V O L U M E   X X I I   ..         JUNE 1, 1946 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                               NUMBER 1'7
                                                                   Wat wilt g' u in der  volk'ren oog,
                         ITATION- .                                 Bij Sions berg verheffen?
                                                                    God Zelf heeft dezen berg begeerd
                                                                    Ter woning, om, aldaar geeerd,
                                                                    Zijn  heerlijkheid  te  toonen;
           KonainkBijke Opvtiart                                    De Heer, Die hem verkozen heeft,
                                                                    Die trouwe houdt, en eeuwig leeft,
            Daarom xegt_ Hij: ails Hij opgeval'en is in             Zal hier ook eeuwig wonen.
         de hoogte, heeft Hij de gevangenis gevangen          `t Was slechts een zwakke schaduw van de werke-
          genomen, en heeft den m&when gaven ge- lijkheid, die nog vervuld moest worden,  waarvan de
          geven. Nu &it: hij is opgevaren; tint is het Kerk dir oude bedeeling zong in den acht en zestigen
          clan dat hij ook eerst is nedergedaald in de-. Psalm, hier door de S&rift aangehaald als vervuld in
          nederste deelen der aarde? Die nedergedaald de hemelvaart en verhooging van den Christus. Heel
          is, is deeelfcle oak, die opgevaren is ver boven die Psalm bezingt de g.rootheid  ,en majesteit en macht
          al de hemelen, opclat hij alli dingen vervullen van Israels God, als overwinnaar over Zijne en Zijns
          zou.                           Ef.  4:8-IO.      volks vijanden, en als den God der genade over Israel.
   Opgevaren  in de hoogte!                                God had Zich Sion ter woonplaats verkoren, om aldaar
   Opgevaren als de Koning Sions, als de  overwin- onder Zijn volk te wonen, en over hen te regeeren. A l s
naar in den strijd, om Zich als Sions Vorst metterwoon een machtig veldheer trok Hij voor Zijn volk uit. ,En
te vestigen op den berg Zijner heiligheid !                toen Hij uittoog voor hen in de woestijn, daverde de
   Van dit heuglijke heilsfeit zong reeds de Kerk der aarde, en  dropen  de hemelen voor Zijn aangezicht.
oude bedeeling, toen het alles nog slechts in schaduw Voor Zijn  volk  bereidde  Hij de erfenis hun beloofd;
gezien werd:                                               de koningen, die daarin woonden, vertrooide  II.ij;
       Gods wagens, boven `t luchting zwerk,               en Hij nam Zijn woonplaats op Sion, die juist daardoor
       Zijn tien- en tienmaal  ,duizend  sterk,            ver verheven  is boven de bergen,  zelfs boven den bulti-
       Verdubbeld in getalen :                             gen Basan.
       Bij hen `is Zijne majesteit                            "Gij zijt opgevaren in de hoogte!"
       Een Sinai in heiligheid,                               Letterlijk, in den historischen zin, ziet dit  woord
    Omringd van  bliksemstralen.                           dan ook op de in bezit neming van den burcht der Jebu-
       Gij voert ten hemel op, vol. eer ;                  zieten. God  Wilde daar  wonen. De vijanden  hadden
       De kerker  werd Uw buit, o Heer ;                   den burcht in bezit. God toog op in de hoogte, nam de
       Gij zaagt Uw strijdt bekronen                       gevangenis gevangen, vestigde Zijne woning aldaar,
       Met gaveq tot der menschen troost  ;                om vandaar Zijn volk te zegenen, gaven uit de deelen
    Opdat zelfs `t wederhoorig kroost                      onder de menschenkinderen, en de wederhoorigen bij
       Altijd bij U zou  wonen.                            Zich te  doen  wonen!
                                                              `t Was, de vervulling der belofte.!
   Daarom ken, en kan nog diezelfde Kerkk, de vijan-          En tech was `t nog slechts een begin, eene schacluw
den tartend, zingen :                                      der      werkelijkheid.  .         "
       Dat Bazans  hemelhooge  berg                           Daarom verklaart dan ook de Heilige Geest in den
       Met al zijn heuvlen Sion terg,                      tifezerbrief  deze plaats in Psalm 68 als eindtelijk en
       En wane `t overtreffen;               '             ten principale  vervuld door de hemelvaart en verhoo-
       Wat springt-gij, bergen! trotsch omhoog?            ging van Christus.

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

            Toen, toen DDE discinelen den Heiland 
                               .                      zagen opge-    de Hooge nu ook bij den nederige Zijne woning kwam
     nomen van den Olijfberg, is Hij opgevaren in de hoogte. maken;  zoo, dat Hij, Die eeuwiglijk verheven is boven
            Toen is de belofte -eindelijk vervuld, en heeft de al de hemelen, nu ook indaalde in de benedenste deelen
     Konmg Israels Zijne plaats ingenomen op den berg der aarde ; zoo, dat de eeuwige God ook mensch werd,
     van Gods heiligheid, waartoe Hij van eeuwigheid is en zich aan de menschelijke natuur onafscheidelijk en
     verordineerd.                                                   persoonlijk verbond.
            Toen is Hij in Zijne overwinning ingegaan, de               Hij drpng den burcht binnen, waar Zijn  erfdeel
     gevangenis gevankelijk  wegvoerend.                             gevangen zat !
            En nu deelt Hij gaven uit "tot der menschen troost."        En daar bond Hij den strijd aan met de machten
            En woont zelfs' `t wederhoorig kroost bij Hem!           der duisternis. Neen, Hij kwam niet met duizenden en
            De belofte werd werkelijkheid !                          tienduizenden van engelen tot verlossing van Zijn volk.
            In den verhoogden Christus!                              De  strijd was, wat Hem betrof, geen  kwestie van
                                                                     macht.    Het was immers de burcht van zonde en dood,
                                                                     waarin Zijn volk gevangen  zat. En ofschoon Satan.
                                                                     het geweld des doods had, en in de sfeer des doods re-
            Toen Hij opvoer in de hoogte!                            geerde, tech was de verlossing Zijns volks een kwestie
            Heeft  IHij de gevangenis gevangen genomen!              van  recht, van de gerechtigheid Gods.  Aan die ge-
            Hij was immers Koning bij de gratie Gods! Voor `rechtigheid moest worden voldaan. En die gerechtig-
     de grondlegging der wereld was Hij gezalfd tot Koning heid Gods kon alleen voldaan worden  in den weg van
     op den berg Sions. God had tot Hem gezegd :. Eisch gehoorzaamheid, van gehoorzaamheid tot den dood, ja,
     van Mij, en 11~ zal de Heidenen geven tot Uw .erfdeel,          den dood' des kruises.
     en de einden der aarde tot Uwe bezitting." Een volk,               Dien weg bewandelde Hij, Immanuel, God met ons,
     een erfdeel,` nit alle volkeren  der aarde, had -Zijn God de Knecht des Heeren.
     Hem beloofd. Maar bovendien  ivas  Hij gesteld tot                 Daarom was Zijn  .weg een weg van nederdaling.  -
     eenen eerstgeboren Zoon over alle dingen, opdat- Hij ;Hij voerde naar de diepte. Hij daalde neder  uit de`
     als Hoofd der schepping  Gods, en als de .Knecht  des hoogte in Zijne vleeschwording.              Maar vanaf dat punt
     Heeren eeuwiglijk over alle dingen zou regeeren!                voerde Zijn weg, als weg der volkomene gehoorzaam-
            Maar dat erfdeel was gevangen'!                          heid, naar de diepte des doods en der hel. . . .
            In d.en eersten Adam was het gansche menschdom,             De nederste  deelen  der aarde !          _-
     en met dat menschdom ook het erfdeel van den Zone                  Maar Hij vaart weer op!
     Gods, gevallen in de macht der zonde en des doods.                 In de diepste diepten van Zijne ellende bleef Hij
r    Banden des doods  hjelden het omkneld. Er was een gehoorzaam. Den last van den toorn Gods droeg Hij
     schuld, die `door den mensch nooit te delgen was: Er gewilliglijk. Zijn  l,even  stortte  Hij uit in den dood,
     was eene overheersching van de macht der duisternis, als een offer der liefcle. In de gehoorzaamheid der
     die nooit te verbreken was. De schepping lag onder liefde ten einde toe daalde (Hij neder in die bange diep-
     den vloek. De wereld lag onder de heerschappij  van te, yaar Hem de bange kreet der verlatenheid van God
     den vorst der duisternis. Het erfdeel van den Christus          uit de borst werd geperst.  suit diepten van ellende
     zat gevangen in de burcht, waarover hij, die bet ge-            schreeuwde Hij tot God, Die -Hem uit de vreeze des
     weld des doods had, heerschappij voerde.                        doods ken verlossen. . . .                          \
            Die.burcht moet geslecht!          .                        En God verhoorde Hem!
            De gevangenis nioet gevangen genomen !                      Hij heeft Zijne ziel in de he1 niet verlaten. Uit de
            Uit  banden des doods en  der'  he1  meet.   )Hij, de dooden wekte Hij Zijnen Knecht op, IHem getuigenis
     Koning Israels, Zijn erfdeel  verlossen!                        gevend, dat Hij rechtvaardig is als het Hoofd der
            Daartoe daalde Hij eerst neder. Zoo verklaart de. Zijnen, dat het lijden en de tranlen,  die Hij ,Zijn God
     Schrift het woord uit den acht en zestigsten Psalm. had opgeofferd den Heere welbehagelijk waren, en dat
     "Nu dit : Hij is opgevaren ; wat is het dan dat -Hij ook Hij metterdaad volbracht had, en de Zijnen nit de ge-
     eerst is nedergedaald in de nederste deelen der aarde?" vangenis had verlost !
     Dat ligt daar immers in? Dat volgt daar immers uit ?               En zoo voer Hij op in de hoogte!
     Het woord-van  Psalm 68 slaat immers op God? Het                   Hij heeft de gevangenis gevangen genomen !
     was God, Die opvoer in de hoogte. Maar hoe zal God,                De sleutelen der he1 en des doods zijn in Zijne hand!
     Die in het hooge  en verhevene wobnt, 11~1 ooit opvaren,           Over de machten der duisternis, van Satan, zonde
     indien !Hij niet eerst nederdaalt in de nederste deelen         en dood, voert Hij thans heerschappij ! Hem zijn ze
     der aarde?                                                      onderworpen !
            In Christus daalde God Zelf neder !                         En zoo vaart Hij als overwinnaar ten .hemel 01) vol
            Hij daalde neder, niet zoo, dat Hij  werkelijk   de eer, om op den .Hem beloofden troon plaats te nemen,
     eeuwige hoogte Zijner Godhejd verliet, maar zoo, dat
                     :                                               en  vandaacr  Zijne  macht  uit  te oefenen, tot  de  vol-


