest of the earthy.~ty@i&l  Ca.naan.                century.
  That, there actu&lly was. such a symbolicaMypica1  for-                         _The doctrine `of the Holy  Spir&.  It was pot de-                             d
  giv,eness of .sin, that its fruitage  consisted in their                    veloped in this period (l-300  A.D.) ..- It :did-not  become

  being. freed f.rom tlie obligsition.  of suffering the .ien'                a. subject of special .,controversy  until the middle  of-

  alty ,of.  physical --d&ath,  is prov'ed  `by the fact elf .Je-             the fourth centqry.         The `early  church. experienced.

  hovah's passing 6ver `them .on..ac?ount  of their being                     the regeilerating,  sanctifying, and comforting qpera-

  covered by the shed #blood ,of a slalirn.  lamb.             And this:.     tion  .of the- Holy Spirit but produced no th6ologie.11
  symbolical-typical `forg%ness  of si:n ,+nd %he fr.uitagti                  :defiI$$on  &f His nature and work.        Yiet  the ante-Nicene

  tl$ceof, was be&%ved  upon all,  upon. reprobated- and                      fathers  were, agreed that the Holy Spirit is the sole,

  elect alike. .The  .n&tural  liv&: of `aEZ were prolong&AZ2                 agent in `the application of redemption,' is essentially.

  w&e freed from Egyptiajn  bondage. `And many, if not _ divine; and is a ,distinct .p&sonatlity  in the Go.dhead.                                              ..
  most, of those w,ho  came into  the actual -posses&on of                    i The Holy Trk$y.           This doctrine was ,as imperfectly'
 -the earthy Canaan were.,reprobated.  The latter, too,                       dev'eloped,  iii, this perio:d,  as the ,doctrifie  of the divinity.
  werle  symbolically holy, )-they,  as well ,as the others; - of Christ and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit,. As

 being covered  -by the shed blood. of. the slain lajrnb.                     alr?ady  has been pointed out, Tertullian; N&ation  and-

  And this blood, as cqntil6ually  shed, gt the san&uary  in                  the Roman Bishop Dionysius stood c180se $0 the Nicens

  after  years, cofitinued  ,t~ merit also f,or  the ,reprobated              `doctrine . ,tOf.the View of the last named a fragment is.
  the right to natural life in the earthy Canaan -and  thq                    contained in the writings of Athenasius  that reads,

  right to enter t,he  `,courts  of: the? ea.rthy  tabernacle to              "Then I must declare again&  thos'e  who alnnihilaite the

 behold the'beauties  of the/Lord.  Yet thod&h  symbolically                  most sacred Tdoctrine  of .the church by ,dividing  and de-

 righteous, -forgiven and clean, they were  cursed,-'  not                    solving the unity `of God ,itito  three pow'ers, sej?arate

L symbolically but truly. .I( Symboli,c+lly;  as inembers .of.'               hypostasis, and deities.       This notions  is_ just the oppo-
. the old .typiead  covenant, they were blessed, whi&                         site of Sybillitis.    For iwhile  the latter woul:d  introduce
  meanis.\`thah  -they were- not more t.ruljr.-,blessed  than                 the impious doctrine, that the Son is the salme  as the
  trnly  forgiven .amd .saved.)         It. ought cow,  to be l&in,           .rather,  and  the corivense,  the former teach in some
  certainjy,  that this 6&l  cov&ant,  .i.ncluding_  as. it did               sense three <Gods,  by .divildJng  the sacred unity into

  reprobat&  as .well  as elect, was not a relation. of true                  three fully-divided hypostasis . Bdt the' divine  logos.                     ,
-fri&dship.            To say %hat  it gas is `to arise to the' de-           niust bae inseparately  united with God of  al.1,  and in God
  fense of common grace.?'                                       .,           also the Hioly  Spirit must Id.well  Bso that the <divine
                       `, ._                             G .  .%I.-0.  .:     tria:d  must  be comprehended in one, viz., the.all-ruling
                                   :        \                                 Go,d  as in one head."      He concluded,- "The divine ador-
                              :         ..i ;;                                able;unity  must not thus be tout up into three deities;
            i :.                                         -,
  - `. ii                                           *                  ,`.    tn.0 .more  may .the transcendent idignity  and greatness
   .-             _                                                           of the Lord be lowered by saying, the Son is created  ;
  . . -.                                                                      but we mu;st beli&e.  in God the Almighty Father, zltid
                                   :                                          in Jesus Christ His Son,' and in the Holy Ghost.,  and.

  `y The Do&i&  of the Early Church                                           must consider the Logos inseparately'united  with God
             .                                                                o,f $11; for tl3e  says, `I anii rr$ Father am one.'       In this

         The .huFnity:  of Christ. ' The same church  *athers                 way `are  -both the divine triad and ,the sacred.  doctrine
  -Origin;  Clement of Alexandria, Ireneus,  Tu,rtullian                      of the unity of the Godhead preserved inviolate."
  and others-~clearly.a&$orcibly  assert  Christ'%  human-                     R'edemptiox.          The Scriptures everywhere teach  sal-

 ity .and refute ldocetism  at l&g&;              Do&ism,  <de_nying          vat.ion  -throilgh Jesus Christ, ,but  it required time for
  the, full 1-e'ality of ' the 3iumati n&ure.  of Christ,. co%                t&e  church  to gain a clear view  qf the profound ideas
  rupted it' to:,-a  spectre,  aln. appari.tion.  These fathers               of Holy WAt respecting redemption.             From the begili-,

  `attiched  great importance .,t.o Christ's fl:eSh,  that- .is;              niing  the church  ,elmbraced  the-  truth about the`atonitig

  to. His f@l and, complete human nature, His viEgin  birth                   sacrifice of Christ, and the cross :dominated  all Chris-               ,
  `and His sufferi,ng  and `.dyin;g  on the cross.             Theji &n-      tian thinking and conduct in the early church;  -but.
  tended that Christ must be man,. like unto us in ,311                       God's people lived niore in the enjoyment of redemp-

  thingij  silil, .excepted,  if He-woul,d  red&em  us from `cor-             tioin  than in'logieal  reflection of it.`- W&t  is more, ihihis

  ruption &n& ml&e us perfect. y f&s sin and #death came. doctrine never becake,  like Chr.istology  and the trinity,
  into the worlid  by:a man,' so they .cotiM be jlotted out                   the subject of- controversy.         The. syrribols  of the gen-

  only -by `a man, though *not by `a mere descendant of                       eral sytiods  c@npar&.iire'iy  say ,l-ittle abo.ut  it !dire'ctly,
                                                                                          .


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  48?                                                  .!I~&. STA N_DAR  D B'E,+`UR:E'R                                                 _
                                I

The chprch.  first began to develop  ,its  :doctrine  of the                       angels indeded  and to all, men ,head  for ,head,  includ-

  work of Christ in its  struggle  ,with the J'ew,ish  and                         :ing the` reprobabed.       Ultimat&y,  he talught,  all, rational

  heathen heY'ejy.  The ,deistic Ebioni,sts  held  Christ to                       creatnr&+will ,be saTeId.       `Origin  was the first  universal-

 `,be  a mere teacher,    With them man himself  establishes                       ist in the-historical sense of the term.                                ,, .Q
  his .righteodsnes$  .before  God by hi& good wdrks.                      The         Soteriology.~  .Th& :doctrines  of regeneration, con?

  Pantheistic Gnosti&  vdefined sa!vat?on  aa an intelle@ual                       version, faith,. justification ,ad  sanctification  were'im-

  achievem&  of man that&nsists  in his liberating liis                            perfectly sdeveloped~  in this salge,  even with `Au.gustine.

  sinlless spirit .from  the shake113  of `matter, regarldled  as                  The- fundamental truths that were brought into the

  the principle of evil. Accoidingly,  they denied that                            foreground in this &and the subsequent period  are thi
  Christ `had vicariously atoned for the sins of His people                        obj,e.ctivte  doctrines: of- th.e  incarnAtion ,.the, trinity, the

  and ascribed to His sufferings and death%  ;symb.olical                          humanity  and the .divirnity  of ChrBt.                   Paul's ,doctrine

  significan,ce.  ..                                                               -of jnztificatibn  by faith  was l~ittle  thdught into: The
      Clear traces of the ;doct,rine  pf Christ's re.demption                      m:lin.  emphasis was placed on san&ificat.ion  and go03
 ,appear  in the writings`of  the fathers of this perioll.                  Iii    wprks.  The germs of the Roman Catholic doctrine of:
 an anonytiious  letter $0 the unkeowtn:  heathen Diognetus                        the meritoriousness of, good works `was already exist-

  is cont%ined  .a remarkable passage showing that the                             ant. The soteyioloigical  doctrines did. not receive full

  church ha:d grasded  the idea of redemption long befpre                          attention until the age of the Reformation.                       `.
" an attempt.was made at., de&inition.                 The passage reads               BickatoZogy.  `Be. ,dor$rine  of the "Last Things"
 in-part, "When our wickedness had rea!ched iti height.,                           is--logic&y -last `i;n order; but it was -first in -the mind of

  anI3 it had. been clearly show? that .its  reward was                            the eaily  church, the re$soti  being that the Ante-fiicene`

 pending over  us. . . . God Himself took upotn  Him the                           Christians ,w&e  f,ew in number and were persecuted:
 burden of, OUT iniquitia-,.              He gave His own Son as a                 by a hostile world and that it was.no$-foreseen  that
  ransom for us, the Htoly `One for transgressors; the                             the leaven of Christianity was to,  p&me&e  the whole

 . bla&eless  One for the wicked, the righteous One for                            civilized worl:d;       Most of the he&then  believed in a kind.
 the  unrighteous, the incorrup;tibl8  One for th$ corrupt-                        o,f existetice  beybnd  the grave, but their:.notion  of t.he

 iblle, the mortal, One for,  them that are mortal.                        For     future life was  false, confused ,and `vague in contrast

 -what other `thing was capabl'e  of covering our. sins than                       to the. Christian `doctrine of fuk.uye life which was trne,

 Hi.s ri;&teonsness  ?    Bjr ,what  other ,611e `was  it possible                 c1ea.r  ,and glorious. Tche  heart of: this do&rine  -is ths

 that wq ,the-wicked  snd the,ungodly,  could-be justified,                        return of Chkist.  to judgment with its, eternal-  rewards

 than by the Son of God? 0 sweet exchange!  6 -un-.                                of punishment and bliss.               '
 searchablje  operation !-    0 -benefits surpassing all expect-                       The d,octr:ine  of ths intermediate state. The:`beliefs-

 &tion  ! That the wickedness of the many  shotibcl be` hid-                       of the ea$y church `regardin.g  this Ido'ctrine  can hi,
 den in a single righteous one,-and the  righteousne,?s  of                        summed ,ti'p  in the follo.wing  aiabementiu.

