            I

VOI;UME.XXII                            DECEMBEB   1, 1945  L GRAND  .RAISDS,  MICIHiI,GAN                                                NUMBER 5

                                                                                     doen hebben, dan ware dit  nog`niet  hetzellf,de, als  wan:
         WEDITATIO.N                                                                 n e e r   w i j   oclze  ibrieven  be&&ten  m e t   h e t   b:e'kende:
                                                                      -._            "`&let  heilbed&" Ook dan  immers hebben we hier nog
                                                                                     altijd  bet Woord Gods, eene  heilbede,  @et  van  Petrus,
                                                                                     maar van  d&n Heiligen Geest; eene  bede, die  zeke$ijk
                  Vdkonkn                           .Zekerheid                       verhooring zal. vinden.  Mtiar   bovendiei is- eene andere
                        .                                                            lezing van. dkze  wooyden   veulkieselijk,  de  lezing,  .name-
                                                                                     lijk,  volgtens dewelke ze den  vorm van eene verzekering, ,
                    De %ocl nu alley gbnnde, Die ,olnns gwoepsn van  eene  onwankelbaye belofte hebben.  "-Dan lezen we:
                 he.eft tot  Zijne  eewwige  iieerl$cheid,  nadcct "De God  aller. genade. . . .xaZ u  volmaken,  -wal  -u  be-
                 wij een  wai-nig  tijds  zull&  geleden  heb.Qen,                   vestigen,  xal  u versterken,  xal  u  fondeeren.
                 Dezelve volmake, bevestige,Vver.sterke en.fo?%-                            Ea zoo  Gerstaan; als  zekere-_belofte,  ons gegeven
                 deere  ulieden.                                                     door den God  aller  gensde, is dit woord een treffend en
                                                    .. I  P,etr.  5:lO.              {pass&d   s l o t .
      -Zekerheid ten  einde  toe !                                                          Passend slot  bij dit  laatst&hoofd&k,  want daarin
      Volkomen,  zekerhei,d,  gegrond  ih  G o d s   vaste.  e n had  die apostel geheel dk.  geme@nte  cog eens vermaand
 eeuwig zekere beloften, die den  uitverkorene  vreemde- ,oni te  wande!,en  waardiglijk  der`roeping Gods, die  van
 lingen  vengezellen   bp  g&eel hunne pelgrimstocht naar boven is: Den  ouderlingen had  hij  -met  allen  eu%st op
 Son,  tdiat boven is!_                                                              het hart  Igedrukt, om de genieente Gods te  weiden,  opr
                 l&j  /can,  e n   wdl,  e n   x&T,  i n   -niod,  -  _              ticht over Gods kudde  hebbende, niet uit  bedwang,                                 ,.
                 Zelfs- bij het naad'ren van den dood,                               maar gewilliglijk.;  noch om vuil gewin, maar met een
                 Volkomen uitkomst  ieven.                                           volvaardig gemoed  ; .noch  als beerschappij' hebbende
      Dat  ,is,  i'n `t  a!gemeen,  de gedechte van dit  slot-                       o v e r   d e s   Heeren  erfdeef,  m a a r   ali  voorbeeldq   d e r
 woord van den eersten brief  van Petrus. En om                                      kudde.  pen  jongen had hij tot  cnderdanigheid  aarnge-
                                                                             011s
 daarvan te  verzekerec;  datirom komt dit Woord Gods maand, ja; tot onderdanigheid en ootmoedigheid  tegen-                                                             -
 tot ons. Opdat  we ons er op zouden verlaten, en geheel over elkander had  hij geheel de  gemteente aangespoord,                                                              ~
 en al er op vertrouwend den  weg' van  ,Gods verbond                                daa+  God immers de hoovaardigen  wederstaat,.  ma&r
 ?oudem,  _ houden in en  dool het  midden dezer  tegen- - d e n   nederigen  g e n a d e   Igeeft.  E n   alzoo  w & & l e n d
 woordige  weureld, daarom  eindigt' deze  rijke brief,  ge- mcychten ze alle hunne  bekonunernissen-op hunnen God
"  rilcht  aan de "uitverkoren vreemdelingen," met deze werpen,  vertrouwend, dat Hij  V;oor hen zorgt, en  "alile                                             _
 alomvlattende  belofte.                                                             kwaad  van. hen  -weren of ten hunnen beste keeren". zou.
      Want eene  belofte  bedoelen  deze  woor&n te' zijn.                           Maar  d&anbij had hij  hm  herinnerd  aan den altijd
      En als eene belofte van den God  aller  ge6de  wil rondsluipenden pijand, den  duivel,  die  -rondgaat als een
 d i t   W o o r d   G o d s   worden  g e h o o r d .   ..  -  _             I      brieschenden  leeuw, zoekende wien hij  ZOU mogen
      Niet  sliechts als  eei  vro?e  w&sch van  Pktrus.                             brieschende leeuw, zoekende wien hij zou mogen
 '    Want immers, in de  eerste,,  plaats,  ook al zou de                           te  zijtn., den vijand te wederstaan, en  aan het lijden, dat'
 vorm, waarin deze woorden in bnze vertaling  worden ze  in. dezen strijd,  n-&t geheel hunne  broeder&hap  in
 weergegeven, de  juiste zijn, en  we dus  zouden   moeten ld;e  wemeld,  tiouden  hebben te  volbragen:
 lezr$ : "De God  all& genade  v@+nake,   bevestige,  ver-                                  W:eln.u, hoe  schoon,  hoe  gepast  is bij dit  alies dit
 sterke en  $on.deere hlieden," zoodat we hier  n&ar den sldtwoord,-deze belofte  van den Gold  dler genade: Hij                                                    -
 vorm het  m&t een  wensch  van  den apostel  zouciien te                            zal  u  volmiken ! . . . .
                                                                                                                                           t
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98                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D ` B E A R E R

      Passend  ook is deze belofte,  wanneer we haar be-                       wereld,  zegt  l&j : Slachtoffer en  -offerande Hebt  @j
schouwen als het  s1otwoqr.d  van heel den brief. Want                         niet gewild, maar Gij hebt Mij  he$  lichaam  toebereid."
dsiarin  tech had de apostel niet grooten nadruk  aan                          En in het  de&e vers  van het  elfde. hoofdstuk van  .dezen
de  "uit'verkoren  vreemdelingen" geschreven over  sdle brief komt hef woord  nogmaals voor: "Door het geloof
heerlijke, de  onwantkelbare   hopte, waartoe ze  waren verstaan-  %ij, dat de wereld door  het woord Gods is
tiedergeboren door de opstanding  van. Jezus  Christus                         toleberei,d."    En ook in den brief  aan de  Romeinen
uit de dooden  ; maar ook over de met `deze hope in  on-                       wordt hetzelfde woord  gebezi.gd, waar gesproken wordt
                                                                          -
losmakelijk  veEband staande  roeping  olyl hunnen wan-                        van de  vaten  .dses toorns, die tot  h&t  verderf  worden
d&l eerlijk te houden onder  id?  heidenen. En ook, ja,                        Doebereid. Rom. 9  :22.
vooral ook,  bad hij  daar_bij steeds  weer nadruk  gelegd                         Hij zal u volmaken!
op het feit, dat ze,  alzoo wandelende, zouden  moeten                             Het  woord ziet dus  alp een  zekere taak, die  ,volb%&
verwachten; dat ze zouden hebben te  iijden om Christus' moet  worden, op een zekere positie, die we  mo.eten  in:
wil.  - Van eene  zeer, hittige  verdrukking had hij  ge-                      nlemen, op een zeker doel, dat we  moeten  ,bereiken. E n
waag&,  di,e ophanden was.' . . .  -                                            de vraag is:  welke taak, welk  ehde, welk doel?
       En keer op keer had  .hij hen  vlepmaand,  om  tech                         Het uiteindelijke antwoord op deze vraag  ligt in
vooral niet te lijden als kwaaddoeners, maar om  bet                           dez:e belofte zelve.  II:&ners spreekt zij er van, dat  de
geqade te  rekenlen; dat  ZI?  als  weldoeners lijden  moch-                   God  aller genade  `ens geroepen' heeft tot Zijne eeuwige
ten. .                                                                         heeyiijkheid. Het  l&t  dus voor de hand,  om.,deze  be-
--     `0, hoeveel  .behoefte  hadden dan  tech deze  vreemde-                 lofte, dat God  .ons zal volmaken  allereerst zoo te  vrer-
lingbn en bijwoners, optrekkend naar Sions top,  strij-                        staan,. dat Hij ons zal toebereiden,  pa;sklaar   maken,
dend  eil  wdrstel@+d;  lijfdend  len verdrukt  wordend, ja,                   voor de eeuwige heerlijkheid. "En  di,e eeuwige  heerlijk-
nauwelijks zalig  wordend ; daarbij zelf  vwak  .zilch  ge-                    heid  werd eerder in dezen brief  beschkeven  als de  on-
voelepd, tot hinken en zinken altijd gereed,  aan deze                         verderfelijke en  olnbevlekkelijke   en cmverwelkelijke
verzekering van  d,en God  aller genade: Hij zal u  .vol-                      lerfenis,   ,die in de hemelen voor ons  .bewaard   wordt. .
ma,ken! . . . .                                                                Ze is de  zaligheid,  die  bereid is  om, geopenbaard te  wor-
       Als belofte  wil. dit Woord gehoord  worden  !`                         den in den laatsten tijd. Daartoe  moeten we  worden
       Als Gods idfeel in `t verbond !      ..                                 .toebereid, in het algemeen reeds,  on&t zonder de  heilig-
       ,Als Gods Ja en  Am&, waarop we ons  gehekl en al                       making niemand den  I&eere  zien zal, en omdat vleesch
mogen  verlaten, dat we mee mogen nemen in de  For&e- en bleed het koninkrijk Gods niet blegrven .kunnen ; maar
ling als  onzen eenigen troost.                                                ook in  zeer bijzonderen zin, omdat Jeruzalem dat
       Als onwankelbare eed van Hem, Die nimmer liegt,                         bovkn is, en dat straks  uit. den  hemel van `God  afialen
om  o*ns zekerheid te  (gemen op den  w:orstelweg  naar                        zal,  een  schoon en  harmon&ch geheel is, waarin  iedler
Sion.                                                                          der  gez`aligden op zijne eigene plaats den lof des Heeren
      Zekerheid  ts;ll einde toe!                                              zal,verkondigen, en den rijkdom der genade in  Christus
                             -                                                 Jezus-zal   doen uitstralen.  Voor die eeawige  heerlijk-
       IHij zal u  volmaken !                                                  heid in het  algemeen, en voor onze eigene plaats in  `t
 ~ In dit eerste woord der  necks, waarin de inhoud                            blij  Jertizalem  zal de  JGod  aller genade ons pasklaar
dezer belofte ligt  `uitgedrukt, mogen we zeker  we1 de maken, toebereiden.
hoofdgedaehte  z i e n .                                                           Dat is de belofte!
       W a n t   welisyaar  worden  h i e r   v i e r   ,verschillende             Niet alsof dit volmaken daarom niet meer zou  in-
ternien aaneen geregen : volmaken, bevestigen,  .ver- houden. Immers is de weg niet  vande  eindbestemmil;qy,
sterken,  fondeeren  ;  ma& hiermede is nog  ni,et  gezegd,                    zijn de middelen niet van  bet doel, is de  strijd niet van
dat ze ook op  gelijtke  waar,de   moeten  worden geschat,                     de overwinning  10s te  maken.
dat ze op  6Qn lijn staan, dat er tusechen  dleze  verschil-                       En ook voor het'bewandelen van dien  .weg, ook  voor .
&ende  igetachten  niet  eel:  zeker  verband moet  wo,fden `de worsteling en den. strijd,  oak voor'het  dragen van  %
ontdekt. Veeleer is de gedachte: Hij zal  `u  volmaken                         den-last des lijdens, zal de  .Goid  aller  gen,a,d:e ons vol-
door u  te bevestigen, te  ve,rsterken, te fondeeren.                          maken, toerusten, voorbereiden. Dag bij dag, van  stap
       iHet woord, dat  hFer door  volrnahxn  is  vertaald,   wil              tot stap vergezelt deze belofte ons  oti weg naar Sion.
eigenlijk  zeggen : pasklaar  maken,  bereideil;  toeblerei-                     . Immers. herinnert  deze belofte  ens er nogmaals  aan :
den, .toerusten. `t Is hetzelfde  woord,  dat  vloorkomt in                    %adat wij een  wleinig (tijds)  zullen  geleden  h&ben."
het antwoord van  ,den Heiland  aan. de Joodsche  leidlers,                    Dat is de weg. ,Het is een weg van worsteling,  van
toen  .de.zen  m e t   nijidilgheid  vervuld  werd,en  d o o r   bet           waken en  nuchteren zijn, van tegenstand bieden  aan
roepen der  kinderkens in den  t,empel  : "Ja ;  h&t  gij den duivel,  ,die  rofi&gaat als een brieschende leeuw, en
nooit  gelezen: Uit den  mend der jonge  kinderen en  der ,daarom*van   lijden. En  nu is dat lijden, hoe zwaar het
zhogelingen  hebt Gij  ,U  lof toebereid?" Matt.  21:X                         ook  0.p  zichzelf  ,beschouwd  zijn  m&g,  we1  li*cht. Het is
Zoo ook' in  Helore&  10:5: "Daarom, komende in  .de maar een  weinig  jijden (het woordeke  tijds is er  tus-


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER::-  I.-                                   '                   99

  schen gevoegd door de  vertalers) . In  vergelijking met geslindeid,   als  de  .baren  jder zee.  Alleen  in.  Christus  is
  de eeuwige heerlijkheid beteekent het eigenlijk  i&ts. onze standvastigheid. Maar dan  moeten ook op dat
  Het is  ni'et te waardeeren  txegen. de heerlijkheid,  di,e  aan fundament bevestigd  worden.                     In  eigen `kracht  ver-
  ons zal geopenbaard  wordlen. Maar het is  tech lijden,  _  mogez ook  niet ons  aan  Christus  vast te klemmen.
  en  uit het oogpunt van ons  vleesch  en  vlan dezen  tegen-            Door het cement des geloofs  moeten  we op  ehristus
  woordigen  tij.d  oak dikwijls moeilijk en  zwgar, zoodat               wordcen bevestigd. Of, om een ander  beeld te  .gebrui-
  d,e rechtvaardige nauwelijks  zalig  wordt !                            ken, door den  w'6rtel des geloofs  moeten we vast in
      De  poort is eng!             `-_                                   Christus   geplant   Ozijn.
      D'e weg is smal!                                                        Hij zal ook  `dat doen !      --
      Het  g$at ten slotte door  ,de diepte naar  boven, door                 En  alzoo  `zal Hij u versterken ! Bevestigd op het
-~.  lijdea  tot  heerlijkheidq, door den  bangen dood tot in het fundament, hetwelk is Christus, de wortelen des  gk-
  eeuwilge,  heerlijke leven !                                            loafs diep en stevig in Hem geslagen, trekt  Ige uit Bern
      En nu vergezelt  ens  altijd  ,en  ,overal deze belofte!            uwe kracht, om te staan en tie strijden en te lijden en
      GOok tot  ,het gaan door de diepte zal Hij u volmaken !             t,e volharden en te  overwirnnen. . . .
  Obk tot het  dragen van, den last  des  lijciens zal Hij u                 ,Hij doet  oak, dat. Want Hij zal u volmaken!
  `bereiden ! Ook  vloor den  laatst& gang  door de vallei                    Ten  eind:e toe !
  der schaduwe des  doods zal Hij u toerusten!
      Volmaken ten  !einde toe !                                              OnwankeUaar zekere  belo:fte !
      Hij  zal dat  doen door u te versterken, te  bevesti:gen,              IHoort haar als belofte Gods.- Verlaat u op haar in
 tq fondeeren !                                                           allen           hood!
      Immers  hebb,en we behoefte  aan  krecht,  ian meer                     Hij  kan  en  wil en  xal! . . . .
d a n   natuurlijke,  a$  m e e r   d a n   gewoon  menschelijke,             Hij  ka&, want Hij is de God  aller genade! En och,
aan geestelijke,  aan Goddelijke kracht. Want  we1  wor- ge verstaat nu wel, dat dit niet wil zeggen, dat Hij de
den we in en  d,oor Gods  kracht  b:ewaard'tot  ,de  onver-               $pd is van gemeene en particuliere genade,  rYiaar in  &5n
  mderf eli j ke en olnbevlekk&li  j ke en onverwelkeli j,ke erf e- woord, dat Hij de God  der volkomene zaligheid is  .voor
  nis, tot de  eindelijke  zali.gheid ; maar  t,och is deze be-.. Zijh volk! . De  ,God  aller genade. . . . dat houdt opeens
Waring  nilet zoo, dat ze  bniten ons omgaat,  efl dat we alles in: de Bron is Hij en  de  Bewerker en de Gever
  slapende naar den  hemel gedragen  yorden, Neen, de                     van  allen  -rijkdom  d'er  genade, van verlossing -en  ver-
  weg is een weg van strijd,  dien we  moeten  strijden, en               zoening, van  vergeving  `en aanneming tot  .kinderen,
  waarin we niet mogen onderliggen; de  welg is steil  6n                 van rechtvaardigmaking en  geloof en  liefde en hope en
  moeilijk begaahbaar:  41.ij gaat  oyer  &herpe  rotsblok-               hejligmaking en  reinigmaking en  .bewaring en  volhar-
  ken en  langs diepe ravijnen. En  nu  gaat-  Gods  be- ding, van  ketinis en wijsheid en kracht. . . .
  warende kracht dwars door  qns  heen. Hij  ,bewaart                         Hij kan! . . . .
  ons, ja,  maar dan  .zoo, dat wij- al strijdend  volh&r.den                 En Hij  zuil! .  -. . .
  ten einde toe !                                                             Want  itimers,  Hij is Dezelfde, Die  u reeds  ,geroepen
      Hij  volmaakt  ons, en rust ons toe voor  defl  strijd,             heeft tot Zijne eeuwige heerlijkheid! Ook dat deed
  ,en voor de  ovepwinning !                                              Hij  ?loor  Zijn- Geest en Woord! En  idaarin betoonde
  E n   ,daartoe   z a l   IHij  o n s   v e r s t e r k e n ,   bevest;ig&; ,Hij u  imrners,  ,dat Hij u  heeft. liefgehad van voor de
  fundeeren !                                                             grdndleggiing der  wereld,  ten dat het Zijn eeuwige;  on-
      Eigenlijk  doen al deze  termen  denken  +an onze  be-              veranderlij.ke wil om  LI  tot  Zijne  e_euwige heerlijkheid
  trekking tot Christus, die  olns  .kraeht geeft.,                       te leiden.  Eri let daar mu nog even op: het is  Zij,e
      Hij  tech is. ons fundament, de grond van ons  ver- heerlij,kheid, waartoe Hij u geroepen heeft. Dat wil
  .trouwen, de bron van al  o;llze kracht.  Zonder Hem zeggen,  dat Hij u heeft  verkoren om in Zijne  heerlijk-
  zijn we  Diets,  Ikunnen we niets  d'oen. Stain  we.in eigen hei'd te  d$eelen, Zijne  eigene heerlijkheid,  o$ die  heer-
  kracht, we gaan iekerlijk ten onder.  ~ Maar in  H!elm                  lijkheid van den  aanbidclelijk heerlijken God  tot  iln alle
  is al  .onize sterkte.  Gefundjeerd  worden wil dan ook                 eeuwigheid te  wee$aatsen  ,en te  loven  `en uit te  jube-
  niets minder  zeggen,`,  dan  dat  we hoe  langer zoo me& lea. . . .                             '
  van  onszelven   leeren afzien, hoe  lanlger zoo  ,minder van              -En  aan die heerlijkheid mag  straks, mag  nimmer
  onszelven  verwachtcn  ; om nu alleen op  Christus   te                 iets ontbreken !
  zien, op  Hein  alleen ons te verlaten, te  bouwall  en te                  Hij wil, want het gaat om Zijne heerlijkheid!
  vertxouwen,  aan Hem alleen oas vast te klemmen  in,                        En Hij  xal!
  allen ndod en dood. . . .                                          !        Want Hij heeft het beloofd !
      Hij  z&l dat  doen!                                                     Hij, Die niet  lilegen kan, bezweert  ens hier als Zijn
      En Hij doet dat door ons te  bevestigenmop  dat  funda-             deel  ifi `t verbond, dat Hij  ,ons zal volmaken, bevestigen,
  merit.,  hetwelk is Christus. Er is in  :ons  gem  stand-               versterken,  f,ondeeren  !
  yastigheid. In  ,onszelven  wordeti  .we her en  derwaarts                _ `t Stait eeuwig yast !
                                                                                    .~                                          g.  g.


