                                                                        -..
 VOLUME XXII                            March l,, 1946 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                                         NUMBER 11
                                                                     immers Gods sodvereiniteit  ha&haven! i$ belijbden ten                                 .
        MED.1  T'-ATI  0-N einde toe? Ergo, ik woad van God &rzocht-! -'
                                                                          `t  Loopt' als  vanzelif! . . .  .-~  s*  :  "_      '
                                                                          Er  s&j.@  ,geen  ontkomen   a&Ii.  :  _                        :
                                                                        .' Zelfs schijqt het, al&f men fin .diezelfde.rich;ting  nog
          .God VerzcPekt Niemancf `,                                 een stap verder  bemen -meet.
                                                                          O,ok dan  ,immers,   suls wij  vyzo'dlit-worden  tot het  :
              Niemand,  als  hij  vwzocht  w&r&,  xegge; ' booze einde, zoodat we in `t s1ij.k -der zonde ens, we&e-
            Ik  WIOT~   svan.  God  vleraocht;  Want  Goid  ECU%.  len,  is  de  :wrzo&ing  altijd  nag  Van-God,   6~  bjijft  &  aleg  -
            niet  verxocht w,oyden met het k#ade, en Hij &e&s  een  o&zaak  van  gro&,e  vr&g&.  (&d  fd$&-  hc$
            Zelf-  veyzoekt  niemand. Maarr  een  ieg$$c goede er uit voortkomen,  en aan hei eind&van tdieiz weg
            worclt   verxolcht als  hij  vlan  xijize  eigeme  b;el- der verzoeking .ligt dre  kroon des .lev++  Laationsdan
            geedijklieicl  afgetrokken  en  verlokt  wordt. de verzoeking  :om  haars  zelfs  wil_  z+&eq  `-fi&volge!;                                     ;
       .`Da4xrna   d e   begeerlijkheid  ~onkvang@n  Iz&ben-  VOor  PO&e  ,meug&  a&tm,   ,en`  ]aat  r~ns~.&~  @fad+
          d~`.b~&t xonde; en de  eolude  voleindigd  xi@e  do&,  oipdat het goede er  uit  voortk&e!  .  r  `.  :.                                     ~
         ba&t      ,den     dood.                                         N i e m a n d   z e g g e !   5                    _  `.  .,  .;.  _'
                                                                                                                                               _-.'
                                             J a k .   1:13-25.           Wacht u er  we1 voor  om zoo  te spreken !  _  :  `-
     Ni:emand zegge ! . . . .                                            ,Want in de eerste plaats..  is I& @lets minder dian
     Ach; `t kon -&`el eens zijn, dat ,iemands booze n?tuur Godslastering  om in den Heilige; d& `pad&r &r,lichten, '
 hem zou v&l&den  .om zoo te spreken.                                van Wien immers alle .goed@.  gave en vol!maatie gifte
     Men zoi, met eene sehijnbaar-bindetide,  desnitette- afdaalt, .de bran en oorzaak uwkr zonde te ,zb!ek&n,  .ei' ' 1
 rnia  fbutieve  en diep zondilge redGneering,  zoo)iets zelfs Hem den eigelijken  Verleider-te.heeten;                             `1
 wel kunnen. afleiden uit hetigeen  Gods Woord hier in `t                 In de #weed:e  pl@ts is-zulk spreken .ni& de vrucht                               -
verband ons had geleerd. S                                       van eene  l,ogische en  bindende redeneering, maar  pan
     Had Jakobus' zijne .l,ezers  niet.,o&ewekt  ,om het tech ew Ibooze  natuur en vlleeschelijke  lust&.
 vooral voo? vreugde, vo& groote  vreughe, %oor loater                         En in de derde plaais, zoudt ge* den we@ dobr-  tin
 vreugde d,e schten, als ze in vellerlei verzoekingen  zo,u- sprek`en  aangeduild  nu ook inslaan, en ten einde  toe
 d:en vallen? --En :had hij i,n het oamiddelijB  vexband niet Ibewalndelefi, .d,an zoudi ge aan bet ein& fiiet.de- bbon
 `nogmaals  gezegd, ,dat ldiie man zdig is, die de verzoe-           des  levens, .m&ar iden d&d vinden, de  eeyige Fauq-
 king  verdtiaa&  daar hij,  al's hij  beproefd  zal, zijn  ge- zaligheid.               :     1             .
 weest, de kr;bon.des ievens  orntvangen zal?                             Laat het u Id&s gezegcf zijn : wax&t  u wel, dat ge al-
    iHo& gemakkelijk, hoe .als .vanzelf, hoe geheel logisch zoo niet slppeekt !                                   -_           -               ._
 geredbneerd  scheen  h& dan wel, om een stap vender  te                       Ook .a1 schijnthet u, :onder d&n ,invloed van uw boos
 gaati,  !ep te ieggm: "als ik ilerzocht  wordt, ,dan word vleesch,   nag zoo  zuiver  tqe,  om  a!d.us  te  redeneenein,,
 ik van God verzo.cht." Hoe  geheel   in  dezelsde   richting,       spr&k zoo ni!mmer!
 als waarin.Gods Woord zelf in het vevband had .gewezen,                  NiemanlcJ zegge : ik word van God verzocht  !
scheen zulk een stap ! De verzoekintgen zijn` eene oar:                   Het zij verre !
 zaak van gfoote tieugde. Ze  zijq dan  o& van  God;
 Alles, ook de verleiding tot  zonde staat  ,oiilder Gods                                                    .
 oppermaichtig  bestuur. Als ik ,dus verzooht .tiord, ook .
 als ,die verzoeking haar booze vrucht der zonde in mij                   Go,d verzoekt niqnand !
 vootibrengt, dan is zij nog altijd van God. We moeten                    Hij kan niet smet het kwad@  verzocht  worden,!


 242               .'                  TIEE                 STAN-DARD              BEA.RER

    Mocht bet u ooit toeschijneti, alsof het met voikomen              "Ten dage, dat gij Idaarvam  eet, zult gij den dood ster-
zekergeid  beredeneerg  kon Iwojrden,  dat God :u veizoekt             ven !I' Maar de  verzoeking   spreekt  - de  Ileuig:en  : "de
 tot het kwade, gi dan Both vOora1  evlen met uwe rede- Jboorn- is tbegeerlijk,  de'vrucht is aanlokkelijk,  goed om
 neerinlg op. God terug !               -                              te eten, om wijs te maken." En oak i "Gij zult den dood
    1Ge had het immers met Go& te doen?                                nietl  sterven, gij zult als God zijfn,  l&nende  het lgoed
    Ge ,wildet  immers, in geh@ uwe- ~eden$&ng vlam                    en het kwaad !`?
 God  u.itgaan.  Ge  bepedene@det   imni&,  -dat  .Gbd de               1 De beproeving  is een daad ,der liefde. ~Ze wil ti een
hooge en absoluut Souvereii  -is;`-Die &es m~~`v&&n&~                  :b.eproef  d karakter  geven, -1ijdzaam  maken, uw gel&f
vrijmacht bes'cuurt, zonders Wi:2F,27yil e;::.:n  `t gansch ver&erkeq  u in de geiegenheild  stellen ,om het kwade te
heelal niets ges:chiedt,  Die ook-ai~o~z~.,~acllte-n &d!er-- ovemwinnen,  om de genade Gods, die in IUF op het heer-
 werpt   aan Zijnen w& en,alzoo Ib&&i&rt,  dat z'e z&i'zdh- lij,kst  toit  openlbaring   te  doen komen,  to&  pzijs  en  eer.
 der of tegem Zijn.en wil niet ku;me$`roerea of bewegen? en  heerlijkh@d in  de.  openabaring van Jezus  Christus;
    Welnu, in die bedloel.ing zijt ge t,& prijzen.                     De v$rzoeking  echter is een-daad  ,der vijandschap tagfen
    Uw fout ligt &et GagFin, ,dat ge in geheel uw denken God, en te-gen u. Ze wil u .afvoeren  van den .weg des
len leven wilt uitgaan-van God. Integen!de&, dat is h,et levIens, Gods werk in u verwoesten, Gods lnlaam lasteren,
beste, het veiligste; dat ge doen kunt.                                u stoiten in het eeuwig verderf.
     Maar jwel lag uw folut daar, tdat lge. jtiist diet &n                 De verzoeker  heeft het kwtide lief en haat hei Igoede,
 God uitgingt !                                                        Hij is  .iemand, die  aelf  verzocht  kan  word&, en  ver-
 I_, 0. zeker, .ge gingt we1 uit van: Gods vrijmacht en ab- zocht is geworden  tot het kwade, door h& ktiade  altijd
 splute souvereiniteit. Maar gevergat daarbij ; Idjat uw weer wbrdt aangel,&&  en daarom oak een behagm heeft
 God niet een booze, maar de 9Bekkehoos  heilige en goede in degenen, die met hem het kwaad Ibeminnen en (doen.
 Squverein. is,! Hij is  een  !iclii, en  er is  ga.Dsch  geeIn  ~         Maar hoe` zoudt ge dan ooit van God kunnen zeggen,
 ;iuisQq&  in Bern ! Hij ,wo;rdt  van het h+de niet ver dat Hij u verwekt, tot bet jkwade  verleidt ? Zou Hij
 zocht, en  ,d.aaro& han  Hij] dan  oak  niemaad -tot  .het de leugen sprekkn, Hij, Die Zelf-tvaanheid is? Zou Hij,
&wade  verzoeken.                                                      Die &n licht is, en .in Wien gan&h geen duisternis is,
 `.- Wat  <bch is een  Verzbeker?.   .-.  .'  :.            ,          behagen seheppen  `in het kwade? Dat- zij` verre  ! God
    H.ij is.miet dezelfde,  &ij is de `v;o!koqen  tegen&el@g           is Ide Heilige. Hij is het eeuwige  inbegrip van alle on-
 VaneenBeproeqr. . .                                -..          `_    eindige volmaaktheden, van w.aarheid en gerechtigheid,
    ,O, bet is waar, het .oorspr?&elijke .woor,d,  -d&t' in van hei,lisgtieid en onbevlekte en otibevl&kelijke rein-
 den tek&,  -eh in heel d.it eerste hoof$&ik +an,$kobus' heid, van +iefde en genade, vam, schoonheid en liefelijk-
 brief  vo& verzoeking  gn  bepyoeving   yoi-dt.  gebezigd heid, -van trlouw en rechtmatigheid. E&als lde oneimdig
1&&% -en hetielfde,  Het is oolkkwqr, dat n&ar den.vorm                Goede   <bemint  `Hij  Zichzelven,  zoekt Hij in de  tiller-
 verzoeking .en beproeving veel gemeen hebben. Beide zhoogste openbaring van Zichielven, obk in @jn schep-
 bestaan daariln, d@ ze.$en  weg dei gerechtigheid,  den sel, Zijn eigen'.eer. Hoe zou `Hij dan oolit vierzocht  kun-
                                                                                                          ."
 weg van Gods  V8eti$$&d,   voor het vleesch  moeilijk n& wo&len n&t het kwade?
maken ; en ,dat ze daireniegen  den w.eg der zonde gemak-                  ,O zeker,  ;God   is. en  .blijft  souv'eieieirn,  9ok over de
 kelijk en. aaulokkelijk  ,maken voor den ouden niensch.               zonde  !
 Ge wordt om Christus' wil gesmaad, gehaat, veyvolgd, HiJ, zet den. goddelooze  op gladde. plaatsen, en stort
 VLXI, naam en .positie in de werel'd :beroofid,  ge wdrdUG'als        hen in `keuwige  v@rwoestingen, I&j ,doet de zonde tot
 l& ware van alBe zij,den geperst, brn hep weg des leviens openbaring  komen als  zonide.  Van stuiting der  onge
 te verlaten, en dan ntiam ,ufvs'&~lands  te verloochenen.; ne&hti&heid .is er lbij Hem geen sprake. Hij  &eft  d&
 en `ge wordt IbepFoefd,  maac ook veraocht. Eer &n aan- zondaar; die Hem Tibet :wil verheerlijken o!f danken, en
 z,ien,  rijkd80fm en genot  wordep   u_aangebo:den:,  als ge d.ie de waarheid van Zijne Zelfope&aring in ongerech-
 &lech%een knieval til maken poor  den god dezer eeuw : ti,gheid ten-:o@er houdt, over in steeds dieper  en vuil.&
en ge wordt  beproefd, maar ook yqzocht. `.                            slijk van  ,ongerechtigheid. Hij  lwerkt  ook in  op  de
     -Eng is ,de poort, smal is de weg, die. ten leven lei&. Ibdoze Ilusten van den verwaten  verachter  van Zijn Ver-
     Wij$d is de poort, breed is .de `weg,  die ten. verd,erve         bm-d; zoodat l&e .booze  lusten in bepaalde richting wer-
 vc$-t. . . . .          -_                                            hen, bepaalde  yruchten   voortbrenge&' en de  z&da&r
    Xi?Iaar zie nu, er is bij die 8overeeq&enuning  in x&n, steeds meer. verbaasd wordt, verliederlijkt, `en steeds
 to'ch  ,ook.  een.diiepgaand  en Iprincipi.eel yerschil  txisschen met sneller schreden naar zijn eigen verderf voortholt.
 beproeving  en- verzoeking.                                           Zeker, oek de lust des vleesches  werkt tiaar den wil van
     Beproeving spreekt altijid de `waaiheid, verzoekimg den oppersten Potkntaat  der potentaten!                                -
 is van den-Vader der leugen. De beproeving stelt u we1                    Maar dan .is Idie Souverein  tech altijd .de volkdmen
. voor de antithese; eddch, %e w&rschuwt  u, om in weer-               He3ige .in al zijn dolen !
 wil van allen tegenstand in den weg dey these te Blijven                  Dan werkt Hij to&altijd  in Zijn vreeselijken-toorn
 wandeleti   :. "@j.  quit daarvan niet  eten  !". En ook : over &le ongerechtigheid ! :                             _     :T         _ _
                                                                             .                                  .
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                                              ITtiE  ST.A,N.DARD,`BE&RER"                                                           _,T                   243'