 6he. One shoulid.  justif:;r  many transg&ssors."                   Ir,ar@eua         The &ints  of the Old  Testajment  Dispensation were

 is the first ,c.hu&h  .father  who carefully ,analyzed  the                       in Shoal ,the realm  of the dead, waiting to  be redeemed.
 work `of' Christ's redemptioin.                   Hits. view. is the. pro-,       This, it was #believed, was accomplished by the local'

foundest  that;can  be f,ound  anywhere  i_n the first three                       descent, pf Christ into hell.          The  .ma,rtyni.  pa,ss  im-

  centuries.- Chris't he sets f,orth  as the' sedond Adam,                         medi$ely  into heaven, but the'maiority of Christians;

 who lived .iri himseTf oui entire alif,e  from chil&ood .to                       .being imperf,e'et,  enter for an indefinite period the rest,

 manhoozd  with.?{  view.to  redeeming humanity from the                           called &-paradise  ,where  they remain until ripe.  fo&

 .fa$`.and  raising it to a state  of, p&tie&ion.  Redemption                      heaven.     Th.ey  wh'o died in. their .sims io d6wn  to th6

 he :dlefines  aIs the taking' away of sin by the perfee?                          region of hades or. hell, w.here  they remain in ,expecta-

  obedience .of Christ, in the ,destruc;tiom!  of death by                         tioi'of .the judgment., .:For  -the' Christians in panaldise

  Christ's vic$ory  over Sat&, am3 in the communication                            the living, pray.       This, conception shows a close' agree-
 ,to man of a'new  and holy .li%.            For the socom@lishment                ment with  the Roman  Cathol,ic-,dactrine  of purga$ory.

 of this work the Red,eemeS  united in Himself $he divine                          which preyailed in. the.  Western Church through the

 atid t.he'  human natures, for only God'~coul,d  Ido what;                        weight of. the.  authority of Augu.stine.  _..

 man .coul,d  not ,do.,  The whole life of Christ was  -a life                         The early  Christians believed that:-those  who are

 `qf , contia!uo'us  perfect obedience of which. &he climgi                        sa%ed  e:ijoy  cpmmunion  with God forever... 0.n the final
 was .~Hifi .s.@fering  ,on the cross.                 Origin considered           state of the impenitent there were three- views`in the.-
 man, in consequence of his bin,, the rightful property of                         chdrch.     a) Everlasting punishment,. This wa)s,.  the

  Satan ,in the'sense  that the ransom was paid not to                             orthodox view. The final anihilation:of  the wicked, a

  God but to Satan, whd corisequently  lost his right, to                          conception tha$,  qriginated  with Justin Martyr; c)

 man ;. but he. al&o, conceives of ,Chri@`s  (death as ,&x                         Final restoration' of, .a11  rational beings;  including fallen

  atoning.  sacrifice to God for &us sin.                     He `exten'ds  the    angels  aua:d;  those *who  ,died  in %hheir  sink+,  to holiness aad

 fruti: of: reaeti$ti6n  tn. the .w8yde spirit world, @dlep                        bliss;.       ,. .,' - . ._ -... . . .. .G_ M. Q, :
                                                                                                                                   i_ _
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          :.              . ,.             ."'                                                  Testament. En ten laatste heeft Hij van vrede ge-
     -. : Gebed 8ti:G&adt%m  Genade                                                             sproken t6efi -Jezus  Christus op `aarde. Tjerscbeen.  IAAlle
                                                                                                spreken Gods  is het spreken van vrede `tot ZijIn volk en
                                                                                                                                                  <
                                                                                                gun&g&-i&&i;        D e   i n h o u d   d e s  Ou~den Testametits  is
                                                                                                stee.& :' Ik heb U lief, o Mijn volk !       Eiti Ik zal U bren-
' jq" ~33%~ `ps&m & `&' g$Ml. voor gen?d&  De  v o r i g e                                     g& in- de ,a%mosfeer  en plaats van eeuwigen vrede'!                      E n
       tiaal,' dat we 5ets schreven Ov&  deze& psa&m  kitibben  ive                             zoo ook is let sppekvn, leven en ste?v&i. van Jezus, alt-
       gezien;dat  .de dichter' den HeeFe en ht &led&-kende.                                   maal het sljreken  van vrede, `de vrede Gods.                        Dat' bit
' In ,de eerste',drie verz&  b a d   h i j  gesproken,+an  G&                                   ioo is, merken we als we-naar Jezus luisteren vlak VOOY
     .`groote godheid over Zijn volk, o,& Zijn'gunst voojn                                     !&jn sterven.       Dan zegt, Hij tot Zijn jongeren: Vrede
     *het  l a n d  Karqns.  ,' ..: :            : ._                                           laat Ik u, mijnen vrede geef Ik u: niet gelijkerwijs.de
                Da&qa  .hebben  we beh@d&  de `verzen 5-8 `waatin                               wereld hem geeft, geef Ik hem'u.
       de dichter` den fieere'  yneekt. om. genkde voor het zon-                                    Let ook op deze laatste cl%usule. ' Zij heeft bijzonde-
       tdige Israel  v a n   z i j n  ,dag. -                  "                                ren nadruk in deze dagen.. Jzus geeft onrs niet dhn
                En nu zullen .we begnnen  met da%`ged~eelte van dr31                           vre& `der qereld.           De vrede `der .%reld- is oizvrede en
       psalm,, de verzen -9 en 10; wa& w&het geloof van cl&                                    gkoote rebellie.          Daarom kunnen wij. ons niet zoo erg
      ps&ni~it zien: liij zal Stillekens  tiachten op wat ,de                                   verblijden in ,den vrede ,die in deze dagen over Amerika
     `Heene :doen. zal.       En d,dichter w6et`  wat Hij .doen ial.                           gekomen is. Want de groote oo%log tusschen  den godde-
       Daar  spreekt veYs 11 .van. `Dit vers is het hart van den                                1,oozen  menschen. en, zijn: Go$ is gebltiiiren.             En .die oor-
       psalm, van den Bijbel, j&, het;:& `het hapt vati alles.                                  log is teel veqs=hrikkelij,keri  dan. de ocvrlog ,dbe woedde
       "De gerechtigheid e'n vrede zullen elkander kussen !"                                    tusschen Japati en ons land. En de uitgieting -van
       Daar- zullen ,we latr ,meer- van hooren.                                                Gods toorn zal veel verschrikkelijker zijn, i&%a de
          r En .de psalm `eindigt meti een beschrijving .van het                                grootsbe'  Atom Bom tdie men kan maken.                        _.
       volk Gods  zooalis  het zich baden rqlg  in Iden'glens vam                                   Qe tweede gedachte die onze aandacht vraagt is,
       G&d#s~  liolitend aangezicht.                                                            deze: Er is een volk hetwelk -dat spreken van. God
         E e r s t '  din dat geloovig en stil  <wachten  `Van de;                              aangaande ,den vrede hoort ! En dat 5s het w&der van
.-  p s a l m i s t .  1                                                                        `onderwerpelijke genade ,,waarvan  deze psalm spreekt.
_       Hij ?egt  : !`Ik zal, hooren. wat God ,de Heere spreken                                 De ,dichter vkaagt  om genade voor genade. Dat wil ,'
      zal; wSant Hij x$ tot Zijn volk en tot `Zijne  g u n s t -                                zeggen : genadie om genalde te mogen ontvangen in het
       genot,en$  vq vrede spreken;' malar idat. zij niet weten                                hart.. A?s men' geen .gFnade ontvangt in het diepe
       tot dwaasheid  k_eeren  . Zekerlijk, Zijn heil. is nabij                                 h a r t ,   h o o r t  men:hi&  sprieken  van God niet. Daal*-
       ,degenen  #die Hem'vreezen, opidat in .tis land eer wone."                              tbgepov'er,  als de HeeTe  ons hart' vernieutyt,  Zijn licht
           God :de Heer& spreekt `vrede . Dat iiS de eersbe ge-                                 dt stralen  in de ,dwaze  duist.ernis  yan. ons fiatuur-
     . dachte de qn~eband~acht  v&agt.                        Wit won&, hier .bU-  _ lijk bestaan, dan hooren wij de .woourden van Gods
       doelt met Yrede? Vrede is de Goddelijke deugd van                                        vrede. jezus sprak daarvan toen' Qij zei,de: `Wij~i?t!
       harmonie, sqnenstemming  in de sfeer, vam,  liefde.                               Uit    schapen hooren Mijne stem en zij volgen Mij &i Ik
     , : het verdere van denk psalm is het: dui,delijk,  <dat  de vrede-                        geef h& het" eeuwige leven !"
       W~SY  hiervan spkake is, eeti ,-sta& en toestaed -is van                                     Zoo kunnen we er iets?  yan `verstxan,  w,anneer de
       ,den mensch van Go&.  welbehagen `. 0Xet gaat. hier .over                                dichter zegt : Ik zal ~hooren ,&,t God de Heere spreken
       Zijn volk en Zijne ~gunstgenoten.                       Erni'Tdan  is, Ide vrede         zal van Zijne wondere vrede!
       waarvan God ,de Heere spreekt de halrmotiice,  samen-,                                       Dat is het kenmerk van Goddelijke genade. Zulks
       stemming  in de sfeer van- liefde tu&chen God en                                         -doet de ,natuurlijke  menlsch nooit. Als hij `iets van
       mensch: .Als ge vrede hebt met God,, ;dan is het stil                                    God. `hloort,  het maakt niet uit in welken  ,graald of in
      in Uw hart ,ook al zoudt ge temildlden.van  groote oorlog                                 w&<en vorm, hetzij vanuit de_ natuur of' van uit het
       zijn.       Evenwel, nadat Ad-aJn en Eva -in de zonde'vielen                             KoninkrijB  Gods  als verworpen- verbonciskind.  al wat
       ia yrede v.er van i3en -mens&.              Er herischt onvrede in                      hij d.oen tkan is zeggen: Wijk van mij, Heere God! `aan
      -het-hart  en leven`van elk mensch, `zooals we v%n nature                                 d.e ,kennis Uwer weg& heb ik geen .lust! IHlj is adwa.as.
       zijn. Wij zzijn vijanden vin God en onderwerpen ons                                      Doch Gods  kind luistert gaarne naar' de 3iefeliJke  lil&-
     ' ider Wille ,.Gods  niet ,want we kunnen oojk niet.                                       tken yan de woorden Gods  die tot hem kometi  om hem
                Doch God spreekt vrede! En ,dat as hetzelfde als                                te vertellen van,de goddelijke vre!de. Daarom gaan iirr!
       het iggen;Adat  .Gods  h&l ,nabij. is. (Zie vers 10) .-                 . . ,           zoo gaarne" na:ar de $er:k; Welzalig `is de metis&  die
                God heeft van vrede tusscben  Hem. n iij:n volk ge-                            het -geklank ken!,!                              _, ' .._
       sprokeii:van  :den aanvang der historje a'aln:` Eerstsprak                                   Nu komt er ook nog een negatieve" ;stem bij: H.cb
       .Hij vac vrede -in het Paradijs: En `nadat ;de mens&                                     spi-eken Gods  van den vrede dien Hij uitgedacht heeyt
     v a n  :Hem` 2&3i@l  :spra%  Hij valn .%rede in- de moeder-                                in~`Christus Jeius, zegt `ons ook nog-,dit  :`Patit  c$, tiijn
       $xllc>fte,  ,' %q 2220. Poo&, tot alle prof&g  Sn' ,tiet  O u d e                        vol&, ,dat gij niet .w.ederom terugkeert. naar (de -dWas-
                                                         _-         . _:
                     /                                                                                               /            i                    ,-
                              a         ' *.                                                       " >