                                                                          -                                                                                                                                                                                    ,_.- .
100                              -                                                                                          T H E   ST'ANDARD   B E A R E R

                               The Stand&d Bearer -.                                                                                                                                          '                        E.DI%.QRIAL'S
              Semi-Monthly,  except Monthly in. July. and August
                                                                           Published by
                    The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                              1463 Ardmore Street, S. E.                                                                                                                                                  The Liberated Chuwhes
    -                                       EDITOR  - Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                     In The Netherlands .                      '
  Contributing  Editors:-Rev. G. M.  Ophoff,  Rev. G.  Vois, Rev.
  R. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De'Wolf, Rev. B, Kok,                                                                                                                                                     As far as the doctrinal issue is concerned, the dif-
  Rev. J. D. De Jong, Rev. A.  ketter,  Rev. C. Hanko,  R&. L.
  Veruieer,  .l?ev.  G. Lubbers; Rev. M. Gr&ers, Rev. J. A. Hf&ys,                                                                                                                                           ference  b&ween the synodical churches (nicknamed
  Rev.  w. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                                           "synodocratic" by the leaders of the  sec&sion)  atid
                                                                                                                                                                                              -
Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                                      the  libkrated churches centers around. a question  re-
  to REV. II.  HOEKSEMA:  1139 Franklin St.,  3 S. E., Grand                                                                                                                                                 slated to the historical realization  .of God's  covena&,
  Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                                          in connection with  the closely related  qu'estion as to
         qommunications  relative to  sub%scription  should be addressed                                                                                                                                     ,the meaning of the  s,acraments,  particularly that of
  to MR. GERRIT PIPE,. 1463 Ardmore'St.,  S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                                               baptism.
  Michigan. All Announcements, and Obituaries must be sent                                                                                                                                                       It does not concern the problem of the covenant
  io the above address atid will npt be placed unless the Tegular                                                                                                                                            as  such. As we said before,  this was never  macjj.. an
 ,fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                                                       issue.
                           `(Subscription price $2.50 per y&r)                                                                                                                                                   :The dontroversy is concerned with the Question:
  Entered-as Second Class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                    .who are  iln the  convenant as it is realized, and reveals
                                                                                                                                                                                                             itself  in. this -world?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Or, stated more specifically, it'revolves around the
                                                                                                                                                                                                             qu,estion  concerning the  relation of infants, children of
                                                                      coNTlmTs                                                                                                                               belilevers; that are baptized,. to  tihe covenant: of  grace..
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 And  this question is discussed in connection with
ME?UJ?ATION   -                                                                                                                  .                                                                           a  oertain aspect of the meaning of the sacraments,
                                                                                                                                                                                                             especially that of baptism as it is adminstered to
VOLKO,MEN ZEKERHElID                                                               ,...,............................  . .i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . `97                                     ihfants.           (
     Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                                            Is the' covenant established with Abraham and all
                                                                                                                                                                                                             his seed,, `with believers and all their children, or is
EDITOEiIALS   i                                                                                                                                                                                              it established only with the` elect? If the former,  tn
                                                                                                                                                                                                             what' sense  are all baptized children really in the  leoire-
THE IJIIBIZRATED  CHURCHES IN THE NETHERLANDS..100                                                                                                                                                           nant ? If the latter, on what basis can baptism be  ad-
EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELB,ERG CATEC,HI,SM' . . . . . ...102                                                                                                                                                  ministeried  +o  .a11 the children of believers  .promis-
         Rev.   i .Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                        8.        cuously? Do the sacraments `presuppose and seal act-.
                                                                                                                                                                                                             ually present grace in those to whom they, are  ad;
POPE GREG&Y, OR &HE GREAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106                                                                                                `ministered, or do they obsignate and seal the promise
THE  CANO.NICAL'  SIGtiIFICANCE  OF THE  BoOK  OF.                                                                                                                                                           of God? If  &he former,  the question arises again: how
J U D G E S
                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
                                                                                                                                                                                                   109       can  .the sacrament of baptism  ,be administered to little
         Rev. G. `M. Opboff                                                                                                                                            -.
                                                                              _                                                                                                                              chili&en?  If the latter, the  quiestion must be  answered':
                                                                                                                                                                                      -.                     `if the promise is for  all, how  is it  to  be  expiained
GROOTE   VERFATENHEID . . . . . . . . . . 9                                                                                                                                                   `
                                                                                                           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110      that it is not realized in all, and that many fall  xway
    Rev. G.  Vo:s                                                                                                                                                                                            when they  come to years  of discretion?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 These are some of the questions that were in debate
IN  T&E WAY HE SHOULD GO                                                                                                 ~`-
                                                                                                     . . . . . . . . . . . . .
                                                                                                                              ..~................................113                                         before  the. Synod  of.  1939-1942;  which that Synod
         `Rev. R.  Veldman'                                                                                                                                                                                  sought to answer by official  dlecrees, because of which
                                                                                                                                                                                                             official  d8e!clarations  (made binding for all) the lib-
FROM HOLY WRIT". ..`                                                         '
                                                              .......O,.,`.~........,...,...,.......~..........,,...,..,..,,,.,,115                                                                          erated churches separated, and Chat  ,are now  more
                                                                                                                                                                                                             -widely and  hot*ly discussed  thati before 1939.
         Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                              -.                                                      --~                Let  us try to  understarid  the difference `between
                                                                                                                                                                                                             the  twq groups  *of, churches.
PERI&OPE 1.11..1.1.....0...11011 """....`...`.""..................,.....,,....,..~....,,,119                                                                                                                  Wie shall, for the sake  o? clear distinction, indicate
         Rev.  W. Hoffman                                                                                                                                                                                    the two groups by  th,e names  `(synodical  chuxhes"
                                                                                                                                               _--                                                           and "liberated churches". We must remember, how-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ._


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEA.REP,                                                   1 0 1

  ever, that this  is,not their official name. Both groups       baptized on the  <ground-  *of their "supposed regen-
call themselves Reformed  (Geref.or,meerde)  Churches.           eration."
  F,or a while the group that seceded added in  parei?-              Now, the Synod of  -1942 did not adopt this view
  theses "liberated according  to Art. 31 D. K.  ,O." But        in so many words,  *but they  pl.inly favored it, and
  at their first synod  `(Enschede, Oct. 8, 1945) they de-       virtually made it official.
tided to drop this addition,- so that their official name            It is in this light that their  declarati,on  `must be.
I  r is simply  `1Gereformeerde   Kerken."~  H,owever, in our    und8erstoad   tha$<`the  seed of the covenant must be con-
  discussion,  wle must somehow distinguish them, and,           sidered regenerated and sanctified in Christ. until,. as
  theref,ore, we shall denote them by the terms  "synod-         they  gro:w up, the opposite appears." This supposition
  ical" and "liberated" churches.                                they read into the Baptism Form-. When parents that
 -.    Now; the synodical decisions of 1942  f,ollow, in the     present their, children for baptism are asked, whether
  main, the view of Dr. A. Kuyper, Sr. with respect to           they acknowledge "that although our children are  con-
  the baptism of infants.                                        c,eived is born  `in sin, and therefore are subject to all
       This theologian, who in his day exerted a deep and miseries, yea, to condemnation itself; yet that they are
  ,widespread  influence  upcm  t.he  lif,e and doctrine of      sanctified in Christ, and, therefore, as members af his
-the Reformed churches in the Netherlands, approached            (Church ought to be baptized?" they understand by
  the question concerning the validity and meaning of            "sanctified in Christ" true, inward, spiritual holiness,
  the baptism of infants  :from the aspect of the question       regeneration; but apply this to  .ccZl the children of be-
 concerning the sacraments.       Sacraments,0 he argued,        lievers as  a  &ppo&&m.  The parents, answering this
  are signs and seals  institut,ed by God in  IHis Church        questi,on, really declane that they suppose that their
 for  t.he strengthening of the faith of those to whom           children,  alt  t.he children of the Church  '  are' sanctified
  they are administered. They are  m#eans of grace, means        in Christ and members of the Church, and  t.hat on                      -
 .whereby it pleases God to impart  grace to. His people         this  supposition  they present them far baptism. When
  through the Holy Spirit. It follows, then, that they           the Church declares in  the. thanksgiving after baptism :
  presuppose faith in those that  receivle and  Ipartake  of     "Allmighty  God and merciful Father, we thank and
  them. Unless, at the moment when the sacraments are praise thee, that Thou hast forgiven us, and our chil-
  administered, there is an operation of the Holy Spirit.,       dren;. all, our sins, -through the  b1oo.d of thy beloved
  through the sacraments, to strengthen the faith. of Son  Jiesus Christ, and received us through thy Holy
  then partaker, there is no sacrament; and unless there         Spirit as members of thine  ol:;ly  %begotten -Son, and
is- faith in him that receives -the sacrament,, there is         adopted us to be thy  .children,  and sealed and con-
  nothing to be strengthened  ; hence, seeing that  sacra- -firmed the same unto us by holy baptism," they take
 ,ments seal and strengthen faith, actually existing,            these words in their real, spiritual sense, apply them
  present grace, they `can be administered only where            to  all the children  `of believers, but again  .base this
  this faith, or internal  `grace. is present. Now, if the       entire thanksgiving on  a supposition.  We suppose that            ~
 iquestionis asked,: how, then, can infant baptism ever          the children are sanctified in Christ, an this sup-.
  $e a real sacrament, seeing that' the little children          position we give thanks to God for their salvation as
cannot as yet perform the act of faith? Dr. Kuyper               actually having been accomplished.
  answers that, even thaugh they  cannot perform the                 The covenant, they hold, is established only with
  conscious act  #of `faith, the power or  faculty of  faith,    the elect  ; but in baptism  wte suppose that all the chil-
  given with regeneration, may be in the smallest in-            dren of believers-are  (elect and regenerated.
  fant as well as in the adult. Now,: if infants as. well           Although-the Synod of 1942  ,did not literally de-  *
  as adults are comprehended in the covenant  ,of grace,         clare all this, we may safely say-that  t,his is, in the
  as we believe,  w'e may  Fonclude.  t:hat  ,God  regenerates- main, the  vi,ew of the synodical churches.
  them in their infancy,  and as such, as regenerated               `This is corroborated by many statements in the,
 ohildren, "sanctified in Christ", they receive the sac- "Prae-advies"  and in the  "Toelichtilng," as  ,well  .`as by
  rament of baptism., and the Holy Spirit applies it to arguments presented later in  def~ense  o!f the. synodical
  them unto the sealing and strengthening af the work of         deldarations.
  grace  :already begun in them. In fact, according to               Moreover, the same view underlies the declaration
 `Kuyper, through baptism little infants receive. a  vlery       of point 4: "The  churc;h must  $&eive and deal with
  special kind of grace, which, it would seem, they  can-        the members that are admitted to the Lord's table,  ac-  -
  Inot  receivle in' any  ,other way, although in just what      carding to the same judgment of  love," i. e. on the
  this "baptismal grace"  .consists  he does not succeed to ' same supposition, that they are regenerated and sancti-
  make clear. Well, then, in this way it becomes very clear fied in Christ.
  that  in.fants as well as-adults have a right to baptism,          And it is with this in mind that the.Synod declared,
  and that, when they  ar,e  .baptized, there is a very real in its first point : "that the oovenant  of grace is of such
  administration  ,of a very real sacrament,  !Infants,are fundamental significance for the life of faith that the


  102               :                 '  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

  preaching as well as all other work of  thle Church must         command  of God, and because theirs is the promise
  proceed from it"; i.e.  Ipreaching and  -all  ot,her work        as well as for the  -adults.
  must proceed from the  suppositiion  that all the  m.em-            But'this promise dare  nlever be separate3 from its
  bers  ,of the church visible are regenerated and  -sancti-       condition or demand!  Ccl& and  Au&&e  may not be
  fied  -in  ,Christ.                                              divorced !
      Now what, in opposition to'this synodical  vilew,  ,do                                                        ;H. H.
  the liberated  chuxhes teach with regard to these
  matters ?
      They, too, just as their synodical opponents, want
  to declare  somethin,g  with respect to  all the children
  of believers. This they have in common. Both are deal-             THE TRIPLE  KNQmEDGE  .-
  ing  wit,h the question-as to the state and position. in
  t,he covenant of  all baptized children. And also the
 .liberated churches want  to" assert  samething  concern-          An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
  ing the salvation  of them  all.  Ckly,  they da not want                           Catechisti
  to speak of  suppo&ons. To this they are strongly  op-
  Iposed. Again and again, they object that by speaking                                    P a r t   T w o ,   -
  `of suppositions the very basis of assurance is removed                             Of Man's Redemption
  upon which the children of the  covlenant may claim                            D
  that  .God has  ,indeed established His covenant with                               LO,RD'S DAY XVII
  them, that He is their  Goid, and that  .a11 the  bltessings                                     3
  of salvation are really theirs.  :Hence, they seek some-
thing positive, something objective, something that                    The Power Of Christ's Resurrection (Cont.)  -
  may be said about and to all the children of the cove-
  nant that is more than a supposition, that is, in fact,            This the' Catechism  meaix when it speaks of "that
  .indubitably certain:  '                                         righteousness which he had purchased for us  ,by his
    This positive,  8objectively  certain ground they find         death."
  in the promise of God.                                              He paid the price for aur righteousness, the  prioe
                                                                   that was demanded by Gad's unchangeable justice  ap-
      The idea, the very  zessence of the covenant `they find      plied to the guilty. That  prilce was death. And the
  in the promise: "I will be your God." Notice that this price must be  pcLz'cZ, righteousness must be  pur&ased.
  is the Heynsian covenant theology.                               Th.e  suff,ering of death must be- a voluntary act of love,
      That.infants as  wlell as adults are comprehended            just as sin is wanton rebellion and  &so!bedience, And
  in the covenant of grace,  th'erefore,  means that theirs        such `an act of perfect obedience was the  de&h of
  is the promise  of  -the covenant. This promise is  flor (Christ. Hence,  <He purchased righteousness for us. by
  `all the children of  ,believers. God, in  IHis part  of. the    His death. And the resurrection of our Lord is God's
  covenant, promises to  @ZJ that He establishes His eter-         declaration that the price was paid in full, that He
  nal covenant of grace with them,  adolpts them as His            did, indeed, obtain righteousness for all His people.
  children and heirs,  ilncorporates  them into Christ, gives         And He arose in order that  .He might make us par-
  the-m forgiveness of sins and eternal  righte80usness and takers of -that righteousness.
  life, that through His  Holy Spirit  Hte will dwell in              .The living  %ord  leffects that change in us, whereby
  them, apply unto them all  .they have in  ,Christ,  san,ctify    :we lay hold upon the `righteousness He obtained for
  and preserve them, until  ,t,hey "shall finally be pre-          us, and ourselves become righteous  _  ,before God.
  sented without spot or wrinkle among the assembly                   As we are, by nature, we  aye not  partdce~s  of the
 "of the elect in life eternal."                                   righteousness  ,of  ,Christ,  and because  owe are  not, we
    .Here is something  objectivie, something everlast-            never could and never would lay  hol'd upon that  right-
  ingly sure : the promise of  (God !                              leousness  if Christ -Himself did `-not fundamentally
      :On the basis of this promise,  all'the children of          .change us. We are  d'ead in sin,  1p:erverse of heart,
  .believers that are baptized are  reaZZzJ  in the covenant.      darkensd in our understanding, rebelious of will, pollu-
  One does not deal in suppositions here but in  cer- ted and defiled in all our desires and  inclilnations.  In
  tainties. It is on the basis of this certainty, that the that state we care not for righteousness, not even if  it,
  promise is for all the children of believers, that they are      is freely offered us, if we can obtain it by just appro-.
  Ibaptized. Sacraments do not obsignate  -and seal in-            priating it unto ourselves. We da not want righteous-
  ternally present grace, but the  .promise of God. The            ness, we have no desire for it in our hearts, we do not
  sacrament. of baptism- is administered, to infants, not          seek it. Unrighteousness  .we love, and the way  .of  uln-
  on the ground of supposed regeneration, but  upon  the           righteousness we will pursue even though we are