   Ook- zelfs, als ge in laatster instantie zegt, dat de zoo te spreken geraakt ge slechts  al meer verstrikt  in de
zonde naar het sonverein $eljb.ehagen van den lopper-                          verlokkingen  .en verleidingen de'r zotide en des doods.
hoogen God -in,:--de  .wsexel.d is imgekomq .dan is ze daar Neen, ge mo'et uw sehuld b&jlden, de schuld van uw be-
all&n om te openbaren, dat I%j de `zon$de haat!                                geerlij.$heid,  de schuld van uw verzoloht  wordoil  tot het
    God is de `Heilige!                                                        kwad,e, de schugd ook van uw dood. :Ge moet uwe on-
    Hij -kan niet verzocht ~wo~den met hei kwade. Hij macht ,voor God uitschreeuwen  : Ik elll&d& mensch !
Zelf verzoekt ni'emand!  ~.              -                                             B.elgeerlijskheid. . . . zonde. . . . dood !-Due wet der
  .' Zeker, nog eens zij .het gezegd, ,Hij is en iblijft de zonde !
Souvereine, ook als HJj Zijn ,eigg&n kind in de verzok-                                Begeerlijkheid : dat ziet op den  geestelijk-zede-
king leidt. Hlet is immers tot Hem;& tot Hem &leen,                            lijken stand uws harten. ?t Wil niet maar ieggen, dat
Idat ge bidt: "Leidt ons niet in  verzoeking!" Bet `was ge .begeert, :wat uw eigendo:m niet is, .doch het ,duidt aan
immers  in llaatster   In'stantie  Hij, Die David aanporde de  rbooze  werking-van gw natuurlij8 ,bestaaq van uw
om h& volk te tellen. Hij was h& ook, Die Petrus `deed hart,  van uwe  hi,  van  uwien- wil,  vati uw verstand,
neer storten van de hoogte zijns zelfvertroawens,  wa&- van %lle tiw'e hartstoqhten en ilnaeriijke neigingen, waar-
,op hij wist t.e roemen : "Al zouden allen aan U gegngerd do'or ge g&t naa$ hetgeen tegen God ingaat, lie?heb$
wonden, ik  nooit!" tot in de  d&&e  Van zonde en wat IHij haat, uitgaat naar alle boosheid en ,ongere:chtig-
 schande,   waarin hij  zi,chielven   liever  vervloek;te   dan heid en -vtiilheid, naar de wereld-zonder-God,  de begeer-
gereken(d  te worden  tot de discipelen des Heilands.                               iijkhe$d  des vlees~ches,  de bqgeerlijkheid  sder oogen, en
     En zoo kan Hij ,ook ,ons, als .we niet_yaken  en bdd-                          de grbotheid  des Ievens. En door die innedijke Ibegeer-
 den, als we  ,wat al te dicht bij het  vu.ur  ,&er zonde lijkheid, uwe eigene begeerlijkheid, wordt ge afgetrok-
 spelen, in cl@' Tirerzoeking  storten.
               :                                                                    ken, en verlokt  om den weg ,d,es leyens te verlateh, en
    .Maar  ,ook  dm blijft Hij de  Heilige, Di.e nimmer den weg der ongeboqzaamheid  aantrek&elijk  te vi&en
behagen schebt `in, maar tiltijld  vreeselijk too& tegen en te bewandelen.
 di  z o n d e .                    i                                                  In die begeerlijkheid  ligt de vrulchtbare  Ibo;dem,  de
     En  bovetidien is het  mdan  Zlijee  bedo&ing,  om ons moederschoo;t  der zonde..
met inne&jke afschaw tegen, de zopde te vervullenl, om                                 .Daarin valk, daarin word6 onkvangen  het zaad der
 0~s te  l'eeren   !waken   Zen-  `bidden, om ons  %eer, in' hei verzoekiag,  ,de  verleiding  -van het  schijnscboon der
 Mare bewu&zijn van eigen zwakheid, en van `onze be- *ereld;de  ingevinga des ,d'uiv%+ls. . . . .
 hoefite  aan  Zijne  genad,e,  het  gebed.  op  de.  lippen te                        `En zij .baart de zonlde.  ,.                  ,-
leggm: "Leidt ons niet in de verzoek.ing,  maar verlos                               De begeerlijkheid  ontvangen hebbende baart zonde!
ons van den ,booze  !" En- om ons alzoo, (met vlpeeze en En let ler we1 op, dit is eene vaste wet. Deze ontvangb-
 beving, onze eigene zal,igheid te doen uitwerken.                                  nis .en baring fal& nimmer. Als het zaad der verzoe-
     Ga Id!us gerust van God uit ! "                             `,,                k$ing, uit eene wereld, die in het booze ligt,  iln  den  -
    Ja, als Ige maent, uit Gods souvereiniteit yeden,eerend,                        +ruch~bai*en  bodem  der begeerlijlrheid  van de, zondige
 te mogen zeggen: Ik word van God ver~~cht," cont.@-                                natupr  valt,  dall ontvangt deze  gewis,  dan  ontki6mt
 leer dan uwe redeneering door hop God tek:ug te gaan !                             bet zaaid zonder faal, dan is ,de daad der 5onde de zekere;
     Daar llag uw fout !                                                            onvermij.deljBe vrucht. 0 zeker, die  begeelij,kheid is
     Want God is de- Souveaeine,  ja, maar de-souVerein ook zond,e, uwe zonde ! En dat dile begeerlijkheid door
iHeilige  !                                                                         de ~erileiding  .bevrucht. wordt,  dat is, ook zonde, owe
  Hij kan niet verzocht worden  met h& kwade                                  zonde  ! En dat bet nu tot de da& `der zonde  komt, tot
     En  -Hij  vlerzoekt  niemand!                                                  de daad yan de zondige ,eedachte, van de zondige hart-
                                                                                    stocht, van het daadwerkelijke zondige ,begeeren ; straks
                    .`.,
               ,-                                                                   ,ook tot de daad van het zofidige woord, het .zondige  han-
                                                                                    delen, - dat is ook uwe so'@e. . . .                           _
     Begeerlijkheid.   ..:.  :T  zond.e.  .   .   .   dooldi!  _ 7 .                   En de zonde,_voleindigd  zijnde, ba& den dbod!
     In die drie woordeq  ligt het geheixn van de werKmg                               Aeh, de dood zat er reeds in van den beginne, ook
der  verqoeking.                              :                  `..  .: _          reeds in de begeerlijkheid. De zpndaar gaat zwanger
     Vreeselijke  werking, &vermijdel.ijk in haar Ip~&oces,                         van defi ,dood. Do&h de laa& wordt, alseeuwige  dood,
tenzij almachtige .genade deze werkia?g.lbreekt!                                    niet gebaard, totdat ,de vrutaht vol@rage~ is !
   ,: Hier. is gan. lgeen stuiting sprake; `t Gaat naar vq$e
Iw& :  IbegeerlijBheid.  . . . zonde. . . . dood !  A&en                               Begeerlijkheid.  . , . zonde. . . .  dood!
verbreking, o'pheffing  rd,ezer wet, ddor de genade .csds,                             Vieeselijke,  onvermijd$ijke wet  ~der zonde en  Jes
 die in Christ,us  Jqzus is, .kan hier baten..         "                       doods !
     Maar- zoo, moet ge- `t. dan oak, leeren zeggen. Z~I&                              Gebroken door-het kruis-van ,den Zoon Gods !
i&t : "Ik word  van God  verzochk." Daarin  ligt geen                                  0  G+!  w.~-~f  @j  zonda+,r genadig!
&&komin!g  aan  d e   macht  d i e r   vreeselijke   wet.  D o o r   - -   -.                                           i     ^-            --iI.  H..
                                                                               I           d     `_-..

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      244                                                         "                                                                          THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       _.

                                                The Standard Bearer
                             Semi-Monthly, except tinthly  in' July and August                                                                                                                                                               EDITORIALS-   -
                                                                                            Published by
                                      The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                                                       1463 Ardmore St., S. E.                                                                                                                                               The .Iiouge Of Grace
                                                             EDITOR  - Rev. H. Hoeksema
          Contributing Editors:-Rev. G.  i.  Ophoff,  Rev. G.  Vo!s, Rev.                                                                                                                                                       In.  The Key of  Jap. 1, 1946, p. 52, w.e found' the
          R. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldmaq Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                                                          following sentiments  expressed by tie Rev. H. J. Even-.
          Rev.  J: D. De Jong, Rev. A. Petter, Rev. C. Hanko,  R&v.  L.                                                                                                                                                      h o u s e :
      Vermeer,  Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. J. A.  Beys,                                                                                                                                                            "In the brief s$ory `of the h&use whi,ch was ,worse
          Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                                                    in the end than prior to its cleansin'g, Jesus tells us
               Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                                       that ref?nement  without regeneration anId conversion
         to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand
        Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                                                    simply increases the devil's potentiali?cies.  A cultured
               C~~mmunications  relative to  suubscription  should be addressed                                                                                                                                              and learned unbeliever is a better tool $or Satan than an
          to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 1463 Ardmore St., S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                                                         unlearned man. We may well ask ourselv&  how this
         Michigan. All Announcements, and  Obituar@,  must be sent                                                                                                                                                           applies to mtodern  education. We strive to give ev.ery-
        to the above address and will not be placed unless the T&gular                                                                                                                                                       one edu,cation and undernea$h  is the supposition that
         fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                              -'                                                advanced understanding will ,offer .improvefient.  Byt
                                               (Subscription price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                                                           we should alsd see that with our modern godless edfuca-
         Entered as Second Class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                             tion the devil's facilities are being greatly Gnnhanced.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ff godless [educated America will be seven-fold wdrse
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             than the ignorant `pagan nations ever were. We Ibelieve
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             in `Common Grace but llet us never $or&et  that It is not
                                                                                        CONTENTS                                                                                                                             much more than some `rouge ,ov.er  the face of modern
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             civilization."             s
      MEDIfI!ATION                                                     -                                                                                                                                                        Thus far the Rev. Evenhouse.
      GOD VERZOEXT  NIlEMAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241                                                                                  Needless to cay that we ,quite Well. agree w&h the
                                                                                                                                                                                    :
                          Rev. H.  Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                                  general sentiments expressed iln %he abo,ve  quotation..
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                We think &hat t!he R.ev. Evenhouse sees considerable
      EDITORIALS -                                                                                                                                                                                                           l.ight. He ia not far frolm the truth.
                                                      ,                                                                                                                                                                         Had it not been %or the last sentence, I would s,imply
      THE ROUGE OF GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I... l....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244                                                                                                   have offered him a word of thanks in Iour paper, and
      T,HE  LIBERATED  CHURCXEIES  IN THE  NETHERLANfDS..245                                                                                                                                                                 Inquired of him w.hether it were not time Zor him to
      EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG CATEXHISM  . . . . . . . ...246                                                                                                                                                           a,pply for membership in  %he Protestant  Reforimed
                  Rev. H Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                                            Chtirches.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               That  la&  senten!ce,  however, cannot pass without
      CANO,SSA                                                   _--
                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   250       ctimment.
      SAMUElL'S DESCENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..-.........................................  . . . . . . . . . . 253                                                                                                         Had the writer simply put the wordscommon  grace
                  Rev.  G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                                                         in  quotati80n marks,  .indi,cating that he would not Ibe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             held responsible for them, and then written: "Let us
      DE VERBONDS PSALM
                                                                                         . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255      never forget. that :common  !grtice' is not much more
                  Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                                                                than some rouge over the face of modern civilization,"
                                                       c                                                                                                                                                                     Iwe might still let it pass, althouigh even tihetn .ye could
      HOW TO INDOCTRINATE .:: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  255 not agree with it.                                                                                    What is called "common grace" is
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             much  ww;prse, and  ,much more se&us than a  little
                  Rev. J. D. De Jong                                                                                                                                                      d
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             rouge.
                                                                                                           -                                  . .                                                                               But now he writes in lone breath that he believes in
      FROM,  HO;LY WRIT . . . . . . . . ..I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260                                                        coliimom  grace,, anld that it is not much more than a
            I Rev.  G. Lubbers                                                                                                                                                                                               little rouge. And the ser.ious  implication of this state-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ment is not s.o much thhat the miter believes in rouge,
_     PE*RIS!COPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..262                                but bhat he believes that grace is rouge, and tha;t rouge
            Rev. L. Vermeer :                                                                                                                                                                                                is ever  grace. That is, indeed, a serious  `statem&.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Par we :d?re not. forget that -this rouge is appliF$. :bjp


                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   `B E A R E R                                                      245

 the  H,oly Spirit,  -ac.&ording  to the  !decisions of the but the true Israel of God. And, in view of the fact
 churches  (Church, accord& to the editor of The Bctn- that in these wo,yds a reason is offered for the state-
 ner) ,of one elf which the Rev. Evenhouse is pastor.                ment ip the first @art of this verse, we may paraphrase
     I take it, that when he writes "w,e believe in Com- thk whoBe vlerse  as follolws :. -"The wo,rd  of God c.oncernr
 mon Grace," he refers to th.e- faith ,of the Christian Re- ing the promise has not become of none e?fect, for the
 formed Churches, adopted in 1924. And the particular promise  Iconcerns  only the true Israel, land was never
 tenet of faith to wh.ich  h.e must have referenlce  is ex- meant for all the natural seed of Jacob." The view,
 prfessed  in the second and third  poilnits  ,of  do&rine           therefore, .of the leaders of the Ltberated Churches, as
 adopted  ,by the Synod  ,of those churches in, Kalamazoo. if ,God, by promise, ..bequeaths  the blessings of salva-
 - N.ow, these two points taken together plainly teach : tion  upoln all the  ,childreh  ,of  Ibelievers,  is plainly con-  -
 1. That ther.e  is an operation of the Holy Spirit apart tradicted in Rom. 9 :6.
 from regeneration, not renewing the'heart, `by which                   Beconid!ly,   th,is  true Israel is  &led  the seed.  In
sin is restrained in the individual and iln the community. vs. 7 the apostlle qu'otes  the word of God to Abraham:
 2. That, as a result .of this gra,dilous operatiion `of, the        "in Isaa,c shall thy seed. Ibe called." And this. he ex-
~Holy Spirit, the natural- man is able to do civil good, plains in vs. 8 as meaning: "They which are the chil'd-
 which means that he is able to ,live a relatively good ren of  the  fMi,  these are not the  children  o$ God:
 world life.  -  '                                                   ,but the children of the- promise are' counted fbr the
     To this the Rev. Evenhouse refers w&n$.e ,declares              seed." Again, it is plain that there is #only one seed of
 t?hat "we believe in Commofi Grace."-                               Atbr,aham, ' the seed. And to- `this seed, in distilnction
     H:e believes, the&one, that .`%ummon grace". is the from the  .children of the  -flesh,   t.he  pr?%n.is.es pertain.
 fruit of a gracious operatiti  of the Holy Spirit.                  This seed is,  centrally, Christ. For thus the apostle                  _
    And he`wo,uld  call this littlle more than rouge?                writes in Gal. 3 :16 : "Now to Abraham %nrd his seed
     Does the IIoly Spirit cover iniquity with a little were the prom.ises  made, He saith not, And to seeds, as
Touge,`in order to make it a (lie, avnd repder it deceitfully of many, but as of one, And to thy seed,  whi,eh  is .
pretty,  bea.utiful, attractive? Is the appearance;of a Christ." In the broader sense this' s&ed~ comprehends
 wihore,  t,o  .be  ascri!bed  t,o an  ,o:peration  of the Holy all that ak;e in Christ, but none other. The seed, for
 Spirit ?                                                            whom the promises are meant, cannot be said t,o ilnlclude
     To ask t,heie  questions is to answer the+ "                    all the natural children of Abraham, or all the children
    And to answer them positively .woultd  be little less of tbelievers in the, new dispensation. They are Christ
t h a n   b l a s p h e m o u s .                                    and His brethren.  __
     I think th.e -author .ought to revisk  that statement.             Thirdly, they are called children of the promise.
In what way he should amend it, whether by denying Again,  I& us notice at once that  th& children of the
 the "con&on  grace" part, or r:etracting the statenient promise are `definibely not al.1 the children of Abraham,
 that it is little more than ropge,  must 5b.e left to him.          not all the de&entdent<-of  Jacob, for "they which are
 As it stands it should Inlot remain.            ,             .,    the children of the flesh, these are not the c.Xildrem oif
     Th;e Holy Spirit does not wopk with rouge.                      God, *but the (children of the proymiee  are ,connted for
                                                      H. H.          the seed." They are counted as "the  sked"  in.  the
                                                                     pro,mise, . in the word of' God to Abraha.m.         Tohis  .is
                                                                     especially to Ibe noted. The Word of God is not ,become
                                                                     of none effect. When God says to  Albraham: "I  .will
             The Liberated Churches                                  establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy
                                                                     seed after thee. . . . . to be a God unto thee and to thy
             .-  In  The  Netherlands                                seed. after thee;" the question arises :. %ho is this seed
                                                                     of Abraham? ,  W:hoOare  meant in  the;promise?. The
              `(continued from p. 199)                               apostle answers : not the chilldren of the,. flesh, ?!ot .all
                                                                     the natpral descendants of Abraham, but the children
     The  bhildren  of the promise are  dountecl  for  the           of the promise...,are  counted ifor the, seed. And what
 seed.                                                               may be meant ,by that ex&ession?  <Does it mean: &he
     But who are these ,children .of the.promise?                    children that accept the promise?; Evidently`.-not, ,for           '
    We may note that, in Rom. 9, they are designated                 t;hey are meant Iby the",promise  b&ore they ,were  dbo,rn.
 by four different terms : Israel, the ,seed,  chill:dFen  of All the childnen of the- hesh were-never .,meant. Does
 the promise, and children of God.                                   it,. then,, simply mean: the. children. for whom .the
     They are ,called Israel : "Fsor  they are not all I.srael promise is ineant, the seed, true $srael? It.Idoes,;  yet,
 which are of Israel." The meaning is, evildlently  : all it means more than that. _ It a&b. exp@ses the id!ea
the ,descenderits  of Isralel (Jacob) are not true Israel. that they are `spiritual ,children +h+..are.born in virtue
 The fi;rst Israe& therefdke,  does not denote the Jews, of, by t.he pow.er of the @tiise. Abraham'could  onily

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

  *bring forth children of the flesh.  B,ut God realized Ghurches  are wont to employ,  co,uld Rebecca say to
  the power of promise in them, and made them spiritual Esau : "My son, the promise of <God is sure, and it is
  children of G-od. They are those in whom the promise for-you. God gives you the birthright, has established
  .of salvation is realized. A comparison of this <passage His covenant  :with you, and  ,bequeaths upon you \:a11
  in Rom. 9 with Gal.  4:23, 28,  `will  ,prove this view.         the .blessings ,of salvation"? And dad! he fail to become
  There the apostle writes: "But he  ,who was of the a child of the promise in reality o,nly because he re-
 -bondwoman was born after the flesh:  :but he  ,of the fused to accept the promise?
  freewoman was born of the  ,promise." The phrase                       No true (exegesis of Remans 9 :lO-13 ,can yield that
  `(by promise" means, according to the original, through result. Jacob alone was the `child of the promise, and
  the promise. Isaac was born through the promise, by that, too, #by God's sovereign1  election. And when not
  the  power'of the promise. And so are the spiritual Esau, but  .Jacob receives the promise,  t.he  w,ord of
  childr,en of the Icovenant  in the new ,dispensation  : "Now God is not become, of none effect.
  we,  ,brethren, as Isaac was, are the  chillidren of the                The ,promise  of God is for the Ielect only.
  promise." vs.. 28. And that this does, indeed, refe:r to               And the realization of the promise is never contin-
  spiritual birth is evident from,vs. 29 : `"But as then he gent upon the will of man.                   ~
  that :was born after the Uesh persecuted him that was                   It is not of him that willeth, nor <of him that `run-
  born after the Spirit, even so it is now." The phrase neth, ebut of God which sheweth mercy !                             _
  "chitldren of the promise," therefore, considers t,he true              That must suffice for us.
  Israel, the seed, not from the viewpoint of their faith                And if we depar.t  from this,.attempt to go ,beyon!d
  and accelptanae  .of the promise, .but : 1. From the view- this, and- try to say something positive as to the sdva-
  point d the fact that it is they and they only that. are tion ,of all the chiFd#ren  of believers, we depart from
  `meant in the promise ; and 2. From the viewpoint of             Scripture, present the word of God as  Ibecoming   df
  their `being born, not of the flesh, (but of the Spirit, none effect in them that are lost, `and leave the Re-
  through the power ,of the promise of God.                        formed track.
         And so, finally,  the- children  `of the promise are                                                                    H. H.
  children of  GoldI. They are  .those whom  Goad adopted
  to be His children, whose adoption is realized .in the
  death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in w.hom                                              _
  the adoption is spiritually fulfilled` throlugh the gra'ce
  of God.
 But the  apost1.e advances his argument, to prove                  THE  TRIPLE  KNOWLEDGE
 that the word of God has not become of none effect, one
  step .Ifarther.    If there could be any, doulbt left that it
  is not the faith of the promise ,of lbeli,evers that renders
  them Iwlorthy  of the name `tchildren of the prom-ise, but        An  Exposition  Of  The  Heidelberg
  God's own free  and sovereign determination, this doubt                               Catechism
  is removed  by what the apostle writes in verses ten
  to thirteen of the ninth chapter <of Romans. The :ex-                                         Part Two.             I .
  ample of Isaac already showed Iclearly that not all the                               Of `Man's Redemption
 childaen ,of the flesh are counted for the seed. But now
  the apostle refers to another example, that, of Jacob                                      LO,RD'S  DAY XIX
  and Esau : "And not only this ; .but when Rebecca also                           Q. 50. Why is it added, "and sitteth at the night
  had oonceived.  by one, even by our father Isaac; (For                        hand of God ?"                         -
  the children being n'ot yet born,0  neither havmg done                           A.  Becatise  Christ is ascended into. heaven for
  any good or evil, that thle promise of God according to                        this end, that he might there appear as head of his
election might stand, not  *of  wo'rks,  Ibut of him that                        church, by whom  <the  Father governs all things.
  calleth) ; It was sai,d u.nto her, The elldler shall serve                       Q. 51. What profit is the glory  !of Christ, our
  the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved,  `-                        .head, unto us ?
 `.but Esau have `I .hated."                                                     A.  F&t, that by his  I-Ioly  Spirit he pours out'
         This should settle the qutestion.                                      .heavenly  graces upon'as  his membem;  and then that
         Was Esau also a chil'd of the promise? Certainly                       by shis power h$ defends-and preserme;s  us against all
  not  acco,rding to the meaning the ninth chapter of                            enemies.
  the Remans attaches to that term.                                                Q. 52. What comfort is it to thee that Christ "shall
         W,as, he, then, a [child .of the promise in the sense                   come again to judge the quiok and the dead ?"
  that,  ,on  G.od's  ;rjart, the promise was also for Aim?                        A. That in all my sorrows and persecutions with
  T.o use th.e language. which ,thg leaders of the Liberated        . . . .      uplifted head I look for the very  Isame  person, who