                        "


                                                        _



                 484                                                   THE' S'T'ANDARD  YB'@-ARER

                 heid !      Valt niet terug `in Uw: vorig bestalan vaii ,. de                               Dit alles is vervuld in `Christus Jezus. De waar-
                 vijandschap Gods.         -Laat een ieder die den -Naam  Gods                           .heid ten overstaan .van ,Gods volk is verzoend in de
                 uitspreekt afstaan van ongerechtigheid. De positieve                                    goedertierenheid. En als *die ,omhelzing  compleet is,
                 lijn van Gods  geboden en zegeningen houdt altoos in                                    `treedt Zijn volk ,te voorschijln.als  kinderen der waar-
            het negaitief  verbod.                                              >                        heid. Als de gerechtighe!id aan `t eischen gaat ten over-
                        Nu komt ter een bange vraag ,in Isrel van alle -staan van Jezus die de ver$egenwoord.iger -is .van het
            leeuwen. `Esn de vraag is deze. Hoe. is dit mogelijk?                                        volk. Gods,  dan betaalt Jezus den prijs die lde gerechtig- _
                 Hoe kan Gold tot ons spreken van vrede?%  Wij zijn,don,                                heid deed. En ,dan mag -Gods  volk stiBe zijn in den
                 dwaas, Gode-vijandig en waar-d .om tot in alle- eeuwig-                                 vrede Gods.
           ,heid verdoemd te worden.                    Hoe kan dan God liefelijk                            Doch let er.,op, de kus der .gerechtigheid  en de vrede
            ispreken van vrede voor ons en ons straks  .opnemen  in                                      is het kruis.    In de omhelzing w.aarmede God Zijn volk
            het vrede;rijk?                                                                              om,helst  snikt Jezus : .Mij.n God, Mijn God, waarom hebt
                     Ht antwoord zat al in den naam! Zijn volk en Zijn                                  G i j   M i j  yerlaten?!                  , __
                 GUNSTGENOTEN.  Evenwel, het wordt ons in het                                                ILuistert nu even naar Jesaj,a,  adie van verre d,& om-
                 schoone  elfde vers duidelijelr, verklaard. In dat vers                                 helzing gezien heeft: De st,raQ dieons, de vrede aan-
            zit de leeuwigheid,  de eeuwigheid van ,onbegrij.$elijke                                     ,brengt was op .Hem  en door Zijne striemen is ons,ge-
            goedertierenheid en vrede. In dt vers zi.t  het kruis -,nezi,ng geworden! Hier hebt ge :dezelfde! zaak als we
            van Jezus Christus.                                                                          beluisteren in ons v'ers. De plaats waar God de aarde
                    Laat ons [dat trachten te verklaren.                                  _              kust is rood gekleurd met h&bloed van een onstraffe-
                     Doch eerst zullen .we hlet vers afschrijven. "De lijk.Lam, het volmaakte onbevllekte slchtoffer.
           `goedertierenheid en de waarheid zullen elkander  oilt-                                           En vanaf het, kruis is de overwinning.         Rondom'dat
            moeten, de gerechtigheid en vrede zullen elkander kuLs-                                      kruis `komt het zaad. Daar sprak ook Jesaja -van.
            sen." vers 11.                                        j                                      Hij zou zaald zien! En -dat.  zaad zijt gij, mijn broeder
                    Eerst moeten we zien, wat de beteekenis is vaan  de                                  en mijn zuster.
            w a a r h e i d   e n   d e   g e r e c h t i g h e i d .      1                                 Luistert maar: De -waarheid zal uit de aarde sprei-
                     Die waarheid is ,.die deugd waarin alle openbaring;                                 ten1 . . . vers 12. Dat beteekent, dat er overal, uit alle
            van leven is in de juiste verhoudingen naar de ordon-                                        volken, talen; n&in en volken, er een volk zal zijn. die
            n a n t i  n  Gods: _ De\ ~wa&hid  is Ide rechte lijn.                                DDE -' de lijnlen recht trekken, ,de ordonnantin Gods  liefheb-
            leugen is de kronkeling, de slang, de <duivel.                           :                   ben, een volk ,dat zingt : Wat vree heeft elk .die_ Uwen
                    De gerechtigheid is die deugd, waarin  .alle .willen wet bemint.                                                                       . `, .:
            efn begeeren overeenkomt met`de norm van het hoogste                                            Dit .alles is .de gekruiste' Christus die in Zijn volk
            goed, en dat ,is God.                                                                        een zaad tot ,openbariing  brngt,  een zaad dat overeen-
     _-                                                                                                  komt met het deugdenbeeld van God.          Als ge ,den Heere
            d       Nu gevoelt ge, dat als de waarheid en de  gereohtig-
            beid oas gaan ,onderzoeken,  `als  die twee .ldeugden langs                                  bemint en naay  Zijn geboden wandelt. is .het, gelijk aan
            ons leven gelegd wor,den, er `niets- van ons `overblijft.                                    een zaad der waarheid dat uit de aarde spruit:.               :
      .Als de rechte lijn der waarheid `en als het zuivere en                                                En de, gerechtigheid zal van den hemel nederzien.
           goede willen vergeleken wordt bij het leven zooals wij                                        vers 12b. ' -.                                          .'
            het beleven van nature, Idan _lijft er in dien ordels-                                         God legt-zijn  maatstaf va!n `t hoogste goed langs `het
           ldag nits over van ons. -Danmoeten we nalar de waar-                                         leven van .zulk zaad en Hij, zegt i En ziet het `was  zeer
            heid en de gerechtigheid ver.dolemd-  worden. En zoo                                         ,goed. _ Dan komt een engel haastig, gevlodlen'-en  zegt
<          geschiedt het dan .ook voor `millioenen.                                                      tegen ,.Daniel : Gij zijt. x$en,  zeer `gewenschte man'en
                   Evenwel, het wonder van den tekst is dit: de waar-                                    noemt `God -David en man naar Zijn hart! O,m.den
            heid en de goedertierenheid ontmoet&Y  elkaar.                                               Hesre aangenaam te zijn: het .is het hoogste goed voor
                    We hebben iets gezegd van den` vrede : `het is har- -den mens& Het is -het zaad dat uit >de aarde-spruit
            monie met God in .de sfeer van eeuwige liefde..                               Goeder-        en hetwelk een< groote oogst spelt aan ,het -ei;a,de  do?
            tierenheid is, de zucht .des Hleeren .om` Zijn volk wel                                      dagen. Die Engelen' Gods  zullen komen om die-oogst
. te `doen i Die goedertierenheid is geweldig over die                                                   i n  te-,garen. . .--; .. .Om "t eeuwig welbehagen;     Het. is
            .Hem vreezen.                                                                                uit God, door God'en tot God.      A:lBeroem  is uitgesloten.
                    Welnu, het `wordt in den psaim ds een feir gekon-                                       .Dan zal ,d,e Heere het goede geven,. en ons land zal  '
            stateerd, dat de waarheid e:n de goedertierenheid elkasar z i j n  vru,cht  geven, vers 13. _ - .'                                        '
     ontmoeten en dat ,de `goedertierenhei,d,  en de vrede                                                   0, ,zegt toch aiet,. zooals weleer de Redacteur -van
            elkaar kussen.           En !dat `is Iniets minder dan het wonder                           `The Banner,  dat .dit aar.dsche voorspoed is. Het goede
            der `genade. ,God drukt het volk, dat in zichzelf dwaas                                      en de vrucht des lands is, geestelijlk:  Het goede en de
            en krom is. aan Zijn hart. En omdat de  di'chter dat                                         vrucht is de zegen' Gods.      En *die zegen kan Ier zijn al
           lgel,ooft,-  zal h,ij stillekens  wachten totdat God wee.?                                    hebt ge bijna geen brood in huis, mitsgaders'smart  en
      spreekt -van eeuwige vrede, `. `                                   -, _.                          nood  mor `$3 vJeeach,       EIij-  zal -hun  .3 -goede niet. in