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         387

   komene verlossing van Zijn erfdeel, en- tot de einde- verwaardigd worden  om deze gaven te ontvangen, ze
   lijke overwinning over alle Zijne vijanden!                 -- w.el metterdaad aan; en dat door het geloof ; maar clan
      Hij is opgevaren, Hij, Die eerst nedergedaald was! tech altijd zoo, dat de uitdeeling  aan de  aanneming.
      De strijd is beslist ; de overwinning is behaald ! 0.        voorsf gaat, en dat ook de aanneming siechts  mogelijk
      De belofte is vervuld!                                       is  doordat   Christus eerst  ~begon  Zijne gaven uit te
                                                                   deeien.
      Hij is opgevaren !                                              iHij deelt ze uit.
      Met rijken buit beladen !                                       En dat we1 naar den regel der Goddelijke verkie-
     Gezegend zij de God en Vader van onzen :Heere  Jezus zing. Want altijd doet Christus den wil des Vadecs,
   Christus, Die ons gezegend heeft met alle geestelijke ook in Zijne verhooging. En het is de wil des Vaders,
   zegening in dlen hemel  in Christus. . . . .                    dat al wat Hij den Christus gegeven heeft, niet ver-
      Want Hij heeft den menschen gaven gegeven.                   loren ga, maar ten einde toe behouden worde.
      Zoo schrijft de apostel, verklarende het woord van              Hij deelt ze uit.
   den acht en zestigsten psalm, zooals het in de nieuwe              Want  -haartoe  is Hij verhoogd  ,en heeft Hij alle
  bedeeling in vervulling ging. Daar, in den Psalm staat macht ontvangen in hemel en op -aarde.
  het  we1 eenigszins anders.  Daar  tech lezen we: "Gij             En, aan de rechterhand Gods verhoogd zijnde, heeft
hebt gaven genomen, om uit de deelen  onder de men- Hij, onze hemelsche iHeere,  den Geest ontvangen, Hem
s c h e n . " Verschil  maakt dit  echter  ,niet. Yeeleer  vult. door den Vader beloofd.
   het eene het andere aan. Immers heeft Christus een                 Hij is de levendmakende  Geest geworden..
   strijd gestreden, en in dien strijd is iHij volkomen  over-.       Opdat Hij. ons met Zijne zegeningen vervullen zou!
  winnaar. En nu Hij als overwinnaar ten hemel  op-`                  0, rijke Heiland,!
  vaart, neemt Hij den buit, dien Hij. in dien strijd be-
  haalde, met zich mee naar de hoogte. Echter  behaalde
   Hij dien buit niet voor Zichzelven, maar voor de Zijn'en;          Opgevaren in de hoogte !
   om uit de deelen  onder de menschen. Zoo is de voorstel-           Boven alle hemelen !
  ling in Psalm 6s. Maar toen de apostel zijn brief ,aan              Qpdat Hij alle dingen vervullen zou!
- de Efezen schreef,  was ook die uitdeelipg reeds w,erke-            Want zoo zal het einde zijn: Christus zal ten slotte
   lijk geworden.  Vandaar :  "en heeft den menschen alle dingen in hemel en op aarde vervullen. En daar-
   gaven gegeven."                                                 toe, omdat einddoel te bereiken, om dat welbehagen
      Gaven der genade !                                           Gods te  verwerkelijken,  is  lHij verhoogd boven alle
      De volheid des heils!                                        hemelen, staat Hij, als de Koning Sidns aan -de spitse
      Want Hij heeft door Zijne vernedering in de neder- aller  dingen, en Zijn Hem ook thans  alle  dingen in
   ste deelen  der aarde alles verworven, wat noodig is, om hemel en op aarde onderworpen..
  Zijn erfdeel te verlossen uit de macht der zonde, en op             Zeker, in beginsel vervult Hij oak thans alle dingen.
  te voeren tot de hoogte der hemelsche heerlijkheid-in               Want Hij woont, door Zijnen Geest, in Zijne Kerk,
   den tabernakel  Gods bij de menschen. Gaven deelt iHij die Zijn lichaam is, de vervulling Desgenen, Die alles'
   uit  aan de Zijnen van verzoening en vergeving der in allen vervult. Op den Pinksterdag keerde Hij, de
   zonde, van gerechtigheid en het kindschap Gods, van verhoogde  Hbeiland  tot de Zijnen weer, en werden zij
  wedergeboorte en .., heiligmaking, van geloof en lief de, allen vervuld met -den Heiligen Geest. En Hij regeert
   van kennis en -wijsheid, van blijdschap in God en `de. met macht ook over all;! dingen. De gevangenis heeft
  levende hope; gaven ook voor Zijne Kerk op aarde in Hij gevangen genomen. De  machten  der duisternis,
  `den bijzonderen zin, van leering en vermaning en ver- hoe ze ook woeden, .zijn Hem tech onderworpen, en ook
  troosting,  van regeering en opzicht en uitdeeling. Hij zij worden  door Hem gebruikt tot vervulling van den
  is de rijke Christus, Die Zijn gemeente verrijkt en be- raad'des Vaders.
  waart,  beschermt  en regeert, en het eeuwige leven                 Doch het einde is nog niet.      ~    -
  s c h e n k t .                                                     Dat lHij alle dingen vervult, is nog niet openbaar
      Deze gaven zijn Zijn buit.                                   geworden.
   .' Want om ze te verwerven heeft Hij den strijd ge-              De vijand, schoon volkomen  in de macht van Chris-
  streden ten einde toe, en de overwinning behaalt.                tus, en door Hem geregeerd, woedt nog. En de laatste
      En Hij deelt ze uit.                                         vijand is nog niet teniet gedaan, schoon oak Hij Chris-
      Het is immers in, den grand der zaak niet zoo met tus moet dienen.
  deze geestelijke gaven, hat ze door Hem den menschen                Doch straks maakt Hij alle dingen nieuw ! En dan
  T:  orden aangeboden,  maar het  nu, voorts  aan den zal Hij alle dingen vervullen met Zijne heerlijkheid!
  mensch ligt of hij ze zal ontvangen dan we1 zal weige-              Tot heerlijkheid des Vaders !
  ren urn ze in ontvangst te nemen. Zoo staat het met                 Kom, Heere Jezus !
  geestelijke gaven  nimmer. Want  we1 nemen zij, die                                                            H .   H .