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                     247

            before offered himself for my sake, to the tribunal          thou hast put all things under his feet." vss. 5, 6. In
            of God, and `has removed all curse -from me, to come         Ps. 24, the people of God sing of the King #of glory,
            ad judge from heaven: who shall cast all This  and my        Who is Himself the Lord of hosts, but Wno ascends
         .' enemies into  everl.asting  condemnation, but shall          into the holy .hill of Zion, and .befor'e.  Whom the ever-
            translate me with-all  ,h.is chosen ones to himself, into    lasting ,do.ors m.ust be lifted up that H(e may come in.
            heavenly joys and glory,                                     And in this general way, many more of the psalms,
                                                                         such as the forty-fifth, the seventy second, the eighty
                                 1 .                                     ninth,  and others, speak of the  gl:orification  of the
                        Our Exalted Lord                                 Servant of Jehovah, the  `theocratic   kin,g, the Christ
                                                                         of God. Moreover, the sitting at the right hand of
    In  .this Lord's Day, the Catechism explains  thle                   Go'd is lit,erally mentioned in .Ps. 110 :- "The Lord said
second  part of the sixth article of the  Aplostolicum:                  unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
"and sitteth at the right hand ,of God the Father Al- thine enemi,es thy footstool." ps. 1.
mighty",* and the whole of article seven: "From thence                           The Old Testament prophets, too; direct the  hope&l
he shall oome  to j:udge the quick and the Idead."                       eye of God's people to: this future exaltation and glory
    Thus the Catechism separates the ascension into of  t,he Messiah. F/or Jehovah's servant  "shall deal
heaven from the sitting at the right hand `of ,God, which prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very
are oombined into one article of faith in the- Apostolic hiigh. As many as were astonied at thee, his. visage
C,onf,ession.                                                            was. so marred more than any man, and his fo,rm more
    The purpose of this is not to separate the two truths, than the sons ,of men, So shall he sprinklle  many na-
or t,he two stages in the rexaltation ,of our Lord, .men- tions ; th,e kings shall shut their mouths at him: for
tioned in this article, but rather to bring out that, al-                that whJch had not been told them shall they see ; and
though they are closely related, they are, nevertheless that w.hich .they had not heard shall they consider."
to be. distinguished from each `other. The ascension of Isa. 52 :13-15. Daniel "saw in the night visions, and,
Christ into heaven is the way unto~ His exaltation at the behold, one like the Son of man came ,w.ith the clouds ,of
right hand of God ; the latter is Me end, the goal, of heaven, and  `came to the  .Ancient of days,  aad~ they
the former. The  as:cension  `was,  n:o  dou,bt, necessary brought him  n,ear before him. And there  `was  given
unto the sitting at the right. hand. In fact, we may him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
safely say that,, in the exaltation at the right hand- of nations, and Ilanguages should serve him : his dfominion
God, the entire glorificati,on  of the Saviour beginning is an everlasting dominion, whi:ch shall not pass away,
in the resurrect5on,  firids its goal. And yet, the ascen- and his kingdom that which shall not be ,dtestroyed."
sion and the sitting at the right hand, though so closely Dan. .7 : 13, 14. It is true that this passage looks even
related, must be distinguished, and d1eserve.a  separate unto the second coming of ,our Lord, .but so th.at His
discussion. It is levident  that the ascension is not the exaltation at the right hand of God is included in the
,sam,e as the, exaltation at the right hanId `of God. It soope `of the vision. Zechariah  is enjoined to'take  silver
is possible to ascend to heaven, ds in the case ,of be-                  and Igold of them which were of the captivity, and to
lievers, without ,being exalted to that hi,ghest position `{make  crowns, `and set-them u,pon the head of Joshua,
of ,power and glory that -is indi:cated by the figure of the son of Josedech, the high priest; And speak unto
sitting at the Right Hand.                                               him, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts,. saying,
    Of this highest exaltation of the Christ, Scripture Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH ; and he
speaks very frequently, and with ,great lemphasis.                       shall [grow u,p out of his place, and he shall [build the
   It was  clearly  predicted in the  ,old  dispensat,ion.               templie of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of
Especially the psalms look forwarsd to this universal the Lord ; and he shall `bear the ,glory, anld shall sit and
king. In the  Seoond  Psal,m we read of the eternal rule upon his throne ; and he shall be a priest u,pon his
decree concerning this exaltation: "the Lord hath said throne : anid the counsel of peace,shall Ibe between -them
unto me, Thou art my Son:: this day have I. begotten both." Z,ech. 6  :12, 13. That God's priest, the Ser-
thee. Ask of me, and-1 shall agive thee the heathen for vant of Jehovah, shall be  `crowned, with  glory.  and
thine inheritance, and the uttezmost  parts of the earth honor, and be (exalted  to the kingdom, is clearly predict-
for thy p.ossession.
           .:i       =.._ Thou shaltbreak,  thlem with a rod ed in this passage.
of iron ; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's                         It. is hardly necessary to demonstrate that this -truth
vessel." v'ss. 7-g. If we ,read the %ighth Psalm in,the                  is  .strongly  emphasized in the New  Testam'ent.  The
                                                                           :_
light of H&rews2;6-,+it  Ibecomes  plain that it speaks Lord Himself, in the hour of His deepest humiliations
of this same  domi!nio,n  an@  po,wer of our Lord:  "For` mentions his comin.g exaltation before the high priest:
thou hast made him a !little lower than the angels, and. `<Hereafter  ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the
hast crowned .him with glory and honor. Thou made&                       ri:ght hand  elf power, and coming in the clouds of
him to have dominion over the works of -thy hands ; heaven," Matt. 26 :64. The disciples saw His power


and coming, and were eyewitnesses ,of His majesty,- Majesty.on high; Being made so much bitter than the
when they w&e with Him in the holy mount. II Pet. angels, as' he hath by inheritance obtained a more-ex-
i :16-18. And of -that glory and majesty they. sp,eak cellent name than they." He;b. 1:2-4.
very emphatically  in.  tlhkir   ~pre~chirig  oif  the-bgospel..       We quoted all these passages,-not so much to demnn-
In that wonderful sermon breached  ,on the day of strate that the confession concerning the sitting of
Penteoost,  the apostle proclaimed : "Therefore .being Christ at the right. hand of God is Scriptural, as to
by the right.hand of ,God sxalt'ed, and having receivled            bring out that the Bible. lays great stress on this truth.
of the Father the promise `Qf the Holy Ghost, he hath                  The sitting at the right haad-is everywhere present-
shed forth this, whi.ch ye now see and hear. Fbr D&id ed as a goal that has -been reached.
is not.,ascended  into tfhe. heavens : ,but he saith himself,          It signifies that the fir& begotten of the dead has
The Lord sai,d unto.my Lord, Sit thou on my rilght hand, assu.med his position as the fir&born  of every creature.
until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all                 Let us try, in the light o;f all that Scripture  teaches
th,& house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made us concerning it,`to' understand a little of the glorious
this .,&me JIESUS, `whom ye have crucified,` both Lord. mystery.
and Christ.".  Acts 2 :33-36.       And again,  ,before  the           What. is meant by the figurative expression: "sit-
high priest an,d the counsel, he -declares : "The God of ting .at ,the right hand of God?"                       `c
our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged                   That. it. is, indee$ a figurative expression, we all
on $+ree. Him hath God exalt& with-his right hand undlerstand  at.  <once, God has no right hand  in the
to 6e a prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to .material sense of the word, even though, in another
Israel, and forgiveness o.f sins.`! Acts 5 :30, 31.                 sense, it may be said that His alone is the right hand,.
    In the epistles; too, the truth of Christ's exaltation anld that our right hand is Ibut an infinitessimally  small
at the right hand of God is repeatedly emphasized. For pic%ure of His. The expression, therefore, is. not  to, be
"it-a&  Christ. *hat died, yea .rather,  that -is risen again, understood in a .local. sense : bh@ne is no particular slpot
who is even at~the right-hand of God, who also maketh in heaven that is- indicated by the phrase : at the'right
intercession for us."'Rom. 8 :34. . "For he must reign. hand :of -God; and Christ ~does not literally sit dolwn in
till he hat.h put all enemies under his feet. The last that place.
`enemy that shall, `be dest.roy&d  is death. For he bath               All the passages that speak of this highly exalted
put all. things un,der his feet. But :wllen he saith all position of Christ show plainly that .by the figure .of
things are put .ender  hiin, it is manifest that he is ex- sitting at the right hand .of God is meant a *position of
cepted,*,which   rdid  put. all things under  hi,m." I Cor. power and might, of, authority and dominion,  crf
15:25-27,   h  Fn that  mariellous.  first chapter of the majesty arid glory; and that, too, of .unliversal and of
epistlle to the Ephesians, the exaltation of Christ is the very highest pgwer an!dr authority and might -and
presented as the revelation of God's great p0)we.r : "And dominion. .It denotes that Christ is Lord over all, that
what is the exceeding greatness of his power to, us-ward rHe  .is exalted over  ali created  thin&s,  in heaven, on
who  ibelieve, according to the working of his mighty earth, and under the earth. It signifies that He. is
power, which :he wrou'ght `in Christ, when-he raised raised  to' the very .pinn&le of all created things. As \
hitifrqm the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the Catechism expresses it briefly but ,succinctly  : "that
heavenly @aces; Far gbove al+ principality, an,d ,power, he milght there appear as the head of his church, by
and might, and dominion, and every name that is whom the Father governs all things." -                                    . ;;-
named, not only in this w~o&l:  Ibut also in that which is             He receiv&l a `name that is above every name. f'
to come." Eph.  1:19-21.         And in Phil. 2:9-11, His             This can only mean that there is, in all  th8 wide
great ,exaltation is described in the following words:              creation, no -creature over which the exalted' Christ
"Whlerefo?e  God h.ath also highly exalted him, and h&h ,does.  not sway His sceptre, which Be does not'hold in
[given him a name which is afiove every name: Th&t in His power, and which He does not rentder subservient
the name of Jesus :every knee. should bow, `of bhings to His will and purpose.. Brute creation as well. as
in&eaven, an,d things in earth, and things under the the rationat creature, sun and moon and stars, rain and
eartih:  And that.  every tongue should `confess  ihat              su&h&e, fruitfu,l and `barren years, forest and field,
Jesus Christ- is -Lord, to the glory of God the Father." hills and vialleys, rivers and floods, the beasts of the
VirtuaNy, -the whole epistle to ihe Hlebrews. is devoted, forest and the cattle `on a thousand hills, &ckness  and
to the exposition of the theme that Gold! "hath in .these health, life and death, war and peace ; but also men atid
last days spoken unto us bjr his Son, Iwhom he hath angels, the wicked and `the good, the polwers of dark-
appointed heir ~of all things, by whom also he made ness- as well as the glorious spirits in heaven,  -  B!l
the world ; Who- being the brightness` of his gl'ory, and things have been subjected under `His feet. He has-
the express .imoge  of  his person,: and  ,upbolding all received brom Godlthe  Father authority to exercise this
things by the word .of- his power, when he had himself dominion over all-the works of the A&ighty,  the tigh$,
purged  our  sins!  sat down  Ft the right  han,d  of  the the prerog&ue to rule, to subject all creatures to His


                                    -THE          sT'ANDARD               B.EARER                                                2 4 9

 will, to use them for His  pmpose,  to  judage and to          `fsi$teth at the right har& of God" cannot denote di$5e
 execute judgment over all ; and also the power,  the power, (for upon the human nature no ditine power and
 wisdom and might, the knowleidige and ability, to rgalize glory can  possi,bly be  bestolwed.  As Son of God He
 this dominion. And no one and nothing escapes this could not receive power; and as' the Son of man He
 power, or can escape the sway `of :His sceptre. A,11 the could n,ot become the p+rticipan.t., of cl&?ine  power.
 powers and principalities in heaven are sulbject unto             In speaking, therefore, of this stage in the exalta-
 Him, and they. willingly and {gladly obey His command, tion ,of Christ, it is necessary that we carefully distin-
 a?d Iwait upon His word ; but also all the poiwers  o,f guish, first, ,between  Christ accor'ding to `His divine and
 darkness, in spite of themselves, are subject unto Him, according to His human nature; and, seeondJ,y,  betiween                             .
 an,d can .but execute His-will. Even Sata.n and all the the.power  which He possesses in Himself as the eternal
 <demons of his domain `tremble at His  w,ord,  aar3 all Son of God, and the power that was bestowed upon whim
 their intended  a& attempted opposition against. him is when He Tyas exalt& at the right hand of God.
vain. Christ is Lord, the  `only Lord  o!f heaven  a;nd            And yet,  !we dare not so draw these  1i:nes of dis-
 earth !.                                                       tin&ion that we separate the .human  from tile divine
     As He Himself declared tb His apostles: "All power nature, or even the power which He exercises as the
 is giiren unto me in heaven and ?a, earth." Matt. 28 :18.      exalted. Christ from His divine omnipotence and I;-ord-
     However, even so, no matter how  gEeat and glori- ship. For it must be maintained that ,only the Son of
 ous and universal `we. may, in the light of Scripture, God in human haiure coiild-&e exalt-ed to that gldrious
 concei,ve this authority and might of the Lord Christ position that is figuratively expressed in the words
 to be, it is necessary carefully to distinguish` it from "sitteth at the right hand of God."                 -"
 the i&vine powe,r and rule of the triune God, and Dhere-          ,The Apostolic Col%fession  began its declarations con-
 fore, also from the power which Christ, as the Son of oerning Christ with the wo@&: "And in Jesus Christ,                               e
 God, in an:d according to His divine nature, possesses the only  be,cJlotten Son  of  God.`.' These  &o&s consti-
and exercises in ;Hi,mself,  and from all eternity.             tute the basis 5or all the rest of what the orthodox
     For, cllearly,  the authority` and polwer. denoted iy Church confesses. concerning Jesus Christ. Remove
 the sitting at the right hand of God is not `original but that basis, deny it, and you have nothing left. (of the
 derivative, it is n'ot eternal but was best'owed  on Christ faith `of t,he Church. Thean you cannot continue your
 after His resurrectio,n,;  a'nd, therefore, holwever glori- confession, and say: "our Lord." Then all His suffer-
 ous and great it may lbe, it is not divine ,but belongs ing has no more significance than any human lpassion.
 in .the creaturely stphere.                                    Th,en His death on the lcross does aot .have the power
     It signifies an offi~cial  position to whi!ch Christ is ,of atonement,  an'd His resurrection is a myth. And
 appointed  &d exalted.                                         then it will also be. impossible to ,culmin&e  it all with
     The truth of this is evident from the expression it- %he confession that He now sits at the `right hand of
 self: sitteth at the right hand ,o$ God. For, surely, by G o d .                                        ,
 the figurative denotation of Christ's ;g%ory cannot be            `Hence, in regard to the exaltation of our Lord tu
 meant that the Son, in His divine nature, sitteth at the the right hand of the Majesty in the heave&, `we must
 right hand of the Father, the first Person ,o,f the HoljT cartif~illy  Iexclude every ~possi~bility of misunderstantc16n4g
 Trinity; it can only mean that Christ sits at .the right -and error, by sayi.ng that it is' the' only begotten Son
 hand of the triune God. As Son, in His divine nature, He       of God in human n:ature  that was so exalted. Christ is
 does not sit at the right hand of God, but He is very very God and real man in unity-of divine Person. The.
 God Himself. If we  conceivie  oY  Him as  .the Son in .human  nature can never be separated from the Person
 relati'on to <he Fa$her, through Whom all bhinlgs werie ,of the Son, neither can the two' natures be separated                     _
 made, and:by Whom they are &ill sustained aed govern- from each other. They have their union in the Person.
 &l,, we may' ,evel2'say that He is the right had of the Hence, it is the Person of the Son bf Gdd -iri tiurnan
 Father. B,ut it can never be said of Him that He sits nature that tabernacled among u's, that spoke to us face
 at.the-right  hand of the M&jesty  in %eaven in ;His .divine to face, that suffered and died on the cross, that was
 nature.                                                        buried and, raised from the dead. And it is the same
    `Besides; the sitting at the right hand of God de- Person of the Son of God Who, in the human naturie,
 notes a power. that is given to Christ. "AU power is ascended into heaven, :&d `Who,  igain in the'hun&
 g&en unto me in heaven and in `earth," l&e declares. natnre, was exalted to ,His glorious position at the
 God hath .highfy exalted Him, and given Him a name rig-ht han.d of God.                   `.                 :,-         r3 .
 which is above every name. . But from this it follows,            Not the divine nature, but the human nature was
 first, that this power cannot refer to any attribute of &.n%ed atid endowed with power.
 His divine nature, $or in that nature the Son of God is           Y&t, in that -human nature,. it was the Person of
 ahnighty,  anld  in Himself possesses all power and
                      .                                         the Son of God that was so' highly exalted..
 authority fdr lever; and, seconld:ly,  that the expressiton                                                        H .   H .