                                                                                               \


                                         T.HE. S,T.ANDARD  BEAR.ER                                                                      485


,nood  .onChouden.zelfs  tot i'n den dood. . . . Als `t goede two commandments hang all th_e law and the pro-
ons van God toekomt, dan geeft het niet al waart  ge die                      phets."
bedelaar  <die aan de poort.,des  rijken lag. -1k  ,denk hier                     The ,impliaation  of these ,words of Christ, as far as
aan  een ouden .v.romlen  man ,die  ik kend:e  in ,mijn prille                the Decalogue .is eo.ncerned,  is readily understood. It

jeugd. Die-man' sprak overal  van God en Zijn won-                            is evident that our Lord refers in this passage to what,

dere dad-en.  Hij Inoemde  !dat "van `t. go:ede  spreken".                    is commonly known among us as the `ttwo  tables of the

Later noemde _men hem : "Van `t goede". En die naam law." We need?-& at this time, with a view to the
(ik noem  het een eerenaam) kleefde hem zoo aan,  dat                         purpose of this essay, dwell ,upon  the controversial
ik op dit dogenblik zijn.vol1.e  naam niet ken.          Het goede            question which conce>rns  the content, of each table of

is, als Uw leven verborgen is met  Christus  in God.                          th,e law.      It is sufficient .to observe that the law of

    H e t   e i n d e   i s   d e  hemel.                                     God does refer to a two-fold relationship, namely, our

   De gerechtigheid-  zal voor Zijn aangezicht henen-                         relationship toward G,od and our relationship t,owar  d

gaan, en Hij aal ze zetten op ,dfen weg Zijner v:oetstap:                     the neighbor. Christ Himself declares that we must
                                                 . .
pen. vers. 14.                                                                love God ,with  all our heart and soul and-mind, and

    Die gerechtigh~eid,  zagen  we, is het willen  en be-                     a.lso. that we must lo!ve  our neighbor !as ourselves.

ge.ren  van het waarlijck  goede. Welnu, adie gerechtig-                      Notice that, Jesus here establishes the unity of the

heid gaat henen voor het aangezicht Gods.'              Dat Aangei            law of the L0r.d.      The obligation to love the Lord with

zi&t Gods is Jezus, Hij wandelt steeds op dat.goede                           all #our being i.s. not the .greater  of the two command-

pad.                                                                     ments. It is .the great commandment. To be sure, we

  En de Heeire  .neemt  U beet en zet Uw. voetstappen                         also read that it is first.    But this ,does  aot mean that

op #den  weg Gods.      Zeide Jezus niet : Ik ben de w,eg,  de                the othe,r  commandment is second in the.sense  that it is

waarheid ,en het leven?        Dat wil z,eggen,  Ik ben ,de weg               another, independent of the love of God. The' fact

door de waarheid en het leven. En dit is Uw hemel,                            .remains  that the Love of God is the great command-

dat ge moogt wandelen op datt pad.                                            ment: Hence, it is.,first  in th'e sense that it is basic.

    En als ge op dat pad wand&, komt  ge uiteindelijk                         It must alwa!ys  precede the other. (Only in the.lovs

bij: ,den Vader terecht.         Dat is de hemel van den                      of God is the love of the neighbor possible.     This must
hemel.  -                                                                     also dIetermine  our interpretation of the words of

    Daarom zegt de verloren  zoon van alle eeuwen : Ik                        Christ when He declares that .the second command-
zal .opstaan en tot mijn Vader, gaaa  en ik zal zeg-                          ment is like unto it.     This does not imply that there is

gen. . .-.                                                        . .         merely a certain resem'blance  between the two. But
    Dat  zeggen wordt  zingen  en dat zingen  ,wordt jube-                    these commandments are alike essentially.       The second

len en die jubel vertolkt ode volmaakte zaligheid  daar-                      commandment is and can never be anything dse than

b o v e n   b i j   G o d !        _                                          a manifestation tow'ard  the neighbor of the love of
                                                 * .I_$ v.                    God. We must love our Ineighbor  therefore unto the
                                                                              glory of thle  livi,ng God.    Another ki,nd of love of the

                                                                              `neighbor can balrdly be regarded as essentially like

                                                                              unto the first and great commandment.
                                 -                                                The theory of Common Grace,-  as set forth by the

                                                                              late Dr. A. Kuyper, and embraced by the Christian

                                                                              Reformed Churches and embodied by them in their

                Common .Grace and                                             Three Points of 1924, is fundamentally dualistic be-
                                                            .-                cause it creates two sphere.s  of life,' sets.  forth two
     The Tit+ Tal$es  of The `Law                                             purposes of God, an earthy and a heavenly.        It is true,
                       ; -,                                                   `we know, that the Christian R,eformed  Churches, in
    .It is hardly' conceivable~that  a stronger Scriptural                    1924, #did more than merely grant -official  recognition
proof can be quoted against .the.  teaching of "Common                        to the Kuyperian.  conception !of Common Grace.        They
-Grace" than the explanation, by Christ Himself, of                           also embra_ce!d  ,the heresy of- Arminianism., as one may
the Decalague or. the La;w  of the' Ten Commandments,                         learn from Point One which speaks of th*e gospel as a
in M&t.  22 :35-40.      We read there : "Then one of them,                   Divine offer of salvation: We &r,e  interested now, howj
which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting                            ever, in the `theory  of Common Grace.                            :

Him, and saying, Master, which is the great com-                                . The t,hree chief lelements  iln the theory of Common
mandment in the la.w? Jesus.  saith unto him, Thou                            G r a c e   a r e :

shalt love the Lord thy G.od  with all thy ,hmeartj  and with                     1. That' God, though with a view to eternity and
all thy soul, and with all thy-  mind.- .This  is the first                           the eternal blessedness of the Kingdom H.e -is

and great commandment;           And -the second is like unto                        ,gracious  only to the elect, with a view to things
it> T-hou.shalt  love thy neighbor as thyself. On'these
                                         -                                            earthly`and  temporal is gracious to tall men.      _I
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           48'6                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D  ,.B,EA:RIi:`R  '


                   That there is a restraining influence, ever_ since        mon Grace as such, togr$her-with  its -imfilications,  is

                   the fall of man, of the common grace of God               plain. Acco,rding  to this theory God is favorably  in-

                   upon the physical and ethical ,corruption  .pf the        `cli@d to all mankind,. bestows upon till men the things

                   world and of the heart of .mari, so that the prin-        of this :natural :life  as tokens of His  favor and grace.

                   ,ciple  of total depravity cannot work through.           Also according to. this view,  al,though'  it is true that

                   That .there  is a-positive influence of God's com-        God is ever realizing His `counsel  of election and repro-

                   .rnoil  grace upon the mind and will of man,              bation so that all things must work together for the

                   whereby he is        improved that "ne can still live     ,realization  of Hi& eternal Kingdom, there is `at the
                                      SQ 

                   a positively good `w,orld-life.                           same t,ime  a restraining i.nfluence,  ever si.nce the fall

             The Christian :Reformed  Chur8ches~ have offici!ally
     ^                                                                       of man, of the common grace .of the .Lord  upon the
           .
          adopted this Kuyperian conception of Common Grace                  physical and &hical  corruption of t.he world  land upon

          beca.use  they teach a general favor  ,of God to all man,          the heart of man,.  so that the principle of total  ,deprav-

          kind and not only to the elect, ~a~  restraint of sin in the       ity cannot come to full manifestation.- Man, therefore;

          life of the individual man and o!f society, and the per-           is simply not as corrupt BS he ,woultd  have been had this

          f.ormance  pf so-called civic righteousness by the uiire-          common. `grace of God not inter.vened.  And,. finally,

          generate, -without the regeneration- operation of the              Comm:on  Grace feachles  not -only .-the' checking of sin
          Holy Spirit, as being good  ,before  God                           but all:,0  a positive influencie  of God's Spirit upon the
                                                            '
                It is ievident  therefore that this theory of Common         .niind  and will `of man, whereby be can do positively;
          Grace conceives of mntters  in a duaiistic  sense and              in this world, t'hat which is -good before God.

          makes distinctio,n  between two spheres of life. On                    The- nractical  result of this reasoning is that a
          the one hand the Lord. & graci,ous  only to,.His  people           world-life has been createId,  whicih,  ahhough it is not
          for' His Name's sake in Christ Jesus. Accordi.ilg  to              rooted in faith and therefore does not.  purpose the
          th-is view the [Lord  has elected His own, in Christ               glory `.of God, and is not according to the law of God,
          Jesus, from before the founjdation  of the world, and He           meets with Divine approval.        It is no longer true that
          has- reprobated other;-,  unto eternal damnation. (We              whtitever  is not of faith. is sin.     It is ;no longer true

          sihould bear in mind, -however, that reprobation, and              that whatever does not purpose the glory .of  ,God  must
          also election, of course, are being  sB,enced`  or distorted       be condemned.      It must no longer,. be maintaiae,d  that

          more and  more in the pr'esent  day,is  it, not being              we are,to walk as `a distinct people Iof the living God

          openly ta.ught  t&lay  and advocated in T,he Bannler  that.        and that antithetically ,over  l&gainst the world -which

     the Lord hated Esau because of evil,. and that sin is                   lieth  i,n darkness.    The axiom, "Iin the world but not

          the ground for reprobation??this  is exactly what the              :df, the world", is true. only in an abstract, relative sense