                                           THE:STANDARD   B E A R E R   -                                                         103
                                                                                                         .     ,
       quite well aware of the' fabt that it -leads us to  ,de-               Alnd faith presupposes a living  Loncl.
        struction, that the wages  ,of sin is death. And even                 F(or, mark you well,  we' are not to look upon this
        though the gospel of a free righteousness were                     faith as a gift that is once bestowed upon us, and that,
        preached to us by men all our life,  and. though a  thou-          ever after its first bestowal,  3we possess `in ourselves,
                                                                      *
        sand preachers  woul,d warn us of our peril,,. and urge            apart from Christ, On the contrary, it. is a continuous
        us to accept righteousnes before it is too late, we would          gift, the fruit in us of the constant operation of the
        only despise  ,anid reject it. Christ, indeed, purchased           livmg Christ in  us. It is the  uni.on;  #of  ,our soul with
        righteousness for us, but there is  n'o  colnnection be-           the living Lord.
        tween that righteousness -and us, nor is there any  pos-           Does the little electric bulb that sheds its light
       m sibility that we, on our part, can  :establish such con- upon my  t,ypewriter and sheet of paper have light in
       _ nection.'                                                         itself? Will it retain its light if I cut the wire through
            This situation, in all its seriousness, must be clear-         which the -living current of electricity flaws into it?
        ly understood and fully acknowledgedin order to grasp              Do the branches of the vine have life, and can they
        the true implication  o.f  the. language of the Catechism          bear fruit apart  from'the vine? No more do we have
        here  : "he  ,has overcome death, that -he might make us           faith and righteousness, even for one moment, apart
        partakers of that righteousness which he had pur-. from the living Lard. Suppose that it were possible
        chased for us by his  ,death."                                     (which it is not) that, after we received the  gi,ft of
            None less than a living Lord, one that has overcome            faith by which we are made partakers of righteousness,
        death, Who is the resurrection and  the'life, is able to           the bond between  ,Christ  and  .our soul were cut, what
        make-  us partakers  -of His righteousness, to establish, would happen?  ,.That moment we would be dead in
        the living link between that righteousness and our soul,           sin, in complete darkness, without righteousness be-
        so to  #change us that,  instead-`of  hating and despising fore God. A constant current of faith-power flows into
        and  rejtecting righteousness, we seek it, desire it, and          our soul from the living Christ, and thus  ;He makes us
        are able to lay hold  upo:n it, and to appropriate it when         partakers of His righteousness.
        it is bestowed upon us as a  fr,ee  ,gift.  -                         And thus we already entered  upoil a discussion of
            And this change is effected in us by that  marvell<ous         the second "`prafit" of the resurrection  uf Christ men-        ,
        gift of grace which the Holy Scriptures call faith, of             tioned by the  Heidelblerg  Catechism, namely, that "we
        which we treated more fully in connection with the                 are also by his power raised up to a new life."
        twentieth question  an,d answer of the  Cat,echism.                   That we should do  so was inevitable.
            Faith is the living bond between  ,our soul and the
        Christ of the Scriptures, between the righteousness He                We may distinguish the benefits of Christ's  re-
      purchased for us and  `our inmost heart. Faith is the                surrectioln,  we may enumerate them in a certain order,
        spritual power whereby our whole soul, with mind  anId             but they can never be separated. For fact is that by
        will and all  Iour  .desires,   pearn.s for Christ and His         faith we become partakers of Christ Himself, and,
        righteousness, seeks Him, hungers -and thirsts after His theref,ore, of all His benefits.' In reality, we do not
        righteousness, cleaves to  IHim, knows, Him as no faith-           receive the benefits of the resurrection of Christ #piece-
        less soul is able to know Him, wants Him as  abavle all meal, in, a certain consecutive order, so that  we.brst
        things precious,. and  sp.propriates  Him and all His              become partakers of His righteousness, next of  ,+Iis
        benefits. By the accomplishment of that change in us,              life, and, finally, of His resurrection. On the contrary,
        by the bestowal of that spiritual gift of  `faith'upon us,         we become partakers of Christ first, of the full  ,christ,
      .we  ,become partakers  ,of the righteousness which  He- of the living Lord  iIn all His riches  ,of salvation. With                 :
        purchased far us.                                                  Hi.m we ane united by faith, with Him we become one
            We are justified  in Christ out of faith !                     plant,  ;Him we appropriate. And having Him we have.
            And this faith is the gift of the living Lord, Who             all. He is our redemption, our righteousness, our life,
        `overcame death.                                                   our deliverance,  `our sanctification, our eternal glory.
                      n
            He works it in us by His Spirit and by His own  ef- * Small  wonder,.then, that we cannot speak of any  parti-
        Eectual calling through the preaching  af the gospel.              cular  :benefit we receive through the resurrection of
            This is not the proper place to elaborate upon this            Jesus Christ from the dead, without reminding  our:
        marvellous -work of our living Lord. All- we need to               selves that we are partaker of that individual blessing
         emphasize in this connection is that it is  ,Christ, the lonly because we possess the whole living Christ!
         living Lord, Who `overcame death, that bestows this                   Yet, we may distinguish-the blessings of salvation,
         gift of grace upon -us, and. thus makes us (partakers of          both as they are objectively related,  .and as,  subjective-
         the righteousness which He purchased for  us by His               ly, we receive them by the act of conscious faith.
         d e a t h .                                                           And, considering the benefits of Christ's  resur-
            Partakers of His righteousness we are only by recti,on in this light, the Catechism presents them in
      f a i t h .                                                     the  proprer  order when it mentions righteouness first,
I:


                                                     *..



                                                            ._

194.'                                     T           H     E       ,sTANIMRD  CL~LRER   '"  5

then the power of  a new life,  a&, finally,  otir  #owq             Christ, were  ,baptiied  -into  his death?  Theresore  we
glqrious resurrection.                                               are buried with him by baptism into death: that  like
  For, as stated before, righteousness, imputed right-               as Christ was raised up from  the dead  by  the glory
eousness, is first, and is basic  for all the other blessings        of. the Father,  even  so we also should walk in new-
of salvation. Only on the basis of the former the latter             ness of  Xfe.  F,or if we have been  p!lanted- together in
can be bestowed,  aoeording  to the justice  bf  ,God.               the likeness  ,of his  death, we shall be also in the like-
     But thus it is also' before the  con.!ciousness of our          ness of his resurrection." Rom. 6:3-5. And in Eph.
baith. Fact is, of  ,cour&e, that actually we become par-            2:4-6: "But- God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
takers of the life of Christ first of all. When faith .lov;e wherewith  he loved us, Even when we were dead
is  .bestowed  upon us our soul is united with the living            i'n sins, hath quickened us together  ,with Christ, (by
Lord.  Faith., is  .only the expression` of our  unioln with (grace are  ye. saved) ; And hath raised  LIS  up together,
Him.  And how  coul$ we be united with Him, without                  and made. us sit together in- heavenly places in  Christ,  -
partaking of His  resurl-ection life? And yet, paradoxi-             Jesus." And he admonishes the Church:  "Iif ye  thelen
cal though it may seem, when  ehus we live, and faith                <be  risen with Christ,  .segk those things which are
-becomes active-in  us,  we find ourselves in the midst of above, where Christ  sitteth  on the right hand of God.
death. It is when we begin to  live in Christ that, be-              Se& your affection on  things. above, not on things on
fore the consciousness  ,of our faith, we die. And, what             the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with
.is more, when we thus begin to live by faith  iln Christ,           Ck;rist  in  ;God."      /
we see and  acknowledge"that we have no right to life,                  Unto this life we are  railsed by the power of the
that we are worthy of eternal condemnation and death.                risen Lord.  ,'
It is by faith that we come to the spiritual discovery                And again, let us  bewar.e of presenting  this`mat-
that we  have no righteousness;  and that, therefore, we             ter -as if Christ, in the' moment' of regeneration,  be-
h&e no  rilght to live. And  thus, by that same faith,- ,stows this  life on us, raises us from our spiritual
we are draw-n to  Chiist as, our only hope, we cast our-             death, and that now we possess that life apart from
selves  upon Him in our sin and death, and-we receive                Him.  Not for one moment do we have life in separa-
and lay hold upon His  righteousness.-                               tion  from the  liviillg Lord. We live  ,only because He
    And  in the consciousness of that righteousness of               l&es. It is  IHe that lives in us.  We. are raised in fel-
<Christ  by faith, we- have  t.he unspeakably joyous. as-            lowship with Him only.. It is  in virtue of ouf  :fellow-
surance that we  have the adoption  unbd children of                 ship with Him that we do live. By His Spirit' and
,God, and the right to eternal  Me.                                  through His  Wor,d He calls us out of  ,death into life  ;
   Thus, objectively, as the basis  ,of the light to live  ;         and by His Spirit  anld through His  W*ord He continues
and, subjectively, as to the  ,order in which we receive             to dwell in us, and to make  LIS  partqkers  of His  re-
the blessings of  Chiist's resurrection, righteousness is            surrection life. For "I am crucified with Christ:
first.                                                               nevertheless I live  ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me :
    But having understood and acknowledged- that in and  ih&  li_fe which I now live in the flesh I  live by the
ourselves we lie in the midst of  heath, and that through            f_aith of the Son of God, who  loved me, and gave  hi.m-
the righteousness we have  in Christ by faith alone we               self for me:". Gal. 2  :20.  ~That. is  .the confession  cof
are made' ,wortKy of eternal life, we also actually re- him that is raised by the power of the risen Lord.
ceive that life, i.e.,  we begin to' li$le a new life, the  l.ife       Hence,  this life unto which we are raised in  fel-_'
of Christ, before the consciousness  qf our faith.  We lowship with the living Lord is resurrection life. It  &
are raised. up to a new life by the power of the `risen              life from `the dead:          _
L o r d .                           ,                                   This.  means, to be sure, that  it is the  true  fife, the
_ The Scriptures  frequentiy speak of this spiritual                 essence of which is the fellowship of friendship  wit@
resurrection in fellowship with Christ.  `Our Lord the living -God.  11t is life eternal. "And this is life
spoke of this  .when He tabernacled  8mong  Us in the                eternal, that they-might know thee the only true  God,
..days  ,of His flesh: "For as the  Father raiseth up the and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  `?o know the
dead, and  quicken&h them; even so the Son  quick- litinig God,  to.  en+er into: His secret  ,fellowship,  to be
eneth whom he will . . . Verily, verily,  Isay  unt!o you, righteous  `as  IHe is righteous, to be holy as He is holy,
He that  heareth my word, and  believeth on him that to taste the  @oodness and lovingkinclness of the  *Lord,
sent me, liath everlasting life, and shall not come into             to love Him and  he loved  ,of Him, and in that most inti-
condemnation; but is  passed from death  inho life.                  mate communion to serve the  living God, and have our
Verily, verily, I say unto  you,  the hour is coming,                delight in that  service,-%h& is life. And to be called
and now  is,- when the dead shall hear the voice of  - out of  our natural  *death, darkness, corruption, enmity
,the Son of  God:-and they that hear' shall live;",  J'ohn against  Go.d, in which we are children of wrath, neither
5:21,  2 4 ,   2 5 .   The apostle Paul  ,writes:  "Kn,ow ye worthy nor capable  ,of dwelling in His house, into that.
not, that' so many of us `as were baptized into Jesus                life of most intimate fellowship with the God of  our
                                               -.


                        P                  T H E         STAND.ARD  BEARER                                                                               105
                                                                                                                                                                i
+ salvation,lthat  is resurrection from the dead through              the flesh. And. in  ,the flesh we lie in. the  i$dst  of
  Jesus Christ, our living Lord.                                      death. We live; and, we `cannot die ; yet we  tire encom-
         But this means, too, that in no sense  death.has any-        passed by  death  o;n every side, and we  mu& die. And,
  more dominion  ,over  .us.  Christ is raised from the dead.         therefore,  we do groan.with all the  Igroaning  and suf-
 Death has no  more dominion over Him. He is beyond                   fering  .creation,  waiting for  the"adoption,   tb wit the-
  the very reach of death.  &Id so are we in Him. This                .redemption  ,of  ,otir body. And ,we groan, not without
  eternal life is intririsically everlasting, exactly because holpe, but exactly in hope. And  ihi& hope is sure  and-
  it is  the life of the Son of  :God, Who died and was               well  founded.            It has its source within us in the fact
  rais:ed again. Adam  was&eated,  tp  be  sure, a living             that, even now; we are raised unto a  &zw life by  thk
  soul: he was, in the state  ,of righteousness, not in the           risen Lord: we' live  .because  He  lives, we cannot die,
I--power  ,of death; but he stood within death's reach.               because death  ha& no more dominion  over  !Him. And
But the life  unto  %hich  we are raised by the  power                it has its objective  ground in the fact of His resur-
  of the risen Lord is everlasting: death cannot reach                rection: He  was  raised in glory, as to the body;  wre
 ,out  f o r   i t . "<He  that believeth  ,on the Son hath ever-     shall be raised in glory  iyith Him in the last day. For:
  lasting  li!e,"  Johrll 3  :36.. "I  am the resurrection, and       `~blesseid  be the God  an,d Father- of  our. Lord  jesus
  the life  :. he that  blelieveth in me, though he were              phrist, which according to his abundant mercy hath                                        -
  dead, yet shall-he live:  Afid whosoever liveth and  be-            begotten  ils  agaira unto  a lively hope by the  resur-
  lieveth in me shall never die." `John  11:25,  26. To               rection  ,of Jesus Christ from the  ,dead." I Pet.  1:3.
  be translated -out of the-  ,darkness   bf this mortal  li.fe, .And also: "if  thk  spirit of him that raised up Jesus
  in which we are beset by  death~.on  every side, and in from the dead dwell in you, he that  r&ised up Christ
  which the fear of  dea(ch pursues-  us;  through all our            from  the, dead shall also quicken' your mortal bodies
  living (Heb. 2  :14), into the `freedom from the fear               by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
  of death,  the glorious state..  ,of immortality,-that is                   For it was  .Cbrist,  not a mere individual,. but  th&
  resurrection from  &he dead-.  And `unto this we are                Head of the  boidy, the Church,. that is raised.
  raised, even now, by the power of  the living Lord;                         Therefore; He is raised as the firstfruits. The
         It  rnea~~s,  finally, that by this power  .of  the risen    harvest is sure to follow.                                                                .
  Lord  `we are set in heavenly  -places with  Chr<st,' in             Just as  *he firstfruits  abe the beginning  df the  har-
  principle.  For the life  untb which  we  a?e raised by vest that is  begun, so the resurrection of Jesus Christ
  the risen Lord is not of  thi.s earth earthy:  i(c is from. is the beginning of  the  resurrection, and, therefore,
  the  :Lord of heaven.  -It  is heavenly. It is that know-           its sure pledge. .
  ledge of  #God which is  obtaiined,  not by looking into               Already' the resurrection  has. begun !
  a glass, not by beholding a reflection of the adorable                      And its.  .begilnnintg  is also its principle  !,
  Lord of  heayen and earth, but by seeing  Hiti face to                      It can  never stop, until all the elect have followed
  face, and by knowing Him, even as we  are known. To                 ,Christ  into  His blessed resurrection.; yea, until all
  be  call,ed  intb that likeness of our heavenly Lord, in            things have been renewed so as to be the proper habi-
  virtue  of which we  .p;t off the image  lof the earthy;            tation of this risen  Lor& and His resurrected Church !
  and  pgrtake of the image of the heavenly,-that is                          That is  the-power  of the resurrection of  `Christ!
  resurrect@ from the dead. And, in principle,  -it'  i,s                                                                                   IH. H.  .'
  unto that  resurrectimon  life that we  `are raised  Iby the                                                                                     :  -:,  (
  power of  the living Lord.                                                                                                                              ~
         But for this very reason, this l-ife unto  -which-we
  are raised looks  sorward to the final resurrection.
  And the Catechism teaches us that  "l&stly,. the re-                                 _.             I        N                  MEMORIAM   .-
  surrection of Christ is a sure pledge of `our blessed
  resurrection."                                                              On October 20, 1945, it pleased the Lord to take unto Him-
                                                                                                                                      -
   s     This is-- not the place to explain. this "blessed re-        self, after a brief  ilinless.  of 2 weeks,.  dur dear mother,  ,grand-
  surrection" in detail. This  mu& wait until we discuss              mother and sister,                                   .`-
  the'artilde of the  Apostolicum  t,hat speaks  ,of the  re-                         MRS. RENA ZUIDEMA (age 67 years)
  surrecti'on  of the body,  .a& life everlasting,  sexplained~
 in the twenty second Lord's Day..  Now it is  suffici'eni                    Although we mourn our loss we rejoice in the assurance,
. to  call attention to the fact that the  resutiecl$oti-  of that  shk is now in glory enjoying the rest that remaineth for
  Christ is a "sure`pledge of our glorious  r&urr.ectiori.t           the people of God.                              .
  It is the ground  atid_  fountaim   <of our  hidpe.       ,                                              Mr. and Mrs.:Albert  Zuidema
        For we -are saved by hope.  -Being  rai&d `with  Yhe                                                   three grandchildren
  risen  Lo%d, and having within us the  b&inning of                     .                                 Mrl and Mrs. Simon  De Vries
 the resurrection life, we are, nevertheless, still in                G r a n d   R a p i d s ,   M i c h i g a n .   _