  388                                                                                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D , .   B E A R E R   _

                                           The  -Standard  Bearer                                                                                                                                    E.-D I T 0 R I A L S
                         Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August
                                                                               Published by
                                  The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                                                1463 Ardmore St., S. E.                                                                    -
                                                      EDITOR - Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                         The New Modernism,,  by Dr. C. Van Til.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing
      Contributing Editors:-Rev.  G.  M.  Opboff,  Rev. G.  Vos? Rev.-
     R. Veldman, .Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. .B. Kok,                                                                                                                                       Company, ,525 Locust St., Philadelphia,
      Rev. J. D. De Jong, Rev. A. Petter, Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                                                                        Pa. March 1946. Price $3.75.
     Vermeer, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. J. A. Hceys,                                                                                                                          This is not a book for the general reading public.
     Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                    But to those that are interested in the study of the
           Communications `relative- to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                    Theology of Chrisis, we recommend the reading of this
    to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 `Franklin St., S. E., Grand
    Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                   work by Dr. Van Til. It can hardly be meant as an
                                                                                                                                                                                        introduction to the Barthian Theology,. for the book
           Qommunications  relative to subscription should be addressed
     to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 1463 Ardmore St.; S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                         rather presupposes a. measure of acquaintance with
    Michigan. All Announcements, and Obituaries must be sent                                                                                                                            Barthian conceptions and terminology; and, besides,
    to the above address arid will not be placed unless th,e regular                                                                                                                    this criticism of Barth should itself be read critically,
    fte of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                                i.e. the reader should be able to compare Dr. Van Til's
                                          (Subscription price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                           evaluation of Dr. Barth with the latter's own writings.
    Entered as Second Class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                             But the student of the Theology of `Crisis can hardly
                                                                                                                                                                                        afford to ignore this thorough criticism. In any lib-.
                                                                                                                                                                                        rary containing the works of Barth and Brunner, and
                                                                                                                                                                                        of the many works that have been written about their
                                                                           CONTENTS                                                                                                     theology, the  .work of Dr. Van Til should have a
                                                                                                                                           \                            *               place.
 MEDUI'ATION   -                                                                                                                                                                           There is, perhaps, no theologian of modern times
 KONINKLIJKE  OPVAART . . . . . . :...: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385                                               that enjoys, or suffers from, if you like, a more widely
                                                                                                                                                                                        different and contradictory appraisal and criticism
             Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                           than Karl Barth. Modernists have hailed him as a
                                                                                                                                                                                        new and most brilliant expositor of their views  ;
 EDITORIALS -                                                                                                                                                                           and modernists have condemned him as one who, in
 a4S  TO BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  385 modern terms, camouflages an orthodox and long
 EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM . . . . . ...391                                                                                                                                obsolete theology.     Orthodox theologians appraised
- Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                      him as a defender of the true faith, as one who puts
                                                                                                                                                                                        the old truths in a new light. Reformed theologians
                                                                                                                                                                                        hailed him as a Calvinist. And other Reformed theo-
 THE WAR  OF  INNO.CENT  III AGAINST THE  CATHARL.394                                                                                                                                   logians condemn his theology as a camouflaged mod-
 ISRAEL SMITTEN BEFORE THE PHILISTINES . . . . . . . . . .:...397                                                                                                                       ernism. To these latter critics belongs Dr. Van Til.
             Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                          His book is a sweeping condemnation of  Barthian
                                                                                                                                                                                        theology.
 U;T DEN TREURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . ~ . . . . . I.4399                           The book is, evidently, the fruit of thorough study.
                                                                                                                                                                                        It is a scholarly -work. It is evident that the author
             Rev.  G. Vos                                                                                                                                                               quite thoroughly examined the works of Barth. More-
                                                                                                                                                                                        over, in the way of a. historical-critical study of
 TO THE UTMOST OF YOUR POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402                                                                              Barthian theology, he made a serious attempt to syn-
            `Rev. 5. A. Heps                                                                                                                                                            thesize its various elements into one conception. That
                                                                                                                                                                                        conception is expressed in "The New Modernism."
 FROM HOLY  .WRIT . . . . ...*..... ** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404                                 In fourteen chapters, the author describes the
             Rev. G. Lubbers                                                                                                                                                            background of -what he calls "the new modernism" in
                                                                                                                                                                                        Kant's criticism, and the earlier and later dialecticism  ;
 PERISCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
                                                                                                                                                                                407     presents the views of Barth and ,Brunner up to the
                                                                                                                                                                                        time of their separation in 1927, as well as their later
             R e v .   M .   Gritters                                                                                                                                                   development; and sets forth the significance of their
                                                                                                                                                                                        theology with a view to its application to the Chris-


           _                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          389