          Arminians advocated at the --time  of the Synod of                 of the word.    Next to the sphere  of life of God's special

          Dordrecht.)          C.hrist,  then, died only for His own. His    grace another sphere hasbeen  created, with God's ap-

          de&h  must be vilewed  as atoning, pilcarious,  substi-            proval, in which all. men can labor together unto the

          tutioiiary_  `only f.or the elect; Only thes.e  elect  `are        realization of a common goal, the  _imp>ovement  and
          ,called  by God out of the darkness iInto  His marvellous          betterment of this world without  the atoning cross of
          light, are renewed `,by the Spirit `of Christ Jesus, and           Jesus Christ, our_Lord.

          only they `can ,do *those works which according to the                 This theory of Common Grace makes a separation
          Catechism are rooted in a true and livings  faith, -pur-           in the law of God between the two tables ,of that law
          pose the glory of God, and  ar,e  according to the laiv            which are obviously one. Otie  su.rely  can *not  doubt
          of God.    And only these elect of God are led irresistibly        or dispute the fact that the second table of the Law of
          by God unto-the city which ,has f,oundation.  In a special         God refers to that sphere of life which !concern,s  the

          sense it is true, then, that the Lord loves and is gracious        operation of common grace."  T~his rsecond command-

     o.nly-to  the eliect given to Christ by the Father.                     ment speaks of our relation to "our neighbor.           It cer-

           Along&e of and paraIle1  with this sphere of life,                tainly refers to the field of authority, and therefore

     and quite independent !of it, is the other sphere; created              dictates ito us what our policy must be in  thfe relation-

          by the conception of the theory of Connnon  Grace.           It    ship of parents and children, capital and labor, rulers

          is eart:hy,  of this worl,d,  ,Dr. Kuyper, we know, sdeclared      and subjects,' etc. It holdis before us our ,d.uty  with

'         that.` Common Grace Awas  nescssary  for-  Specilal Grace,         respect to our -neighbor%  person, his goods, his wife.
     , that the realization. of God's cou.nsel  of redemption                1.n ,other  :words; the law of God, in this second table,
          with r,espect  to His people in' Christ Jesus  w,ould  have        covers all human relationship% and, established our
          ,been impossible without the preslervation  and contin-            ,caliing  with respect to our  ealtihly  life in all its phases.
          uance o,f this world through Common Grace, for, `had               The the,ory of `-Common Grace would Idivorce this
          it n.ot  been for the intervention of common  gra)ce,  the         ear.thy  sphere  f.rom  the law-of God, an:d teach us that
          world. would jhave pierished  and the elect would never            man is able,:iYithout  the operation of the regenerating
          have been born.          Be this as it may, the theory `of Com-    Spirit'of  Godf to-h&d-  a life of civi,c  righteousness which

                                                                                 -
                         i.                                                           -.


                                                                                                                       _ .
                                                 THE.  ST~ANDkRD   B E A R E R                                                        -I487


 mee@  width  God's  lapproval.  It ,would  hav,e  us believe              apost&y  of the! church, the sign of wars and judgments
 that `we can live. liv'es,  as parents and childreri,  as                 upon the nations, the -sign `of the coming of the A&i- .-
  rulers and subjects, .with  -respect to ,otir  lneighbors!               ClhrBt,  and many -others.       But ,our title suggests that
  possession&, without  the love ,of  the living God, but                  there `is one `particular and outstandiilg  ,one.       It is 2.
 which can nevertheless be approved by  bhe living God:                    sign that will be recognized and read by all.        The whole
    And what is the answer lof the -Lord to %his. con-                     world will see it,. Scripture also teaches that it will
  ception? We mu&  I,ove  `the  LaPd  our God with all                     appear shortly before Christ's persond  return upon the
  our heart !aad wit,h  all our soul and with all our  mind;               clouds of heaven.      You perhaps have aho .noiticed  that
  This -is the finst anld th,e great commandment. This                     "T,he sign of the Son of Man" is written in quotation

1 commandment #of God stands- indeed above everything                      marks.' This becaus,e  it is ;a quotation f,rom ma&hew  .
  else. And how could it be otherwise? What else could                     24.:30,  "And *hen shall appear the sign of the Son of

  the alonle  living God, Who ,alone  .is God, Who  loves                  Ma.n  in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of' the
  Himself and seeks I-I.imself .eternally,  demand of mtin,                earth mourn; rand -they shall Bee the Son of Man coming

 ,w.hase calling and obligation it is to serve and love that               in the cIouds  of heaven with power and great glory."

  God with .dl his heart and soul ? And because this is                            In this well known khapter  Jesus speaks in a de-
 tree the comtiandment  to love the neighbor is  essentia.l-               tailed maln;ner  about the things  that will take place in
  ly like unto it. 1.t is not another command.ment.  It ici                the llast  .d,ays  .an,d His stibsequent`  returri.  But the
  the same commandment now as dictating  our calling                       entire chapter ars.  iwell  as the foll'otiing  one -is colored
  w:ith  .respect.  to one another.           We muist  "love God and      by the  question asked ,by +he dis,cipTes.         J&us  had to
  ourselves.          We must not  l.ove  God and  the. nei&bor.           their amazement told them about the  ierribIe  impend-
  Besides, this would be altogeither  impossible.             We can-      ing judgment tipon J&usalem.           0.f the beautiful build-.
  not love God'and  Mammon, or G.od  and the world.. We                    ings of the temple hot :one stone would. be left upon
must love Gold first, always  `first. Thia `is the first                   another. `All would  be utterly_.destroyed.  This makes `-
  and -the great  comli?and.ment.  And, in that love of God                &he d&cipl@  iriquisiti%e.      They would know not how
  we mu&  love the neigh,bor.                  T,his imp&s that our        ,or why but when these things shall  tiajke  place. "fTel1
 [earthly sphere, the sphei-e  of "civi'c  rig.hteousness"  must                  when shall thes,e  thi,ngs  be? and what shali be the
                                                                           us
  not be divorced from -trhe  ,filist  table.       They are insepar-      sign of thy ,comitig  and of the end of the world?"         The
  able. It is the love and the glory of God which we                       latter question is the one that here. demands our  at:
 .must  show forth, !a,lso  in o@ relation to one another.                 .t&tion.  They are 0 80 inquisitive. They would,,know.
  All things must Ibe. done out`uf  faith, u&o  the glory                  what ithe  sign of that coming is to saitisfy  their curios:
  of God,       Wlhatever  falls.  short- ,of  this purpose is- sin.       ity.     They;want  to 6e able to calculate the time on- God's
  Only then, when  we obey tee  fi%rst  table of the-la&,                  clock an,d th:ereby  be able to exactly know wheq  the end
  wi.11  also 6he_  second .tablle  be written ih our hearts.              is coming.      To this Jesus r.eplies  so`strikingly  i.n verse
  A,nd th,erefore  we proclaim a civic rightedusness,  not                 four.      "And Jesus answered and said unto `them, Take
  as divorced from the love of God,  but Ias resulting from                heed tha!t  po man Ideceive  you:`.     lCh.rist doesn't satisfy,
  it and rooted in it.                                                     itheir curiosity.    In plain words it's none of their busi-
                                                            H. V.
                 i                                                         ness.      Instead,. they must take.  h'eed, fior  many false
                                                                           christs  will come.*-` In the next twenty-sour  verses

                                                                           Jesus therefore gives a detailed explanation of these
                                                                           last days, and why they ther8efoue  must take heed.           In

                                                                           those East days ihere will `be wars anId rumors of wars.

                                                                           Nation  will rise against nation, and kingdom against

      The- "Sign of the Soti of M&n"                                       kingdom : and there shall. be1 famines, and pestilences
                                                                           and Barthqu!alkes  in diverse places'  There will ,be ter-
                                . ._..
                        -In the Pkrow&                                     rible tribul&tion  for God's people when Anti-Christ
                                                            ,. _'          comes.       He -will distort- the truth. False Chris&  and-
      The word par.ousia  is `a, Greek word #denoting a re-                false prophets shall' arise.     Such we ,already  see in our
  turn or arr&al  ,6f .some  one. Our subject ther&ore                     day.      It ,doie.sn't  mak,e  80 much difference what we be-
  Ideals  with the return of Ch&t, His second advent.                To    lieve, if we ojnly live right outwardly.      Doctrine is push-
  be &il$l  more specifi,c.-this  article @eats  "The sign of.             ed into the background, and life.- (supposedly) : on the
  the Son of Ma&'  ih` th1a.t return.            We  should also notice    foregroutid.;  It's, foolish to have) sa many'-  different.
  that we-are  n'ot writing ,about  ,$ffeEent  signs,- but about           churches; since `most  of them believe the  same'%hing
  .the sign ,of  His coming.              Scripture often speaks about     anyway.       So men speak. These are the workings  df
  +he!?e various signs ithat show His cotingand  HiS near-                 the false Christs and  false prophets. @I tb~s;e things
  ness.      There is the sign of the--Gospel being preached               are signs of Chris& coming.            B& they -a&  ,not given
  over~the  .whole  earih,  -thle  sign of the ever-increasing             to sat&  our curiosity. That is never :the  purpose of


  4        8     8                              T:HE STANDARD_,.BE.Ba:R,E'R


 prophecies. On-the contrary, they are given that ,we                    all will see the'sign.           "As the lightning cometh  out of -
on the one hand will know  th,at  when these things                      the east! and shin&h  even unto the w:est; so shall ads.0

 come to pass all- things  ,are  proceeding according to                 the coming  ,of .the,Son.  of Man be", verse 2'7.         It will be

 God's counsel, but secondly, that we will w!allk circum-                universal.            The .question  is what that sign will  b.e.