            io6                                    T,HE  -STANDARD  B E A R E R                                   0

                                                                           .be  .that next to Leo I he was the greatest of the ancient
                                                                           bishops, that "among all the popes- of the sixth and
                                                                           followin,g centuries, he shines as a star of the first
                           _..      -     _.           ::.                 magliitude." It is also said of him that he came with
      :                                                                    more modest claims than Leo, but this is only appar-
                    Pope Ga'egorjT, OF Tit: Great                          ently true. As well as  .Leo, he laid claim to universal
                                                                           jurisdiction over the whole church.  [He, too, was con-
                                                                           vinced that "to all who know the gospel it is  ,apparent
            The dates of the pontificate of this  Gkegory  are that by the Lord's, voice the care of the whole  cliurch
           590-604. Thus a  hundtied  and fourteen years intef             was committed to the `holy Apostle and prince of all
           vened between the  [death  .of Leo The Great  aild  the the apostles,  Peter" and that this function had  been-
           commencement of  Grego,ry's career as Pontiff. In transferred  soJ[ely to the bishop of Rome. For, in one
           these intervening years, the  succ&soris of Leo in the          of his letters he asks,  `%Vith respect to the church  -of
           papal chair  were more or  l&s unimportant  personS,            Constantinople, who  doubts.  that  it-`is subject to the
            Some of them were not alone mediocre but carnal as             apostolic see". And in  another letter,` "I know not
           well. Men they were whose administrations are among what  bishop is  .not subject to it, if fault is found in
           theQ darkest in the annals of the papacy. As we  saw:           him.!' In a word, every  bishbp, according to this state-
           Leo- The  Great laid claim  ti, a universal  jurisditition ment from  ,Gregory's `pen, is subject to it, that is to the
            over the  whole  .church. Few  ,of his  sdccessors in this     see' of the popes or bishops of Rome,  ,for that is the
            century had either  t!he courage. or the  enlelgy of will      "apostolic see". Grtegory,  in a. word, claimed and
           to  reassert this claim, and by none of them  was the           exercised, as far as he was able, the authority and
            power of the papacy advanced. The  (few who  tpied `oversight over the whole Christian church, East  anI3
           to rule upon the principles  bf Leo  yere Hilary, Leo's West.  Y!et, he  would not apply  to himself  the title of
            immediate successor ; Fielix . II ;  Gelasius  I ; and universal pope or bishop,- and opposed in strongest
           .AAgapetus.  Hilary asserted the authority  df  the:  pri- terms its  ,assumption' by the Eastern patriarchs. Such
           macy  ,of Peter in  .Gaul (the modern France). Felix II         presumptjon   ,he  char%cterized as a blasphemdus and
            continued the war against  the  Monophysites in the            diabolical usurpation  and declared -that "whosoever
            East, `thus in the  d'omain of bishop Acacius of Con- calls himself a universal- priest, or desires to be so
       stantinople..  He' ventured even the  ~extaommun&ation called,%  -w.as the forerunner of the Antichrist." He
            of. Acacius  $ut only to his own hurt however. For             even threatened to break off communion with the patri-
            Acacius, as  suppoeed  by the Eastern Bishops,  replied        arch of -Constantinople, should the latter refuse to  dis-
            with  a counter anathema and  therieby   brdke off all         c_laim the title. But it is hard to believe that in these
.~          relations with Rome. This rupture betwken the two ,declamations  he was -moved by true `humility  and
           churches lasted' some thirty years.  Gelasius  I (492-          right#e-ous indignation and not  by`cannal lust of power
            496) set forth the principle  that the priestly  .power is     and jealousy; for, though he,  *too, rejected the title,
            above  the lay ruler in the state; and that from the           he claimed the `thing-claimed it for himself  only-
            chair  ,of the  Roman bishop there is  no `appeal.  Aga-       and used every opportunity to make it  real in his own
            petus-  (535-536) fearlessly resisted  the state-church        pontificate. In  making good his claims, he was as
            despotism of the  emper.or at  Constantiaople, on whom bold as Leo. He appointed, censured, and deposed  bis-
           the `popes had fallen  int.0 a perilous and disgraceful .hops, and sent the pallium (from the Latin word for
      ' dependence. What is  iiZ?&  Fr$?otest  he-prevented the            cloak) to some archbishops  ii1 token of their being  con:
            elevation of the Eutychian Anthimus to the patriarchal         firtied in  *heir `office by the pope, and forbade the
      see  ,of  Con&antinopll`e.   But,  a s   was said,. by none of clergy to accept  fees for their services;.
            the  popes of this century was the papal power ad-                 ,Gregory  is one of the doctors or fathers-  of: the
            vanced. By the doings  of  Pelagitis  :I< (554-560)  ,Pa,pal .ehurch. But it is folly to rank him; as some do, with
           .power and influence was greatly  .diniiliished   ev&,  fiat .Aug`ustine. For  he was a teacher of  .little original-
            only in the East but in Italy as well. By hi8  apprbval        ity and in  ,his  theol,ogy he  was a semi-pelagian. In his
      , of the fifth ecumenical council, which  liad made a  !con- conoefition, fore-knowledge is the basis of  predestina-
            cession to  t&  hertitical  Christoldgy of  Eutychius and titm;. fallen nature is Sick only, not. dead ; and good
            had brbught the council  <of  Chalcedon   und& a cloud,        wo%ks  ,have  tieritorious virtue. He held firmly to the'
           ,he  indbced  .many Western. Bishops;  even in  Ittily, to      doctrine of purgatorial fire,  a!nd he was an ardent ex-
            sever  thei? connection  with Rome,  AM it  was  only          ponent  ,of the masses  $or the benefit of the souls in
            by military force that their  gitbjection could be se-         purgatory. This was the system  df theology that he
            c u r e d .                                                    represented, and as its exponent his influence was  far-
                   But with  Gregdry  i  g,  retihrkable  change set in. `reaching. For  hi.& literary  labours were  ConsEderable,
            The  `consensus   of  opini& `among  hiStQ?ianS~-x@tis-  fb    And he corresponded with kings in the West  aad  wjth


                                                T H E         S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                      JO7

  emperors and patriarchs in the East. But his  real tentions. Their  convlersiqn  was-not  to  .the  plure Christ-
  -strength lay  in  hi-s administrative ability.  His claim                     ianity of  inspired-  apqstles,  aa.  @,id  -dowi  in- the  Scrip-
                                                                                                                                           _..~.
  to fame rests  chiefly on his, accomplishments  (as'  m+-                      tures,  but  t,q the  C@@+-&y of  ~qles@s$cal   tiaditibn,
  ger of the  real estate of the papacy, of its buildings                        as  taught  by the fathers,  mop@,  an,d  po-p!es.  It- is, not
  and numerous  lar,ge farms in Sicily, Italy, and in `to the-credit of the  papacy  t&,t; after  @v&g  -fail&  to'
  stoutbern  France and Northern Africa. `Under his                              make  good  its  @aims  in  the Eastern church, among a
                                                                                                                                 .-.. ,
  l,orc@hilp their  revienues. increased. And he used this                       peoplte  fqr%ed  pf  Chris+?s   vergfd  in'  the  d&t&e  df
  huge income with liberality in  Igood  wor&s of all kinds,                     the Scriptures, it  fastened  ~.itself upon half  conierted
  while he himself lived the austere life of a  @olnk. He                        and grossly  ignqrant  h_ea;then-ignorant  with  restiect
.was accustomed to this kind of life, for  he was a                              to the truth of God's  w.qr$-&tid   t&is  bk means  fa& and
  monk b&ore he was elected pope. Early in life he  had                          f.oul, The preceding  @l_lstract&n amounted-to nothing.
  broken with the -world in  his father's palace, where                          Even  bhe baptismal  gormula  was  not'&c&$+dd,   ]z$ it
  he was born  from a wealthy senatorial family  ,of  R:ome.                     tias  `re$ed"in   &a$.  @ready  t@q  I$ome was taking
  Through all these doings,  he commanded  @e highest                            away  frog  inen  @e Bible.  !l?l$s is.  $@.r~~c~~ri~~~c   of
                                                                                 _~
  respect.  :He was considered a great character with                            Rome,  for  she.  &hrivgF  p<  the  @orance of  he? devo-
  great plans. In his station he was suited to the temper tees. As  has  a&afiy  been  obsqv@,  the papacy, as
                                                                                                                 ,.  ~--                                ._~
  of his times. Men  said of him that he was wise and                            repre+ent&ive  of  the  F@rnaa,  h++rqhy,  iF.$n  unscric-
  good,  kind.and  miid of heart but never weak,' right- -tural institution. This  being true, it  ?s. inherently evil,
  eous and  i.nflexibly  just, though  leniant to the ye-                        and it  bears  f&it-  &ftei  iii-kind  and this  &uit is  evil.
                                                                                 -.           ..- __._.._.  __  _^__.,  -_  _  ..-:  _
  pentant, a  warm friend to his  fr@nds, yet holding                            The  way of  the  papa;cy  with  _those  tetitomc  _  s?vfige
                                                                                                                        _-. .                _^__.
  righteousness  ,and the weal  <of the church higher than                       rag+-- o'ur forefathers-r+s   b y   which  the  -RoLm$
                                                                                                ,.  .-  _~...
  friendship, unbounded  -in his charities to  tli& poor, and                    empire  was, at that time being  whelmed,--is  evil'fr?it.
                                                                                                 -  _- -_  _
  ,cont@ually interposing in favor of  iinjured widows and With the history  uf this  way  befoEe',our  n$~&  tnd  a$
 -  orphaks.                                                                     aware  bf  t h e   lcor&p&n  &at  @s  ch?i-a_cfierized   i&e
      But despite Gregory's  vgunted greatness and no- ;papacy through the  ages of  -ihe past, and as  aw&%  a&o
                                                                                                                            _ .  _ .                  .-  _~.,  ^.-
  bility of character and the arguments that were being of  the  .state  of affairs among the Roman Clergy and
                                                                                                                   _             _  _ .  _.  s  _.  _ .  ;
  advanced- in  supp0r.t of the papal claims to  univer;sal                      monks at the dawn of the Reformation, we  perceive
                                                                                                                                                      _...
  ,dominion over the whole  8church,. the failure of Gre- that  Christ   c&Id  have- been'  add%si,ng the papacy
                                                                                                                                                    ..___ .  _,.  ..-
  gory to  fasten his authority on  E,astern  `Christianity                      when he s&id  ti  the scribes  &d&  th:  l%arisees,.  `Woe
                                                                                                                 ~.  _  -,
 was as conspicuous as that of Leo the  Great of the                             unto you  scribes-  and  p&riseEs,  hqocrites   ;   Tar  YF
 --preceding century. The argument of the primacy of                             co&~p&s land  a&$  sea.to make  &e  proselyte, and when
  Peter and, of the apostolic see made no impression `on he is made,  ye-  make him twofold  tiore the child  o,f hell
  the  East. The  &other patriarchs ranked their  patri- than yourselves." But so God, according to His de-
  archates likewise sees. of Peter. And they were as                             terminate  will and in His  i!nscrut.ible wisdom, wanted it.
  little induced to  ackn80wledge papal authority by the And like all things evil, the  pipacy,  too,.in all its cor-
  old glory  ,of Rome,  .b$ its name and prestige as the                         ruption, worked `for good to God's people  From those
  erstwhile  politiical center of the  world. After the era- heathfen races, made to pass  und@r the  jurisdi@ti&  df
  sure of Jerusalem and Antioch from the ecclesiastical                          the papacy by the pope's  l;euten?nts on  the.  ti&sion
  map  of the world, the  Edsteaa church sought  il% center                      field, and who are now the nations of  nioderh  Euro&,
  of unity in Constantinople,  in- the patriarch who `God has been gathering His  <church through the ages
                                                                                                                                                                  .~.
  r e i g n e d   t h e r e -   Consta;ntinople,   constitu$ed,   in  3 3 0 ,    of -the past to the present.
 by *Constantine The Great, its builder and founder,                                    .From the death  af  ,Gregory  I or The Great in 604
  the new capital of the  Rtoman empire. Failing to  qtike to the commencement  ,of the reign- of pope  Gkegory
  good its  ,claim  in the East,, the papacy henceforth  ad-                     II in 715 is one- hundred and  eleven  years. In' this
  `dessed itself to the fask of extending its jurisdiction                       cmtury  t h e   incu,mbents   :of  t h e   p a p a l   .chair-there
  over the Christianized barbarian  races of western  -and                       were twenty five of them-were  with  ,perhaps  three
  north&n  Europe, brought into  +the  -fdld of the  chupch                      `exceptions obscure men, whose. average  reign l&ted
  from the sixth- to the tenth century. It was a whole-                          less than  f,o& years.  ;Of the few  except,ions  there was
  sale conversion of  nathons  under the compulsion of                           b u t   onvptipe  M a r t i n   I   (649-655)-   w h o   ,a$tracts
  their  rul'ers, carried on not only by spiritual  nieeas attention on account of heroism of faith. Martin en-
' -but by military- means as well. These races, as con-                          dured persecution -in  ibehalf of  a pure doctrine-that
  verted, did not demur when brought under papal  juris-                         of the two wills  ,of *Christ. But  ;Hlonorius  (625-638)
  `diction. For they had been prepared for its reception                         was a Monothelite heretic and condemned  as  s&h by
 b y   R o m a n   missi,onaries,   w h o   h a d   l a b o u r e d   ationg an ecumenical council. Sabanius  \ (604) was  .har,d and
  them in the interest of the papacy. In the gospel that                         avaricious. But all  loGed power and followed the in-
  was  br,ought  to them the pope stood out in all his  pre-                     stinct  of papal ambition. As `Christianity  in Western


                                                                /
   1 0 8                                     THE.`STAND,ARD                            BEAR.ER                  a
                                  ~.
  and Northenn  Europe:.progressed,   pa&al jurisdiction:  ..Middle ages is largely a record of' this war.
  progressed with it  ahtil, by the tenth century, it                     Pope Zacharias was  being  hardgressed by still an-
  reached thk  1,mit  <of-its  expansioti in  Eur,dpe.  -By this       other `foe. Aistulf  (749-756))  the king of the  Lom-
  time  $he papacy was exercising legal jurisdiction over bards, a half  Christianizecl  barbarian  race, was threa-
  the churches in Spain, Italy, France, Germany,  Scan- tening the capture of Rome. Zacharias  was in a  quan-
  dinvia, the  Netherland,s, and the  ,British  Isles.=.               cary. He  w,ould not appeal for protection  to. the  em-
    We must- now direct our attention to  a new state                 pteror, who sat in  Coristantinople,.  for he had concluded,
  of things of vast importance. -Leo I and- his successors            and  rig$y so, that if the  *paljacy, as he  conceiv& of
  ,down to pope  Zacharitis-  (`741-752)  had limited their           it, was to survive, it must free itself from that  tyran-
  ambition to the extention of key  powej over  ,the whole nical  $wer. Relief came to him from -France. The
  Christian church; Key  polwfer, as  was said, is  the Frank%  were  frilendly  to  Rome. The  churches in France
  right and duty to  administ,ep  the word and the sacra-             had already been brought. under Rome's jurisdiction.
 ments and  to excommunicate out of the Christian                     The king of France  `was Childeric III, the last of the
 -church; The error of Leo was  not that he laid claim to             Merovirngian dynasty.  Pepin The  Short,% gallant war-
 key power. Being  -the pastor of a flock of God, he                  rior  %d able statesman, and the father  `of Charles
1 had this power to exercise,  how&cr, in  conjunction The  (Great, wanted to be king, and-determined upon a
 ,with  the; other pastors; only in his  oivn  colngregation          revolution to realize his ambition. Doubtful whether
 in Rome. Leo's error was that he `laid claim to a                    the people  would  approvle his tactic, he  .besought the
 universal key  pow&r  .over all the churches in Christen- pope to sanction the change. The pope promptly
 dom. In what measure the papacy.was able to realize igranted  his approval. The spiritual father of the
this power,. we have just  seen..~ The. matter to which               church sanctioning a political revolution !  pepin was
 we  mtist now have  regar.d. is,  that, in the person  ,of           elected king by the  ,declaination of the people and, like
 -pope  Zacha&s, the  ambitiqns of the  papacy became un- the kings of  Istia&, was anointed  .with holy oil by some
 bounded. He was the first pope to  appropritite   also               bishop representing the pope. So did the pope place
 magisterial power. According to. Scripture, magisterial his moral sanction upon the  contemplated~~rebellion  of
 power is the right and  ,duty to  govierh by law`s  * and            a usurper;  virtually  ,depose one king and appoint  in  hi2
 .policies, punish crime and  prote& them that  dso well. r.oom another. This is the  meanintg  of `the transaction.
 Magisterial power, therefore, includes sword power.                  Still historians, Protestant and Catholic.  al.ike, insist
This power  `was given to the civil magistrate. It does               that; in the middle ages  especially,..the papacy was an
 not belong  <to the office of the ruling  ,and teaching              indispensible  institution. The pope had acted as if it
 mitiistry  $fi the church. To this  ,ministry was  Igiven -was within his power  to- give and withhold kingdoms,
 the key power.  :Y.&, `in the person of  pope  Zacharius             and to enthrone and  dethr~one' its kings, even as their
 the "papacy began to exercise also magisterial power                 sovereign lord.  it is upon this  ,idea  .of papal-power that
 not  ohly in its own states,  :.`the  Stat&   .of the  Church," the popes-now began  to rule. But Gregory VII  and
 but in the  ,world at  large as well,  `as the  sovteTeign  lor,d    Innocent  ,111 were the only `popes who  -were able  to-
 -bf'  .every  -  w&d& kingdom, vested with  `.  the power to         carry  Iout the idea with any measure of success.
.-appoint and depose its kings at will.  ,I4 came about                Zachari,as  besought  Pepin to return the favor he
 .ifi  (this way. If  the papacy was about, to reach -out             had granted him by protecting  the pope against  the
 fo'r the  &word power, the  emijeror, who sat in Con-                Lombards. But  Pepin took no action. Two years later
 stantinople,  h&d  approlpriated `the  key power and  lex-           Stephen III, who succeeded  Zacharias; paid  Pepin a
 tenc+d  it over the  popjes  of  Retie, and thus made them           personal visit, anointed him again, and  eveti promised
.his spiritual as  iyell as his political subjects..  Zacharias' to perpetuate  ,his dynasty by the power. of the inter-
could therefore chose between obeying his  editits even               dict and excommunication. This proved a sufficient
 in  spiritual matters or  .being  deposed  and exiled.  Sych inducement.  Pepin marched into Italy and defeated
 was"the state of  affairs in  thatiage. As was observed              the. Lombards,  ibut they soon recovered and.  rienewed
 in  & previous article, church  Andy state were conceived the war. The  (pope wrote letter upon letter to  Pepin,
 of as forming' two sides  tp the spiritual kingdom of                inipl,oring  him  tb save Rome. But in  ordter to get action,
 Christ  on.:,earth.  fThe pope laid claim to the supreme he had to come with new  indecements.  He promised
 seat of  j-udicial  #power in this  l&gdom, to -a lordship Pepin. long life and  the most glorious places in heaven,
 over all that  be  surveyed ; all power- on earth  w.as his,         if he quickly  came, as if it  w'as within the power of
 Iboth the key and the magisterial power. So he the  pop.e to dispense not  ,only worldly kingdoms and
 imagined.  The,. emperor laid  claim  to:  iden;tical, prero-        crowns but temporal life  as well and even eternal sal-
 gatives.  Fach regarded the other as his legai inferior vation. Such blasphemy!  Pepin once more took action.
 and-.  depebdent in this  kingdow. And each strove to                Cr,ossing the  Alps, he defeated the Lombards (755)
 set the  ,other in his place. Hence, the two were always             and  [gave all the  #conquered territory to the pope. The
 .at `war with each  [other;. The Church history of the `pope was already in the possession of enormous tracts