tian church, the Christian life, and the Christian ever approaching,  but never reaching with our rational-
  hope.                                                     izing efforts. To think thus is, for Barth, to think
     The conclusion which the author reaches in his eschatologically.". pp. -373, 374.
  study of the Theology of C&sis may b,e presented in          Afid so, finally, Dr. Van Til calls upon evangelical
 his own words:                                             Christianity, but especially upon the believers of the
     "The Theology of Crisis, with which we have been Reformed Faith, to ""recognize in the  Theplogy  of
  concerned, has shown itself' in all  fundamemt.& re- Crisis a mortal enemy." The Reformed faith, with
  spects to be the same as the Modernism of Schleier-       its emphasis upon the truth of predestination imply-
  macher and his school. Barth and Brunner have what ing "the cotermineity of being and consciousness of-
 is, basically, the same sort of view of reality. and God as He exists in Himself, apart ,from all activity
 knowledge as marks the wo&s ,of Schleiermacher or of. the consciousness of the human mind," stands dir-
  Ritsehl. Fundamental to' everything they say` about ectly and sharply opposed  td the principles of the
  individual doctrines is the fact that they have, through- "New Modernism". To quote the author once more:
  out and with vigor, cast alGay as a filthy garinent that "`But those who maintain the doctrine of election
 on which everfihing in the field of historic Christianity and maintain it not only for itself  ,but, most of all,
 rests, the notion of the self-contained or absolute God. as the apex of the Christian motif per se literally have
 Against modern Protestantism, Barth contends that all to lose if the Theology of #Crisis is not repulsed in
 man .needs an absolutely other God. But the absolute its glacial descent upon the church of Christ in our
  otherness, or transcendence, of the God of Barth con- day." p. 377.
  sists in nothing more than a certain irrational aspect       Dr. Van Til here meets a possible objection. Does
 of Reality. Barth would gake rationality even more not Barth himself teach the doctrine. of election, and
 formal and abstract than Modernism has made it,                                                              .
                                                            even emphasize the truth of predestination in Its ex:
and he would make the concept of pure Chance even treme form, that of supralapsarianism? To this he
 more basic than Modernism has made it. Following replies : "Barth is not a partieularist in the historic
 this, he would make all the concepts  of theology still sense  -of the term. He believes in election and he be-
 more deeply correlative to the mind of man than Mod- lieves in reprobation. But for him this belief is not
  ernism has conceived of them"; . . . pp. 371-372.         only consistent with, but requires for its very meaning,
     He points out how Barth's critical theory ."makes the idea of the universal salvation of -all men. Election
 him reject the orthodox doctrine of tempdral creation, and reprobation are part of the process of God and
  creation  ex  ni.kilo. Adopting this doctrine in words, man as together they come into existence. Or, rather,
 as he adopts all the doctrines of historic Christianity ,the idea of election is for Barth identical with the
 in words, he denies it in fact"; how "Barth's phenom- notion that men do not in the full sense bf the word
  enal&t doctrine of God makes him reject also the his- exisi as  rtien till they have  reaches the pinnacle of
 toric Christian doctrine of providence" ; how "involved what they can think as rational and moral.                The
 in the rejection of historic Christian doctrine of provi- election doctrine for both of the crisis theologians indi-
  dence is  the rejection of the  ,Christian doctrine of cates ~merely that the human person, -in. the nature of -
 natural law" ; and how, "`it follows, of course, that the the case, must set-absolute ideals for himself and that
  Christian conception of miracle is also cast aside. he must seek to identify himself in all his striving with
 Miracles for Barth and Brunner are what they'are for those ideals." p. 377.
 the modern scientist. or philosopher, certain strange         And the author warns espe'cially  against the dan-
 phenomena erupting here and there because man has ger that orthodox Christians should- be deceived- by
 not completely learned to harness the forces of Chance. the camouflaged modernism of the Theology of Crisis :
 Peter's walking on the water is nothing unique, it is         `"It is in the interest of plain intellectual honesty,
 not som&hing  that has to do with the comprehensive then, that the theology of Crisis should be seen for
 and absolute plan of redemption, fixed upon from what it is. Both the liberal and the believer in historic
 times eternal. Peter's walking on the water is merely Christianity should know who is friend and who is
 a symbol of the fact that all men everywhere are in free. The Theology of Crisis-is a friend of modernism
 distress in a universe in which ultimate Chance has and a foe of historic Christianity. . . . The danger
 a large part to play. The resurrection of Christ is is rather that orthodox Christians, in spite of much
 unique, but unique because it is inclusive of all real- experience with camouflage, will once more permit
 ity. . . . Hence, too, -the miracles of the consumma- the wolf to enter their home and- that to their own
 tion period of history are but symbols of the fact man destruction." `pp. 377, 378.
 is resolved to go on, through the worst that Chance
 can do, to higher and still higher heights.' The whole
 idea of the supernatural is reduced to mean merely            It was, originally my purpose, in this review, to
 that ultimate of irrationality which we as men are         offer a careful criticism of Dr. Van Til's book. This,

                                                                                                         d


 390                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAkER

 however, would require a detailed comparisoli of the presents election and reprobation: as having reference
 author's evaluation of Barth with the references to to the relation of the same- persons to God, and not
 the latter's works that are found abundantly at the to a divine distinction between different persons.
 bottom of the pages. This would have been !edsi& if "Sic ,`( predestination, H.IH.) scheidet nicht zwisschen
 literal quotations, rather than mere references, from diesen  und jenen Menschen, sondern sie ist ihre tiefste
 Barth had been- offered. As it is, especially since I           Gemeinschaft. Ihr gegentiber. stehen sie alle in einer
 have a later edition of "Die Kirchiiche Dogmatiek," Linie.. Ihr  gegeniiber  ist Jakob in jedem Augenblick
 which renders the many  re$erences  to this work of der Zeit such Esau, ist Esau im ewigen Augenblick
 Barth in Dr. Van Til's book practically useless, it der Offenbarung  such Jakob. Jakob ist der  uizan-
 would require more time than I have at present to sehauliche Esau, Esau der anschauliche Jakob." Der
 carry out my original purpose. Hence,. I decided, at Rijmerbrief, Miinehen 1929, p. 332.
 this time, mer"ely to acknowledge receipt of the book,                But it is equally well known to students of Barth
 pay my -respects to the author `for his labors, and that he presents a different view in his "Die Kirehliche
 recolllmend  the.work to all that are interested in the Dogmatiek." There he speaks of the twofold effect of
 study of Barthian theology.                                     the efficacious Word of God, and finds the source of
        However, even now I cannot refrain from offering this illuminating and blinding effect of the Word in
 a few critical remarks.                                         God's sovereign predestination. "Dass est Entschei-
        First of all, in my bpinion, an appendix containing ding ulld also Wahl ist, das ist der innere Grund dieser
 rather elaborate quotations from the works of Barth doppelten Miiglichkeit. Mtissen wir einen`Grund  dieser
 (and Brunner) would raise the value of the book Wahl wissen, eine  Rechtfertigung   ,Gottes  wegen der
 considerably.                                                   Freiheit, dik er an sich nimmt und hat, indem er zum
                                                                 Menschen redet, jetzt urn ihn anzunehmen, jetzt urn
        Secondly, it is quite clear that no Reformed theo- ihn zu verwerfen, diesen mit seifisen Licht zu erleuch-
logian who sees Barth as Dr. -Van Til sees him' could ten, diesen mit demselben Licht zu blenden, also diesen
 possibly come to another conclusion than the author- als Petrus,  diesen als Judas 
 of "The  New Modernism."                                                                           ZLI  behandeln?       Zur
                                                                 Rechtfertigung geniigt hier wie bei dem hier sichtibar
        Thirdly, let it be said, for fear lest some one pro- wierdenden Dogma der Prgdestination  iiberhapt : die
 vides me with a night's lodging in the same bed with im Worte fallende Entscheidung ist Gottes, tind darum
`Barth,  that no Reformed theologian, in  tiy judgment, ist sie gerechte und gute Entseheidung." Dogmatiek I,
 can be a Barthian. Think, e.g. of his conception of the Miinchen 1932, p. 165.
 .Word of God, the Scriptures, his definition of dog-                  I could, without a' careful cheek-up mention other
 matics, his esehatological  views.                              points in tihich, in my opinion, the author misrepre-
        Fourthly, however, I do not believe that "The New sents Barth. He writes, for instance, on page 159,.
kodernism" offers a fair and objective presentation representing Barth's view on man's receiving the Word
 of the theology of Karl Barth. As I read the book, I of God: "And as God, to reveal Himself to man in the
 could not escape the `impression that the  mouid  of Son, had to become exhaustively man, so now inan, if
 "new modernism" was rather preconceived, and that he `is to know God, must become ezxhaustively divine.
 the author's synthesis of Barth was formed according- As God, the great Subject had, to reveal iHimself,  to be
 ly. If I try to conceive of Barth as a modernist pure SO truly God as to be more than God, namely man, so
 and simple, too many elements of his theology will not man, the mere object, to receive the r&elation of God,
 fit into that concept. Besides, despite Dr. Van Til's has to be more than man, namely God. God can be
 contention to the contrary, I still believe that one must known by God only."
 distinguish between the earlier and the latter Barth.                 As was said, Dr. Van Til has an earlier edition of
        To substantiate this criticism, let me, call attention the "Dogmatiek" than I, which makes it very difficult
 to just one important point, Barth's view on pre- for me to check up on his references. But I do not
 destination.      In regard to this point of  ddctrine, I believe that he `could quote Barth to substantiate the
 believe: 1. That Dr. Barth changed his view since above' statement concerning his views.
 he wrote the'Epistle to the Romans Commentary; and                    With all respect for the author's work, and for his
 2. That Dr. Van Til does him an injustice when he warning against the Theology of Crisis as he sees it,
 writes : "The election db`&rine for `both of the. crisis I still maintain that the book fails to do justice to
 theologians indicates -merely that the human person, Barth.
 in the nature of the case, must set absolute ideals for
 himself and that he must seek to identify himself in                  It would be interesting to get Barth's own reaction
 all his striving with those ideals."                            tb the book.
        It  is  well  known  that Barth in "Der  Rijmerbrief"                                                   H.  H,
                                                                  -                               --,.