 slzectly  and take earnest heed.          .                             That was the <question of the disciples.            We, tooj would
         Having given a detailred  acc?ount  of the work of the          like to know.. But the p&t  of Jesus' teaching is that

 Anti-Christ and the consequent tribulation  ,of  the                    we need not know and should..not ,know.               The.re  natur-

 Church, Christ continues in- verse twenty-nine  : "Im-                  ally"are  all kinds ,of conjectures.           Some think that it
 me.diately  afte'r the tribulation of those days shall the.             will be a sta'r heralding His second coming  .as onle an-

. sun be ,d,ark,ened  and the moon shall n'otgive  her light,            nouaced  His birth.             Others thinlk  that in the sign men
 and the stars'shall fall from heaven, .and  the  powers                 will see the cro:ss  of Christ which  ,is known to all.            Still

 of the heavens-shall .be s haBen".`-  Immediately fdllow-               others thafit  will be a bright light in contrast to and

 ing the tri,bulation  stupendous changes will occur in                  on the background of the `darkening of the  h'elamen1.v

 the realm  of nature. .Rev. 6 :12-1'7  runs parallel with               bodi,es.  It will be a dawning of the Messianic glory

 this.     Many interpreters, explain these1  words allegoric-           which is_ perhaps to go on increasing  in brilliancy and

 ally, .so that all the ,different  elements receive a mean-             splendor- until Christ Himself steps forth from the
 ing other than their literal ,clenotatioa  : the earthquake *midst of it in the fulness of His  gl'ory. This conje,cture
 signifies polities1  .or ecclesiastical upheaval, the etars             seems&he  most probable to us;but at its best it is only
 are princes  ,or leaders in the church, sun and moon are                ma guess.           As we wrote, Christ intended to keep  it-hid-
 the law and, the prophets, or their darkening indi,eates                `den from.us.           `Otherwise He would have given further
 some great calamit.y,  etc. We, ,however,  adhere to the                explanation.
                                                                                This, however, does not warra$nt  us to coimlude  that
. literad- interpretation The sun will be darkened to. a
                                                                         no one at -that time will recognize the sign.               Fact is
`certain extent; Consequently the moon, a refleotion
 of the sun, will `also loose muehOof  its light.         Think of       that all will be able to read it. "Then shall all the
 the t hree  hours o,f darkness when J,esus  was cricified.              tribes of the earth mourn". .-The  wicked'will  be seized

 These things will n,ot_  take place with the end of the                 with terror laind dread.            Men's h,&rts  will fail because

 world, but #will be a prelude to it.            The (earth  is not      of fear.           They shall see Him whom they have pierced.

 tdestroyed  as yet by the' celestial motion referred to.                Rev. 1 :?`. They will hide themselves in the dens aud in
.-But they all do denote the terribl,e  wrath of God. Amos               the rocks of the mountains.             To the mountains. and the
 8 :9; Is. 13 ;lO  and Rev. 6 :17.                                       rocks they will slay : fall on us <and hide us. Rev. 6 :15,
         "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man               16.     For the elect it will mean redemption.  They*  will
 in heaven."          ,This will take place, when what is  ilnti-        be gathered -from  the four w'inds from one end of
 mated in the previous verse, Inamely,  the darkening                    heaven to the other.             "But of thcalt  day and hour know-
 of the heajvenly  luminaries, sha,ll have ,arrived.  Con-               eth no man, no not the angels  :of heaven, but my Father

 cerning this sign of the Son of Man there  :is as to be                 only".             So Jesus continues in the chapter; Hence,

 expected, diffenence  of opinion. Some `think that the                  verse 42, "watch therefore: for ye know not what hour

 sign and Christare  identical. But this, is impossible.                 your `Lord ,doth come".               Conse~quently  Christ in the
 Firstly, it is contrary to the very nature of a sign.                   next chapter speaks the parables of the ten. virgins
 Why then a sign? Secondly because the* text very                        and the talents, aldmonishing  them to be prepared.                 To
 plainly states that following `the sign Christ Himself                  them the sign will be a sign-of joy and redemption.
 will come in the clouds of heaven.             Others believe that                                                                J. B. -~
 Christ will come ,only  in the sign, and not personally.

 This view is so unscriptural th:at it needs no refutation.

 Scripture .abundantly  testifies ,of  His personal, bodily

 return upon the clouds. We hold to the third view

 whi,ch explair&  these words jag they are  rea;d.  There

 wail1 first be not a sign, but.  the: sign of Christ. Christ
 uses the definite article for two reasons.            In the first                         ATTENTION 7 CONSISTORIES

 place because' it will be an unmistakeable one.            All will

 see it and read it.        Secondly .because  this is the answer               I have* mailed the `Acts of.our  Synod `of 1945` to the
 to the disciple's qu'estion  ,of verse three. Now Jesus                 various Consistories.  If you  tdo'not  receive them in
 answers their question, having duly warned them -about                  the near. future, then please let me hear from you.
 the things that will occur.         This s'ign  will be tisible~  to
 all.      The -word -appear  in the Greek signifies t,o be                       e                       D. JONKER,  S. C.
 brought into the light, to shine,. to come to view: The                 . :           .           .,    1239 Bemis St.; S. E. ;
 bdea evidently is that it will be plainly manifested and                                                  Grand ;Rapids-.  6, Michigan.


                                       TB'E  Yl?AN_D-AR,D   B E A R E R                                                           489

                                                                       creature, .is- the covenant .of  grace.    However, to estab-
          Thb-                   Of Sinai                              `lish this -properly would .requir!e  a separate article, and
                   Covenant                                            would just no* leaId us too far from our discussion of

    The covenant. of grace is the' graoious  relation of               the. S,inaiti-c  Icovenant.

living fellowship and friendship between God and ,His                      The covenant of grace attains a new  phase  in its

people in Chrlzt  wherein He is tbe.ir  God and they are               development when God establishes a formal_ covenant

His people. In that covee;ina.&  God forms the elect to                with Abraham. .What  is new  is not that the way of

be Hi's people, makes them partakers of all' the  ben`efits            salvati,on  is oth:er  than before or after, nor that the

of Christ and leads them.on  to eternal glory.            This He      covenant become:  a covr$anit  of works, but that thi
does  throegh  the Holy- Spirit .who dwells  i;n Christ as             covenant is now formally established alnid limited to

the Head and in H&p  people ds the members-  of- His                   Abraham and his seed.              Now God bestows upon
loody.      .' _                                                       Abraham and his seed the sign  and seal of circurhcision.
    The quest& `that .in.ter,ests  us just now  is, Wats  the          Brake1 in his Rsdelijbe  Godsdiemt,  Vol. 2, part 3, p. 30,
covenant of Sinai `a manifestation of the covenant  of                 briefly sumtiasizes  t,he arguments that incontrovert-
grace or must it, be conceived ai a covenant of works                  ibly pr.ove that' the covenant with the patriarchs was A
ailad. therefore in essence` other than tche ,covemaint  of            covenant of grace.         We quote  (translation ours), "That
works?  And in case the Answer is that the Sinaitic                    the covenant established with Abraham is ithe cdvenant
covenant is itself a coven$nt  of grace, another question              of grace is plaijn.:  (a) Because Christ was.its  :Mediator,  D
immediately arises, Whalt were the peouliayiti'es  of this             Gen. 12 :2, 3; Gad. 3 :17. (,b) God was its God, its
`dispensation of the Covenant and what purpose did they                Shield and great Reward, Gen.  15':l; Gen. 17 :8. (c) By
se&Q?                                                                  it Abraham was .made a father of believers, Gen. 17 :2,
    First of all then, it .&ust .be made: clear that though            4 : .R,om. 4 :ll.    (,d) It had to be reveived by faith,' Gen.
there are different ,dispensations  of God's covenant,                 25 :c; Gen-. 17 :3 ; Ram. 4 :18-20.        (e) It had circum;
Go'd  is one tiauld  His covenant is on.e.      There are indeed       ,cision as Ial seal of the righteousness of faith, Rom.
different dispensations of God's covenant. After ile                   4 :ll.?'              '                       `.
fall there  is' fir&t'  of.-  a)11 the dispensation of the                 But now the question arises, What about the cove-
covenant from  Adlam  `to N,oah,  during which .there                  nant at Sinai with all its laws and ordinances? W+
is indeed no formal esthabl&hmetit  ,o#f a covenant,                   not this a covenant of works?          Was it not law, and RS
but its essence is there.         Tt ,is lnot only &ggested            such a direct .oppo!ste  ,of grace? There are some that
but implied' in t,he  protevangelium  of Geneses 3 :15,                take ,exactly  this position and ,deny that, it& covenant
"And I wili put enmity between thee .and  the wo-                      of <Sinai is the coven,ant  of grace. Over l;ainst this
man, and between thy seed and  .her  [seed;  it shall                  we maintain that also at Sinai God maintains His cove-
bruise thy head, alnld thou shalt bruisa  his heel." God               nant of grace, alnid `that the Siaa.itic  covenant is a
will put enmity beltween  the Serpent. a!ld the Wcman,                 fu@h&  development in the realizat.ion  of that eternal
                                                                                                                                    ,.,  .~
hetween `his iseed and  her seed ; whai  is this but the               covenant of God.

gracious' promise to heal the breach caused by sin  ,and                   We must bear inmi.nd,  that though the dispensation
to save the woman and her seed?               For the.seed  ,of the    changes, and the covenant .cssumes  a somewhat differ-
woman,  according to Gal. 3  :16,  isXhrist,  together with            ent form, the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
.His people. Though ther.e  was therefore no formal                    remailns;  it is :even  the foundation and essence. of the
establiishment  of. the covenant, its essence was there.               Sinaitic  covenant  ,Ex.  2:24; Deut. .7:8:  Besides, the
This promise was realized before  the flood in the spirit-             law !did not set aside the covensant  of promise  (the
ual s.eed of the woman, that WAS born in the line of                   covenant with Abraham). Paul teache,s  that the law
Seth. These were &led  "the sons of God". They cail-                   at Sinai did not come to set this  a&ide. GZLL 3 :!7, "And
ed Upon the nsme .of God, and sacrificed  to Him.             And      this I say, that the covenant, that was  confirmed  be-
Enoch,  the eighth frown  Adam, prophesied of the final                fore of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred
day of Christ';s  coming, J.ude 14, 15.        These saints lived      and- thirty years after, cannot  .disa:nnul,  that it should
by faith, aed aby faith sacrificed, and received  testimony            make the iromise of none effect." The covenant of
that  they w,ere righteous, IHeb.  11:4.                               Sinai therefore `is essentially no different from the