                \'                          THE  -STANDA-RD  BEARER;                                                               109

     of land in Italy, France,  And North Africa,  but&by  this          very name which the book bears :  Shophetim, Judges,
     gift,-known in  histopy as "The  donation of  .Pepin" he and further by  $ts opening  verse-:  "No;w it  ,came to pass
     became the absolute sovereign;  .the  @depend&t  ruler,             after the death of  Jl&hua, that the  children- of.  Israel
     of a large part .of  It&y,  .known  in history a s the "state% .asked the Lord . . .  ." -Compare with this the first
     of the  <Church".  .Though the pope  was now a  territodal          verse of  th'e Book of Joshua;  "And after the death of
     ruler, his  l&t for power  w,as  fa"r  froth satisfied, judged      Moses the servant of  `the Lord, `it came to  pass that
     from the forgery  knovii;n as the "Donation of Constan-. the Lord  sp%ke  unto Joshua." These judges,  famed
     tine." This is  a'document in the form of a  charter,*the -under  Jlehovah, Israel's invisible king, the  highest  civil  *
     authorship  ,of which is  unkin.own, that orders all the            authority, who  watche& over the observance of the law..
in  .dign&ries in the church to be in subjection to pope                 The book of the Judges, accordingly, narrates the his-
     Sylvester and his  saccessors. and bequeaths upon  them
.---~                                                                    tory of the times  .in which  the governing authority of
     all  the.  city. of Rome  and  th& whole  .of Italy with  all Israel  waB  exercised by the judges.  1
     its  pravi&es and cities. The "Donation". was  .shown  to              But  what is  the. design of our book? What is the
     be a  fr&d in 1433 but at the time of its  appeardnce               lesson,  -jots instruction? The book  ,of the Judges is  `,
     it was generally  b&evled.                                          the beginning of the fulfillment  of- a prophecy first
         As. can  be  expected;  these  gifts  to the  `pope thor-       uttered by  M'oses and  rep:eated by Joshua in his parting
     oughly corrupted the  `church and the papacy.  They in-             discoureses,  the prophecy to the effect that forsaking
     volved  i$  in, all the political.  ~interests, intrigues, and      and denying. the Lord their God and serving the  dtevil-
     wars of Europe. For the papal chair  $as now not only               gods  .of  *he heathen, the  .people, by the  curse of  thei+
     the seat of  spiiitual power  #of the  chur.ch but  the'seat  of    God, will  fall into discord, want, bondage, and  op-
     tempera1 power  bf a  !arge  woor;ldly kingdom  & well.             pressioa. The first. two chapters are an introduction
     I$ therefore became the  covented prize:  o.f wicked men to the book as a  .whole. They explain why  the events
     und the  play+hing of  po81itical  faction; The "Donation           about-to  6.e related took place. It was in what the  tribes
     ,of  Pipen" is  pei-haps the most  signifiscant  event of           did  aft&,  the death of Joshua that the. foundation of
     the Middle Ages. The papacy  co,ntinued in the pos-                 their  trou.bles was laid.                                         _
     session' of its  ."States of the Church" for several cen-              The-book has  still another design which  al.ready  has -
     turies,  unt&1870  in fact. In this year, Victor Emanuel            been fully explained in a preceding article.
     gained  possess'ion of Rome as the first king of a united              At Acts 13  :20  we read, "And  aft;er that he gave unto
     Italy, freed from the lordship of the pope.  `It  meant             theni judges about the space of  f.our hundred and fifty
     that.tize temporal  pawer of the pope was ended.                    years, until Samuel  `the prophet." According to this
                                                     G .   M .   ~0.     Scripture  passage, from  ;the  commenc;ement  of the
                                                                         .reign of the first judge-Othniel-to the beginning-of
                                                                         the  judgesh?p  of.Samuel is 450 years.  `In this  writ&g,
                                                                         we do not  attiempt  to harmonize, that  count with the
                                                                         Scripiture at  ,I Kings.-6  :50,  Bcooading to  which  the
                                                                         stretch of time  ,fr&the Exodus to the building of the
Y
                                                                         temple  f0rmed.a period of 480 years duration, as that
            THE DAY OF SHADOWS'                                          would involve  us in a neasoning too complex perhaps to
                                                                         `hold attention. Both statement% must be accepted as
                                                                         true,  ihough the solution may remain beyond. our
            Canonical  Significhce Of  ' (reich, due to a lack .of sufficient_.Scriptur;e  data- where-'
                                                                         with to work in the  sea.rch of a solution. In that  period,
                      The  BockOf  judges                                of-450 years, there occurred six  foreign wars and three
                                                                         civil wars. Though the United  Statics of America has
                                                                         existed 168 years, it has had five  soreign wars and one
         Having  brought to completion our  tneatment of the             great civil war. `This number does not include its
     content  ,of the book of the  Jud,ges;  there remains to  us, mino,r wars.  .`What  #hese figures  tjell us  iS  ;that, in
     the task of setting  f:ortb the  canonilcal significance of corriparison,  the age of the judges  was not  neaxly as
     this book. The book of  the  &ages relates the earliest .lawless, bloody, and  warli,ke  as rationalism, in the in-
,' history of Israel  <ti Canaan.  rI"he  de&h of  Jdshua- has           terests  od its  t.heories, make it out to be.- Yet, that the
     deprived the people  of their second and. last  nation+  ' peace  ,of the  Israelitisih  commonweal+h  should have been
     leader, so that  tile administration of  the.affairs  `of the       disturbed in that  p!eriod~ even  `by that many  tcpnflicts, is         .
     theocracy  lnow rests solely.  `on the judges, which accord- to its great shame. For  Isl*ael was  th;e church. And
     ing to the  corrimand of Moses (Deut. 6  :18), the people these  confli,cts  wer.e wars of deliverances from  oppress-
     were  to make them in' all their gates which the  Lord              ions worked  ,by  Cod in punishment  of the nation's
     ;th&ir  God would give them. This is indicated by the  spiFituai whoredoms. That Israel's troubles were not


  Il.0                                  ,T.HE  S T A N D - A R D   B E A R E R

 multiplied in this -period, that  the,nation was not utter-
 ly consumed,  can only be ascribed to the Lord's mercy.
 par the period was lawless  ,throughout, there being                   -  SION'i3  ZANGEN-
 no king in Israel, every one did that Which was right
 in his  ojwn eyes, and thus  nbt what  yvas right in  the
                      *
 eyes  (of God.                                                                 Groote Ver?atenheid
     The aim of our Book, which  alreahy has been set
 forth, is of  gre&t importance for establishing  ;the time                        (Psalm 88 ; Tweede  Deel)
 <of. its composition. The remark of the sacred- writer,
 "there was  no king  ill Israel," in  expl,anation   `of the        ,Fve  wezen er de vorige  maal op, hoe'moeilijk het is  a
 events as are related  in.t!he. final five chapters  `of our om  over  -dezen psalm iets te schrijven. En  .%e  voegeg
 Book-the erection  ,of that  spuripus  sanctuary, the mi-        er\ nu  aan  tale, dat het  van stap tot stap  moeilijker..:
 gration of  ,Dan, and the  civil  war between Benjamin           wol"ldf. Het  lijd&, dat hier  bezongm  wordt  is zoo diep,
 and the rest'of the  tribes-this.  remark must be taken zoo aangrijpend, zoo  ,%iom+$eet! Er  wo,rden  uitdrnk-
 as a oertain  indication that the book was  w&ten in a           kingen gebezigd, die ioo  moeilij!r zijn om  te verstaan.
 time  when  bhe people of Israel were still expecting poli-      Bij  bet. bestudeeren van de  bronnq,  merkten we hoe
 tical unity to result from the kingly  ,o,ffice. Such con-       bekwame  Schrift-verl~aarders worstelen om  zich een
 fidence in  the typical kingly office was strange to the voorsbelling  te vormen  van de  toestandeti  van  Heman
 nation after the  division of Israel and  the  institutilon      in. al zijn  verdiiet.    Denkt,  b.v.,  aan een uitdrukking,
 ,of Jeroboam's  politijca!l idolatry. At least it finds no       zooals we die  vlinden in  vers 6 : "afgezonderd onder  C$
 ,expres@on  in the  !&iscourctes of  .thle prophets of the dooden". Wat is dat voor een toestand?  Eerder schreef
 eighth century  an'd the  cen$uries  thereafter. After the       ik over den  bangen  toestscnd,  ,die "doodbraken"  ,ge-
 conflicts narrated in the book of the Kings, the -civil          noemd wordt.  Het.  lijt&en is  ontaettend  geweest.
 war between Israel and Benjamin  co,uld not  have been              En  tech  vie1 het mij  op," dat hier een lijden  getee-
  ascribed to the lack of a king.  Oln  $he  dthel: hand, the re- kend  woyd;t, waaraan  niefiand  van Gods  volk  geheel
 mark, "there was no  kiqg  in. Israel,`? also  poirnts  to a     vreemd is: Daarom  trekken die  psalmen ons ioo  aan,
 time of  oomposi.t,ion that was characterized by a want of ,die  spreeken van  lijden  en smart. Wie onder  Gods
 confidence in the judgeship. There is but  one period in         volk  bemint niet den  onvergetelijken  tiwee-e,n-veertiger-
 `Israel's  hi,story' when these  conditi'ons  meet,  namely Neen, geheel  vreemd is dezen  psdq niet voor ons.. Een
 when the people petition Samuel  *for a  king, and he            ieder van het arme volk kan tot  ,op. zekere  ahoogte  in
 anoinlts  Saul,  and the victories  Iof the  latter result  iin `net verdriet van  Hemap .komen en zachtkens hem
 p e a c e .                                                      Dazinlgen.
     Samuel is judge and prohet. Though no  ,offspiring              Maar Jezus heeft ook deze profetie  vervuld in Geth-
 of Aaron, he  also  perfdtis  priestly functions. This           semane, op Golgotha- en gedurende al Zijn leven. Hij
 `had never happened before.  Samu.el  medyiates "the  tran-      kon zeggen zooals Jeremia deed: Is er een smart  gelijk
 ,siti.on from  the  judgeghip to the  kingsh.ip. The  ex-; Mijne  smar;t,  kaarmede de Heere Mij  bezocht heeft ten
 treme  Ipoints of time between which our Book was                ,dage  der hittigheid  Zijins  tuorns? En dan  zwiigt de
 written may be indicated.  Tahey  are:'  the  commeuce-          Kerk. In aanbidding. In het  gewillig  dragen van al
 ment of the reign of David on the one hand.  and.  tihe Idie smart heeft Messias  0:~s  $et heil verworven. 0 ja,
. beginning of Saul's reign on the other.                         wij' zien Jezus hier in groote  ver-lating.
     Referenae was  just made to  %he rationalits and  their          Hij schreeuwt het  uit.: "Ik ben  agerekend met  de-
 theory, which is that the period of the judges  was.-ex-         genen,  <die in den kuil nederdalen, ik  hen geworden  als
 cessively lawless, warlike  and bloody, the reason being,` een man die  kracohteloos  is: afgezonderd onder de
 as  ,they say, that  the. nation was still without the law of >dooden,  igelijk  verslagenen die in het graf  liggen, die
 Moees. in  all  -l&e  .fulness  ,of its instruction. There is Gij. niet meer  ge&enkt,  en zijn  afgenkden van Uwe
 just-  ,as much sense in ascribing the lawlessness of this. hand.         Gij  hebt mij  `in den  ondersten  kuil gelegd, in
 modern  age to absence of objective  law.  -The `law is          duiternissen, in  `diepten."
 here, but it is  nc$ written on  thle table of men's he&s  '        Let er weer op,  ,dat  Hernan  al'les qerbinclt  aan God.
 nor  ,enforced on the lawless. This is the  expaanatiolD .God  he%ft hem al die smart  Igegevlen. Al zijn tranen
 of  the  !awlessnesg characteristic  oif the age of the          zijn in God's flesschen. En die  k!ank beluisteren we
 Judges.. There was no king  ins Israel to  enfdrce  the law,     in den  gehe,elen psalm.  Reden te meer om in dezen
 atid the  p;eople   ,of Israel were not  ,one by  `a.  commdn    psalm het  Messiaanschle   karakter te  zien.  Dat is het
 faith in the Lord. Hence, sin abounded just because j.uist wat  `we in  bet  Nieuwe Testament bij  Jezus  vinden.
 the law  hsd entered in.                                         Voor en na Zijn  kruisiging is het  altijidi God die Hem
                                                                  in het  "moeten  lijden" brengt. En  ds  ail,en Hem  ver-
                                         `G .   M .   0 .         aaten, dan klaagt Hij er over,  dat God Hem  verliet.


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D -   B E A R E R                                                          X11

     Ge  hebt in de verzen die we  afschrlijven een goede `:kuil, in  duis'ternis en in diepten. Dat zijn altemaal  be--
 beschrijving van  &e  werking des doods. Woordlen   zoo: schrijvingen van den dood, van  !Ae Godsverlating. De
 als: in den kuil, krachteloos, afgezonderd, niet  meer kuil, de diepte en de duisternis zijn  -w!oorden  di,e de
 gedenken en afgesneden zijn'alteniaal  woo&en, waarin ,Heili@e  -Schriif;t bezigt voor den eeuwigen dood..  Het
  we een  beschrijying hebben  vian den dood, of van de tzijn de  knel.lingen,  de  benauwdlheden   des ddods die
 werking  ,des  `dbods.                                              Heman  ervaart.
     De dood is  co:nflikt, strijd,  tegenwerking  tusschen              Overstelpeod  wordt: het,  waar hij  b,n. de,  neder-
  God en  mrensch.         Het  Ieven is de  actie, waarin de        drukking en de grimmigheid Gods  spreekt. Er zijn
 mensch  ixi  verband met alle  dingen al  rdlichter en  dichter-    vele  baren  di.e' over  zijn arme hoofd  gaan. En als we
 tot  ,God nadert. Daarom is het eeuwige leven, dat men ,het mogen verbinden  aan wat  er  onmiddalijk op  vo;lgt,
  God kent en  J,ezus  Christus   die;n Hij Zond. Nu  ,wil idtan kunnen we er ons iets van voorstellen. Zijn  be-
  Heman  naar God  heen en moet  h,ij  ervameia;  ,dat  ,God         kenden zijn verre, zij  we&en het  tiangezicht van hem
 hem  wegdrukt,' verlaat,  doet  zachten in eenzaamheid.             af, want men  oo'rdeelde,  dat hij een  gruwel was. Zoo
  En dan  meet  me; lijden,                                          komt hij . in  een. enge plaats, waar hij niet uit  kan
     De  wefgdrukking  waarm&e God  Heman wegdrukte komen. Iets daarvan ervaren wij  allen. Wiens hart
  was zoo erg, dat men hem  rekende met  dlegenen die in             heef,t nooit  lgeschreid   vanwege de  onheusche  lxhande-
  de;n kuil nederdalen.  E:n  ,dat is erg, We  willen  mee-          ling der bekenden?  0, als  bet  ;x maar een.  vreemde-
 tellen, meedoen met de  menaGhen   len onder de-menschen,.          ling. was,  doch de liefhebbers onzer zielen  dolet  h&
  Wij zijn  so&&at  aangelegd.        Eerst  tegenover;  onze!n soms,-en  dat  ,doet  zeer.
 medemensch en de schepping  random-  ens;  ea: dan  mlet                Dat  alles;doet zijn .oog  tleuren.  ,De verdrukking
 hen en met  alles tegenover God. We  w&ten natuurlijk               Gods, die hem door  menschen overkwam,  doet hem tot  -
 niet  hoe dit alles in zijn werk gegaan  is,:behalVe  dan           God gaan in het gebed.  Onophoudl4ijk strekt hij  zijri
die uitdrukking waar  Heman zegt,  ,dat hij  krachteloos             handsen tot God  hit; bij dag en bij  nacht  weerklinkt
 werd. En, ja, als  `we  van  allIe kracht  ,beroofd zijn, dan       zijln klagende  sohreiende stem.
 ziet het  `er treurig uit. Da~ue  worden we  onszelven en               Hij zal  ook-met God argumenteeren. Hij zal den
 anderen tot last. Wie denkt hier niet  &an. dien  vuilen;           Heere vragen of het  266  ri?oet ten  leinde toe. Hij  zd
 afz;icht&jken  Lazarus?  Meti  smeet hem neer in den                het zijn Vader vragen  &f hij in zulk een  toestand  be-
 vroeeen morgen bij de  poort des rijken  len `t avonds              antwoonden kan  aan zijn  roepinbg.                Hij zal het God
 "naailde men hem  we&. Het was een  lzeele  op.luchting             verteljen, dat  Heman.  21% niet prijzen  eil  loven  Akan.
 toen hij stierf. Er staat  diet eens, dat hij  begraven Als hij zoo geprangd wordt kan hij Gods  goedertieren-
: wad. Men groef  eenvoudirg   .een gat in den grond en heid niet prijzen,  noch ook  roemen  van~Gods   getrouwig-
  smeet hem,  ler in. Wie  w51 nu  ofigaan met hen die               beid. Er zijn verklaarders, die smalend spreken van
 bedekt zijn met,  etterend.e   xweren? Hoe het precies              Heman's duistere blik in het  graf. Die menschen
 w&  weten we niet, maar er  sit&at  genoeg  .om te zien;            denken, dat  Heman niets wist van den  hemel.  Ach
 dat men  Heman  eeilvoudig  -niet meer meetelde.  Hij- neen, dat is het  niet.. We  moeten blijven bedenken,  Id,at
 werd een voudig  gelijk  geschakeld met hen die  `allang            i&man zijn  toestand   bexhrijft  als die der dooden. Hij
 do@  waren. Men zag hem met den aek  aan, liep  hein                wil met  al die  teksten van het llde tot  bet 13de vers
 zonder te groeten voorbij en liet hem geheel alleen.                z6ggen:  Heerle,  waajr  ik in den  toestand  van den  -dooden
 En dat is smartelijk. Job  kl,aagde er ook van.                     verkeer,  kan  i k   U   n&t  loTTen.  Heman  w i l   eenvoudig,
     Wle hebben op dezelfde zaak  gewezen,  toen we  stil-           tot God zeggen: Heere,  als er geen  veranSering  komt,
 stonden bij psalm 22. O,ok daar  vinden we den heilige              dan verga ik van verdriet. El1 in dat  proces van  duis-
Gods verlaten van  menschen of  bespot door  zijfil  beken- ternis,  hetwlelk over  mijn  ziel  kolfit en is, in dat  -proces
 den.  Doch dan komt  .er  achter  aan: Maar Gij, Heere,             vind ik geen  t,ij*d of  gelegcnheid om  psalmen te  zingen
 +ees niet  verre ! Zoo ook hier.  Achter de  schampere              van  aof  &n  pAjs.
 behandeling  zijner bekenden en vroegere  vriefifen                  I  Wanneer we  deze, verzen in  Jezus  trertru.ld. zien,  '
 ziet hij God, die  Zich van hem keert.  En. dat is  z?j,n           wordt  h&  noig duidelij'ker. Jezus  Christus   wist, dat
 groot&e smart. Hij  kla.& :  I'k ben  afgezondterd   o:hder         Hij moest komen te staan  aan hst hoofd van een  groote
 de dooden,  gelij:k de  verslagenen  die in het  graf liggen        schare  lzienschen  e n   e n g e l e n   6n%  d e l i   Heere  t o t   in
 ,en die God  niet  meer  gedenkt!  Dat  ishet ergste. Want -eeuwigheild te prijzen. De  Me.ssias wist, dat  ei" straks
 hij is niet  gl.leen,  ki;acht&ns  zijn  `schepping,   Op God       een.eeuwikheid  moest  komen van  zin@n  aaklga&nde  het
 aangelegd:,  doch hij is een  uitverkouein   vat, dat door          irolle  $eugdeDb%ld  van God. Hij zou Zijn  broederen
 God  herboyen is en daarom  ,God moet  h@tiben  on5  geluk- vertellen  `van het  centrale  Worider,  van  de  -opst-andinlc
 kig te  zijn. lHij wil  ,h&ben, dat God  g&&rig  tian hem           uit  de dooden en  bet  ontvangen van het  Eeuwige  LevIen,
denkt.  "Denkt'aan   fiij  tech in  gena: om Uw goedheid             vzn  Go& goedheid en  getrouwheidj  v&n  [de  wonderen
 tier te geven" !     Dor5h  inpdaats  van op de  hoolgten  te       der genade  ,en de eeuwige  gerechtigheid. Dat  .wist  _
 jubelexi iii groote.verlichting,`komt  hij irll -den oxiderat       Jezus.  `Doch we kuanen het ons levendig  tioorstel!en