                                           THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             391

                                                                   ness rather than light, because their deeds were .evil" ;
         THE  TRIPLE  KNOWLiZDGE                                   and that, therefore, "he that believeth not is condemn-
                                                                   ed already, because he hath not believed on the name
                                                                   of the only begotten Son of God." John 3 :18, 19. But-
       An Exbosition Of The Heidelberg this can only mean that, through the coming of the
                                                                   Son of God in the world; and His rejection by men, the
                           C a t e c h i s m                       sin of the world is. clearly manifested as sin.`~ Even
                                                                   before and apart from the coming of Christ, however,
                              Part T&o.                            the whole world lies in sin, and under condemnation,.
                        Of Man's Redemption                        .in the first man Adam.
                                                                      ` Nor is it to be maintained, in the light of Scrip-
                         LORD'S DAY XIX                            ture, that only the ungodly will be brought into judg-
                                   4            :                  ment, as is the contention of others. This would be
                     The Final Judgment. (c&t.).                   correct, if the purpose of the final judgment were
                                                                   only the eondemnation of the wicked. But this is not
       .This also implies that the final judgment will take the case. As has been said, the chief purpose of this
      place through the Spirit of Christ. This already fol- closing judgment will be the theodicy, the justification
      lows  from the, fact that all the works of God are of of God as- the righteous .Judge of heaven and earth.
      the Father, through the Son, and in or by the ,Spirit.       And this will be revealed, not only in the condemnation
      And if the judgment is to be accomplished by Christ, of .the ungodly, but also in the public justification of
      as the visible Representative of the invisible God, it the righteous in Christ.           .
      must be the Spirit of Christ through Whom th!e ver-              The Word of God plainly teaches that the whole
      ,dict is bound `undeniably upon the consciences of men. world, all God's moral creatures, shall be brought into
      Besides, tJ$us the Scriptures teach us directly. Even the judgment of that final day. It concerns the angels,
      now, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Whom Christ both good and bad, for also the good angels must be
      promised to send after iHis departure, has come. And publicly justified, and the fallen angels still await their
      of `Him it was said : "he will reprove `the world of sin,    final judgment and punishment.  - Thk apostle writes to
      of  `rightedusness;  and'of judgment. Of sin, because the church of Corinth: "Know ye not that we shall
      they believe not on me ; of righteousness, because I         judge angels? how much more things that pertain to
      go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, this life." -1  Cor.~ 6  :3. The angels that sinned are
      because the prince of this world is jL1dge.d." John 16: "delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto
      8-11. By the Word and in the  .Spirit  of Christ, the judgment.`.' II Pet. 2 :4. And again : "the angels which
     ~-world is even  now  *ju'dged, either unto  li?e or  death,- kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
      unto salvation or damnation. And thus it  wiil  also he bath reserved in `everlasting ,chains mlder darkness
      be in the day of the revelation of God's righteous judg-- unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6. Then,
      ment, by which the history "of the present world will too, the final judgment will summon all nations-before
      be brought to a close.  -                                    the judgment seat of Christ, and there they shall at
          And this judgment will concern all moral creatures, once be separated into the right,eous and the wicked.
      angels and men,' the righteous and the wicked, small This is the plain teaching of Matt. 25 :32ff. And that
      arid great.                                                  the people of God are' not excluded from this last
          This is often denied.                                    judgment is definitely taught in such passages as Rom.
          Especially under Pelagian influence, always indi- 14 : 10 : "But why dost thou judge thy brother, or why
      vidualistic, it is claimed that on!y-those can be brought dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all
      into judgment that have been in contact with the stand  before the judgment seat of Christ." And II Cor.
      gospel, and had the opportunity to accept or to re-          5:lO: "For we must all appear before the judgment
      ject  ,Christ. All others, heathen and small children, seat of Christ; that every one may reckive the things
      must  b,e  exizluded. But, as already stated, this view .done  in his body, according to that he hath done,
      is individualistic. Scripture always proceeds from the whether it be good or bad."
      organic idea. The  "world)' is to be  jitdged. And the           In this connection we may mention that it is, to
      sin. of the "world" and not of a few individuals, has say the least, worthy of consideration, whether' the
      already been revealed through the &ucifixion  of the person of Satan, and the persons of the  anti-Christ
      Son of God. Besides, this view is based on the erron- and of the false prophet are not to be excluded from
      eous supposition that olre -can be brought into judg- -this general appearance before the tribunal of Christ,
,     ment and coildemned only because of his' rejection of that is, whether  their `iniquity tvill not be so great,
      the Christ. It is true that "this is thte condemnation, and their worthiness of damnation- so evident, that
      that light is Come into the world, and men loved dark-       they will be cast into hell without any formal process

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

      of judgment. It is, at least, striking that we read in for his sake, `and who has removed all curse from him,
      Rev. 19 :20: "And the beast was taken, and with him to' come as judge from haeaven. Indeed, also the sins
     the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, of the people of God shall be exposed, but only in the
      with which  lie deceived  tliem.that had the mark of light of the everlasting love of God, wherewith He
      the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These loved them in Christ. Also they shall see their sins,
      both were cast cLZive into a lake of fire burning with shall see them as never before, but only to adore all
      brimstone." And again in Rev.  20:10, before the the more the perfect righteousness of God in Christ,'
      vision of the final judgment, we read: "And the devil whereby they are justified forever. They shall see
      that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and their sins, but only as blotted out in the blood of the
      brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, Lamb. Because of Christ, and because of their living
      and shall be tormented day and night for ever and part with Him, they shall have no fear in the day of
      ever."                                                       judgment. Even in respect to their own sins, they
             As to the judgment itself, Scripture teaches that it shall be of God's party in that day, take His side in the
      shall be according to the works of those that are judged. condemnation of ali iniquity, even their own ; only to
      For the Lord .comes quickly, -and his reward will be cling in the perfect consciousness of faith to Christ,
      with him, "to give every man according as his work and to adore forever the wondrous grace whereby they
.     will be." Rev. 22 :12. And when we appear before the have been redeemed from so great a darkness of death,
      judgment seat of `Christ, it will be in order that and become worthy of eternal life and glory !
      "everyone may receive the things done in his body,              And the end will be the perfect theodicy .
      whether it be good or evil." II Cor. 5 :lO. "For there          All will acknowledge that God is good. The damned
      is no respect of persons with God. For as many as            in hell will forever have to confess that their damna-
      have sinned without law shall also perish without law : tion is just.
      and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged            The saved in glory will everlastingly behold them,
      by the. law. For not the hearers of. the law are just selves in Christ, and boast in God's wondrous grace
      before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." only.
      Rom. 2 51-13.                                                  No flesh shall ever glory in iHis presence !
             These works include, not only the outward deeds,
      but also the inner thoughts, desires, purposes, motives.
      We shall be made manifest, that is, we shall be turned
inside out, and our works shall be evaluated in the                                   LORD' DAY XX
      light of God's perfect law. The secrets of men shall                     Q. 53. What dost thou believe  concernimg  the
      be exposed in their true value. Nothing shall be hid.                  Holy Ghost?
      Our personal works, in connection with OLW talents                       A.  Fin& that he is true and co-eternal God with
      and powers, with our position in the world, with the                   .the Father and the Son; secondly, that he is also
      age in which we lived, and with our circumstances and                  given me,  to make me by a true faith, partaker of
      means, as well as with relation to the light of revela-                Christ and all his benefits, that he may comfort me
      tion we possessed, will then be'manifest in their proper               and abide with  Ime for ever.
     meaning and ethical worth. It will be more tolerable
      for Tyre and Sidon than for Capernaum,  Chorazin,                                         1. .
      and Bethsaida, in that day. There is nothing hid that                          The Spirit Of God.
      will not be made public in the day of the Lord!                  In this Lord's Day, the Heidelberg Catechism be-
             Nor can one possibly maintain, in the light of gins the discussion of the third part of the Apostolic
      Scripture, that this universal and complete exposure Confession.
      and manifestation of all our works must exclude the              The first part dealt with the truth concerning
      sins of the people of God. Scripture is far too explicit "God the Father and our creation," the truth that is
      on this point to leave any room for doubt. It is exactly confessed by the Church in the first article of the
      of believers that the apostle writes in  II  Cor.  5 :lO; Apostolicurn. The second part concerned the truth
      that we must all be made manifest before the judgment of  `(God the Son and our redemption," and  mcludes
      seat of Christ. In fact, we may well accept that in articles two to seven of the Confession. The third
      that day we shall` see our sins as we never saw them part sets forth the truth concerning the Holy Ghost
      before. Only, it must never be forgotten, that, in that and  our sanctification," as it is expressed in articles
      day,  ,Christ, and our belonging to Him, will be our eight to the end of the catholic confession of faith.
      only, but also our perfect comfort. The Catechism de-            Strictly speaking, as the connection of this article
      clares that the b,eliever looks for that day "with up- with the preceding part of the Confession, and its
      lifted head," and that, exactly, because he looks "for position in the whole of the Apostoliczcm, plainly indi-
      the very same person, who before offered. himself" cate, we are. n& now dealing with the problem> of the
                                                                                                              -