    The covenant with Noah also is the covenlant  of                   covenant with Abraham. Just as God gives himself
grace,- and not a separate cove&&,  established also with.             freely and graciously to AbEaiham,  without any merit

all the. wicked, a .common  grace covena&.           Indtied  after    on his part, as a'shield and great i"eward,  as a God for

the fiood,  it is. a fa,ct  that Noah and his far&y,  the              h.im  .and his seed, and POW  upon that ground  cslls

visible church, ,ah,o are ,a11 mankind, but that is due to             Abraham to walk before him so too God chooses Israel,

the fiarct that the wicked world has  .perished  in the                >,deliyers  them out of Egypt, gives Himself- to them,

floo&  The covenant, which.  also embraogs  all, t h e and now upon that ground calls Israel t.o walk before


                      _


     490 --                                        T H E  STA,NDARD  -BEARE.R

        Him a& His people.       The first words of the law, and its        walk before God and  therefore no rejection of  the'

        foundatioin  are, "`I ani the Lord thy God, who.  have'             covenant of grace nor the establishment of a covenant .

        brought thee out of the land. of Egypt, out of the. house           of works than that word was to Abraham.            The law of

        of bondage", Ex. 20 :2.. .Aild  that is the essence of the          M&es  +es sot stand oppbsed  to. grajce,  but is sub-

     _ covenant_ of grace.           The Lord is Israel's God apart         sevient to grace *and  -was thus undenshood  by the true
        from ltiiny  worthiness on the part of Israel and He  re-.          Israelites.    The law looked at apart from the covenant

        mains ttiat eternally. God's ,cotienant  with Isra,el  i.s          of grace is i.nideed  a l'etter  that killeth, `a ministration

        an eternal :cov&ant,  and no silns a,nd iniquities `on              of condemnation.      One of the purposes of the law was
     . ` Israel's part can disa:nnul  it, Deut. 4 :3 ; 32 :26 ; Psalm to aw?ken the% consciousness of sin and the. need of
        89:1-5; 105:8; Is,. ,54:10;  Rbm. ll:l, 21            -1 `,         deljverance;  and  so cause Israel to look .for the fulfill-
            The blessings or benefits Gqd bestows in this cove-             ment of the promise laild the better covenant.       The law
        aant  with Israel are the same as thos.e  bestowed on               V@S the schoolmaster to Christ.           They  law stood  in
        Abraham, but tiow  more completely specified. The one               servi,ce  to the covenant  of grace therefore; it never
        great promise to Abraham is: I a'112  $hy God aed  the              intended to teach that man by his own efforts could
        God of thy se&d  after thke!  Gen. 1'7 :8.     And this is the.     attain to righteousness. ,The  idaily  `sacrifice was a
        chief contents -of God's #covenant  with Israel. God is             testimony against righteousness by. works, and. pointed
        Israel's God and they  are his people, Ex. 19  :6;  29 :46,         forward to t,he  Christ to ,corni.  T.hi law :did;awaken  in
        etc.,  ,Because  of this Israel receives many  blestsings,          the people. of God the desire. for the better covenant.
        not only temporal (the la;nd of Canaan, fruitfulness of             The 1,a.w was added-Lthat  the people of God might look
        mal! and beast, pr,osp&ity  and victory over  its enemies)          forward to the better  and etera.al  manifestation of the
        but -also spiritual (God dwellis  among them ;' the ,for-           covenant in Christ. Christ did not come  itimediately
        giveness of sins, Ex. 20 :6; Ps. 32, ,!et,c.                        ,after the,.fall+He could not; %he way had to be pre-
                                                         ; the right. to
       and blessings of sonship, E%.  4:22; 19 :5, 6; Is. 63;16,            pared, sin. had to develop la:tid  thle  longing-for redemp-
        etc.                                                                tion  awaken.     There was preparation necessary. Not
            ; ,s,anctification,  Ex. 19 :6; Lev. 19 :22, etc.). All
        these spiritual blessings are  hot  s& forth !ajs clearly as        as though God needed it, for He did not, but men
        in the  New Testament.         The Spirit was-not yet poured        need&d to be prepared.      God leads  everything gradually
        auf;, an'd they could not have understood  them in all              towa,rd the cross.                         : ._
        their `spiritual reality.     The `iatural is first, and  after-     When Christ, appears in the flesh the covenant of
        wasd  the spiritual.         All the spiritual benefits -were       grace enters its fins1 phase. The believers in the Old
        therefore set forth in types and shadows.          M,oses took      Testament knew that the covenant of Sinai was only
      -,blood  apd sprinkled it on the peopl;e,  `saying  that it           for a' tinie, aed  they therefore looked forwaard to the

       . was `the. blood of the covenant which the Lord had                 better covenant. ,The New Testamen.t  was pot some-
        e&ablished  with them, Ex. 24 :8. . This-represented the            thing wholly`~ n'ew, bui the fulfillment of- the Old;
        blood of Christ, Heb. 9 :19,  -19; 12 :24.        The forgive-      the covenaiit  of gface  ii1 its Sinaitic  form was tempor-
        ness of sins was bound up with the sacrifice of animals,
*                                                                           ary aid in the form of thle shadow, in Christ came
        animals without blemish, all of which foreshadowed the              gra'ce  and. truth, the fulfillment.     The Old .:and New
        Christ. The Passover Lamb poin,ted  to Christ, John                 Testament &re essentially one covenant, Luke 1:68179  ;
        1:29.-  The dwell&g of -God,  though -real,  was in th.e            Acts  2:39.    The? have one gchsnpel,  Ram:  1:2; Gal. 3 :8;
        shadow-  form in the temple.                                        2 Tim. 3.:15. --There is one Mediator, ,of the new and
            Sa&tification  ~ was kymbolized  in llevitical,  cere-          of the old,  John S-:58.    There is-one way of' salvat.ion  :
        monial purity. Forgiveness and sanct.ification,  regen-             aby faith, Rdm. 4 :ll ; IH@b. 11. The Ol'd Tlestament and
        erat.ion  and eteu?nal  life, were the benefits of- the Old         the New are related.' as promise and fulfillment, as
        covenant a,s well as of the New. But ,the conscious                 sliadow and body' (Col. 2 :17),  as chil_d  and man (Gal.
        possessi@  df this gift was not nearly as -rich  in the             4:1, $c).
        Old Testament as .in the N:ew, since the Spirit was                     :Christ  did not come to abrogate the law but to ful-
        poured out. Exactly that Israel might b-e brought tq                fill, Matt. 5 :17. Everythi,ng  is fulfilled in him. He
        ths glory of the New Testament, God  placed I,&ael                  is the true ,s.ervant of the Lotid,  the real sacrifice; our
        u,nder  the-jaw  as a taskmaster to Christ, Gal. 3  :24.'           Passover; His church is the true seed of Abraham,
            VCThen  God established His covenant with Abraham,              the'temple  of Gold,  J&u&em.  Nothing in Israel, .in
        Abraham received the comm!a;nd to walk before, the                  the Sinaitic  covenant is lost, but all reach:es  its fulfill-
        Lord and be perfect.         S,o too Israel iS admonished and       mlent..    Hen.oe, the New Testament covenant iis $he
        charged to walk bef&  the Lord as His covenant people               bett,er  covenant.    In the New -Testament dispensation
        .jn ,a new obedience.    The entire law, iterated on Sinai,         of the covenant' ,of grace everything to which  the

        means:  td cause. Israel. to walk in the way of God's cove-         Sinai&  covenant pointed is,' ful;filled and attained.

        nant. It is an utifolding  of the wpcj to Abraham to                Heqce  th_e new ,covenant  is a better covenant with  il,
                 \