 j.12.                       . .           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ,   -

hoe het  Christus  te moede geweest is te  midden van  ,den ervaren het soms dat  .de Heere Zijn aangezicht  ver-
fellen brand die over Hem  kwarfl in Gethsemane en                   bergt. Doch, och arme, wat is-dat, vergeleken bij  Uy
op  Gofllgotha. Als we het hooren. hoe de Heere alle                 Heiland ? Hij w&d  vlerstooten  en de Heere verborg
violen' van  Zij.n toorn over Jezus uitstort en als  .we  be-        Zijn aanschijn  voor Hem. Dat bange Kruis!
*denken,  ldat Hij  de'gemeensohap  van God  missen moest                We hebben  bet geleerd,  urn alle Woord  <Gods der
`en ervaren  wa; het zeggen  til om tot in  die  eeuwig:             pro`fetie eerst  goed te  zi,en in het  licht  der*bloote,  nuch-
heid van God verlaten te  `worden, dat  ,dan de  angstige tere  histori&  E:n daarom gelooven we, dat  Heman  e&n ,
roepstem  week"k+kt : Heere, hier in de an&ten die Ik                treurige jeugd  achter den rug  had. Hij is een eenling
lij, zoo  fel-rgetilagen,. hier in den ondersten  kuil; kan ik geweest; dat is  we1 duidelijk.
n i e t   zingen  vari  grootie,  hemelische,  goddelijke  blijd-       Maar nu, in den  hemel  weet  Heman, waarom hem
schap ! Hier  .verga  .Ik, o  M,ijln  ,.God.!. Waarom, o waarom zulk een lot beschoren was. IHij  tioest  e e n   flauye
hebt  `GIJ MIJ verlaten? Let er  tech op,  ,dat de  IHeilige         schaduw  voor.uit werpen van Jezus.                   Want  alleen in
Geest ons  geleeflfli heeft, dat Jezus  n?et  "gebeden en            Jlezus  is- deze  Schrift vervuld. Eilfeve; in wie anders
smeekingen; . . . . rhet  sterke  roleping en  t.ranen  ,geof- flan in Jezus is het vreeselijke  18de  -vers  vervdd : "Den
ferd heeft. . .  ."! E& ik ben er van verzekerd,  .dat al            gainlschen`,dag   ormringen zij mij als water, te zamen
dat bidden,  emeeken,   tra&n en  roepen van Jezus zijn              omgeven zij mij?" Hier is sprake  vziy de  hittige
inhoud vindt  i,n vele  psalmen,  Gooral in  dezen psalm.            toorn'igheden  en  vertichrikkingen  van God. Ja,  Heman
Het groote  `voorbeeld van psalm 22 ligt er. Smarten heeft' het  .ervaren,  ldat de schrik  Gdds  om en  i'n hem
van Jezus!      Ondoorgrondelijke  .diepten!                         -was.  Do.ch Jezus heeft -den toorn Gbds  gedragen  en
     En'die smarten  qlan  J~ZUS  zijti juist  ._zoo groot  ge-      tieggedragen ! %Ik kan  ,er niet bij! Ik ben  blij, dat
wee&, -omdat Hij niet  -ophielld om God te beminnen.                 ,deze  bange psalm ten einde  spo,edt. Hij  ovekstelpt mij,
Hij' heeft nooit opgehouden  omtdt God te gaan en te ds ik worstel om er  eenilgzins in  te  komen,  wat het
blijven  smeeketi.   L e t   e r   m a a r   op `i n   dezen  psdm:, zeggen  til  .om  266 bang  be lijden,  .dat de verschrikkin- -
Maar Ik, Heere, roep tot U, en  mijn gebed  komt.  II  yoor gen en  hittigheden van God iemand  omringeri  als het
in  d.en  mor&enst?nd.      Ja, zoo is het geweest bij Jezus.        water den verdronkene  omringt.
Ik  kan maar niet  vergeten  .hoe Jezus op  ;zekeren   k'eer,           Het  laatste vers tekent  o:llis  Heman,  neen, veel  die-
heel vroeg opstond  tolen  het nog  ,donker was. En                  per is het Jezus,  Idie ons  getee&end wordt in `de  Ver-
schreiend, klagend; biddend, koos Hij zijn weg uit het               latinlg. Zijn  ,vriend en metgezel  ,zijn-  verre van Hem.
dorp naar  bet woeste, aaar de  wilde,tis. Het- rjbjec-              Petrus  iloochent Hem en Judas. verraadt Hem. De
tieve  $beeld van woestheid  kwam eenigzins  overeeti met anderen zijn  weggevlodexi.                        P e t r u s   i s   zeetr  v e r :   l$j
Zijn  klagende  ziel, die van  droe$heid  verk.wijnde.  Ik. vlervloekt  zich. En Judas' is duisternis  gewo@en.
heb  we1 eens tot mijn  catechisanten  lgezegd: De  erirar-             En dat is het  .einde.          ,
ing der verdoemden van wat het zeggen wil om tot in                     Het einde van dezen psalm.
alle eeuwigheid van God  verstooten  te  zijn  meet Jezus               We zien  Jezds hier  iti de hel. N&t- de plaatselijke,
geproef d hebben !        W e   noNemen  Idmat  wanhoop  !   E e n niet de  lokale hel, maar  Ide  r@ele  he1  desnietterqin.
aeuwise-  wegiinking in grondelooze diepten heeft Mes-                  H&t is  crmtient de negende ure bij het  K?uis.
s&s  moeten  lij!den in  ko'rten  tij.d. Ach, hou'maar op.            Wk  km&en  h e t   niet  zien,  w a n t   h e t   i s   duistexqis
Onwitlekeurirg  gaan we  aan  `t bazelen als we  vaD  l@e&           op de  aarde, van de derde tot de nagende ure toe.
sias' lij,den spreeken. Een  eeuwig  lijdlen in korten  tijd?           Neen,  wk kunnen  nilets  zien.. Maar we  weten  tech,
De  afgtanden  bij. Golgotha zijn -zoo vreeselijk ver. De dat Hij zoo  direkt  zd gaan schreeuwen.  Sehreeuwen
diepten in  Gethsemane.zijn  zoo ontzettend: we  kurmen zoo'als Jezus gaat  doen, kan men niet  zoader eerst te
niet  pei'len.  .Onze dieplooden zijn te kort.  Ons  6or zuchten. Welnu, de zucht die voorafgaat hebben we
hoort  klanken : we zeggen het de  dome  menschen na :               gehoord. En  bet  wordt  e&n  angst#ig  :wachben op  Gol-
Hij  riep tot God! Maar wij beseffen  r&e  volheid van               gotha.
deze openbaring niet.                                                   Daar kwam het.
    Wie  kan  bet Jezus nazeggen: mijn gebed  komt U                   `En voor ons w&d het  weer  licht.
voor in  ,den  morgenstond?  Was Hij- vroeger op  d%n                   Maar   Jesus  boog het hoofd. .Hij kon het  niet  meer
God? Het wil  hetzelfde  zegge?  &s  toen  ,we iets  voor-           houden.
laze5  nit  HebreEn. Want daar  staat ook, dat hij  "&le                Dat buigen van Zijn moede  Hoofd is de `put die
d&`dag&   Zijns.  `vleeschest'  ggbeden heeft. Hij  kwam gezet  ii bij het  -einde van  den_klaaglij:ksten psalm in.
God voor in den  morgenstond,   ox&at hij nooit ophield              den bundel.
te bidden in den  -a$ond en  .den  langen,  bangen  maqht.            f 0, dat ik  -Hem  mocht kennen. .  : . en de  iemeen-
Tot in de  dkeps<e diepte van  d.& eeuwigen dood heeft schap Zijns lijden!
Jezus steeds  doongebbeden  en  gestiegkt tot  $Iem  die                Anders kom ik nooit tot de,  &racht   Zijn& opstanding.
,Hem verhoord heeft.                                                  Slaan we  !dan  ,dezen psalm nooit  over  iti den bundel
    E,en heel  klein  .beetje  weten  wij  .br van. Wij  a&n van de  liederen Sion's!                                              G. V.


                                          T H E   3TANDAR.D   BtiARER

                                                                      Rejecting all that is contrary to their  Go,d they  nzust
                                                                      seek only that  `whiclh is. to His praise and glory. In
               IN HIS FEAR                                            that -way  .our: children must walk, now and all their
                                                                      dives,- presently  in their homes which they shall  es-
                                                                      tabllish,  in all their associations  wihh their  fellowmen,
         In -`The Way He Should Go ..  ..,
                                                    -                 in the church of Christ and not the  lea& in whatever
                                                                      vocation they  may`choose  to pursue.' Whateve? they
     What  &he  all4mportant.  concept  ,"The  fear  6f the do,  wherever they work, always they must walk in
 Lord" implies has become clear. Resting on that  ~n&t. the  fear of  the Lord.. That is  `our deepest  desire with
 basic of  911  Truths that  .God  i,s GOD, "fear" is all that        respect to  them. That is the purpose of all  the  i&
'  a,cknowledges  Him as such. It is loving reverence,                .structi,on we give  threm. Then  we bring them up in
                                                                                                  -.
 holy  d&d,  all that and much more. It is all that  the              His fear.
 creatu,re  experienlces  when&e is deeply and properly                   To instruct the  cl&d "in His fear" implies, second-
 corns&us of the presence of  h,is God. The fear -of the ly, that this fear is the  sol6 content  ,of all the instruc-
 Lord  impljies-  th&  :we know  ,our  Go'd as  ,He is  &and  ?e-     tion it receives.  I:n the home and school and  church
 veals Himself in all  the  w,orks of His hands as well as            we must  insizruct them in  &hat fear as such. -They must
 His written  Wor,d. It means that we  nievler weary of               be taught that reverence and awe of the Almighty One
 seeking to learn  .more and more about  Him: since  Iwe              dirrectly. What  ,it means to break His precepts, on  khe
 have no  ,other calling in  la& analysis  t,h&n to  know and         one hand, and to keep #hem, on the other, must be
 .glorify  `our  Maker;now   and  fo,rever. It  includes that,        drilled  .into them. Moreover, this  ,fe&  `of the' Lord
 .k!now,ing and  reverencing  Go,d as GOD, we also  rive              mu& be the basic content  ,of  al& that is taught  .our
 for  H!im alone and love Him with all our hearts and. childrren. They must see  their God,  His hand, His
 souls and mind and strength. Whatever our  station in work, His purpose, His  couinsel, His beauty and  wis-
 life, our gifts  an.d talents, our profession or trade or idom and  power and  greabn,ess in all the works of His
 j,o,b if, .we fear. the Lord we seek  ,Him,  ,serve  IH;irn alone, hands. Everything in the fear of  tihe  %ord  ; history .
 scrupul~ously consecrate  ,our entire  1iir;es to Him, depart .in the fear of the Lord ; geography in the Dear of  t&e
 from evil, `keep our tongue  from  sin: do good,  sie.ek             Lord; science  in  the fear of  $he  Lord ;  civics in  Che
 peace, keep His  judgments,*40 His  oommandments,  rde-              fear of the  Lord ; hygiene in the  fiear of the Lord ;
 vote  al4 we  .are and have to His' glory  &nd thus  fulfiil         physic$o& in the fear of the Lord  ;- good language and
 `";the  whol~e duty of mar?`. Such is "the fear of  &he habits  in- the fear of the Lord ; this is the ideal  for
 `Lord". Having it we possess wisdom and true  kncvw- which we should shrive.  Atid all this in order that our
 ledge; without it is  aothing but folly and  consummat,e             chigldren should learn, not history and  sci,enoe and civics
 ignorafice: With that  f,ear  o,f  Go-d  in their  souls  the as such, but  thk fear of the  Lo'rd, to walk  *herein with
 most uneducated  and  iltiterate are wise unto everlasting ali their  heatis to the  gl,ory  .of their covenant God in
 life ;  witho& it the  great,est genius and most  soph&-             ithe midst of the world.
 cated college professor is nothing  #but a damned fool.                  Thirdly; to instruct the  ,child "in  ,H$s fear"  mea&
 In His fear we and our children  be&n to fulfil our that this. fear of God is the sole sphere wherein  ,our
 calling before God, for the fear of the  .Lord is "the seed is instructed. The whole instruction in the world,
 whole duty' of man" ;-~ w.ithout  it every man,  w,hate&             in  th(e  izo&afid in school, is in the sphere of darkness,
 the heights to which he may attain, the  trreastiies  he rebellion, sin.  `Our children must be `educated in the  -  I
 may manage  ;to gather on earth, the acclaim his  fellow- sphere of the fear of the  Lord,. To  thi_s belongs so very
 meti may heap upon him for his scientific accom-                     much, the  entise conduct, walk and talk, life  atid ex-
 plishments and tremendous success  in  lithe, is naught ample of those who must do  #he instructing; the  entire
 but a wretched failure, one who does  not even begin to #atmosphere of  "homle  a.nd school. All must be made' to
 fullfil his purpose in life.                                         speak to the child of the  fiear  ,of  the Lord, of reverence
     T'o instruct the child  "in His fear",  for-  that* is the atid awe  ,of  Him, of His precepts and judgments, His
 thrust of this rubric, implies at least three things.                honor-and praise. That the  chi1.d must see and  hear,
     It means  ,that this fear  ,of the Lord is our sole              Iwherever it turns. In the home and the  s,chool and the
 purpose in  +he  .bringing  up of our children ; that is, church, everywhere and always the child must breathe
 it is our desire and aim that our  children shall fear               in the  fear.of the Lord. That is the thing we call  at-
 their Lord. Theoretically  atid  pr+tically,,  in  `dloctri,ne mospb!ere.  That makes for a Christian  homer' and
 and life, they must come to the  ac,@mwledrgemen;t that school. That is education "in  ,His fear".;-
 God is GOD.  Tlhey must  reverence. Him, seek Him                                                                              . -
 alone, stand in awe of Him, be  God-consc@s, fear to                     `In very close connection with the  Lureceding  $cmip-
-  d&obey  ,His will, love  .Him and manifest this  in all ture speaks also-of "the way  he  shsuld go."  1.n that
 their lives, consecrate  ,their  w,hole  lives  t,o  Vim  al.one;    classic  .passage,  ,quoted   so  oft.en in connection with the


                                                                                          @
 1 1 4                                    T H E            S.TAN.DARD  B E A R E R
                                                     -.
subject  `of  edu,cation, we read, "Train up  a child in the        the Highest has given  us; It is the way also of sound
 way be should go : and when! he is old, he  ,will not de-          pract,ice  ; true,  ,Christian ethics.  It is  the way wherein
 part  from it." In  conne&on  w.ith our subject  thlis we know what is acceptable to God and to His glory  ;
 Scriptune is paramount.                                            wihenein  Iwe' assume the  prolper attitude toward  all
   Often the Word of God compares the. life of man                  things and conduct ourselves accordingly. It is  the
to a  "*way", and how  appr.opriate a figure  it is. As a way  wh&ein we walk in the path  of obedience with"
way,  & road;  always..suggests progress,  80  tihere is con- ,respect to the  church,  t.he  pneaching  `of the Word, the
tinuous  a'clvancement, progress  on the way of life.               sacrame&s,  catechism; with respect to the world, dts
 Never do we or can we stand.  stil3.  O$ yes, we may               unions and  associati,ons. and all  bhe problems with
pause a moment  i;n our flight through  dife to reflect a           which  it confronts the  Ch.l"istiau3. It is the way  Iwherein
moment  ori the  way we have come  ,or still must go,               our language and appearance  and  &tire manifestation
but even at such times we  conhinue  to speed `onward.              ,of  ,life is in  ,harmony with the requirements of God's
As a way or road always implies definite  direct.ion,               law. "The way they  sh,ould go" is the way God wants
so we proceed in a `definite  spi%itual   dairection  ofi life's    them to walk always.
pathway. Either we walk  iln th way of light or that of                 In  that way we must  bring  up,  educate, train our
darkness,  &he way  ,of God's covenant and truth or that            c&&en.  Tha.t is  the,:till' of God concerning us. This
 of the world  .and sin. As a way or  poad implies a                impliies the same  tehree things mentioned.  a;bo,ve in con-
specif& destination, so man is progressing toward  a nection  wit.h the fear of  bhe Lord.  #It means that  &is
dlefi?ite  end.  Either we travel the `way  `of righteousness       "way" must be the one and only  pzbrpose in  al81 edu-
`to  heaven or the road  af sin to eternal perdition. The           cation.  Now as  1ittl;e children, then as  gro'wing and
metaphor is most appropriate, therefore.  Befdre our                fun-loving boys and girls, thereafter as young men and
children, from the  momient they are born, lies a way  on           women,  final,ly  iti whatever station or position  br  vo-
which they are  aDd  i.n which they must walk in a cer-             cati.on  ,in life they may find themselves, we  ,desire that
tain  directi'on to a specific  Igoal.                              &hey shall walk in  th& way of the Lord. Throughout
    Now we are mandated to bring  up,  educate, in-                 life they `must not  depa%t from the path of pure doc-
struct, train  four children in  the way they  shoukd go.           trine and sound Scriptural  eth.ics.  Selcondly, instruc-
Also this  can?ot mean that the way  .wL&ein  our child-            tion in "the way they should go" implies that this way
ren walk  apd  shall  #walk is in  .geality or in any way  de-      is  itsellf the  mmtent,  in last analysis,  ,of all their  iedu-
ter&ined by us. It isn't. That would mean that their                cation. Always we must hold  .before them  that way,
very salvation depends  `6n us. It is God who places the Reformed way, the  P,rotestant  Reformed way, from
iohem on  .the good  -way,.  acctirding to His good  pleasuye,      infan,cy  on,  in home  aind church and school, in all we
when Be in sovereign  gr.ace regenerates them and                   teach them, whether  that. teaching be doctrinal in
`pours into their  Ihearts the life of  our Lord Jesus              character. or of a more academic  nattire.   Every%ing
Christ.  T,hereby- He I-l&self places them, principally, must be taught them in  ,con'hection with and with a
<on the way of life  ,and righteousness.  Withdut  that             view to the  `way they should go. Finally, this way must
,operation  of His  ,grace all  *our instruction could not be the very  sphere  in which  they are  Inurtured. All our
possibly bear any positive fruit.  Howevler, it is our              childreri see  at-  [home, in school, in church, in  cate-
,calling to nurture  `our children,  to educate  ,and train         chism,  of their  paDents and instructors, everywhere,
them to the utmost -of  .our power in  the way in  whi,ch           anyw+ere,-must  speak to them of the  w&y they should
the grace of God  placesthem and which is  pljeasing to             go. We must create for them that atmosphere. That
our covenant Gqd, and  it. is the solemn obligation of is  Chrri.s&n education. In all this lies our calling with
om  cdvenant children to  swalk in that way.                        Yrespect  to our covenant seed. From that principle. we
  ~-This way "they should go" is, generally speak&g,                proceed and may not  depa;rt.   And understanding that
the way of life and salvation, the way  af righteousness            task and  ca&ing, we do not stand in the way  `of its
an~d  trubh, the way  ,of the  W,ord  af God and the  lglory        executi,on by raising all kinds of practical and sen-
,of His  naye, the way of the  fear of the Lord.  It is timental  ,objections.  We  &our  dztty,  to the utmost of
the way  `of sound  ,doctrine,  to be sure. Now and- in the         our  po,wer.
futune our children must know and  `I:ove and be able to                This  m_andate is  all-imp,ortant, for many reasons.
defend  %he truth.  I+, is  the way in which we clearly             First, it is the  wi.11  -of  Goid  ,atid the way of His  provi7
disce:n all the` fu.ndamental truths of  Sc,ripture  cbn- den'ce, that we shall learn to know and love that way
cenning  IGod and  ,&&is  coun&el,  8ei&tion and reprobation, `by a  pxolc;ess  o,f  ,Christian  trainitig. There id  ? dif-
the  ltiw of God and the fallen sinner, Christ and  His             ference between being on that  sway principally and
%o&; the church and the  woEld, etc. To us, of course, walking.  iln.  that way consciously and unswervingly. A
it is the way of the  ReZormed  trulth, of  Pr,otestant             child  tiay posses+ the principle of  t:he new life, but
Rseformed  doctrilne. That is the way our children that  -1ifie  ,&nes to conscious manifestation in the way
should go according to the  .tallents and understanding `of  trait&g.  The seed may be there, but it  ,comes to