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D         B E A R E R                                   393

 Trinity, nor of the Holy Spirit as Third Person in And it would be quite contrary to the experience of
 the Holy Trinity, but of that Spirit as the Spirit of the Church to attribute this faith to man. She knows
  Christ, and in relation to the work of salvation. Thus fnll well that also this faith, whereby she lays hold
 also the Catechism considers this truth, as is evident upon all' the blessings of salvation, and. embraces
 from the second part of its answer in this Lord's Day: Christ, is not of herself, but `belongs to the marvellous
 "that he is also given me, to make me by a true faith, work of grace and salvation that is accomplished by
 `partaker of Christ and all his benefits, that he may G,od alone.
 comfort me and abide with me for ever."                        And so, in her Confession; the Church continues to
     The question, namely, arises here: how do.we be- speak of God !
 come partakers of *.the salvation Christ merited and           In answer to the question, how a si_nner, that is in
 obtained for us?                                            himself  :dead  through trespasses and sins, becomes
     Thus far, in its explanation of articles two to seven partaker of Christ and all His `benefits, the Church
 of the Confession, the Catechism expounded the truth confesses : "I believe in the Holy Ghost."
 concerning Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son  of. God,       We are, therefore, in this connection, <especially to
 our Lord, Who, through the conception by the iHoly speak of the Holy Ghost from the viewpoint of iHis
 Ghost and His birth from the'virgin Mary, became like being the Spirit of Christ, in and through Whom
 unto us in all things, sin excepted  ; Who suffered under Christ continues His work, gathers His own, makes
 Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, and them partakers of all His benefits, preserves them,
 descended into' hell; Who-was raised from the dead, -and leads them on to everlasting glory.
 ascended to heaven, sits at the, right hand of .God,        2 Nevertheless, even as the confession concerning
 `and will come to judge both the quick and the dead. Jesus Christ began by emphasizing that He is the
 That is, the Christ .of the Scriptures as the fulness of only begotten Son, so also must begin our confession
 our salvation was set forth. He merited for us all the concerning the Holy Ghost, by setting forth Who and
 blessings of grace, forgiveness; righteousness,. the what He is in !Himself,  as the third P,erson of the Holy
 adoption unto children, life from the dead. And these Trinity, in relation to the Father, and to the Son;
 benefits are in Him-                                        And although the Catechism. is exceptionally. brief in
     And how are these benefits to come into our pos-        its exposition of this doctrine, it nevertheless mentions
 session?                                                    all the essential elements of the truth concerning the
     Many in our superficial age would, perhaps, in this Holy Spirit in the words : "that he is  .true  -and co-
 connection begin `to speak of -the work of man. God eternal God with the Father and the Son."
 in Christ has now done all He could to save us. All            Three elements must be emphasized in this con-
 things are now ready. Moreover, the gospel is preach- nection.
 ed to all the world, and in the preaching of the gospel        The first is that the Holy Spirit is God, co-equal
 a Christ-for-all is presented, a well-meaning offer of with the Father and the Son. Even as the Father and.
 grace and salvation on the part of ,God to all men comes as the Son, so also the  /Holy Ghost subsists in the
 to  thse sinner. Now it is up to man. He must accept divine essence. All the divine attributes of self-exist-
 the offer. On his willingness to receive Christ and         ence,- independence, eternity, infinitude, immutability,
 all His benefits the salvation of the sinner henceforth simplicity, omniscience, and omnipotence, belong to
 depends. In the light of such preaching it would seem Him, as well as to the Father and to the Son. It is
 that, after the articles of the Confession that delineate not superfluous to make special mention of this truth.
 the truth concerning `Christ and our objectively pre- We are, perhaps, easily inclined to ascribe to the Holy
 pared salvation, it should have continued in some such Spirit a subordinate position. That the Father is God
 fashion as this : "I believe in the ability of all men is never a question with  LE.          He is the Almighty,
 to, accept this Christ, or to reject iH:im, and thus to     Creator of all things in heaven and on earth. That
 determine their own salvation."                             the Son is co-equal with the Father we also have little
     But the Church could never give expression of her difficulty to believe and to maintain. He is our mighty
 faith in this way.                                          redeemer that overcame sin and death for us. But
     For, first of all, her confession is derived from and does not the Holy Spirit seem to occupy a position of
 based on the Holy Scriptures; and according to it,          inferiority, in subordination to' the  Father  and the
salvation is the work of  ,God from  .beginning  to end,     Son? Does not the Bible speak of Him as a means, or
 never and in no sense of man. By grace are ye saved, an instrument, by Whom God works all things? And
 through faith, and that not of yourselves-: it is the is not an instrument inferior to Him that employs it?
 gift of God! The Church, whose chief business it is to It is, therefore, not superfluous to remind ourselves
 preach the Word, could never attribute -the work of that also the third `Pierson of the IHoly-Trinity  is very
 God to man. It, therefore, speaks of God throughout. God, not subordinate to, but co-equal with the Father
    Secondly, her Confession is a confession of faith.       zqij tile Son,                               .-