. 250                                  TH.E  S T A N D A R D   BEAR.ER

                                                              Seeing now that it was the age of deudalism  and that
          THROUGH  THE  AGmES
                               .  _                           also the church, as to its domains, was feudalized, in a
                                                              .wo'rd, seeing that the bishops were also temporal rulers,
                                                              and in this capacity, sought and enjoyed the protection
                    Xanossa                                   of the <crown, the domains of the church did not belong
                                                              under the jurisdihction of the crown, aad thte monarch
                                                              was entitled to a voice in the`election  of ,bishops.. Close-
     As' was observed, throughout the Roman Cat,holic         ly connected with this` issue was still another; namely,
 -  khurch,  the king and the temporal princes  ,or lay whether the' jurisdiction of the church extended over
  rulers  idominated the clergy Iby their appointing the the civil magistrates,  in  their  capa&  of  .?.a~ rulers,
 bishops and the abbots and investing them with their whether, in a world, the pope might lay claim .to the
  offi,ce. This practice, it  `was noticed -- a practice rilght of deposing them. These ,were  the issues. But
  known as "Lay Investure" - was att&ded by a,great they were `obscured by the abuse of simony. They
  evil. In the appointment ,of bishops, the-king would were o.bscured, further, by the wort,hlessness  of Henry
  .be led $y political `or social considerations. ,Or;as was IV, as man and as king. And as a result of h& tyran-
  observed, to replenish his depleted purse, he would sell nies as king most every noble in Germany .had turned
  the zoffice to the highest ,bidder. It meant that ."lay against him. As to Hildebrand,  it.appeared to him
  investure" went hand-in hand with the sin of simony, a -thing absolutely settled, that the pope had jurisdi:c-
  which, as we saw, is the abuse of buying or selling tion over the .king; in the latter's capacity ,of temporal
  t.he sacred ,office with a pri,ce. It was also explained ruler. `He asked whether Christ, when He committed.
  that  Hilfdebrand (Gregory VII)  *both as a maker. of to Peter the feeding ,of His f&k, the power to bind
  popes and in his own name, tried hard to remove this and to loose, made any -exception in favor of princes.
  evil by forbidding the king and all lay rulers to have His  :error was that he identified church and state,
  anything to do with the appointment of bishops. As excommunication out  `of the Christian Church `and
  was explained, the pope's prohibition did not strike at deposition from civil office; the person of the king in
  the root ,of the abuse, -which was that, --through the his capacity of member of the Church,. and the person
  centuries the Roman hierarchy, Iby means that wer,e .of the king in his `capacity of lay ruler. ;H3debrand's
  foul, had become' amazinlgly rich, and that, in conse- err.ors  were explained to him by those of  :bette'r in-
  quence thereof, the office-`of tbishop was being coveted sight. They tol,d ,him that the power of princes is one
  lby unprincipled men. In Germany as was observed, founded in a divine order, and subsists independently by
  there arose a powerful opposition to the IHildieibrandian itself. They  ,pointed  `out to him, further, that the
  polity, which finally led to the confli'ct between Hary apostles had shotwn obedience even to pagan magis-
  IV and Hildebrand. It is that conflict to which we trates and that the ancient bishops and popes had
  now have regard.,                                           never entertained a thought of deposing even idolatrous
     -As was said, Hildebrand forbade all lay rulers to and heretilcal princes.
  have anything to, ,do with the- appointment of bishops          But Hildebrand would not allow himself to be in-
  and with investing them with their office in token. that structed. Yeet,, on the other handI, as we shall see, when
  they received their temporal power .and their lands as convlenilence dictated he knew very well how to `distin-
  grants from  them: The  `decree further  dgelclared  that guish between excommunication and deposition from
  the extensive lan,ds, whi'ch, .up to this time, the Roman civil. office. `It is most difficult to make out Hildebrand.
  hierarchy had held as fiefs ,of the emperor, through Doubtless7t  is not true that he was a tconsummate hypo-
 the monarch's right of election, are the absolute and crite, posing as a lover of righteousness and as a cham-
  exclusive pr,operties  of the church .and therefore should pion ,of true refo'rm, though he knew, as well as it can
  be ifree from the ,overlordship  of the iay rulers. Hence, be known, that  -all the  `while he was proceeding on
  it declared, did this ,decree,  that the clergy alone were wrong principles of thought.  _. But  consid,ering his
  invested with the po,wer of electing the bishops, who ridiculous claims, mindful of his purposes and the un-
  were confirmed by the pope; the temporal sovereign savory methods which he employed for the attainment
  being without a voice in the-matter. It is clear from of his purposes, it seems just as unlikely that, at the
  this decree that Iwhat Hild~ebraed  strove after is not heart of his i&positions,  thlere  coulld dwell the firm
  mherely the removal of the abuse of simony  $ut the conviction that the .principles  of thought .from  w.hich
  complet,e  independence &of the hierachy's vast temporal he acted, were according to t,ruth and`that sulbjectively
  domains as well. Were- the bishops, in their capacity he was not ,driven by a lust of power but truly sought
  of temporal ,rulers,  the vassals of the king or' of-the God's glory. Fact is, that Hildebrand all the whil,e dis-
  pope?. Did they belong also under the jurisdi'ction  ,of tinguished ibetween excommunication and deposition
  the emperor?? This and not the abuse of simony formed from ,civil office. Having twi,ce  excommunicated Henry:
  one of the fundamental issues in the war over investure. he twice freed all the king's subjects from ,their oath


                                        T    H     E      STANDARD  B E A R E R                                           251

  of allegiance to him. The latter `was deposition' from                Rather,would  I have been a pilgrim my whole
  civil offi,ce. According to Hildebrand, the two must go               life long than have snatcheld  to myself thy `chair
  ,hand in  harm, and the pope, and he only, is vested                  ,on. account of temporal. glory and in a wo<lclly
  with power to do ,both. That was his error. The office                spirit. . . . By thy intercession God has mtrust-
  of pope is not a divine institution, !but it is the siilful           ed me with the power to bind and to loose on earth
- creation of man.         '                                            and in heaven.
     At first H,enry,  to return to him, submitted to Hilde:               "Therefore, relying on this trust, for the honor
  lb&and  in the matter ,of appointment ,of bishops ; for the          and security of the Church, in the name of the
  position of the young king was insecure on account                   Almighty Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I do pro-
  of his misrule. The Saxon nobles, whom especially                    -hi.bit Henry, king, son of Henry the .emperor, from
  had provoked, !w,ere  in rebellion. But with the rebel-               ruling the. kingdom of the Teutons and of Italy,
  lion subdued, he allo,wed  hi,mself to be influenced :by              because with unheard of pride he has lifted him-
  the advice `of thie anti-Hildebra,ndian party to defy the             self. up against the church ; and I release all Chris-
 pope and free himself from his yoke. Thus he paid                      .tians from the oath of allegiance to him which
  his soldiers from the proceeds of the'extensive lands                 they have taken, or s_hall take, and I forbid that
  of, the- hierarchy, which were supposed to be tax-free                 any shall serve him as king. *For it' is fitting that
  and went to .filling vacant bishoprics-in Italy and Ger-              he (who will touch the dignity of the church should
  many. Hildebrand, hearing of it, Iwrote  to Henry an                  lose his own. And inasmuch as he has despised
  admonitory letter in which he exhorted the king to                    obedien,ce by associating with the excommunicated,.
  ~o~bedience as it became a Christian prince. Henry was                by many deeds of iniquity, and by spurning the
  violently. indignant. He now took' a bold step.  .He!                 warnings which I- have-given him for his good,
  would rid himself of the pope Iby having him deposed.                  I zbind him to the bands ,of anathema ; that all
  Accordingly, with his anti-Hildebrandian bishops and                 . nations of the earth may know that thou art
  abbots he heId a synod at Worms for that purpose.                     .Peter, and, that upon thy rock the Son o,f the liv-
  `But it was not a small matter to' depose a pope like                 ing God hath built His Church, and the gates of
  Hi#debran,d.  Account had to  ,b.e taken  `of religious               hell shall not prevail against it."
sentiment  ,of the multitudes.        These dignitaries as-
  sembled in Worms knew that, in the eyles of the great               Hen#ry replied by a letter bespeaking a fierce rage:
  majority of men, the po,pe, ,due t,o his position -he was                "Henry, king not  Iby usurpation, but by, God's
  held to e the vicar of Christ in church and state - had              - holy ordanance, to Hildebran,d,  not pope but false
   acted within his rights and that his  dealintgs with                  monk; How ,darest  thou, who won by thy power
I$enry, the simoniac king, were just. So the synod                    '  t,hrough craft, flattery and bribery, and force,
  deposed Hildebrand; .without a hearing, on the ground                  stretch forth thy hand against the Lord's anoint-
  of the fabricated charges. of treason, Iwitchcraft,  cove-            ed, despising the precepts of the true  polpe,  St.
  nant with the devil and sexual impurity - charges pre-                Peter: `Fear God, honor the king?' Thou, who
  ferred by the turncoat Hugo  Blancus (Hugh the                      .  ,dost not fear God, dishonorest  me whom he has
  White). And as if this was not enough, it was assert-                  appointed.. Condemned by the voilce `of our bis-
  ed that he ruled the `church by a synod ,of;women:. The                hops, quit the apostolic chair, and let another take
  feeling toward Hildebrand. on the part of a large section              it, who lwill preach the sound doctrine ,of Peter,
  of the German clergy and the king was that bitter.                   and not do violence under the clock-of religion. I,
   The latter hated him on account of his war. against                   Henry, by the grace of God, king, with all my
  lay investure, and the former ,on account of his relent-               $ishops  say unto thee, Come down, come down."
  less war against a priestly marriage.                               According to another variation of Henry's letter,
   '  Hildebranid now took action. He excommunicated he exhorted IHildebrand to come down and be damned
  EIenry, deposed him as king, and freed all his subjcts throughout all eternity.
  from allegiance to him. `The ban; which he published.
  in a letter t.o all Christians is as follows:                        The wrath of Henry can Ibe .explained. Hildebrand's
                                                          -l&qim    claim to jurisdiction over the temporal rulers of the
          "Blessed Peter, prince of all the ,apostles,  m- earth, to the right to enthrone or <dethrone them as
       Icline thine ear unto;me, and hear me, thy servant, convenience.. dictated,  and to bestow  t,heir Bingdoms
       whom from childhood thou didst nurse an.d pro- on-whom soever he .chose, - this claim-had nothing
       tect against .the wicked of this ,day. Thou ,and ,my better to support it than Hildebrand's  om theories.
       My, the mother of God, and thy brother St. Paul, Yet; he not only excommunicated  H,enry  .out of the.
       are my witnesses that the holy Roman church, has Christian church, but he very actually deposed him in
      drawn me to the helm against my will, .and that his office of king. He idid so by freeing al1 th king's
       I have not risen  `up like a  roblber to my  aeat:           pubjects from their  ,oath of  allegience to him. The


   252                                 ITHE  S T A N D - A R D   B E A R E R

  fiery .l$+er of. Henry, however censlsnra,b+e in the point there all accusations against the king should be pre-
  `of view of Christian ,etliics, `was a protest against the sented, and then, after the pope had heard `what both
  the&y of Hildebrand,  aocording  to which God had p&es had to say, the decision `should lbe lleft to him
  placed in &he hands ,of the pope the two swords.- the as to whether IHlenry should ,be permanently ,deposed.
  spirit,ual to be born dire.ctly by the hierarchy and the And, of co;Lzrse,  they were not doubtful as to the OLL~-
  temporal to be wielded by l3~e hierarchy, definitely the acme of the trial. Henry would lose his crown, they
  pope; through the *agency  of,~ the state. And why `did would see to that. It was also agreed, that if he sb-
  $@debrand idlepose  Henry? The king had Igone to ap- tafned not the pope's absolution within a year, he would
  pointing the bishops in his realm. As was said, the +hereby forfeit his thrown. And thky felt certain
  wrong,or right of this doing formed one of the issues that the king would not succeed in this. Ln, order to
  in the war overinvesture, the other issue ibeing wlhether make-it impossi,bl(e for Henry to free himself from the
  the pop& might depose la-y rulers. But the. profligatie excomn+unicatioa,  he was commanded to take up his
  Henry had no,moral  right to start a war with the: pope residence in Spires to ;be deprivled there of any mode
  on these issues. Through l& misdeeds .+e lad lost that of communion with the pope.             Henry agreed to all
  right. He should .first repent of his own sins, also ,of these conditions proposed to him. The king was in a
  the sin of  appointing  unworthy bishops, a doing  <by desperate situation. If he were-not freed from the ban
 which he had given  offence.                                 by the pope .by the time of the ~neeti~g of th next diet,
     !Henry, the excommunica-ted  and dep&ed  king and, he woul:d not be allowe'd to leave his prison to appear ,on
  the.:deposer  <of the great HWebrand was unafraid, for that assembly in defence  of .himself, or, if allowed to
  he felt certain that the religious sentiment of the age appear there, ,it would ;bae as one exiconmiunicated,  thus
  would sustain hi.m and not the po,pe. But he sopin,  found on an unequal footirig with his accusers. In his desper-
  that he was mistaken. The parQ favoring Hi1debran.d         ation, the king finally ,decided to escape to Italy and,
  instantly ,dr.ew away f?om. the Kng, as could be expect- by tears, self- abasement, and confession, wring from
  ed. But tlye number of those who went over to that the pope fin absolution. But there was `no tin!te to lose,
  party was constantly increasi:ng, .and Henry became as thle &et was but's few weeks away. Shortly `before
  afraid. It shows that the pope's ban had produced a         Christmas, in the dIead of the Iwinter,  Henry secretly
  prcofound effect in Germany. Men in that age were set ,out on a journey across the Alps to implore the
  filled with d-read for the thunderings of  ,the pope, pope at any price to raise the.interdict. His only com-
  though they might otherwise hate him. Especially did panions w&e his ever faithful,wife .and her infant son,
  they stand in awie of the wrath ,of a pope like Hilde-      atid a  so,litary.  knight. The journey  .across the Alps, 1
  .brand - a man zelalous fdr the Lord, it was believed,      which was made by mother anld child in rough sledges
  and % man at whose heart the true interests ,of the of oxhide drawn by horses, was perilous on account
  `church lay very close. Besides, as was said, the young of the icy slopes, `but no human lives were lost. The
  Henry - he was St511  young at the time - was a bad Anti-Hildebrandian *party ia_ Lombardy welcomed the
  ,king. He was deeply c&epravled.  He treated the Saxons king with joy. But he hastened.on  to meet Hil,debrand,
  wit&  .utmost  scorn,  an,d oppressed the country with who alone could absolve him. The pope, already on his
  ten$orc$  labor and taxes. Though mari-ied  to a young, journey to Augsburg, was' stopping in the strong casi!le
  .$eautiful,  virtuous,  anld  amiable woman, Bertha, the of  Canossa, belonging to  (his  fait.hful supporter, the
~ daughter of the margrave Odo of Turk, he filled his         &tin&s. Matilda of Tuscany. At  l?he foot of the
  palace with mistresses, and sought to divorce his [wife.    &stle-steep  Henry talked with Matilda and Hugo, abbot
  It is td the great .credit.  of `HiJdebrand that he refused of cluny, his goldfather,  and expressed his -willingness
  to give his consent, and the  kin,g,  f'rustrated in his to yield to th,e pope in the matter of lay investure,-  if
  wicked intention, bestowed his love upon his worthy only he was  release,d  from excommunication.                But
  wife. Finally, Germany tias divided into tribal @,ates,     Hildebrand consented to lift the sentence only >on con-
  r&d by dukes or snobles, many of whom were hostile' dition that Henry give him his crown and renounce his
  to Henry partly on accohnt  of his Yl-trea;tment of them hhnro'wn never  a,gain to lay claim to it. The king re-
  anld partly because, being jealous of their own rilghts,    plied by. an act of severest self-abasement to which the
  tthey wanted no .king to rule ,over the@ `and therefofe     pope must -respond :by absolving him. The cold tias
  they thought te hse ,Henry's predicatient.  permanently severe and snow covered the ground. Yet on three suc-
  to rid thems`elves of him. Henry was deserted by his ,cessive  days /Henry stoo,d in %he court, with head and
  subjects almost to a  man.  They avoided him  as one f&et ba.re, clad in a course woollen shirt, and kriocked
  effected ,by a plague. All his enemies sound an excuse for entrance.. The pope refused to open to him, despite-
  for their treason in the pope's ban. So, on SOctober  16, the earnest pleading  off Matilda and  Hugo.  He was
  10'76, the  Swabian and Saxon princes  assembl,ed  in well aware that Heary.  merely went throulgh the motions
  %`ibur and agreed that a-diet should be held at Augs-       of penance f,or the sake of the icrown ; and the .pope
  burg, Feb. 2, 107'7, under the presildency  of the pope; wanted that crown for himself. And he felt  certain