                                       ,.    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -                                         115
                                                                              _  .
fruition in the  reasona.ble  way of Christian  instructi:on.         ing to that [eternal election, agreeing  ehereto, He has
Thus it is in the world. A  y&ng man may have all  tihe               blessed us in Christ Jesus. Therefore this expression
makings of a  gc,od soldier, but to  aetual!y  be  one refers. us,  seco&dly, to t.he only origin and  ,ground of
he  r;?ust receive training. Thus it  ,is  spritually.. Se- our salvation. We were  ejected in  IHim before the
condly,  there is also in  this~  wodd a way wherein our foundation of the  wor1,l.d.  Therefore we could be blessed
children should not go. There is the way of false doc-                centrally `in  Him,  Ke  coald suffer and die  for  .LIS,  and
trine and equally  !false practice, where&men  aposta-                bacome  the fulness  ,of our salvation when He  wes
tizeyrom the  truth, corrupt the  Wovrd  <of God,  blasp-             exalted at the right  hand; of power.
sheme His holy name, make common cause with the                           `(He  `bath chosen us in Him," we read. The word
world, amalgamate themselves with the  -children of                   "election",  `which  means  literally "to choose out of"
 da.rkness, think and speak. and act in enmity against                 (the  Dlltch translation reads `uitverkiezing') ,  acpar-
 God.  Theref,ore,  adequate  trainilng of  .our covenant             ently supports the  infralapsarian  view. Infralapsar-
-seed  [will likewise  indude, that` we also hold before              ianism places  eljection (also reprobation) after the fall
them  thie way they should not go and never cease ad-                 of man in the  cou!nsel of `God, so that, in  Go.d's counsel,
monishing them against  waJk$n,g in the  ,unholy path the Lord elected out of a fallen human  rticel. Reproba-
that leads to  et,ernal  per'dition. Finally, there is in             ti,on,  ac&ding  th$s view, signifies that the Lord  de:
all our  chi,ldren, by nature, that evil `inclination to              creed that  obhers should be left in their sin. This
choose  .8or themselves this  lather way  insteals  of the            conceptio,n is, first of all, very  uns+sfacto;ry.  It be-                  .
way  ,of His fear; `That `way they love  a?d In  that way gins with  `tie  realitji  ,of sin and makes no attempt to
we and they walk by nature. Therefore the  prlop'er,                  account for its presence in this world; Must this night
 Christian training is a matter of constant. application              of sin  anrd  mis&y,  ~already six thousand years old,  she
 and of stern discipline as well  as positive instruction.            divlorced and  separa-tre,d from the alone  living  and  sove-
Living as we do in a  sinftil world and  d:ealing  `with  Sian.-      rei!gli God? Secondly, infralapsarianism  ,can never be
ful-&ildrien  we shall always face the  Iquestion:  what, maintained in the light of Scripture. Did God not
measures must be taken, what  punis:hments  applied                   hate Esau  +nd,16ve  Jacob before they did evil or good,
in  -thdse numerous and various cases where our chil-                 that  His  g!ood  @leasuTe  might stand,  and  ldid the  Lord          ~
dren depart  fro,m the way they should go and their                   not harden Pharaoh's heart, yea,, raise him up for that
 education "In His Fear" requires also  tahe  applicatijon            very purpose? How  cati  amyqe separate  the existence
 of the  raid.                                                        of anything from the living God, Who alone  ruleth
                                                        R .   V .     over all? We agree that the word "election" sounds
                                                                      Ynfralapsarian. Notice two things, however. Firstly,
                                                                      the Scriptures view God's decree historically, from the
                                                                      viewpoint. of time. Looking at the entire human race,
                                                                      we read, then, that  #God, out of many, has elected some.
             FROM HOLY WRIT                                           This does not imply at  a11 that election occurred  Fn that
                                                                      manner in the Lord's eternal thoughts. Secondly, the
                                                                      w o r d   ":election)' does not emphasize the  manner of
                  Eph. i                                              God's decree but its fruit. If we; e.g., say that we
                             14~"According as He hath chosen us in    Ielected him (president we mean that his becoming
          Him before the foundation of the` world,  ,that we          president was the fruit of our election  Iof him.  W,hen
            should be holy and without  blame,  before Him in         the -Scriptures say that God elected, chose out of the            1
             love.?'                                                  whole  .human race, the implication is that the fruit of
     The  cormectio!n  ,bet,ween this verse and the pre-              this election of God is their separation from the rest
 ceding is expressed by the words "according as".                     of  manikind. God's [election  <of His people and His
The apostle purposes to  ideveliop the  keynote of verse reprolbatEbn  of others are strictly  Di.vti&ly sovereign.
3. He will describe that glorious salvation, our spirit-              Sin does not precede God's election ;  ,it must serve it.
ual blessings  in heavenly places,  lwhi,ch is  ou;r's in              God  bath chosen "us  & Him". This expnession
 Christ Jesus,  ,our Lord. Unto that end he, in  verses               must  Abe regarded in its  ent?rety as the object of elec-
4 and 5,  refers us to the quiet of eternity, the  et,ernal           tion. "Him", of course, refers to  CBrist. To be in
#beginning   `of  OLIIZ   salvattion, at the same time  revealing Christ means  t,hat  !Be is the sphere  o.f  ou.r  ,life. We are
ulnto  ,LIS  the  preeminent place  w*hich God's people oc-           in Jesus,  judticially  an,d organically. To this  thought-
cupy in God's  coaneel  of  salvat,ion. "&cording as" I have already called attention in  connecticti with verse
is  `an  expressi,on  w.hich- implies, in the first  plaae,           3. It is this body, whereof Christ is the Head and we
that God has blessed us with all spiritual and heavenly               are the- members, which constitutes  $h#e  ob;j"e_ct  .of our
)blessings  in Christ according to the standard of our                election.  That' God elected  LIS  in Christ  ,does not merely
election.  God has elected us. in Christ Jesus, Accord-               meati that He elected us because we were in Christ


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        118                                       TH,E  S T A N D A R D -   BEARER

       This would be inconceivable. -Fact is, to  be in Christ               first or lasts in the  .counsel of God. Known unto God,
       is our= salvation. But God sovereignly willed a people Ieternally,  are  a8  II+  work% `There is in Jehovah's
       who would be the body  ,of  Jesus  Christ.  1Go1d willed              thoughts no succession of moments. However, all thing?
       to  gl.orify   Hi,mself in  J&s&, Who  w,otild be  th_e  fulcl.ess    ,do  .not  have the same significance in the Lord's de-
       of,  the Godhead bodily.. Unto  th& end He willed a                   crees. Tlhere is an  orde?,  theu?efore, as  fir as their
      people who would be the  ;body of that Christ,  in whom                impdr.tance  is concerned. `We  ~must  not speak of a
       the fulness  of  <Jesus would come to  manifesttitiqn.   -Unto time  order  Fn `God's counsel but  w'e can speak of a
       that  ,end  ..He elected  mi%ons of elect, each of whom               logi,cal  order: Scripture certainly teaches this truth.
       `would  occupy his  own place  in  God's eternal temple and           We read in 1 Cor. 3 :21-28 : "For all things are your's ;
       ,a11 together  shewing forth the fulness of the  glory of Whether Paul, or  Appollos,  or Cephas, or the (world,
       G&d in Jesus Christ,,  our  Lo&. Such was  Gb,d's decree              or life, or death, or things  -present or things to  `come.;
       ,of election.                                                         all are your's; and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is
           IHe hath chosen us  iri Him "before the  fonn!dati,oii            God%." That God has elected us before the foundation
       of the world':. The  c6mman interpretation of these                   of  the world means therefore  th&, in the counsel of
       words is well-known.  The "foundation of the  w&d" God, God's people are  f&t  and the world with all
       refers, then, to the creation of the world,  th% moment               that  -is therein is subordinate to them and must serve
       when the  w&d  Gas founded. That God (elected us  be- them..  The `highest in the counsel of God  lis, of course
       f&e.  t)%  foundati'on   02 the  lwor1.d  simply-means that the  Iglory of God's eternal name. This Name the  Lould
       God  chose  1~1s  before the world's  founlding, sometime in          wilhe,d to glorify in the Lord' Jesus Christ, Who, ac-
       eternity. This  interpretation  emphasizes,  $ve  unfder-             cording to  the human nature, would  <be the fulness  `of
       .tand, the  element of time. Our election is older than the Godhead bodily, of Whom we read in  ~Col.  1:17-18:
       six thousand years. This  interpretatidn, purposed  t,o               "And He is  bef,ore  ail  things, and by  Him all things
       empihasizle,   .of course, the Divinely sovereign  character          consist.  Aed He is the head of the body,  the church:
       ,of our election.  Zion was already elected.  bef,ore  any-           Who is the beginning, the  first-boxn from the dead;'
       t,h@g had  been called into existence.  `&is fact, that we th;at in `all  thi~~gs He might have the preerqinence."
      -  were chosen  besore our  ,birth, yea before the beginning           Iq that  lorgical order God  gave unto the Lord Jesus.
      - of  Ithe  ?world,  woul(d  t,heref,ore exclude any  mekit or (Christ a people; who, would reveal the glory of the
       -activit,y(  `0~. our part.                                           Lord Jesus  ,Ch,rist in heavenly glory; and manifest the
          `.This, however,  carmot  exhaust the meaning  ,of the             glorious  polwer of God's  marvel!ons graoe. Unto that
       `apostle. In `the first place, we must  .bie on our guard             end  th;e:Lord  willed the foundation of the world, with
       against any conception. of time. To be elected  fr,om  the- ,all- the things therein, its joy and sorrow, darkness
       .foundatipn of the world would  imply, then, that some-               and light, sin and grace,-pain  an,d  misery,  in  o@dei that
       time  befoE&  the  `world's  foundling  we were elected.              the world and the development  o,f  all things might
       However, such a moment never existed. God's counsel                   serve  tie elect  ,of God, unto the glory  oLf God's alone
       is as  eternal as God is  etennal.  -Eternity knows no                praise-worthy Name. The elect  ,of God have therein
       moments;  timie is not a part of  eter.nity. It cannot be             the counsel of the Lord  6he  pr&min&t  place ;  what-
       true, therefore, that  som.etime before the creation  ,of lever takes place in the history  ,of the  world must serve
       the world the Lord elected His  olwn. Secondly, we                    them and be  i,nstrumental  toward bringing them  into
       should bear in mind that  ,God is the sovereign Lord of the eternal glory which God has prepared  f.or them.
       heaven and earth. That God has  liot  o,nly  elec,ted Zion               ,Go.d hath chosen us  i!n Him  befo.re the  foundnation
       but He has also gilled the world  and all the things                  of the  world, "that we  shoul,d be holy and without
       th&ein. The elect but also the  repsoba&,  heaver;% but               blame  bef,ore Him in love." These words express the
       also hell, this present  worl;d or, if you will, this pre-            purpose and result of God's  election. God surely
       sent organical  lexisten,ce  with all its joy  4nd sorrow,            elected  us'in  order that we  sheuld  Ibe holy and without
       s&g and `weeping, peace and war,  sizckness  and misery blame. Separation from sin  ,,and  *dedication to God,
       and death,  `owe their existence  .only to the &lone-living           the praise  of. His Name, is the purpose of our sal-
       G&l Who has willed  all things and  pierforms  all His                vation... However, these words also express the  resulk..
       good pleasure.                                                        ,of our election. We must  notice  th&  ,God did not elect
               That God has elected us  b&ore. the  foundati,oln. of         us  blecsuse of our holiness. Such is the  a?mjinian  view
       the  worlld must  *be  .unrderst,ood as  occurring thus in            which advocates an election of God upon foreseen,
        God's  0.G eternal counsel. In  ,JXis  e&rnal decree our             faith. God, then `elected  LIS  because we were holy and
       election preceded God's  eiernal  Eurpose  wi&h respect               bltimel;ess. To the contrary, our holiness is the result
       60 the creation of  the world. We must  und&%and that                 of  our election.  `For God  executes His  o:wn counsel and
       the order  ,i& God's  ,counsel must not  be  rggarded as  an ,  full%ls His own will.  H%viig elected us in Jesus Christ,
       `order of time. The time element must be completely                   our Lord, unto holiness and  blaielessness.  Jehovah
       .,disregarded. There are from the viewpoint  ,o:f time no             also  .:edizes  H& counsel of  election  <and calls us unto


                                                 S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        : 117

. .  Himeelf through the power of His  i-rresistible  Spirit. fomidation of the world,. that  `we should be holy and
    .God elected us . . . . "holy and without blame before without blame before Him in love,  havinlg predesti-
 .Him". The relation between holiness -and blame- nated- us unto the adoption of children by Jesus  Clhrist.
 lessness is self-evident. Holiness emphasizes the idea According to some this  pred,estination unto adoption
 ,of'positive  purity. To be without blame refers to the          is the ground of  t:he election of verse 4, We must re- .  -
 negative aspect of' our being separated from sin and Inember,  ,of course, that  Paul, here is speaking of
 pollution.  ' According to some these  lexpressione must matters  which.occurr.ed in God's eternal counsel. God,
 be  underst,ood. in the judicial  -se&e of the  w.ord. To        then, elected us because He  p:redestinated us unto  ?
 be holy then  wo.uld, signify a judicial holiness, in the* adoption. of children. -`Without this adoption our  elec-
 sense of justification, and to be  bla,meless-would  imply t,ion would not-have  #been possible.  Tlhis view, how-
 that we are free of  -all guilt.  Tlhis, however, is not `the' ever, is not supported by this Scriptural passage.
-meaning of the apostle.  IIn the  first place, these Notice, first of all, that our election occurred  b,efore
 `words, then, would merely  ,oonvey  a negative  thought:        the  fouedation of the world. This "foundation of the
 Seconfdly, to be holy  meallIs spiritual and ethical purity      world" refers to the  wo'rld  and  all  thhalgs therein and
 throughout the Scriptures. To be holy and without                includles this night of sin  an,d death.  Consequent.ly,
 `blame expresses therefore the  tholught  that we are            sin and death,  ,and, therefore, also our adoption unto
 separated from all evil and spiritually dedicated to the children;  <do not precede our election but must serve
 Lord.-                                                           it. Secondly,. according to verse 4 we `were `erected
    OWe must be holy and without blame "before" unto holiness. We,  wene not elected because of our holi-
 "Him" refers to God., To be holy and without blame               ness (and hence not because of our adoption unto
 before God implies a, holiness  whilch is  Isuch, not ac- children), but  t,hat we should be holy. According to
 cording to the  jadgment of' `a~ mere man, but in the            others, and this is the correct presentation, our pre-
 sight of God, the Sole Judge of heaven and earth.                destination-unto adoption of children must be regarded
    This holiness  ir: possible only in the sphere of love        as the  mean.s, God's way, whereby He sovereignly rea-
 We read: "That we should be holy and without blame lizes our election in Christ Jesus: We  must- ever bear
 before Him in  lave". Some would connect  the  expres-           in mind that all this applies to God's eternal counsel.
 si0.n  -"in love" with verse 5.  Bowever, in  t,he first         The  time element must be wholly disregarded. All
 place,.the predestination of verse 5 is already modified         things in this immediate context are eternal.. How-
 by the  goo.d pleasure of  GoldTs  will. And, secondly,          ever, there are degrees of importance in God's eternal
 love  [is  -the proper sphere  !wherein  our holiness `and       thoughts. Sovereignly God willed a people in Christ
 blamelessness are alone possible. For love is the bond Jesus unto the glory of His name.  Sovereigiyly  ,He also                  y
 of perfection. Love unites us with the living God. And           decreed.the way whereby that glory would be realized :
 only in the sphere of love are we devoted to God  aed            the `way of sin and death and our adoption unto  childnen
 separated  <from evil.  _         '                              by Jesus  C%rist,, our Lord.
                                                                     f`Havi,ng predestinated  us." This word, means lit-
                              :                                   erally "to limit, as by  .means of a boundary. to deter-
                                                                  mine, to  order or decree." God's predestination refers
              Eph.  1:5 :-"Having  pred'eskinated  us unto the    to this decree of God which precedes the thing, not
            adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,      mie.rely  i.n a temporal sense, but in a creative sense.
            according to the  gkd pleasure of His will."          God's good pleasure always precedes things, is their
    The most intimate connection  exi:sts between verse           eternal creative  sourice. The word "election" also of
 5  an,d the preceding verse. Fact -is, verses 3-12 con-          course, refers to God's eternal decree. Election,  `hL.w-
stitute one single sentence. Paul, having begun  in. ever, usually emphasizes God's decree as it  conoerns
 verse 3 to sing of the marvelous, eternal, and  soye-            persons. Predestination on the other hand,  an,d  evi-
 reign  [grace of God, experiences- difficulty in  looming>  demtly thus in this text, concerns things. We have been
 to a halt. His  .heart and soul are filled-to  overfloti!ng.     predestinated unto  &optio.n  of children.
 ;Be does not pause until he has come to' the end of verse           The text  $peaks  09 our  adopti,on unto  ,children by
 12.  The same unbroken line of thought also  charac-             Jesus Christ. We  all understand the natural figure
 terizes verses 4 and 5.  In, verse 4 the  apotstle had  ,de-     of an adopted  child. An  adupted child is a  chi1.d that  ..
 claned   t,hat God had elected es before the foundation          becomes the  ohild  of. certain. parents.  Hce is not their
 of the  wor1.d in order that we should  .be holy and  with-      child. But he  b.ecomes such. Adoption  i;mplies a  two-
 olut blame before Him in  l,ove. The grammatical:  fo.rm         fold process. First of all, a  child is adopted through  *
 of the expression  "h,aving predestinated",  which is a the instrumentality, of the law. Parents obtain. legal
 correct translation of the original,  ,clearly indicates the possession  ,of a certain  &Id, and the `child receives
 intimate  connecti80n between  this verse and the  pre-- legal right to all the privileges of that particular  hoeme.
ceding text. God elected us in Christ  Jesus before the  .B,ut adoption also  implties that it  .actually enters its