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

       Such is the plain teaching Gf Holy Writ.             garbed in the vesture of the truth. And the lie struck
       He is called  *God. To Ananias the apostle Peter root. The heretical bodies multiplied and numbered
says : "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thin& heart to their thousands. There .were in all nineteen gnostic
lie to the Holy  C+h&t? . . .  .thou hast not lieh unto schools of thought, and the heretics were named after
men, but unto God." The direct implication of these their leaders of the special schools to which they be'-
words is that the `Holy Ghost is God. That He, and not longed. Gnosticism, being the successor of  Neo-
the Father or the Son, is especially mentioned in this Platonism, derived, as did Neo-Platonism, its materials
connection, is probably due to the fact, that the deceit from all the existing religions, pagan and Christian
of Ananias  -and his wife was directed against the alike. `From all these it gathers everything that could
Church in which the Holy  Spirit made His abode. be of use to it. Thus it was more comprehensive than
The same applies to I Cor. 3 :16, 1'7: "Know ye not Neo-Platonism.               The latter was hostile to Chrisitanity
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of arid therefore spurned the Scriptures. But not so
God dwelleth in you ? If any man defile the temple Gnosticism.             It took from the Scriptures whatever
of God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple of God it could use. It was the most comprehensive form of
-is  h&y, which temple' ye are." The implication of speculative syncretism known in history,-syncro*ism
these words, .with respect to the divinity of the Holy from the Greek syncretixein meaning to combine, unite.
Spirit, is plain. To say that the Church is the temple Gnosticism was thus a union and development of tenets,
of the Holy Spirit is the same as saying that God beliefs, and rites from all the existing religions-pagan
dwells in the Church, and this is again the same as and christian;which it aimed to displace. It was an
saying that the Holy Spirit dwells in her, for the infusing of paganism into Christianity and thus a
Spirit is God.                                              paganizing of Christianity.
       Besides, all that is ascribed to the Holy Spirit        Gnosticism gradually lost its influence after the
proceeds from the truth that He is very God, co-equal middle of the third century, A.D. circa 250; but it was
with the Father and  th@ Son.                               .revived  at the close of that century by a highborn
       Together with the Father and the Son, He is the Persian, .Marii by name, who gave to the system its
Author of God's eternal counsel and good pleasure name, hence Manicheism. In the point of view of the
With regard to all  things in time. For  "who hath great number of adherents it gained,  IliIanicheism
directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselior    ranked with ,Christianity,  which had to wage with it a .
hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and long conflict. Unlike the Gnostics of former days,
who instructed him, and taught him in the. path of the Manicheists organized congregations. Manicheism
judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him therefore was m&e than a school; it was a church in
the way of understanding? Isa. 40 :13, 14.                  the formal sense and as  such a formidable rival of
                                               H.  IE.      organized Christianity.
                                                               1; every point of view, Manicheism was. the crown-
                                                            ing achievement. of darkness. Its `pagan gnosis was
                                                            ahnost complete. It retained all the mythologies of
                                                            the old pagan Semitic religions of nature and trans-
           THROUGH THE AGES                                 formed them into doctrines but abolished. all their
                                                            immoral  cultus and substituted instead a spiritual
                                                            worship and a strict morality. It offered further
  The War of `Innocent III'Against redemption (by man's own efforts), revelation, and
                                                            life everlasting.
                  T h e   Ctithari                             Manicheism  accotipanied the church until about
                                                            the twelfth century. At about this, time it had nearly
       As was explained in  .former  articles, already in wholly disappeared as an organized religion, the reason
the time of the apostles many Jetis and pagans became being that it was everywhere persecuted. The. Chris-
Christians in name only and thus clung to their `old . tian Roman emperors had enacted strict laws against
beliefs and practices, which they smuggled into the its adherents. But it had not actually disappeared,
church, w&er8 they matured and eventually became In the early years of the eleventh century it every-
known as  Ebioizism and Gnosticism. The  Ebionists          where reappeared in Europe in a new dress and under
and the Gnostics were the heretics in the Christian. the  new name of Catharism. Being the spiritual
church of the first five centuries. The  Ebion and offspring of Manicheism, Catharism was also called
Gnostic teachers and their followers were wolves in New Manicheism.                  It bore still other names. In
sheep's clothing., Their presence in the church be- Southern France its adherents were called Albigenses,
speaks the attempt of the evil one to Judanize and from the town Albi, one of the centers of their strength.
paganize the church by the propagation of i&e lie as In Eastern Europe they were called Bulgari, Bulgaries,


                              _'             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     395

     or Bugres. In France they were known- as Tessarents, Roman Catholic hierarchy, especially in Sounthern
     Textores, from their influence with the weavers and France.               That the Cathari flourished in, Southern
     industrial classes.                                             France is easily explained. Here all the heresies that
        L&e Gnosticism and Manicheism, Catharism was had troubled the  Chtiistian church from the second
     a dangerous heresy. These are its main tenets. The century to the ninth had crept in and spread abroad.
     things invisible-the spirits-&e the creations of the Here were Arians, Manicheans, Paulicians, Gnostics
     good God, while the `things visible-including men's and other sects given over. to vain speculations and
     bodies-have their source in Satan,  t&e God of the licentious living or asceticism. lHese the Roman mis-
     Old Testament. Christ is the most- perfect of these sionaries and monastic reformers had obtained no
     spirits and  the chief of angels.  IHe took not a real dominion, as they had in the north and east of Europe,
     body of fl,esh and blood and >existed in this world. only where they had been obliged to de&l with little more
     in a spiritual mamler. Such a doctrine of the Christ than the ignorance of Barbarians. From the latter
     is a denial of His atonement, as it denies the reality half of the eleventh century, the popes and the spiritual
     of  tile assumed human nature in  Tirhich he suffered heads of the Roman church in France became alarmed
     and died for the sins of His people. Hence, according at the religious condition in Southern France. In
     to this heresy,. redemption consists. is Christ's pro- 1145, St. Bernard went and. preached against the
     claiming the truth in an unreal body and returning to heretics.            "We see here," he wrote to the count of
heaven after an apparent death. They hearing and Toulouse, "churches _ without flocks, flocks without
     obeying the truth are purified by deliverance from the priests, priests without the respect which is their
_    body, which is essentially evil. And this is salvation. due, and Christians without Christ; men die in their
     The trinity first.began  to exist at the birth of Christ. sins without being reconciled by penance or admitted
     When, by the teachings of Jesus, others were attracted, to the body of communion ; souls are sent pell-me11
     the Holy Spirit began to exist. There is no resurrec- before the awful tribunal of God ; the grace of baptism
     tion of the body, as the body, having sprung ,from an is refused to little children. . . ." Bernard went to a
     evil principle, is the prison of the soul. The New place in Southern France where he tv.as told he would
     Testament is opposed to the `Old, and the latter' m&t find heretics nriqerous and powerful. "He repaired,"
     be rejected.                                                    says a contemporary chronicler, "to  thle castle of
         It is plain that in this heresy we have to do with Verfeil,. where flourished at the time the scions of a
     the union of the vilest lies. And yet, the growth of numerdus nobility and of a multitude of people, think-
     the Cathari was rapid. According to contemporary ing that he- could extinguish heretical perversity in
     writers, by 1160, they were numerous as the sands this place where it was so very much spread, it would
     of the sea. Four miilion is given as a safe estimate be easy for him to make headway against it elsewhere.
     of their number; and they were found in one-thousand When he had begun preaching, in the church, against
     cities, and in every country of Europe, in France, those who were of most consideration in the. place,
     Italy, Spain, Germany, and England. By the close they went out, and the people followed them; but the
     of the. century a third of the population of Florence holy man, going out after-them, gave utterance to l&e
     were Cathari. They were most numerous in Southern word of God in  ,the public streets.  ,The nobles then
     France, where nearly all the princes and barons had hid themselves on all sides in their houses ; and as for
     embraced the heresy:.                                           him, he  cont&ued  to preach to the common people
        The Cathari reviled- the Roman Catholic Church, who came about him. Whereupon the others making
     definitely the  Roman,-hierarchy. They held in -de- uproar and knocking upon the doors,  sci  that- the
     rision the  .priests.          They said that the established crowd could not hear his voice, lie then, having shaken
     church is the harlot of the Apocalypse and that the off the dust f?om his feet as a testimony against them;
     pope is the  anti&rist, and that the fruits of the departed from their midst, and looking on the town,
     church prove.this. It prescribes persecution.' It bap- cursed it, saying, `God wither thee'."
     tizes first and then teaches. It has dignitaries, pre-             For half' a century thereafter-Bernard died in
     lates, cardinals, arch-deacdns, bishops and arch-bishops 1153~Roman missionaries labored among the heretics
     and the pope sits in the place of power in a throne of in Sotithern  France but with negligible success. The
     gold and is clothed in purple and fine linen. These' heresy continued to spread and in 1167 the Cathari
     accusations are true. The Roman hierarchy is an in- held a synod, at'which bishops were appointed for dis-
     vention of man and the pope is a usurper. But it is tricts where their followers were most numerous. In
     not true, certainly that the Cathari themselves formed, 1198 Innocent' III was elected pope. He determined
     as they said the true church, outside of which there to destroy the herlesy  in Sputhern France. At first he
     is no salvation.                                                employed only spiritual weapons.     He sent among
        The Cathari were a real danger. They threafiened the Cathari a great number of missionaries, men of
     the whole of.  Chri&endom,   more particularly. the proved zeal, many of whom were legates. They