                                        T H E   STAN~6iR.D  BE'ARER                                                        253

  that on the approaching diet the German hobltes  would ,They were deadly  sincere, those  t!w!o.. The one  was
_ provide him with enough $evidence of Henry's incapaci- trying to out-maneuver the other for a ,crolwn of gold
  ty fsor rule to all,ow him to make his deposition peyman-      such as the kiv.gs od the ,earth  wear. As the after-history
  ent withput offeilding th,e multitude. Sut with Henry of those transactions at CxnosBa  plainly indicate, nei--
  absolved the case against him would have to jbe :&s-           ther the pope had truly f,orgiven Henry, nor had Henry
  missed and then there-would ,be no real need. .of that actually submitted to the pope.
  ,diet. But what  Iwould men say should  t.he spiritual                                                      G .   M .   0 .
  prince of the church, the successor of Peter, bhe vicar
  of Christ, refuse ,to absolve a penitent suppliant, such
  as Henry appeared to be. So there. was nothing that
  the pope could do but to absolve hi.m. But before he
: admithed Henry, he was ttiareful  to- exact from the king,
  as a condition of .absolution,  a promise to sLibmit to his          THE  DAYOF  S
  decision on the meeting of $he looming ,diet, to grant
  him a safe journey to the north, and in the meantime
  to refrain from exercising the duties of his office. The                  .  SamueB's  Descend                    - Y
  pr.omise was put into writ.ing  `and signed by .Henry.
And two bishops  &nd several nobles  vouchsafied  by an             The book of Samuel ,cannot well ,be understood with-
 -oath that the promise would be kept. Thus th6 .pop,e           out a .knowl&ge  of its conpection  with the,book  of the
  would lift the sentence <of exconmmnlicatioa  but would Judges. The book of Samuel continues the narrative
  not restore to H_enry  his crown. Wshetber   eventpally ,0-f the $ook of Judges. This can be made plain. Jutiges
  he would restore to Henry his crolwn, waited to be seen. 13 :2 is a notice to the effect that "the children of Israel
  He would make known his ,decision dn tihe coming diet. did `evil again in the sight of the Lord ; and the Ldrd
     After these preparatory actidns, [Henry `was led into delivered them into the hand ,of the Philistines `forty
 the  presence  of  Hildebrand.   Prostratin,g  himself  at years." This notice is follo,wed  by the narrative o,f t&e
  the pope's feet, -he wept al,oud and besought' the pope's $irth and Iexploits  of Samson of whom we read at chap-.
  paridouz in these words, "Spare me, holy`father, spaEe         15 :l t&t he judged Israel. forty years in the ,days of
  me !" The company, was deeply moved. HavinTg heard the Philistines. as Israel's thirteeth judge. Doubiletisj
  Henry's  con,fession,  the pope, t)oo, went thro,;gh certain be entered upqn his carreer as Israel's deliverer at the
  m&ions.    He alosolved and blessed Henry and there- com.qe:ncement  of the forty years' oppression of the
  upon celebrated the sacrifice of the ma,ss in confirma- Philistines. In the book ,of' Samuel, Eli appears in&h&
  tion of the  neconcilliati.on.  The usual remark of  his- double capa,city of Highpriest and jud'ge anid he coti-
  `tori,ans  to the effect that this `Yevent  marks the deepest tinued in this office forty years, dying at the age of
  humiliation of the mediaevil empine before the power h%nety-;eight. Israel's fifteenth  j,udge was Samuel  df
 `of the political ,papal church of &ome" is true. But it whom it is stated that he judged Israel all the days .of
  is not actually true.  Henry did not  humble himself his life. -He received his-first revelation  `6&.  stilt
  beforethe pope. He merely went through the motions a lad .and was .fuily prepared to aucoeed Eli, when the
  ,of self-abasement. But the men of that alge did not: latter died. It is fair  to suppose that he was thirty
seem to realize that what they had witnessed there in years  ,of age  `tit the time.  Efi  [died from the shock
 .Canossa   !was a superb. dramatic performance. The caused by the evil tidings of the capture of the Ark by
  ,multitude, so it appears ..from  contemporary writers, the Philistines. Approximately 20 years thereafter,
  looked upoq Henry's act as ,a? unheard of and wonder- and in answer to Samuiel's  ,prayer, the Philistities  were
  ful humility, and up`on the con,duct.  of the pope as "ty- discotifited by a  grieat  thunder of the  Lo,rd  an! per-
  ralmical cruelty. rather than apostoli,c severity". The manently subdued. "They came no more'in the coast
  pope had overshot his mark.  The sympathy  `of the <of Israel: and the ahand ,of the Lord was again'st, the
  multitude now was with Henry and not with the. pope. Phijisiines  all the days o.f Samuel," I Sam. `7 :15. Doubt-
  By his act of self-abasement, the king had-t,&~mpbed less, the f.orty years' Philistine ,oppression,  first men-
  over all his. foes, including the host.ile  German nobles tioned at  Jud>ges. 13  :2 was  ter,minated  by this  over-
  and the pope. For H&try had been absolved. . His slate w.helming  victory, which, it may be  assumed,,  was
  was clean. In tee eyes of the multitude, his case ought Igained twenty-years -after the captur,e  of the Ark, and
  to be dismissed and his crown restored to Bim. There in the fiftieth year of Samuel's lifetime. F r o m   6hese
  now was no need ,of a diet.      _                             computations it would `follolw that the entire judgeship
    A  final remark.      It  linust not  i be  suppoS&  that of Samson  `Was  ccmtempo&ary with the last twenty
  itienry,  in goin$g through,the  motions of humbling him- years ,of Eli's administration and that Samuel was ten
  $elf before the po.pe, and that the pope, in going through years old @hen `Samson began hi,s exploits, and finally
  the motions of absolving Henry,  were not  si&ere.             that the first twenky years of Eli's judgship extended


254`                 -                T H E   STANDAgD  B E A R E R                                 7
backward into the period of jephthah. And the govern- is charged ljT/ the Lord with honoring "thy sons above
ment of Samuel  from the victory ovler the Philistines        me, to rnt$ke  yoursel!f fat,.with  the chiefest of all the
at Ebendezer  was included in, the :forty  years reign of offerings .,of Israel, my p.eople" @hap 2 :29) .
Baul."                                                               When Eli was highpriest, it pleased God to raise u$?
   The setting of the qarrative of the book of Samuel         t&o' &deliverers  for Israel, Samsqn and Samuel. Both
is the tribe-territories of Ephraim; Judah,' Dan, and were Nazarites from the'wo,mb.  But it is to Samuel
Simeon. This region had  not  Ibeen  asfected :by the that  Iwe now, must have regard. At I .Sam. 1 :l, his
wars ih which the northern tribes an@. those east of the father is called an Ephrathite aald the place tihere  he
Jordan, were  engaged with the he&hen, under Barak, dwelt was  Ramathaim-zoph$im.  The text  r,eads,  "Nol~
Gideon, and Jephthah. ..In the& southern tribes the there was a  icertain man of  l&math&m-zophim,  of
chaos that characterized the age of the judges was, in mou.nt  Ephraim,  and his name wa8 Elkanah, the son..
all likelihood,, less pronounced. Here the high priest of JerohaF, the son of Elihu, the soi of Tohu, the son
at Shiloh `was respected, >vhich must iedicate  that in of Zuph, an  .Ephrathite. A comparison of the  gene-
this region there was .more  regaad $or law and less jology 4ere with those in ,Chronicles  would seem to de-
idolatry. The ,offiice of h&h-priest was held by Eli,-a n,ote that the descent  of Ealkanah and Sam_uel was Leviti-
descendant ,of- Ithamar, Aaron's younger son. Himself c a l . "The sons of Kohath?Levi's  son-Arminadab  his
a,%od-fearing  man, he was guilty.`:of not restraining son, Korah his son, Assir his son., Elkanah his son,
with appropriate vigo,r his two soils in their vices. The Abiasaph- his son, and Assir his son, Tahath his on,
narrat,or  calls them "sons of Belial,  who kriew not God." Shaul his son, and the sons .bf Elkanah ; Amasai and
First is portrayed the selfish conduct of the priests in Ahibmoth. As for Elkanah ; Zophai his sort, and Nath-
respect to the sacrificial meal after the off;ering was ath his son. Eliab :his sonj Jerobam:his son, Elkanlah
present&% The law specified .(Lev. 7 :31-35) the por- his son. And the sons of Samuel; the first born Vashni
tion  ,of the sacrifice whi,ch the sons of  Aaron shduld and Abiah." `(I Chron. 6 :22-28). The text is ,difficult
receive; na?ely, the breast and the right shoulder. But here. A fnll :discussion.  of these difficulties would per-
wlhile the meat `was in the pan, Eli's sons took whatever haps protie  wearisome. But this stands out as `certain;
flesh their hook could. spear. The law required also namely, that th,e .geeeal.ogical list descends from the
that the fat and .other  choice portions should b% Iburned    second son of Levi, Kohath, to Samuel and his sons.
oin: the'altai as a sweet savor unto the Loud, Lev. 3 :3-5. It would be hard to explain the appearance <of these
But these sons appropriated, by $orce  if necessary, the names in this list, if it `were otherwise. But there is
flesh which they wanted in its raw state, as still at- this questioil whether the Samuel> ,whose na,me appe&rs
tached to its fat, in order to roast it.  Tgheir offense ian the tibove list, is the Sam'uel  of the book of Samuel.
was great because they made. th'e people abhore the There can Ibe no doubt that they are one' and the same
divinely instituted worship, .t-he sjrmbols and types of person. ige is the son of Elka.nalh in the book of Samuel
t.he realities of Christ's kingdoni, thus abhore the very and in the Chronicles. Also his sons are called by the
word pf God. Besides, these sons had illicit intercourse same names, Joel and Abiah.
tith Gomen at the sanctuary; who, it may be, came to                 That -Samuel was a descendant of Levi, ,ddes not
the door of the Itent to' cleanse the vessels used in the militate a,gainst .the nlotice (I Sam. 1: 1) that .his an-
sacrifise. AnId all that Eli had to `oppose to their Iwicked- cestor. Zuph tyas an Ephrathite. An ,Ephrathite was.
ness.is a feeble rebuke, `Why Ido ye such t,hings? For a man from  Emphrate, and  E&rate  was the name
I hear of your .evil dealings with all this people. Nay, either 03 Bethlehem itself or of a district in which Beth-
my sons, f,or it -is not a good report that I,hear : ye make lehem was situated,. A mari of this place was called
thle Lord's people to transgress. If a man sin against an- Ephrathite. But according to some, it is doubtful
,another, the judge shall jud,ge him ; but if a man sin whether~ the reading "Zuph an Ephrathite" iS .coruTect,
against the Lord,  who shall entreat for him?" The as it canngt be proved that Ramah, acoording  to I Sam.
point  to Eli's rebuke is, that the sons sin directly 1 :l, the :birthplace  of Samuel, was near Bethlehem; it
against the Lord, and that theref'ore there' can be no m&y have been in the mountains of Ephraim, and there-
intercessor, as there is when a. man sins aganist his fore in. the triibe-territdry ,of Ephraim. If so, the ex-
fiellow man. These words are w,eak an,d mild #consider- pression "Zuph an Ephrat,hite" should be made to read,
ing the atrociousness of the sins that were being [corn-      "Zuph an Ephraimite". But though this were the right
mitted. But the mildness of t,he rebuke.must  be attri- reading, the name  f'Ephraimite" here cannot be  ad-
buted not al,one  to the choice of the words but &so to #deeed against the Levitical descent -of Samuel, as is
thq ,manner,  ac.cordin.g  to which .they were utteied,. Eli's dorie by some interpreters. For there are cases where
anger -should have kindled. His wrath  should have a Levite is. described as belogging to another tribe.
,burned.    The sins, of his sons were capital crimes ?n The Levites generally were counted as citizens of the
Israel. Yet, he constrained them  .not but continued tribes, in which their resSd&tie was ; it would not be
them in offioe because they `were his sons ; and thus he strange therefore that Elkanah is here designaated as
                                                                `


                                   T'HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               255  L

an Ephrai&te aocording  to his descent,  while he lived word, for her own salvatioul and bhe  salvlation of her
in, Benjamin, whither his :forefathers  had imigrated.        people, to be worked through her fir&born son: To
It is also to be observed that the mountains of Ephraim teach her to.pry, the Lord lmadse  b.er `wretche'd by clos-
stretch into the tribe of Benjamin and unite with the ing her womb.
moumkains of Judah. Samuel must have <been a Levite.                                                    G:  M. 0.
The Genealogical lists im the book of Samuel and in the
book of the Chronicles aae too plain to allow any other \                                                ,
                                                                                 .
view.    How could Samuel have'.fun&oined as priest
were he not a Levite?  Bow could his' mother have
devoted him to the service of the tabernacle `were he                 SION'S  ZANGEN
not a Levite? How could such a resolve havie foEmed
i.n her soul?
   Ellkanah,  Samuel's father, was a  polygatiist. He
lba~ld two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.         Polygamy,                 De .Verbonds Psalm
bein,g contrary to divine ordinance, is unnatural, sinful,
and therefore its wages are not marital and family bliss                     (Psalm 89 ; Derde Deel)
but nameless misery. For a man, as fatherf  has room             We zijn toegekomen aan bet derde deel van' den
in his heart for all his children, .but he is &I constituted vepbondspsalm. In-dit deel beluisteren wle een ebeschrij-
that as husband he ,can love but ,one wife. The pre- ing vaii de zaligheid van Gods volk, en! centraal van
ferred wife of Elkanah was Hannah. And- he -was Jezus Chris&, het Khd Gods bij uiitnemendheid.
foolish (enough to make an `open slhow of his preference.        Welgelukzalig is het v&k hetwelk  het geklank kent :
When at Shiloh they ate their free-will offierings ac- 0 `Heere! zij zullen in het licht Uws aanschijns wan-
cording to law, EjlBanah !g.avle t,o P,eninnah and her &ns delen.
an,d daughters Qrotions,  such as `were due to t:hem but         Wat hooge opzet ien inzet !
to Hannah  he gave' a double portion  ; for he loved             Dit lheerlijke  vers :dpet ens direkt denken aan een
Hannah,  &ap.  1:4, 5. The  potice  implies, certainly, eeuwige inzetting i.n Israel. Het geklank is het galuid
that he felt little or no marital affection for Peniinmlah. der  zilveren  trompehten  die  geblazen  moesten  word&
Of the two, shte wa.s the unloved wife. But the Lord ~,p gezette tijden. Het moest weer.kl.inken  bij de samen-
compensatird  her for the want ,of E,lkam-&`s  affectio& ; roepinlg der vergaderin,g voor het aangezicht Gods en
he  ,opened  her  wotib so that she bore her husband lbij het optr'ekken  d,er legers. In het .laatste  lgeval was
several children-their number is not indicated-sons er een g.ebroken geluid der trompetten, want dan moest
and daughters. Hannah, on the other hanid was ,un- dat geluid viertolken het ge@oken hart d&s volks van-
fruitful, `for (but) %e- Lor,d had shut up her womb." wege .benauwdheid  idoor de onderdrukking  des vijands.
And she was `sad beyond .words. For; it being the dib- Dgch "in bet verzamelen van de gemeente zult .gij bla-
pensation of shadows, the unfruitfulness ,otf the wotib Zen,  .doch geen gebroken geklank  maken."  Z,oo luidt
was one of the .marks of -divine.displeasure and hence a Gods  :gebod.   A$s de eene  vlolle  .klank  Iwee'rklonk, dan
reproach. Everything depended upon a Iwife's bearing was ey vrede en aangename rust. .Dan: was er vroolijk-
her "nusband  son@, the perpetuation  qf his very name heid in God: Wan& `!desgielijsks ten dage uwer vroolijk-
and place in Israel, God's house. A childless wife there- heid, en uwe gezette hoo!gtijden,  .en in het begin uwer
fone was indeed a calamity ,orf the-first magnitude,  k` maanden, zult gij ,ook met de trompetten blazen. . . ."
barren wife might with r,eason  conclude that the hmd            En als ge nu het diepste in dat geklank wilt `w&en,
of the Lord was agginst her. But Hannah was a God- luistert dan lnaar Gods !eigen beschrijving : ". . . . en
fearing woman. She truly loved Jehovah, as is so eti- zij  nullen -u ter gedachtenis zijn voor het aangezi,cht
dent from her pouring ,out her tr,oubled heart before uws Gods : Ik ben de HEERE uw God !">
&im and from her song of salvation. Yet, though a                Het geklank kermen ! Wat is het anders dan te ge-
truly virtuous woman, sh.e was thus afflicted. But the .denken, dat Go,d ,de HEERE uw God is ! In het geklank
Lord was-not against her ibut for her. She was to bear van de .zilveren &mpetten  hoo,rt ge het, dat Hij- u be-
,Samuel,  in answer to `whose prayers 6hle Lord would iihint tot in  eeuwigheid.   Want  ,de Heere  iegt in  bet
deliver this people from that terrible ,oppression  of the zelfde verbatidj  dat de ,dienFt d&r trompettien  een eeu-
Phil&tines. ISamuel's  power with God was his inter- wige inzetting is in Israel.,
,cessions in behalf of Israel, intercessions that availled       Muzilek Gods! Muziek des  hemels!   Wegsleepende,
much, beitigj a,+ they were thle intercessions .of a right- liefelijke muziek! 0, de  muziek is  Goddelijk.  Arm
eous man. Hannah must earnestly pray for this son, mlensch  .die muziek haat. De'hemel za! ru&chen tot in
who was `to be also her deliverer ; she must cry to the alle  eeuwi,gheid  van de liefde Gods.  Indien  h-ier' op
Lord out of the ,depth for him, whose bitih would spell aarde `ens hart popelt .bij het `hoo,ren van de lieflijke
the pemoval  also of h&r reproach. She must cry, in a klanken van de viool, het oFgel en ,d,e sohoone variatie