                                                      . T-H:Ii STAN..&iRD...B.EARE.R                                                             491

      b e t t e r  sacrifice,  a better Highqr+es;,  etc. When  w e                 broeders en zusters trachten te -overtuigep,  door ge-
      say "bette?' w'e have in mind the boek, of Hebretis  of                       schrift en prediking .en radio dat ze niet zuiver in de
      which "bette? is the key-word. Nothing of %he SinaitiC                        leer ,iijn,  en -afwijken van :de aloude- paden ons uiige-
      covenant goas lost, everything is maintaineid in t k e                        `stippld  in' Gods Woord en. onze belijdenis, is volgens
      New i`estlslment,form  of the covenant  in. the senae that                    onze bescheiden meening, al hoe laffelijk  het doel
      it finds its fulfillment there.                  Hencie, it `would  be a      moet .zijn, geen zendingswefik  zooalis Christus  als de
      great_sin to return to the- first priecipl'es, the rudi-                      Koning Zijner kerk ons ,heeft- bevolen.        Gaat ,dan heen,
      ments of the world, and t reject Christ and the--ful-                        enz.., is een bevel :dat niet ziet op ver,bondskiin.deren
      fillment.     It .wold cbe a ,denil not lonly of-the New                    ~.&och.op  blirrde heidenen. Dit zal toch voor ,een ieder we!
      Testament fulfi'lment bit of the Old Testament prom-                          duidelijk zijn.-In onze dagen wo& veel gebruik ge-
      ise-it wold be a denial that Si&?s  covenant was the                         .maakt  van de radio, en wij als kerkligroep  hebben dat
      cov$nant  o,f grace.           Such,matiy  of the wicked J!ewe  in-           middel ook aantgegrepen, om hen die het willen  hoorel
      deed sought to make ,of it, chsnging  Sinai's  covenant                       het zuivere. evangelie te Yerkondigen. .W.e zullen nu
      into a covenant of works. The result was chat they                            maar n$et vast &ellen  wie of er naar `onze redi,o broad- .
      attained aot to righteoqness, for $hey sought' it. of                         tast  -luisteren, ,doch ik vrees dat er weinig blinde
      works and not by faith, Rom. 9 :30-33.                                        heidenen zullen zijn die we ,daar zullen aantreffen. "
                                                                P. D. B.
                                               _~                                   en indien dat wel het geval Is, en er zou maar een gelijk
                                ,                                                   de kammerling v@ ouds tden ,doop  begeeren;.  dan-zou
                       . . .                                                        on,ze  Concordia er wel-voor  zorgen ,dat dt heugelijjk  feit
                                                                                    in zijn nieuws kolomen-  werd opgenomen.               Dat zijn
                                                                                    toch de eerste vruchten van de zending, gelooven.en
                                                                                    doopen,  tin war die vruchten niet aanweqig zijn mdgen
                                                                                    `we ons in alle eynst wel eejns afvragen, drijven wc wel                    .
                                Ingezonden. _ t -'                                  zending op de rechte wijze?
                                          _                                             Ht is wel teekenend, waar het niet aan de  mi`ddeleil
          Wa;nnees de vo&tee&enen  ons .niet bedriegen dan                          tiltbreekt,  dat tot .nog toe niet een van onze  leeraa?s
      .gaan, we weer een tijdperk tegemoet, Waarin' we on-                          vrijmoe'digheid heeft zi,Gh  aan dat werk te geven, wat
      .gehindend  van eene werelddeel naa<r  `t axler kunnen                       door ons als .kerken zending wordt geno.emd.           Heeft dit
      reizen en &aan  de verkeerswegen te land ,en te zee                           tot ons ook ietis te zeggen?
      voor een. ieder weer open.                     E,n waar in die rich@g             Wordt  het door:onze leeraars  misschi!en meer en
      voo'rber&dene werkzaahheden  worden ged.ajan, zkwam                           nxer ingezien dat tde zending die wij tot nogtoe drij-
      onwillekeurig .,de gedachte bij o&s op, hebben wij als                        ben :niet aan. het rechte `boel  beantwoord?                        ._
      kerken, nu de t'qestand'eq in de toekomst weer normaal,                         De alles besl,issende vraag is, -doen we het pver-
      beginnen te worden h,ebben  wij n:u-  ,als kerken ,ook  `een                  eenkomstig  het bevel van Christus. Ja dan neen.  `.
                                                                                          _
      roeping te vervuLlen, om gehoor te geven aan het                                                                     5.  R .  VanderWal.  "
      "zendin,gsbevel".         Gaat been .in tde g@h_eele  <wereld,
      predikt het evangelie aan alle creaturen, enz.
          We hebben nu als kerken bij de twintig jaren be-
      staan, en ia de eerste jaren van ons. <bestaan  was el
                                                                                                                                                  il


      natuurlijk geen denken aan. om-met zendingswerk be-                                          MEMBERX-HP   M E E T I N G
      ginnen, in de zin zooals `bovengenoemden tekst ons
      b e v e e l t .                                                                   Tl$ Ann'&1 Membership meetirg of the Reformed
          Doch tieszijn 0kde.r ,de zegen des .Heeren in al die                      Free Publishing Association wil1 be held September 13,
      j a r e n  .adls kerkengroep in leden;tal'   v e r m e e r d e r d ,   e n    1945; in the Fuller Ave. basement at 8 :OO.
      volgens het financieele  verslag der laatst gehouden                              Al1 members are. urged to be present.           Al1 frienrl8
      synode heeft het mission-fund  meer -dan elf ,duizend                         and readerslof  our paper are cordially.invited to qome                          _
      dollar 05. haar- credit mogen boeken. @n.  dan komt                           and join our organization.
      de vraa)g wel eens bij ons op, begin* het :nu niet' lang-                         The Financial Report of the 21st year of our,organi-
      zamerhand tijd te, worden om an het zen#xigsb&el                             z$ion wil1 _be given. Two' board members must be
      `$ welk onien Koning Zijn jkerk heeft opgedragen .- chosen  from the following nominati,on  : Rev. J; De Jong,
      gehoor te geven?          Nu. weteiz tic wel `al&. kerken. doen               Chas. Pastoor, Steve Bouma, John Boelema.
-.    `we wepk "t `welk we-zending noemen doch beantwoord                               After  recess _,speaker for this evening is Rev. H.
      `dait werk aan het bevel `t `welk geschreven staat in Hoeksema.                                                                                    . .
      M a r k u s  16:15,  16?                                              -.            Yqur  attendance is d&red at this meeting.
          WannqFr  we mdere  mepschen  waaronder gewezen                                  '                         B o a r d  Qf the R,F.P,A.  - - '


     492                                      TH'E'&`T.ANDARD  B.EARER;'

                                                                          much puzzled with this text,  an2 it-s unseemly ignoring;
                           Gmtribtition                                   by  t h e   c a t e c h i s m .
                                                                                                                                     J.rH. Hoekstra,

     E,ditor,  The Stail&rd  Bearer,                           /                                                                   South Holland, 111.

            The undersigned read your most interesting DE.
     harks upon                     0
                                                                                                                                                       -
                 /THE-DE,SCENSION  1P;TTO  tiELL                                                    .

     appearing 01n page 457 of the Standard Bearer of Aug.
     1945.                                                                                                     ANNIVERSARY

            I have no crititiism  to offer, for I agree.  with your
     explanations ,of the 44th question~and  answer of o,ur                 _ On July 15tba  OUT dear parents,

     Catechism, di,scussed  by you upon said  page.                 .                                           ED DYKSTRA : _
:           Although'agreeing  with you, I am nevertheless not                                                        and
     satisfied -with the answer of the Catechism,. noryour                                        HENRII$CTA  DYKS'l!RA  L Vis
     explanation as IgiVen  by you ,amd  othens explaini~ng  this
     part of our Catechism.              -                                celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversalry.

            There seems to be a serious void Fhich  has no                          As their children ye are indeed  thankful for all that our

     reason of ,existence,  8s I see it.                                  -Coven&t God has given us in them and for sparing them these

            During the la& fifty years, *beholding this  void             many years.
                                                                     ;
     I inquired by ,our #clergy but found no satisfying answer.                     Our sincere prayer-&s  that the Lo?d may further bless the-m

            My inquiry wals phrased in ,about  the following              throughout their coming days and that theirs' may be `the

     wonding;  to wit: Why di,d  the compileri  of the Cate-              blessed peace which is in Christ and His covenant  fellow-

     chism refrain from adding Psalm 16:lO  `%itli  those as              #ship.

     quoted, being'Ps.  1.8:4,  5; 116:3; Matt. 26:,38;  27:46;                                                Their  grateful +c@ldren:
     Heb.  5:7; ha. 53~5.                                                                                                                       r
            The texts quoted by the framers of the Catechism                                                                     I&. and Mrs;  A. Brummel
     surely  are applicable to the sufferings of Christ upon                                                                     OMr. and Mm..  I%. Dykstra

     th,e earth,  Gethsemane  an,d  the `cross, and as you said,                                                                  Stella  Dykstra "

     the demerding  into hell being ad,ded  later; could be left                                                                  S g t .  .peter  Dikstra

     out, as far as ,these  texts concern, ,b.ut  as I see it, it is                                                              Leut.  Dick DS;kstra

     entirely different with Psalm 16:lO.                                                                                       Pfc. Arthur Dykstra

            King David i`s here prophesying of his great Son, 1                                                                   Jeanetts  Dyks&  '
     bhe Christ, concerning Hiis.  soul  and  his body, and not                                                                   l?+a  Dykstra '                  _
     of himself, for David's soul never went to hell, and his                                                                     Harold Dykstra
                                                                                            .                                                 . .
     body saw corrupticidn,  and according to -this verse, the
     soul of Christ descended iInto  hell, and His body into.                                                        .-
                                                                                                                           ;_ - .-
     the grave, without Hiis body beeoming corrupted.                                                                                                         .
            The world, talking about hell, says, We  have  our

     hell 09. earth.                                                                                     .-     IN M             EMORY _
            According to the Catechism and the ,clericd  explan-

     ations of this part of the Catechism the statement pf                          The consistory of the. Crestion  Protestant -Reformed Church
     the world seems t,o be also appliable  to our Savio?,~but            of Grand Rapi:ds,  Michigan  hereby expresses its sympathy to
     this is abslolutely  denied in Ps. 16 :lO and many other             our fellow elder, Mr. P. Vanden  Engel,  in the loss of his
     places in Holy Writ as for instance II Peter  2:`4  and              sathe  ..
     R e v e l a t i o n  1:X  i
            As I under&and  it, the Bible teaches that there is                                  _  P I E T E R  VANDEN ENGEL
     a heaven aald a hell repres,e&ng  a future existence                 who passed a&y at Hoogvliet,  the Netherlands, on May 18, !9&5
     snd @ces for h,uman  bings.  We believe that Christ                  at the age of 80 years.,
     went into sheol,  grave, to conquer the grave, corruption.
                                                                             - May the Lord comfort the bereaved and  &ant  them the
     He`went into death to conque?  ,death,  and must He not - confidence of faith that' tk;e dep?rted  lone has, entered i&o the
     go into hell to coniquer  hell? _                                    house with many  mansions.
            Will yen  be so kind a,nd  ,state  the reason why the

     compilers of the Catechism left out Psalm 16  :lo'?                                                             The iConsi&ory,

            Will you do so in a coming Standard Bearer, for I                                                                     John D. De Jon;, Pi=esident

     am- cure th.aJt  many poor laymen like mys&lf are very                                                                ,      8. Kuiper, Secxetary.  I


                          -