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

 new home  aed partakes of its life and all its privileges; "realizes our adoption, first of all, upon the cross of
     God's children are  ch,ildren of adoption.- By nature             Calvary.  D.ue to the fact that He is God's Anointed
 we are not children of  .God but of wrath. This is, first             Head of Zion He stands in our  !guilty relation to the
 of all, a  spi.ritual   fact.. The glorious  llife of God we  d,o     law, assumes our  guilt before the bar of God's justice,
 not  knolw. Spiritual fellowship with the Lord is far                 and  voluntari:ly  ,descends  ftor  u.s  into the depths of the
from us. We know not the love and life of  Go@ but,                    wrath of God This  .Jesus Christ satisfies completely
to the contrary, are filled with darkness and the lie                  the  l,a,w of God, pays our debt and blots out all our  _
 and  enlmity against God and His Name.. But we are                    guilt, and merits for  us  eternal life and the blessed
 also children of wrath in a  judlicial  sense. We have                communion with the Lord in heavenly glory. Our
Been banished from the presence and fellowship of legal  adop<tion is established through this meritorious
the Lord, have no right to God's  comnmnion, and are, .and vicarious work of  .Jesus Christ,  our Lord. Bat
 according to the righteous judgment  o:f God, worthy                  Jesus  <does more. He rises from the dead and is exalted
 of eternal hell.  Besildes, we cannot  ble received again             at  thle right hand of Divine power. He receives the
into the  favlour of the Lord  Xnti.1 His  jasti8ce be per-            Spirit without measure and #establishes Himself in the
fectly satisfied.  S.piritually and  judiciaily, therefore,            hearts of His `elect people. He unites  us  to Himself,
we are objects of wrath and children of the  devil.-                   grants  us  the assurance  o.f our legal adoption; and
    We become children of God by adoption. First of Icauses us spiritually to' taste the blessedness of the
_  a&  JTudicially.   1.n natural life legal. adoption signifies Igrace and life of God.  ,Jesus also realizes our own per-
that the law attaches a certain child to certain parents,              sonal adoption,  nolw  ins  principlie, and soon in eternal
so  that;.legal.ly,  that child is entitled to all  th,e privileges    perf e&ion.                         i..
of a particular home. To become- an  a!d,opted child of                    And now we read that we have been "predestinated
of the living God,. legally, likewise signifies that we                unto or into the  adoptiml; of children by Jesus Christ,`.
`legally  bel,ong to God.  ,T;he law, God's own law,  I has            Our, adoption by Jesus Christ is, therefore, the direct
attached us Co the Lord. We are legally entitled, ac-                  result of this predestination. This implies, first of
cording to that law  .of God, to the life  o:f God's cove-             all, of course; that our adoption by Jesus Christ, as we
nant. Our  state  of estrangement has become a state                   have  Idiscussed  its  histori.cal  realization, is an eternal
of communion.  Fo-rmerly  the law of  Go,d demanded our fact.  Ln the  ,counsel of God all this appears, all this
banishment,; now that'law of God entitles us to God's                  is accomplished. History is merely the unfolding of
fello3wship. God's adoption of  ,Hiis  pleole is, first of             God's eternal plan. -This also implies, however, that
all, this judicial step, assuring us, upon the basis of this adoption- unto  chil,dren by Jesus Christ,, with all
Divine  justi#ce, of  :our engrafting  into' God's covenant            that it implies, has been eternally willed by God. God,
life. From this must follow our  spi,ritual adoption,                  therefore, not only decreed our eternal glory, but also
whereby `we are  actual~ly inducted into God's blessed the way unto that glory.  lHie_ also predestinated our
covenant.  ,The Lord bestows upon us His grace and                     adoption unto children which implies the way of sin
life,-grants us a place -at His table,  causle  -us' to ex-            and death  and our redemption through Jesus *Christ,
perience and taste His love, and enables  us  to love and              o u r   L o r d .
serve Him. We are translated  -out of the kingdom of                       "To Himself,`. We read literally "into Him".
darkness into the blessed  ,covenant   #life of the living             "Him", we understand,  refers'to God. The expression
God.                                                                   "into Him" directs unto the blessed fruit of this adop-
    `Ihis adoption unto children is our's, we read,                    tion. Even as a child is adopted  into a certain family,
"by or through Jesus Christ".  `Oar  Lord is Jesus be-                 so we, too, have  bleen adopted  into God. It is true that
cause He is the Personal  revelati,on  of Jehovah as                   the people  :of God will inherit the life of the eternal
the God of  O:LU"  salvation, Who, continuing true and                 Jerusalem: But the heart of that Jerusalem is  `God,.
eternal God,, became like unto us in  all things, sin                  InDo God we are adopted. This does not mean that we
excepted, to save us through the deep way of the cross become God.. We cannot and do not desire to  becqme
snd resurrection.  H,e is Jesus Christ because, as that                God.  B.ut it does mean that we are adopted into the
Saviour, He is the Anointed Servant of the Lord, to do                 very.  life of God, become partakers of His Divine
.a11 the things  requi.red  of Him in the  H,ouse of God,              nature  {2 Pet.  1:4) according to the measure of  tie
and acquit Himself of this task as  `our chief  Pro'phet,              creature, as creatures to live and taste the life of
only High Priest, and eternal King. We are children of God, to love and will and desire what He loves and wills
adoption, by or through Jesus Christ, because this                     and desires. The life of God,  ,whi#ch is God's eternal
adoption is effected; realized by  IHim. Inasmuch as                   Self-love, is imparted  unto us, whereby we love and
our adoption required the satisfying of the justice of                 seek Him even as He loves and seeks Himself. And
God and our spiritual translation out of darkness into this life we receive, never to lose it  agai!n but to enjoy
3ight, it must be self-evident that we  `could not bring               it forever-more.
it to pass. This we owe  to. Jesus  Christ alone. He                       "According to the good pleasure of His will". The

                                                                                 .


                 :
                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER,                                                                 119

 will of God, in this text, signifies the  eternal reality of                   the  Church  will continue to bless this congregation
 all things, as the Lord has conceived of them, together                        and that He may speedily send them the man ,of His
 with the Divine decree to  reflect these Divine thoughts .                     choice to shepherd them in the green pastures of
 in all the works of His hands.  ' We cannot enter into                         Hi,s  h o l y   W,ord.
 this thought in  detaizl  in  this. brief artide. Moreover,                       Permilssion   lias been granted the consistory to
 Paul speaks of the "good  pleastire" of  &Zis will. The                        call a minister and the Rev. J. 0. Bouwsma  has been
 apostle  ,does not speak of the will of His good  pl-easuyle,                  designated  coun.selor.    The church is located on
 which would signify that the  ,w?ll of  -God is charac-                        Park St. in  KaAamazoo,   Mich.,  and consists of ap-
 terized by the Lord's good  pleastiye, which in itself is                      proximately 180 fainilies."
certainly  tr;ue. He speaks of the good pleasure of His
 will.  The  w.ill of God is characterized,  aacordim!g to                 PROGRESS
-~ Holy Writ, by various  virt,ues.  ;The Word of God
 describes the Lord's will as external,  - wise, all-corn-                     The Mission  .Committee of our Churches received
 prehensive, good,  anI3 holy. In  thjs text the apostle                   a `mandate from our last held Synod which read as
names the virtue of God's  `good pleasure. This word                       follows  .: "to investigate the possibility of establishing
 refers.  Iliterally  to that  `whi'ch  .w'as  pleasing to the             an `outlet for Foreign  .Mission endeavor in the way of
 Lord.  G`od does as it pleases Hi-m. It `is, this thought,                supporting some reputable Mission now, and, in case
the thought  off God's sovereignty,.  which  receives  the                 this proves to`be impossible, that a fund  ble  egtalblished
 eliphasis here. The "good  pleasun@ of His  ,will" refers                 for this work in order that when the opportunity pre-
 to the  wiU of God  part?cularly   fro& the aspect of its                 sents itself, either to support some reputable mission
 sovereignty.                                                              or  to establish our  ow'n Foreign- Mission, we  willl be
    "A'cco?ding` to the good  pleasu;re  of~.His will". AC                 prepared to make use of it".
 cording to this sovereign will the  Lor,d has  p'redes-                       Since  .that  tiie the Mission Committee has been
 tinated us unto the adoption of  chilidren through Jesus                  working to' fulfill this rather large  ,ord!er of  Synod.
 Christ. IQ this work of salvation the Lord was there-                     Investigations have  bee;1 made of several existing
 fore determined, not by man; but solely by Himself.                       Fo'reilgn  M&silon endeavors and the whole  quest&
 He  elected those whom He sovereignly  wozuld. He de-                     has -been  sd,iscussed at great length both pro  and con.
 termined to save  .thein,  in. the way of sin and death                   At  thk last meeting of the Mission Committee, several
through Jesus  Christ, only because such was  IHis good                    important decisions  were taken  which, we feel will be
 pleasure, That  nb flesh may boast, but he that  giorieth                 of  inberest to our readers. The following preliminary
.let him glory in the Lord.                                                recommendations were approved by the committee :
                                                         H. V.             1.. That  the. Mission Committee goes on  record as
                                                                           favoriiilg the establishment of a fund with a view  io
                                                                           seeking and establishing our own  Foieign Mission
                                                                           endeavor. 2. That the Mission Committee feels that
                                                                           ,+he minimum amount necessary for the establishment
                 P E R I S C O P E   .e  `. ,of this work is $10,000 and suggests that this is the
                                                                           initial amount to be raised. 3. That the Mission Com-
                                                                           mittee advises that this fund, after its' eitablishment,
                                                                           may be used to support some reputable  existilag  Mis-
RETR,OGRESSION  ! !                                                        sion  ehdeavor  ,in  case- it becomes impossible to establish  ~
   The follow&g  notice appeared in  The  Banner   of our own Foreign  Fission activity.
 November 9, 1945:                                                             There are, of, course, many questions and difficulties
        "Classis   K.al?mazoo  takes  great  pleasure in, an-              stil,l remaining. The questions of a field,  mission&riea
      nouncing to. the various churches of our denomina-                   and many  other details remain.           The Committee is
      tion  the union that  has. been effected between the                 contitiuing  to work in this direction  aa#d is at present
      Protesting First  s&hriskian  Reformed  [Church  and                 ,gathering information on China  a6 a  possible  field.
      the- Christian Reformed Church  on the  ev&ing of                    It is  undierstoqd, of course, that all of  this is  .but  ipre-
      N&ember 1, 1945. We  are deeply  .gratefil  .to God                  liminary and has- no  bindin& value  whatever.  .E?en
      th&rHe  has led' this  co$r&gation  td unite  %ith  us,              bef,ore Synod can  act the Committee. m&t refer its,
      iii  thz, bonds `of Christian  love and  !Aeliowship   aid           report and  find@gs  -to  the-  vari6ti.s   C&sistories of our
      on  `the   basis' of the Holy Scripture,  .our common                .Churches  in order that they  cati  stu'dy  .ii. We believe,
      confes%nal   l&a&lards,   .and  `our church  aider.  I It is         hoywever, that it is at least a step in the right direction
      bui  sinc&e   prayer  that the  ,union  may  redo&i   io             and should be  Iencouraged.  We hope our  peo,ple will
      the honor and glory of God's holy name, and to. our.            -    take genuine interest in  whatever  deve!opes for we
      mutual  ben(efit.  We further pray that the King of                  believe this to be the-calling of the  Church.


                                                                                                                .     .
 ,120                                       [THE  S T A N D A R D   B.EARE.R                                     .

A N N I V E R S A R Y   CON.GRA.TULAT'ION,S  !   !-"  '             what is called `Church" in our day.  .?I  .relate just a
                                                                    few. of the activities of my own  church+ne of scores
         On  Sund,ay, December 3, 1945 the Reformed- Wit- having the same sort  elf program. They always have
 ness  -HOLW  will observe its 150th broadcast. over `the           overflow crowds and people who are eager to attend
.air. The program formerly  kn,own as the Protestant                a.nd contribute to their efforts.
Reformed Hour, is the fruition of an idea  .bosn in the                The church is a down-town church in a bad neigh,
minds of  a. group of young men during a discussion of              borhood.     A free -picture show is given the  under:
the decisions of the Synod  -and  Classis  East -of the             privileged "juvenile  ~delinquent" children each Satur-
 Protestant Reformed `Churches in regard `to Radio                  day night in the Playhouse. Each Monday night the
 work.. At  ,that time, the new radio station,  .WLAV in            director of  religio-us education keeps them busy build-
 Grand Rapids, had just begun to operate and  agrees to             ing airplanes-because they do break windows.                    -  _
 carry a program  .for the Young Men's Society of the                  A -modern `Playhouse has been built in the church.
.,  .First Church in Grand Rapids, who decided to spon-             An expert member directs four plays each year. The
 sor the program. iThe first  ,Protest,ant Reformed Hour            cast is entirely different for  (each play  -,and  #they run
 was broadcast on Sunday, October 12, 1941, featuring for a week to  s.r.0. Artists from the church paint the
 the Rev. H.  Hoeksetia as speaker and the- Protestant              scenery and build the sets. They publish their  owil
 Reformed  R!adia Choir furnishing the music. The paper  !called Back  Stuge. The editor is a member, as is
 details. and direction of the program  :were-k- handled            the entire staff of the paper.
,by.a committee  of  the.So,ciety.           ,                         `The ushers are changed every month. The  Wats,
   Since that  time,the program has continued- under                Waves, etc. do the job, as do the members of Congress
 the sponsorship of the  Y,oung Men's Society of Fuller             and the Kiwanis Club, etc. And by the way,  - do not
 Ave. through its Radio Committee., The program soon                sell your member of Congress short. . This  ,group  has.
 grew and is at present. heard  !each Sunday over stations          always been No. 1 on the list for perfect attendance.
 in  Musckegon and Grand Rapids, Michigan ;  ,Chicago,                 There is every type of recreation commonly found
 Illinois and Los Angeles, California. The budget for in all churches,  .but one should have special  ment,ion:
 the first year  ,of  broadcasting.called  for the  exp:enditure    The church  rentsan entire bowling alley each Saturday
 ,of about $1,200 while present expenses are about $1,100           night and the minister bowls with the boys and girls
 a month. Throughout  .its history the Rev. H.  Hoek-               and.feels that it is as much his  #duty to be with them on
 sema  .has  b.een the featured speaker while the Choir             Saturday night as it is to be in the pulpit on Sunday
 has presented  the.bulk of the musical portion of the morning. :He  bo,wls a mean game too.
 programs1       The program originates  .from the Fuller Each Wednesday is Church Night. Supper at six
.Ave. Church auditorium.                                            for  55*c,- Good too.  Devotionals at seven, and depart-`
         A public celebration will commemorate the event            mental meetings at eight.            Tables are always. all
 ,of the 150th  :broadcast.    On  Decem!ber 13,  thee present f i l l e d .                    *
 committee, is sponsoring a hostess  su.pper which is                  Each Sunday  night the young people eat at  six.-
 op:en to anyone. interested in the radio work. In view             Servioe men free, others'  15~. Seven o'clock their
 of the large crowd expected to  .attend, the Franklin. ,devotionals, and eight  ,o?lock  their church -service.  _
 Comnumity House (in the park  aacross from the First               The  yourig people have. dances and parties nearly
 Church,  build,ing) has been reserved to  accomodatc the           every night in the week. There are some two hundred
 gathering. Followinlg the supper a public program will meetings at the church in the course of a month."
 be presented' in the Fuller Ave. auditorium. Special               Etc. etc.              _
"speakers have  bmeen secured and the Radio  .Choir will               Disgusting,  isnlt it ? Yet, we wonder  holw far  we
 sing. Anyone interested in attending the supper, is                -are  remmoved from just that when we begin to talk
 asked to contact the Radio Committee.            No  resekva- `of recreation halls, youth centers and amusements for
 tions are necessary for the  Ip.rogram.                            the young people?                                      W. H.
         We congratulate the Young  Men's Society of Fuller               ._
 Ave., the Radio Committee, and all who are or have` i                                     ATTENTION !
 ibe-en  responsib1.e  for the success of this undertaking.
 Special mention should be made  &of the speaker, the                   According to  synodical  Idecision the  .f'History  of
.~Rev. H.  IHoeksema, whose  splendi,d Radio lectures have          Our Churches" will-soon be reprinted. Those- desiring
 been published in Book form as .a lasting Testimony that pictures of property or consistories appear in this
 and Reformed Witness.  ~' .                                        next edition are, requested to  sen,d cuts or pictures  to
                                                                    Rev. B. Kok; Hudsonville,  Mioh.,  or.Rev.  R.- Veldman,
 SADDENINGLY INTERESTING                                            i436 Kalamazoo Ave., S. E., Grand Rapids,  Mich., as
    The following is an excerpt  :from a  httle paper               soon as  possi.ble.
 called  The Choir  Leader   and is  ,a frank  indicat,ion  of           _.                          The Mission Comm.
                                      .-

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