                -. 256                                      THE  S T A N D . A R D   B E A R E R "                                          `
                 anderer instrumenten, hoe ial het zijn, wannee.r het                   /Hoe  zalig is het volk. . . .                           _.
                 orkest van  onzen Vader  zal  zingen, jubelen,  muzilek                Zij wandelen Heer in `t lilcht van `t Goddelijk aan-
                 maken om tech de ongekende vroolijkheid des hemels tk schijn vioort!
                 uiten. God mijns levens,  ach, wanneer, zal.ik naderen                 Luisterende  naar de zilvere klanken, ,wa&elen  ze en
                 voor U oogen, om met de iciters Gods te spelen, te spelen? de gedachte, dat God op hen nederziet in Zijn ongekefide
                         Welgelukzalig is het vlolk hetwelk hiet geklank kent.       lief,de, doet n&n harte ,orgelen, Hoe onbeschrij;f;elijk arm
                         Ja, dat is meer dan. net maar de klank van de zil- zijn de godldelooaen !
                 veren tromp&ten hooren m&t bet aardsch gehoor. En                      Zij zullen zich de,n ganschen dag verheugen  in Uw
                 we h&ben die zilveren tromlpetten  niet eens meer. Het naam, en door owe gerechtigheid  verhoogd worden  !
                 beteeken$, dat gij vat hebt aan datgene  de  klank ver-                Ziet ge nu -wel, dat het hier en overal over Jezus
                 tolkt,  namelij,k, de vroolijkhei;d  in God. Het beteekent, gaat? Hoe llanger ik het Wooed  bestudeer, hoe meer ik -
                 dat ge `vat  hebbt  aafi de  vroolijkheid produceerende zie, `dat de Godsopenbaring Jezus is. God Wilde het lief-
                 wetenschap dat God de rBEERE Uw God is!                             lijkbte l&ten zien van! Zijn Wezen--;en  dat is Jezus. Den
                         Want : ze zullen in het licht Uws aanslohijns wade- ganschen dag verheugt zich Golds volk in den Niam.
                 len.                                                                Ik denk hier aan Mi.cha, want hij leer?,  ox~s, dat ,de Naam
                         Wat zit er tech machtig  veel in Gods Woord. Hoe ziet het Wezen.- Wilt ge God dan kennen, bestudeer
                 zullen we ooit klaar komen met dit gedeelte  van dit vers ? den Naam. Ja, die Naa*m! Die Naam is, wonderlijk.
                         Het licht van. Gods aanschijn?                              Mozes vond het uit.  yraagt ge Mij naar Mijn  Naam?
                         Als ik .hier aan `t spreken  was over menschen, d+q Welnnh,   ,die Naam is  Wonderlijk. Het wonderlijkste
                 zon ik zeggen : dat is een gliml%h, een go'edwillige lath           van dien Naam is dit wel, dat Hij nooit vlera~,defld:e in
                 ,op `t gezic,ht aiti een mensch naar zijn vriend blikt.             Zijn  ilef&, genade  Ien  onuitspreke1ijk.e   goedheid. Dat
                         Past dit nu ,eens toe .op God len U. Gods aanschijn maakt H,em de G.etrouwe.              Degene.die  alt.ijd is die Hij
                 is de plaats en de stdnde `wgar `ge Hem ziet. Het is Zijn zijn zal: Jehova. Beeft dan tooh vali iun.ige :eenbied en
                 openbaring voor U. Het is hoe Hij Zich a'an U last zien. ontzag als ge dien Naam uitspreekt. Doch ge moogt U
                 En dat is Jezus. Jezus is het aansohijn, het aangezicht ook verheugen. De eeuwig Getrouwe. Ziet ge die
                 van God. Gods Wezen kunt ge niet zien. Doch dat van troaw ergens- schooner  dan op Gol'go;t;ha? In; het snik-
                 eeuwige  lief,de zingende Wezen heeft  teen aangezicht, ken en klagen van Jezus sbel&stert ge den Naam. Ik
                  openlbaart Zilch  aan ons,  en  dat is Zijn  Zooni Jezus idenkhiejr aan wat ik soms het diepste vers in den Bij.bel
                  Christus. En die Zoon is de plaats en de stonde waar n&m.  Xk  sohrijf het over: "die in de dagen Zijns
                  Gold gezien wordt bij uitnemendheid. Hlet is h& glim- vleesches,  gebeden en smeekingen tot Dengene &die Hem
                 lachen van God. De, glimlach van eeuyvicge goedwillig-              uit den dood verlossen ken, met sterke roeping en tra-
                 heid,  genadg,  ,erbarming,   ontf,ermieg   - dat alles is aen, geofferd hebbende,  `en verhoord  zijnde uit de vseeze
                 Jezus. Ik zeide, bij uitnemendheid, en terecht.-  God last hoewel Hij de Zoon was, nochta& geho.orzaamheid  `ge-
               Zich  ook.zien  in de hel. Doch dan is het zi& van God leerd heeft uit hetgeen Hij heeft geleden."
                 verterend vuur.  Dan  gillen de  boozen tot  ip  eeuwig-              Een.  <veinigje,   geleden heb ik  geze&, dat de Heere
     .           h&d. Hij laat  Zi,ch ook zien in de  soheppinlg en dan bet lieflijkste van Zijn hart wild&e  openbaren, zoodat er
                 kwinkeleeren ,dle yolgels en klappen idIe bpomen de handec een volk mocht wandelen in het licht van Zijn gli.m!ach.
               . van  genot. Maar  als God  Zich  last  zilen in  J#e%us, dan Een glimlach van liefde.'
                 ,wandelt ge in het. licht. Dan zing&ge,  dan maakt ge                   Die glimlaoh van God straalt  U tegen op Golgotha,
          .      muziek,   `dan orgelt het in Uwe ziel  `en hart. 0 God!             in  den hof  ,Gethsemane, in den  danker der eeuwige
                 `wat zijt Gij  goed!  *            .'                               `smarten vBi1 Messias. IHet was Paulus die U aanzeide,
                         Ziet ge nu niet, dat het geklank kennen eigenl,ijk  het-    dtit "D,ie Zijn Eigen Zoon niet spaarde, maar beeft Hem
                 zelfde is als te wande$en in het  licht van Gods aan- voor ons  allen  overgeblevlen.  . .  ."                      - .
                 schijn?  Als God op U  neerziet in Zijn onbelgrijpelijke                Jezus  toont U den Naam, die `Naam zoo .lieflijk,
                  ontferming in  Jezus:  dan hoort ge, dan kent ge het groot en goed. Goedertieren Vader ! Milde Zegenader  !
                 silver geklank der trompettemc            Daar  ver.gadert  God Stel Uw vriende1ij.k Hart eeuwig voor ens' open !                     "
                 Zija vdk .om,het bun aan te zeggen, ldat Hij huri God is                Daar gaat het hiier over.
                 tot in eeuwigheid:                                                      Wi,e kan dien Naam zien en niet'verheugd word.en?
r                  .' IB denk, dat dit de reden is, dat wij die psalm zoo                We  sullen het den ganschen dag  doen.
                 vaak zingen in de kerk.                                                 Den ganschen dag? Kan dat?. Doch mijn lieveling
                          Hoe zal,ig is het volk, dat naar Uw klanken hoort  !       werd v'an mijn zijde gerukt en mijn pehiiw  hoorde het
                          Ik zou U willen vragen: gaat ge gaarne naar Gods snik.kea van een rouwend hart. Hoe zal ik mij dan ,den
                  Huis? Is q~ we1 6&n plaats op deze gevloekte  aarde die ganschen dag in God verheugen. -RoLlwt Gods volk dan
                vergeleken  kan  worden  met dat  uur in  Zijn  waning? aiet als het vleesch bezwijkt ten de offers groot wier-
                  Zeg, ge moe&  zonder .de kerk leven-hoe zou &et :dan den? ,Offers die zij ,brengen in gebroken harten; wan-
                 met u zijn?                                                         neer de liefhebbers  onzer zielen weggaan, achtertiaarts


                                         T     H      E                STAN-DARD.  BEARER                                               257

  wijken, zachtkens verdwijnen of `lplotseling in eenige `heerlijkherd hunne  steikte  is. Ziet ge, gij  zijt sterk,
dagen of weken weggerukt .worden,  zoodat onizie oogen omdat .Jezus- in U een g&t&lte ?deeft ontvangn. Welnu,
  hen niet meer zien? Wie zal zich dan in God verhep-                    die Jezus met al Zijn wog,dere  kracht  oe God t'e kennen
  gen? Kan dat ?                                                         en te -lieverY is uit God. God lgaf Hem, als de plaats-.
      0 ja, dat kan. Het is een feit vatn zes ,duizend  jaren xbekleedende  Messias,  alle kracht en meeht iG hemel  en
 beiwijs. Gods yolk heeft zich dagelijhs in God verheugd                 op  aayd,e,  Zing&i we  dtin: Zoo  ,daalt  `Zijn  kracht op
  al is het dat zij snikten. en traanden tot God. W.anneer ons in zwakheid neler ! En er wordt gesproken van .
  hun vleesch bezweek, dan bleef God d!e, Rotssteen van heerlijkheid  der kracht. Dat wil zeggen, dat de kracht
  ons hart eg ons deel tot in eeuwigheid. Ik tiocht bet -van Gods volk haar stralen uitzendt van Goddelijke
  ervaren,  vleel,  vcel  nid;en.  Er is.  bier  geeti  paradix. herkomst. `Nag duidelijker : als ge het krachtige kind
  Let sleclhts op het feit,. dat Gods volk hier beschreven Gods zijn sterkte ziet ontplooien, herkent ge den Gever
  wordt  va&it het oogpunt  `hunn&  wedergeboren  ziel dier kracht.
  en hart `en leven. S&n! maakte bier- een groote fout.                        Het is iertiukkelijk  om in Gods Huis te zingen: Gij
  Hij ,dacht, dat als ,d,e Heere Job geheel ontbl\?otte  hij tech, Gij zijt hun roem, de kraoht van hunne kracht!
  Hem zou vloeken in Zijn aangezi@t.-  Hoe dwaa`s-!  Neen,                     En idoor Gods wel!beh%gen  zal onze hoorn verhoogd
  maar dan zegt Gods volk tiet Job: De He&e heeft ge- worden.                                           B
  geyen,' de. Heere -heeft  genomen, den naam des Heeren                  %  Ooze  hoopn is een  ander  `woord  voor onze  kracht,
  zij geloofd! Ze zulleti dat zeggeti,  terwijl,h& vleesch ons strijden;  ons worstflen.
  snikt, klaagt, vafieen lgereten wordt.                                       En  Gods  `welbe.hagen  is Zijn gunst,  Zijn groote
     Ze worden  door Gods gerechtigheid  verhoogd.                _      liefde jegens ons.
     D_e.&gerechtigbeid  verlaagt tot in de he1 toe.. Daar                     Het geheel lbeteekent  dan, dat als de Heeke  Zichzelf
 -von;d men Judas en Satan en alle veFdoemden. De on- last zien aan Zijn volk als de .God die hen bemint met
  gerechtigheid tast God aan in Zijn wet. En de. wet een groote liefde, dat znlk  Goddelijsk   doen Zijn volk
is  vertolking van Gods  Eigen hart.  `Gerechtigheid is staalt in den strijld.
  schoon,  hemelsch soho`on. iHe!  is- de .deugd waar'door                     Want ens schild is de ,Xeere  en onze Koning is van
  wij het goede do.& in alles. pet is `de deugd iwaardoor .den Heillige Israels.
  alle denken, spreken en handelen,  aangelegd naast Ide                       En een  schild  hebt  !ge van  noode.   V.elz zijn  Uvlie
  standaard, de maatstaf  van `t ho0gst.e  (goed, uitkomt, vijanden die bet cq U verzien heb'ben.                        Er zij.n er, er
  overeenkomt, ,b&antwoordt  &n. dat Hoogste Goed, ,en dat zijn duizenden die U ha&n, di'e U gaarne willen ver-
  is God.                                                                nietigen. Dit is een schrikkelijke waarheid.
   -.. Zoo zijn we &et van nature.                                             Het is verschrikkelijk hoe de duivel eil all,e ,duivels-
   . Van nature zijn we kwaad,. .booq onigerechtig.                      l&deren God  haten. Waar men ook  maar  GoA ziet,
     Doch de, Heere vlerhoogt  Zijn volk vanuit de diepte hoor't, .ik zou haast zeggen, ruikt, daar .bemerkt ge het
  der ongerechtigheid tot ldxe hoogte der gereohtigh.eid.                woeden  der hel.
     Hij dacht ze u$ iran eeuwigheid, Christus leide het                       Jezus heeft dat  uitgevonde:l..  En zij grepen Hem
  fundatient van die gereohtigheid .en door -bet geloof aan en kruisigden hem.
  wordt ze U  geschonken. Gerechtigheid  ver;hoogt   eefi                      Zoo ook gij. Als ge U aan h& goddelooze r6t last.
  natie, en ook elen iege1,ij.k van Gods kinder-en. Hij zal U zSen, dan ,$aat mei1 U on1 Golds wil. Do& geen nood.
  doen ws:i.delen op .de hoogte des hemels, der gemeien-                 Hij is Uw schild:  En Hij `geeft U een Koaing die voor
  schap bd~es verfbonds met God.                                         U            `optrekt.                         .u
     Want Gij zijt de  heerlijkheid  hunner  stierkte, en                      En bet einde van U en Uw Koning is`de hemel, da,ai-
  door Uw welbehagen zal onze hoorn  verhoogd worden. boven bij God.                               .
     Gods volk is sterk. Adam was ook sterk, dobh Gods                         Wa.nneer  zulll& wij ingaan ?  -_
  volk is sterker. `Gods  vo1.k is st,erker  dan Adam, `want
 ,de ,capaciteit  van Gods volk i's grooter in, "net ,doen,  den-                                                             G. V.
  ken, spreken, jubel'en, in &n ,woord, in,.& kenncp van
  God. Want tot het kennen van. Go:d: zijn. wij sOerk ge-
  maakt. En die grootere  capaciteit  van handglen is het
  resultaat van  *bet  wedergeborbn  zijn door den Geest
  yan Christus. Daardoor zijt ge Zijn ,bro&er  en zuster ;
  en de  energie van  onzen  ,budsten   Breeder   zal  eons  be-                                   CLASSIS  E A S T   .
  zielen .tot -in eeuwigheid. `Z,oo kunt g6 oak zien, dat
  onze kracht die van Adam verre te ;boven  g+t.                         will meet in regular session Wednesday, April 3. at
     `Paulus zou in dit verband zeggen : En alle deze din- 9 o'clock A. M. All matters for Sy%od muit bi broight
  gen zijn uit..God. Die tekst pan-11 Cor. 5 moeten wij to this meetitilg of Classib;
  & bij aanhalen, om duidelijk te maken, dat des Heeren                                                      D.~  Jonker,  S .   C .
         _' .    ~  -


       258                                   T H E   .STANDARD  ,BEARER

                                                                       it preaching  anymoIre.  But even so such `preaching'
                      IN  HIS  FEAR                                    is still indoictrination,  although it is the wrong kind of
                                                                       indoctrination. However, soun!d Reformed preaching
                                                                       .is .&ways tijdoctrination  in the true and proper sense
                      How To Indoctrinate                   -          of  thee wo,rd :because it is the expounding  of the truth
                                                                       of  *he Word of God.  Hence,   wo:uld you have your
              In a previous article we stated that it is the specific children  ind,octrinated,  by all  means  take them to
       task of the Church to irnldoctrinate its covenant seed.         Church. Not only ,because thus they acquire the good
       And `when we speak of indoctrination by the Church, habit of church going, not. only biecause  they <belong
       we mean indoctrination in the Protestant Reformed there, not <only because thus you are cer,tain  that they'll
       truth. And we concluded-by stating that the `Church be on t.ime for Sunday School, but because `they are
       must and does indoctrinate `the man ,of God' through also tihrough Dhe preaching of the Wor,d.indoctrinated.
       the ofice of the ministry of the Word. And this, we                D,oes,  the foregoing imply  that dur children, especial-
       said, leads us to the subj,ect of t,he preaching of the the younger ones, understand and grasp everything
       Word and `ohe catechizing of the covenant youth.                that is preached? Not at all, and we cou1.d  not expect
              The last sentence implies that %he undersigned be- such a thing. But gradually they+understand  more and
       l&es that *he church indoctrinates `the man of G&d' by more ,of the preaching, till in due time they practically
       a two-fold means : preaching  and teachin,g or catechiz- understand everything. (Provided  od course- they are
       ing.                                                            ,of average intelligence, well versed in Scripture, taught
          Let us bigin with the oficial preaching  of the Word trhe doctrinle of the Church, and themselllvles interested
       as understood in its usual meaning. Preaching of the in the Word of God).                                            \
       Word takes p$a'ce in our divine worship as Chur:&of                However, knowing that especially the young element
       God, ,particularly ai we are gathered on the Stibbath in the Church does.,not  and cannot understand all of the
       [day.  Vire  ibelieve, on  ihe  <basis of  Stricture, that it preaching, and the small children very little, iwould it
       pleases the King of the Church to bless, instruct, ex- not be better to have what has been calld `youth or
       hort, comfort His people by means of the preaching of ohildren's services?' Not at all. That would make a
       the Wobd in a manner as is not possible, under ordinary sort of a ohuxch in a church, tear the ichurch apart, and
       circumstan,ces,  in any other way.  T,his is a very im- such a method of doing things could not possibly serve
       portant poim$ to remember. As people of God we do and good purpose. But I do believe that the preacher
-      not come together on the Lord's day to be enjtertained, must reekon with the intellectual and mental capacity
       or to hear `a nice speech, <but we come together to wor- ,of his audien,ce. That [does not mean at all that he must
       ship Him in the fell,owship  of the saints and heave the always be Xon the lowest level, he certainly would `kill'
       of&i+1 proclamation and  ,declaration  of the Word of t.he church that way and general superficiality `wouM
       God. Scripture itself clearly teaches us that God has be the result. Neither does it mean that in every ser-
       instituted the  preachiig  o;f the Word and  calls the mon he must have something `specitil' for the little ones
     . preachers to proclaim  that Word,  and that through and the less advianced in the sohurch. But it does not
       this preaching of the God ordained preacher  Iwe hear imply `either, in case the preacher  happens to be a lbril-
       not only of Christ, but  Christ  Hinwelf.  This is very liant, scholar an,d a great exegete, tihat he must preach
       plain from Rqmans 10:14, 15, where we read: "How exclusively %or the b,rightest  minds in-the church;  That
       thtin shall they call ,on Him in .whom  they have not .be- also is wrong and thus the clhildren, the youth and the
       lieved? an,d how shall they believe in him tihom  (not of less- brilliant minds in the church :are estranged from
       whom, J. D.) they jhave not bear-d? and ,how shall they the preacher and may easily lose interest in 6he preach-
       hear without  a preacher? And holw shall they preach, iog and say : `I lean never get .anything out of it any-
       except they ,be sent? as it is Iwritten  : :How ,beautiful are how.' The little ones anld the less brilliant minds should
       the feet of them.that  preach the gosp.el of .peace,  and not sit under the preaching.of  the Word every Sunday
       bring glad tidings bf good things!"                             as has been apply described by a, Holland poet (some-
          Now this preaching of 6he W,ord to the Church as what freely changed by ,the .und(ersigned) :
       gathered in the fiellowship  0% the saints is not merely            "Gij  prediker   daar hoog in de  luoht,
       for adults but also for  Jhe covenant seed of the Church,           HIeM  gij dan geen enkel  woordje voor mij?
       for ,chil,dren, for bhe youth. And it is also a powerful            Wijl yij preekt en ,verkbart,,  mij?z harte zueht,
       means  t,o' indoctrinate the `man  ,of God'..For the preach-        Want, helaas,`..uw lwoord rolt !.edigvmijn  z&lbe
       inlg of necessity  im!plies  i;ndoctrination.  If preaching              voor*bi j ."                           .
       has deteriorated' into `story telling' or `dis.cussion  .of
       various sujects' as seems to ,be the case in many a                No, but the servant of God must preach to the w.hole
       `church' o'f our day and in our land, you can hardly call       Church.. He must feed the flolck of Christ, and in that


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D -   B.@ARER                                                 259

  flock of Christ are also lambs. Indeed, bhe con.grega- for oui iohildreti  if they are to assimilate and remember
  tion must endeavor to come up to the preacher's level the Icontents  ,of Scriptune.
  and always strive to understand mone fully and .de&per           However, I do believe that it is fir& of al% the task
  the Word of God, but the preaclher must also come down of the Church `to indoctrinate  `the man d God', and
  to the level of the congregation. He must preach, iii,- that this is her more Spetific  task.
   doctrinate his. hearers according `to their needs and           Let us ,mention  a secoed  reason why this indoctrin-
   capacity. And there are not a  few  that have  ineeds, ation is so necessary. It is necessary.in  orlder that the
   but they all have Ineeds, young an.d old, great and small. `covenant seed my be able to gra'dually more a& better
   Tlhe preacher preachles  to the Churcrh, nbt to a few ex- uniderstand`the  spreaching of the Word. It is a proven,
   ceptionally bright people.                                   fact that excel&& and well trained and. taught cate-
      And _ through the .preaching  much indoctrination         ch.um+s can sooner understand the preaching than
  takes place. Every exposition of Scripture is based those whb are lax and iwoefully  weak in this respect.
  upon doctrine and many texts deal directly with do&              -A third reason for indoctriaation  is that `the man
  trine. And particularly in &r churches where we have of God' may grow to spiritual maturity in the Cihurch.
  regular preaching based upon our Catechism (even Understand his coyenant  obligation and be able to make
  bho'ugh our Catechism treats the doctrine  from a sub- public professioin:  of-faith in the midst of the Church.
  jective point of view) thene  is of necessity ,mmnoh what Amd how can ,one ever make confession of faibh unless
  `we can call `doctrinal' preaching. And that `:d,octrinal he knows what he-confessEs  and what is the main aild
   preaching i`s for the wihole #church,  and ,by it also the basic  teachin$g of the  Wxord?
  seed of the church is not only admonished, comforted,            Indoctrination is a:so necessary in ord!er &at the
  but no less instructed an,d indoctrinated.                    child of the Church may more  an,d more become specific
      Ho,wever,  the  indoctrination  of `the man of God' in his knowledge and appreciatioa  of the particular
  takes parti,cularly  .place through the ministry of the truth, confession and  doictrine of the Church of which
 . . Word iti the ,catechizing  of ,$he ,covlenant seed. And he is a member. As our children grow older they must
   catechizing is official teaching by the Church t&ough not only attend  our church services, but t;hey must also
  +hehe` office of the ministry. And in catechism the know what is Protestant Reformed, why they them-
   Churclh teaches her seed the idoctrines of Scripture, the selves are Protestant Reformed, and bhey must be able
  doctrines as formulated, believed and confessed by the to defend themselves over against all those [who oppose
   Church. ,Our fathers .always  considered catechism a and gainsay the Reformed truth. It' is indeed a pity
  very  i,mlportant means for the  indoctrinat.ion   of- the if sons and ,dau!ghters  qf the Church grow up in the
  covenant se.ed, and.history  has !pr&en  them to be right. Church ,but remain `little children' as far as their know-
  It is basic.. It is all important. It is absolutely neces- ledge of the truth is concerned. And, alas, th.is happens
  sary. Why is it so necessa?y?  F,or various reasons, a' .but  too  *often.   iHow-  683: a strong Church ever grow
  few of which we will enumerate.                               out of weak material? How can a Church ever remain
      Catechizinlg is necessary in order bhat the man of distinctive if its members cannot defend. its truth Ibnt
   God may receive a fuller and more comprehensive are led astray by every wind of doctrine? To ask these
  knowledge of the contents .of Scripture. And knoiv- questions is to answer them.
, ledge of Scripture is basic to understand more clearly        . Finally, it is n,ot ,only necessary for our own spiritual
  and fully the ,doctrine  <of Scripture. Factual-k!nowledge    benefit to be indoctrinated., but it is also compulsory as
  of Scripture is positively necessary, although this in it- far as ,our God iS iconcerned. The+ honor and glory of
  self is not sufficient. Personally  `I believe  that  o;r 1i3is Name demands it.' Thle more aed +he better we
   Christian Schools have a wonderful opportunity  her6 `kno;w'the  @octrine  of Scripture, the more and better we
  in supplying our children with factual knowledge of are equipped to fight the spiritual battle of faith.
  the Bi.ble. And of cou.&e the home also .enters in here. Soundness in life and :walk is inseparably ,connected
  In ;fa~ct +he home is always ibasic, and without its co- with  soundn,&s in doctrine. And the more we walk
 - o,peration a.nd active support iboth School ailed Church consistently as chil,dreil: of 2ight in -bhe midst of this
are very much  handi,capped.   5'or supplying the  chil,d world the mo,re  `our God is praised and glo'rified  by us
  with factual knowledge of Scripture the Sunday School in word and deed.
  can also have its val~ue, much depe&ing  upon the cd,i!bre       F6r all these reasons, .and we might add others, it
  of the teacher. - But all these means do not take away is so absolutely necessary that `the man of God be in-
  the fact tihat the. Church through its catechizing must doctrinated'. And this we saw is done by the Church
  supply `the man of God' with a fuller and more com- through bhe prea,ching  of the Word and the catechizing
  preh.ensive kno,wl,e:dge  of the contents of Scripture. we of its  covenamt youth.  Az?ld the last is not the least
  &Ee sometimes afraid of a little  overlapging.  This is means to il::,doctrinate  the seed of the chur?ch.
  nlot bad at all, ,because constant repetition is necessary                                                  J. D. J.


       260                                                            T H E   S T A N D - A `R D   B E A R E R

                                                                                            ,world's  happenings from  Alpha to Omega, from its
                                                                                            genesis to its consummation ia the day of Jesus Christ.
              -                    FROMHOLYWRIT                                                It is very importamt bhat we bear this em`phasis of
                                                                                            t&e Aiostle in mind. It is a facitor to be remembered
                     I`                                                                     not only in referen'ce  to the c&tent of the M$sttiry.
                                              Having made know  the Mptery  ,of His will                                                               It
                       .     .     .     .                                                  is also the standard according to which ;God makes the
                    .to US, namely, to sum up all tihings  in Christ . . . .                Mystery known. It is true that the latter does not re-
                     even in Him".---Eph. 123-10.                                           ceive  the  erqhasis  here,  ,but it is a Scriptural truth  ,.
          Our former article' ended in, t&e `midst of our ,disi none-the-liess. Not for one moment may we loose sight
  cussion o:f tihe Scriptural  i,dea of the concept "`Mystery". of  l&e fact ,of God's good pleasure in this Mystery. It
          We might notice, that `the `concept "Mystery", in is Mystery `of His will.
  Scripture, Goes hot refer to somettiing that is necessatily                                  It seems that the Apostle cannot get finished with
  .hidden, and, that can therefore n,ever  be known by the expressing. bhhe thought that we have attempted to ex-
  mind df fi&e man, .but that it most emphtitically  refers plain in the former paragraph. He once more empha-
       t,o that which is hidden ;by %od and in Him until and sizes this truth lLy.adding :- "Which (%he good pleasure)
:wh&n He plseaees to reveal it to us. After God has made
                                                                 :                          He  pnrposed  in Him  (HimSelf). It  sho,uld  b,e noticed
       it known, revealed it to us, it is no longer a secret ; from that although the apostle-here r&peats  tihe matter empha-
       now .on i$ is .open and manifest to the soin of inen.                                sized in Uie for.mer  clause, he does not merely rtepeat,
          This, of course, does not m'ean to imply, th,at we rHe adds .a new idea, namely, that -this good-pleasure
       fully cqmprehend. There are, indeed., limits set by ,God is the Divine Purpose. There is a goal set up by God
       to our understandi!@  of the things which are infinite. toward which all things  ane directed. And  that goal
       That is true also in the truth of the "Mystery" ,of the                              is set *before  God as being realized in Clhrist Jlesus, our
       Sicriptures. yet what God htis ,made known of it is in- Lord. This latter iwe woti.ld emphasize, even in the face
       dIeed apprehensible to the ssnctified  and enlightened of the possible reading #wrhich  makes `tin Him" in the
_ understanding of the children ,of #God.                                                   clause "Which He purposed in Him" to <be rendered re-
         We mighti .also point out, that the cenkral content of flexively,  namely, "in Himself". We believe that the
       the "Mystery" is n&e else'and nothing l&s than Christ latter reading is to be rtijected,  and that the former one
       HimseK. It is in the Christ, the Son of God in the.flesh is correct. God din to  ptirp& in  Himself  to unite
       that the Mystery 03 God is unfol@d before o,ur eye of all things in .Christ,  but God purposed it in the histonical
       faith. .Christ is .the Mystery. He it is who He is. We,                              Christ. For this last observation we of$er the folloti-
       do not explain Him, but He explains Himself to us. `He i!l7g grounds.                                             .-
       testifies of Himself that r&3e is the Son of God. And al-                               In the first place; we &o,uld like-to call attention to
       ways He' points to Himself as the ,One in Whom the the fact that the verlb "to purpdse" lit'erally  means in the
       Father's good-plleasure  is realized-realized even to the- `original greek: to set before. To this must be added,
       raising up of the dead i& the last day!                                              that the.vevb  is written in the "middle voice". The idea
 -.       Let us nolw furtiher turn our attention to the text.                              of such a middle voice in greek is that the action-in.the
          What strikes `our attention first of all is, that this vel*b, in this case in the "setting Ibefore one", to puqose,
       "Mystery" is further defmed by tihe Apostle as being is&hat-the  action is somehow perfo8rmed in relationship
       the Mystery uf ITis wvill. The term "wil.1" (Theleema) `to  the one  pesforminlg it. God purposed, set before
       emphasizes the f&t, that it is solely by a free act of Him, somehow in relation to rI3imself  in eter*nity. ,Be _
       God t;hat He has planned this "Mystery" and has made set the destiny oC the worl,d  anld all things before Him-
       it known to us. T&re !was not fence outside of God to .self. The reflexive idea is already  con;tained in the
       move Him to makbe  Himself kno,wn; neither was there. -verb. It would :be unnecessary repetitfon  -to add "Him-
       anjr urge ,of necessity from withip. What Goid reveals self" as refering to God in the light of this considera-
       of Himself to us of His purpose an!d .plan was an act of tion of the "middle voice"' of the verb.
       sovereign good-pleasure and nothing else. This is clear                                 N,ext we would not fail to liotice, that throughout
       not only from khe current usage of the term "will" in this  en&ire section of the first  ohapker of  Ephesiatis,
       Scripture, parti,cularly  in the New Testament, but it is great emphasis is placed oln tihe fa&&t ,God's purpose
       a trutih which the Apostle emphasizes once more in the is realized solely and  &ogeth&  in the Christ. And
  -next clause in this verse.                                                               also that Go;dTs  purpose stands in this Christ becaus,e
          In the next clause ,of tihhs verse we read, that God thus it has *been made in Him! NotiIce the following:
       works the Mystery o,f His will., namely, -to sum up &ll "blessed <with all sp.iritu+l blessings in heavenly places
       things in Christ, "accordin'g  to His good~pleasure".  This in Christ .even as we have been elected in Him" vss. 3,4 :
       good ,pleasure  of God (good. pleasure-to think it well)                             "Which He has graced to us .in the Be&wed". vs. 6 : "in
is the ultimate stan,dard  of all God's dealings in history.                                Whom  we have the  redempti'on  through His blood",
       The text presents this good pleasure as ddermining  the vs. 7  : "To sum up all things in Christ. . . . even in
                                                                                                               .


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                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             261

Him." vs.  10: "in Whom we have also .been made a takenly,  called the immortai soul of man ! To be sure
heritage" ,vs. 11. Hence, it is quite aooopding to  thle        man is the chief creature bf God, to hiti God has given
Apostle's mode of reasoning and His emphasis to inter-a preeminence among all  &he creatures. For maxi is more
pret the pronoun to read `$hi,m" and let  .it refer to than ma_ny-sparrow.s' in the`sight d Go:d, yea, more than
 Christ, and not to read it "himself" and refer to ,God.        the spacious heavens. Compare Psalm 8. But in the
    Fihally, we wish t,o point `out, that this interpreta- plan of God, man is never a micro-cosmos, a little world,
tion is in accor,dance  with the expressed, statement #of a consideration by himself. God wo?iia ,glorify `Himself
the Apostle in ,chapter 3 :11. We quote: "According to in all t;lhe works of His hands. And in these works mai1
the eternal purpose (.God's setting it forth before Him- mu& have `&e preeminent place. But Iwe-repeat : Mazy
self) which iHe madie in Christ Jesus our.Lord." Here is not the sole consideration of God in His purpose of
it is explicitly stated that God's pumose was made in ,salvation in Jesus Chris&.
the Christ.                                                        Of this we hope to write mdFe ia th.is and in subse-
    All this is not mere repetition on the part-of the quent articles: Let us keep this in mind.
Apostle. It must become evident that all Go.d's good               In order to see somewhat more of the plan of God
pleasure is in ;the Christ, in the Beloved, who is the in Christ in relation t,o "all things", let us [proceed in our
Eternal Son in our fl,esh! Well m?y we keep this in dis.cussion.
mind less we fail to catch the vis'lon of the Apostle, lest        First of .all,`let us nOtice,  that the verb "to sum up"
Iwe fail to see the won6rous  glory of the Christ of God.       is a composite verb in greek,  .co,mposed  09 verab and pre-
 Only `when we ,see thi's all, will we also j,oin with the position.       It is:  ana-kephalaioo. Literaly it  .m&ans:
 Apostle to sfng of the power <of God's grace t,o usward. ' to head up ! ..In Classic .Greek  it is .use;d to <denote the
   - B'ut the Apostle has tiore to tell us af the content of summing.up,  the .bringing to a unity all .tie arguments
_ this purpose of God in Christ. Tfhe oonten.& of the Mys- in a discourse. By thus cloimg an orator would ibring
tery of Go:d in 5ts br0a.d scoipe is stated in 6he phrase `his  entire discourse to definite  conclusions.  Zn  Ram.
 "to sum up all bhings iin Christ. . . . even in Him."          ,13 :9 Paul employs this composite verb in a sense that
    We should notice, that the Apostle does not' enter approached $hat of the just named orators. Tjhe Apostle
 int,o mapy details in this passage. The Apostle only is speaking in Romans 13 :9 of the law o,f the Ten Corn-
 traces for us the main line of the Architectural. stxuc- mandments. Be tells his readers, that this law is sum-
 ture #of. the building of God's good pleasure. Aad, in- med up (headed up j in One W&d ! It is concluded in
 deed, this is accomplished with masterful  an,d bold the wdrd : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as ithyse1.f ! In
 strokes !     Notice,  that the building of God's  good- the Scripture passage under consi;deratio~  in this art-
 pleasure encompasses  `!a11 things". All things?!  In- icle,-the  Apostle employs the vervb  to denote that won-
 dieed ! All bhings in heaven a!nd on earth. Bol~d strokes ! drous act of God, whereby He'b;rings  the entibe Crea-
 Notice the vertical- dines. They run, they are traced tion, the whole Cosmos to `a unitiy undier the Headship
 from ,earth to heaven and from heaven to earth: Both of Christ, Who was lgiven as `Head to the Ohureh o.ver
 heaven and earth are taken up ! But, also, do not -fail all things ! Thus t6e .entire  Iwork ,of God, the work of
-to notice  the horizdntal lines, whiclh are traced by the God's purpose ill Christ over ai. things in heaven and
 Apostle. For this is not a mere, incident+ detail. Nay, on earth is stated in qne word,  to wi$, in "summed up" !
 it is a fundamental feat;ure. The line runs horizontally          I:ll a former article we have emph?sized  that all God's
 over the plain of the beaveiily. The heavlen of heavens. :pumpose is in the Beloved. It w&s stated, that, except
 and the ,fulness thereof. "A!, things" in heaven ! What we see that God has ,blesse:d us in Him, we will never
 is true of tlie `things in h,e&ven is equally true of ;thti    begin to see that we have redemption  and sorgiveness
 thipgs on earth. -The lines of the [building of the Divine of sins "according to the riches of God's grace". That
 good-pleasure also are traced horiao;ntally   alon& the truth we considered a controlling motive in-the work
 plain of the earthly. Tlhe eatih and the fulness thereof of God. ._
 belong  to the Lord, and are all taken up in the work              Although from a different viewpoint, we may never-
 of Christ. Thus it, is trac@d here by the Apostle. Thus theless ,obs:erve  this controlling :moltive  also here in this
 he would have us see it. Thus it is in God's eternal           "summing up" ob which -the text speaks. For, notic,e,
 good pleasure in the Beloved ! We' hear the key-i&e of `that  G6d  stis up, reunites all  hhin.g,s in Christ, the
 this already in the first .wo,rds of the Scr@tures, in the     Beloved.  And this  beloied is to be "Head" over all
 book  ,of  Bteginnings. Do we not read: "In, the begin- things..  It is true, that the  Apos;tle   ,does not say so
 ning God made the ~heavens and the earth"?                     with so many a~or&. Yet, this is, very evidently, the
     In passing we may remark, that $his Anohitectural idea of the text. This appears to be the ,case not only
 structure, as here traced by the Apostle, as elsewlhene from the addition "in Christ", but also from the latter
 explicitly.tanlght  in his letters, and as suggested in Gen, portion `of this first chapt,er of Ephesians, VSS. 20-22.
 1 :l, should warn us -against limiting th4e work of God
                               .-                               We  ,quote: "Which (namely, His great power)  Ee
 to man, more particularly to what is then, even mis- wroeght in Christ, having raised Him out of th& dead,


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    262                                     T H E   STA'ND'ARD   BEARE-R

   and seated XHim-at His own right hand in the heavens, and serve to carry f'opward the thought in a` very grad-
   far above dl prirxzipaiit.ies  and powers and dominions ual and progressivle  manner. -Not many authors POS-
   and lords (angel-hosts) and ,every name tha6 is' named, sess this gift. It makes the books  :ntere@ing.  One
 not only in this age, $ut also in the one to, come. And wishes to read on and on.                         .
   He has subjected all thinfgs under Hia feet, and gave                         2. The treatment which the Heidelberg Catechism
   Him to be Dhe Head ,over all things to the Church."                      reieeiv,es is thorough. Difficult issues are not  ,evadied
       It is, th*er&fore,  quite clear, that Christ is the one but discussed. Moreover, bhis discussion is generally
   ifi whom Go$ would reunite all things in heaven anld on stimulating and original. One does not find here the
   earth. *One may still have to give a further account of mere repetition of that which has already been said by
   the specific nature of the Headship of Christ to the others. Even then when the a,uthor intersperses his
   Chunch in distinction from His Heiadship  to the angels, own discussions witln quotations from others, he does
   -(compare Cal. ,2 :lO) that we will grant. But this`much                 so in a mannler which is crikical  and discerning.          .
   is perfectly clear, Christ is to be rH,ea'd and Lord ,over all:               3. .The au'&or's  deep-seated love for such thorough-
       It, theref+e, appears, that the Apostle.  chose a very ly  Reformed  idoctrine~  as the sovereign character of.  -
   Ibeautiful and expressive word in the venb,."to  head up", God's grace is everywhere apparent. His abhorence  of
   .to.designate the act of God whereby-He  brings all things Pelagianism  is- evident  throngbout.
   under Christ, yea, under Him!                                                 `4. $Ieie let us .&ent,ion  just a few of the very many
       `There are uth)er  import&nit aspects. bf the matter .iterr.s  which the reviewer considers worthy of special
   Iwhich  `w,e are discussing, that still call $or corr&ent.               niention :
. We know that the wisdom  o.f God, even; in this very                           In Vol. .l the~`In:trodnotory  chapter app:eals  to us.
   summing up of all things, is unsearchable. We' cannot It contains Iwhat is needed to give the reader the proper
   trace out all to the very end. We do not live- under the, vikw of th,e historical setiing and-purpose of -the Heidel- :
   delusion, $heref,ore, that we shall b.e able to understand aberg Catechism.
   all. The aspect$  howeve?,  to which we still wish to call                    Agiin, the chapter .on the viewpoinf of the Heidel-
   attention are those clearly revealed, and, which, are berger deserves careful study, and serves to prevent
   necessary to somewhat keep in mind, to unfderstand                       the reader from falling jnto the er?ors  of rationalism
  entough of this marvelous work of God, to  ,be  ablle to                  and of-mopbid  Mysticism. -
   consciously live unto the praise of His matchless love                        The paragraph on  the  ."immortality" of the  soal,
and fathomless  grace!                                 G. L.                pages 95; 99, is "int;ere&ing" to say the least. -At any
                                                                            -rate, the author is correck  iin insisting that we should
                                                                            be scriptural eveli in our choilce of terms.
                                                                                 On pages. 146-147 the author voices hi's objections
                                                                            to Dr. `A. Kutier's view of Adam's eating of the for-
                                                                            bidden fruit. -Well, he is not only the only one who has
                                                                            expressed his! diSsatisfaction withy Kuyper's .explana-
                                                                            tion. W,e too? have never been satisfied width it.
                                                                      ._         Volume 21 We enjoyed particularly amany passages
   BloqJc l+view, :            -                                            and paragraphs--very relfreshing and eminently scrip-
     ..`In The Banner, issue of Feb. 8,1&e came across the tural-in the explanation of Lord's Days 5 an,d 6.
   following : "THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, an ex-                            -    While lone till n& always agree with the author,
   p.osition  by Rev. Herman  Hloeksema,  Vol. 1, "In the the fact remains that in his ,criticism  ,of such questions
   M,idst of Death"; Vdl. 2, "God's' Way Out": Published as the Character of God's image in man, etc. ;there  are
   by Wm.- B. Eerdman's  Publishing Co., 224` Pearl St.,                    elements which deserve careful attention and should
   Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pri,ce of each vlolume, $2.00." not ,be left out of futune discussions.
       "In these two volumes Rev; H,. Hofeksema  gives an!                       H@w I wish I could close the review at- this point.
   exposition of the fin& ten Lor;d's Da3;`s  of the Heidel- More, how,ever, mu& ,be -said. In his attack upon the
   be?g Catechism. In many ways these books appeal, to                      Christian Reformed Church ;the author is not at his
   the serious  BilbJe student:                                             be$t.  Again and again he tells us  Ohat the doctrinal
   1. The language  is  d.ire&? and clear; The writer conclusions with respect to Common Grace, declara-
  -kno;ws- how to oonvey~ his meaning to th& mind .of the tions which. were adopted by our Synod of 1924, are ~
   reader. One looks in vain %or-that ,heavy &d cdmpli-                     pelag@n,,  page  364, Vol. 1. On page 168, he quotes
   cated -style which so o,ften characterizes wo,rk$  on dbc-               P,oints  II and UT,.. Tow in point II &&`Synod  declared :
   trine (and other)  topi&  anad by means of  Which' an `<God, bya keneTa oper&ion of His Spirit, without re-
   author succeeds .only in "darkening counsel by words newing the-heart, restrains the  unbriadled manifestation
   without knowledge." [Here, in  bhese two books, the of sin,  Ohnough  wjhi.ch life in  4iuman society  r'emains
   sentences are gene?ally  brief, nevertheless complete, possible." -In Point III the  Synod-basing'its  declar-  -


                                                        ,


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                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R -                                   ?1!33
   ations in both cases on Scripture and our Confessions- truth Rev. H.. Hoeksema was <cast out odf the fellowship
   declared that the mmegenerated  are able to perform of your churches. Y,our churches attacked. the line of
   ci.viz  g;ood.                                               truth an& the. total depravity of mand and the im-
       But what does l&v. -H. Hoeksema make o,f this? pmossibility- of the sinner doing any ,goNod in the sight Of
   Says he, page 164: "The second-.  and third points of -God. _ Your churches, in attacking that line of truth,
   1924 arrive at the conclusi,on that the human nature is prese&ed  instead the erroneous view of "the good that
   ,not reallly depraved". ,On page 169 he tells the reader sinners do" ,before  God, and that th:e sinner (unregener-
  .that we  tea+ that man's "nature  is' so  &anged by, ate) does not live a ,life-of total depravity. Therefore
   common  `grace that he `can live a good life in the Prof. Hendriksen yea may personally love to read `con
   world. . .  ." Read the (writer's entire `di&ussion, Vol. ,and on" in these books in which total depravity is
   1, pages 150-182.                                           stoutly maintained, but your  churches do not love to
        Now  wlhere -in any of the  three-  ,points has our -reed on and on about that truth. And it is the official
   Synod ever declared that human `nature is not really stand of your churches which is attacked in.the "Expo-
   depraved, or that the unregenerate can live a good life sition  `of the Heidelberg Catechism" by the Rev: H.
   on the earth? Would not the writer's ibooks have igain- Hoeksema. Remember 1924. .
   ed in excellence if he had omitted these charges  of.           Finally, Prof. Hendriksen, do you remember aback
   "pelagianism", of "semi-pelagianism",  and -of "sophis-      in the early part-  pf 1939 when  you and others of
   try".      -                                                 your ,chureh met with a group-of our ministers and also
                                                                with Dr. K. Sohilder, in the Pantlind Hotel at Grand
       If attacks-such as the one which we have just criti- Rapids? Do you remember  that Rev. H. Hoeksema
   cized can :be omitted from the volumes <of this .series      read to you and to the `others this same truth in Iwhat
   that are still1 to be published, then we hope that the , you at that time termed "The excellent, systematic
   able author-whom the Lord has jblessed with so many presentation of the theological views held by Rev. Hoek-
   fine tabents-will ,be'able to bring to &ompletion his ex- sema,, 7. Do you remember that we all expected a fine
   position of the Hei,delberg  Catechism." (End quotation)     and- thorough ,discussion of those views, but that the
                                 - William  Hen'driksen.        leaders of your  church-m present at that conference,
                                                                refused to discuss those things? And do  yen remember
       Thank you professor IHendriksen, for your willing- that a desire was [expressed then that we could later on
   ness and your courage in giving this review of the perhaps hold more conferenoes  in which your ,ohurch
   above mentioned -books. Espec.ially  do `we thank- you leaders would be prepared to defend their Common
   for your word of encouragelnent when yo,u.state :' "One Grace theories, and that the motion of Rev. Hoeksema
   wishes to read on `and on". There will be more ,books t,o have another such conference was never carried out
   coming from the author on the Heidelberger  so that by your church leaders? These questions all came to
   you may be able t,o "read onz and on". But we ,do not my mind when reading your otherwise fine Book Re-
   quite understan!d your final statement : "Ifiattacks such view. So I close with the question: Will you, for the
   as the ,on,e which we have just icriticized  can .be omitted sake of Truth, use your talents to disprove the theo-
   from the volumes of this series- that are still to be pub- logical views of Rev. H. Hoeksema especially pertain-
   lished, then we hope that the able author. . . .will be ing to the common `grace t.heory,  so that we may see
   able to bringto  completion  his Exposition of t,he Heidel- the wrong o,f our way? [Others have tried to do this
   berg Catechism". Does that mean t,hat if the author but failed. As far as I know you' have not tried this.
   CONTINUES TO ATTACK the pelagian `Three Points' Thank you again, Professor.
   of your. church, then yon hope. he will not :be able to
   "bring to ,completion  his Exposition of the -Heidelberg
  `Catechism"? Yet you say when reading j,ust the first
  two volumes : -"One `wishes to read `on and on."`
       Another remark I must make. Suppose the Rev.             Thankfully We Notice :
  - H. Hoeksema had omitted mention of the- "Three                 .That in "The Reader Asks" rubriek of `The Banner,
  Plaints" in his books and thus had `not attacked them, the R,ev. N. J. Monsma answers the question : "Are not
   then PERHAPS yen personally would have Igiven 100 election and reprobation two different a&s of God, so
   percent approval to"the  line of t&h presented in those that in'electiaon  God-is motivated by his good pleasure,
,  bo,oks. BUT YOUR CHURCH  Wb,ULD NEVERTHE- while in reprobation ,God simply leaves the sinner in. the
   LESS HAVE CONDEMNED THEM, for they present misery he bro,ught  upon hiZmself?" A very good ans-
   the line of truth which the Rev. iH. Hoeksema has al- wer is given we believe. Note- the  most-impo,rtant
   ways presented, even before 3924. AND THIS IXNE *parts of his answer : ". . . . the doctrine of predest$ina-
   OF TRUTH WAS ATTACKED BY YOUR CHUR:CH tion includes : `(1) Election,  an,d (2) Reprobation. Pt
   LEADE,RB ALSO `BEFCRE 1924,-a+ for this l,ine of is true that some have said that the d.ifference Ibetween


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                         . . .
264                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER

`these tw6 acts uf God is that God is active in the first But then one must be an amateur first befare  the or
an'd passive in the second. However, this is incorrect. she can graduate into the profes,sional  class. Shame
Indeed, God is active when he elects sinners to eternal on you,, .C,alvin. When you were giving that sho,w  in
life, but He is also a&ve, and not mlerely  passive, when the auditorium cou1.d it ,be said of you: "We are unto
He condemns  sirmers to eternal condemnation and G'od a sweet.  savour  of Christ,`? or: "Be ye not  con-
death,`. (He then quotes ifrom the Canons of Dord, I,              sorimed ,but trans?&med"?
Art. 15,) "The reader will also note that in both &s,                                                                            L. v.
in ,that of election and in that *of reprobation, God- is
motivated by His good pleasure. God's good pleasure                _.
is His sovereign Will. It is good, not because it favors
man, but because God is good. It is good even. t!hough                                            CLASSJS  W E S T
man is <by this pleasure of God oondenmed and punish;
ed eternally. THE FINAL C:LAUSE  OF BOTH EtLEC- will meet in regular session, D. V., Wednesday, March
TICN AND REPROBATION .X3 THEREFORE, GODS 6, 1946, at 9 .o'(clock A. M., at .the Protestant Refarmed
GOOD PLEASURE .(I capitalize, L. V.)" That is the Clhurch   09 Hull, Iowa.
fend of Rev. Monsma's answer. It did us good to read                                                          C. Hanko,  Stated Clerk.
that. T'hough the approach of the Canons of Dort is
infra, the answ,er  was very much in harmony with the
coxfessions.       The reason we were thankful at reading
this in The Barrzlzer is because so ,oft,en it is claimed that                                      IN MEMORIAM
these Wings are hidden for- us am-l th-at these things
concerning  electi,on  and  reproibation   (belong to the                   After an  ilhmss   lof about-five months, it has pleased  our-
secret counsel of God.  Evildently Rev:  M,onsma  d,oes            heavenly Father to take unto Himself my loving wife; our
not believe that.- But one question came up ,when aead- mother and grandmother
ing this. Maybe someone will send it up to, the Rev.                                     JEANETTE  VAN  PUTTEN   (IGraveling)
Monsma for an answer., It is: How does God's welll-                                 k
meant offer o:f salvatio,n or grace to all men, and there- at the age of 5.5 years. May the Lord comfort us by Hid- grace
fore also to the reprobate, harmonize w.iDh the truth in our bereavement.
you stated that, ,namely,  "the final causle of <both election                                His grace which in abundance              L
and  reprolbation  is therefore God's `good  pl,easlure?/'                                    Be on her did bestow
The answer to that question of course may not  ,b-e                                           Did 2omfort her .in illness
sought in any responsible freedom of the will, for Rev.                                       So she no want did know.
Monsma also declares : "Though still a responsible
being, yet he (man) ' can no longer will to do the `good.                                     His grace, it was sufficient
Man :can will to clo the evil only. This the Arzliinians                                      To take away the `sting
deny,  #but this is typically Reformed  do.ctrine".   .Yes,                                   Of grave and hell and anguish
I add, and preached consistently in the Protestant- Re-                                       And cause her  ,so,ul to sing.
formed Churches. And for this preaching we are                                                So mow  she%  gone to glory
often condemned or attacked.                                                                  ,To be there  withher  Lord
                                                                                              His everlasting mercy
                                  *  *  *    :k                                               By her shall be adored.

                                                                                              Although we mourn in sorrow
Shame On C$Gn Co,@ege:                                                                       We look to Him by grace
       In the "Grand Rapids Press" a rather large type                                        Who is,  our only comfort
heading struck our attention.. It read: "CALVIN                                               May wz `behold His face.
 SENIORS TO OFFER SHOW". Un,der  that heading:                                                So  &at  Kis grace and favor,
 "Seniors of Calvin College will hold the last party af                                       Of His.`most  gracious love
their *fall series Thursday. evening with an amateur                                          Be  our%msoling comfort
 show in the auditorium". Then f01lo~ws the nameIs (of                      c-                Sihine   on us from above.
those having  ,oharge of making this show a  smxess.
 Isn't it shameful, that such worl.dliness  eminates  from                                                   Mr. H. A. Van Putten
 Calvin College? And all the Iworld may read it in the                                                       Mr. and Mns. Walter  Winstrom
 public press : Calvin College studtents now in. the show                                                    Mr. and M.rs.  James Hloys
 busim,ess.  0 yes, it is amateur. Of course. Profession-                                                      and' 4 grandchildren.
 als can however put on a "b,etter" show than amateurs,                  Boll&nd,  M i c h i g a n .