        3 9 6             /                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

        preached  tliroughout  the whole country, contacting .Poitevines, Gasnions, Rounergates, and Saintongese.
        the princes and the lay lords, and holding meetings Never did God mike scribe who, whatever his pains,
       with the heretics themselves. A knight said to one oft could set them all down in writing, in two months or
        the missionaries, "We could not have believed that in three." The war lasted fifteen years-from 1208 -
        Rome had `so many powerful arguments against these to 1223. They were years of pillage, sack, and has-
        folks here." ",See you not," said the, missionary, saqre, and burning of all the towns in Southern France
        "how little force there is  in their objections?" Cer- with the zeal of ,fanatics and the greed of conquerors.
        tainly," meplied the, knight. "Why then do you not expel The two chief actors in this war were Innocent III
        them from your lands?" `We cannot," `answered the and Simon, count of Montfort, the one ordering and
        knight, "we have been brought up with them ;- we have the other executing. Five years after `the commence-
        amongst them folk near and dear to us, and we see ment  df the  war this Simon was chosen lord and
        them living honorably." The popes missionaries, as- governor' of the conquests' on-publication of a charter
        their labors bore no fruit, urged the lay princes to- that read, `!Simon, lor`d of Montfort, earl of Leicester,
      extirpate the heretics.  lone of them, Raymond IV, viscount of Beziers and Carcassonne. The Lord, hav-
        count of Toulouse, made the promise but took' no ing delivered into my'hands the lands of the heretics,
        action. A legate of the.pope,  enraged by his hesitancy, an unbelieving people, that is to say, whatever He
        placed him under sentence of exconimunication,  and hath thought fit to take from them by the hand of the
        the pope wrote him a threatening letter, givihg him crusaders his servants, I have accepted humbly and
        td understand that stronger  nieasures would be adopted devoutly this charge and administration, with con-
        against him. The enraged legate, Peter de Castelnau, fidence in  kiis aid."' The  pop<  forthwith confirmed
       -departed with his companion without delay. Ap-. him in hereditary possessions of his dominion. From .
        proaching the Rhone, they were approached by two this time on it was a war against the native princes
        strangers one of whom, falling upon Peter, thrust him of Southern France, the design being to conquer their
        through with a lance, so that he died, exclaiming, "God domailis. Simon's ambition was boundless. He in-
        forgive thee, as I do."                                  vaded the domains of princes uncontaminated by here- .
            Th,e murder. of Peter created a g?eat'- commotion sy, alid persecuted and despoiled them. Innocent III
        in, France and in Rome. (Had Raynibnd VI instigated rebuked him in a letter as follows, "Ye have not been
        the murder of the pope's prelate? Throughout the content with invading all the places wherein there
        Catholic Church it was believed that he had. The were heretics, but ye have further gotten possession
        emotion was great. As the king of kings and the 6f those wlierein there was no suspicion of heresy."
        chief prince of the church-Innocent. was this in his Innocen?s attempt to check the fury of Simon was
        own eyes-the pope summoned the king of France futile. There was  QO stopping of the force to which
        aild all the lay rulers, knights, the clergy, secular and the pope had once appealed. In 1218 Simon was killed
      . regular, of his patriarchate, to go forth and extirpate in battle. The struggle dragged. on for five more
      from Southern France the Cathari; and to get action, years, when Amaury, the son and successor  of- Simon,
        he promised the chiefs of the crusaders, the great lords .concluded  a treaty with the counts' of Toulouse, and
        of his kingdom, the domains that they should win by the war was ended. Arriving eat the court of the king
        conquest from the princes who were heretics or pro- of France, Louis VIII, who had just succeeded his
        .tectors  of. heretics.    And the faithful he exhorted father, Philip, Augustus, Amaury ceded to the `king
        ifi a general letter as foilows, "0 most mighty soldiers his rights over the domains, which the crusaders had
        of Christ, most brave warriors: Ye oppose the agents conquered.  During the long war one of the fairest
        of Anti-Christ, and ye fight against the servants of the provinces  in France had been  Iaid waste ;  ii%  farms-
        old serpent (meaning the Cathari). Perchance up to and villages were in ruins and `vast numbers of its
        this time ye have fought for  ,transitory glory, now population had been put to the' sword.
     fight for the glory which is everlasting. Ye  haste            But the war against the Cathari was continued by
_       fought for the body, now fight for the soul. Ye have the machinery of the Roman Inquisition, which was
        fought for the world, now do ye fight for God. For now put into full action. In 1244 their last stronghold
        we have not exhorted you to the service of God' for a was taken and two hundyed of the Perfect were burn-
        worldly prize, but for the heavenly kingdom; which ed. After the 13th century, heresy in Southern Franoe
        .for this reason, we promised to you with all  corifi- was a "noiseless underground str'eam."
        dence." Lords and knights, burghers and peasants,                                                  G. M. 0.
        laymen and clergy, responded io the call to arms, but
        not so the king of France. "From near and -by they                                      -
     c o m e , " writes a contemporary writer, "there be `men
        from Auvergfie and `B'ergundy, France and Limousin  ; From sorrow, toil and pain,-and sin, we shall be free;
        there be men. from all the world.; there be Germans, And perfect love  land friendship reign, thru all eternity.


                                                                       \
                  .


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        397

                                                              Eli. Alld they were not being restrained. But Israel
   .' .THE,DAYOF  SHADOWS                                     again had  a prophet, God's gift to  .His people. And
                                                              thi! faithful again took heart. They knew that the
                                                              Lord again was about to do great and terrible things.
                                                              Their salvation was nigh. Even by the mouth of two
  Israel Stiitten Before the PIGstines prophets-"the man of .God" and Samuel, judgment
                                                              had- been pronounced on Eli's house. The Lord had
     Having-called Samuel and revealed to him the doom promised salvation, to include, certainly, the lifting of
  of Eli's house, Ithe Lord appeared again in Shiloh," the oppression of the Philistines. i) Hannah had made
  so we read, "for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel mention of it in her prayer of thanksgiving, "The
  in Shiloh by the word of the Lord." As was pointed, adiersa.ries  of the Lord shall be broken to pieces ;
  out, this stat&ment' closes'the.  third chapter. The nar- out of heaven he shall thunder upon them. . .  ." If
  rative continues at chapter 4 :l as follows, "And the the Lord had looked LI~OZI her affliction, would He not
  word of Samuel came to all Israel. . : ." It is evident, look upon the affliction of her people,  the true Israel,
  as already has b'een observed, that here the na_rrative who cried unto him day .%nd night? And thoug4 she
  flows on in unbroken continuity. The word of. Samuel could not -`ha.ve vowed that her son be a prophet all
  that came to all Israel of chapter 4 :l is the revelation the days of his life, yet it is not unlikely that she knew,
  of the Lord of chapter 3:21, so that we should read, by prophetic inspiration, that the Lord would send
  "And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord salvation in the way of Samuel's intercessions. And
  revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Samuel had grown to be a :louth. And all Israel knew
  the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel." that he was established to `be a prophet of the Lord.
  Then we read, "Now Israel went out against the Philis-      His word came to all Israel. The land again had a.
  tines  to battle." Doubtless there is connection be- prophet.
  tween .the fact of Sam'uel's word coming to .a11 Israel,       The faithful were reassured ; but not only they but
  the Lord's bringing to pass all Samuel's prophecies, the carnal Israel. as well. They, too,  concluded that
  and thereby establishing him a prophet in Israel. on salvation was nigh even for them. .And though- their
  the one hand, and Israel's going out against the Philis- hearts were far from God, their expectations ran high,
  tines to battle, on the other. The word of Samuel  that so that they dared to risk a war with the Philistines.
 * came to all Israel %vas not .a command to the Ieffect and-expected that the Lord would fight for them. De-
  that Israel  mar& to battle against the Philistines. feated in battle, they were amazed and asked, "Where-
  The matter is this. The whole period of the,. judges fore hath the Lord smitten us today before our ene-
  -a period of some 375 or possibly  400 years-knew mies?" Why had ,the Lord- done that, they meant to
  but four prophets, three of whom were obscure men, Bay, after reviving their hopes by the gift of Samuel?
  whose words were exceedingly few. It mea&That,  in What they were willingly ignorant of is that the
  the language of the sacred writer, "the word of the presence of Samuel ationg them could only indicate
  Lord was precious in those days, there being no vision that the Lord was about to send salvation to )His people,
  breaking through and  spread abroad." This notice the penitent in Israel, but not to men such as they.
  was explained as meaning that in the age of the judges What they wanted is deliverance witbout repentance.
  no new revelations were added to those already given        But the Lord smote  them before their enemies; Still
  in preceding centuries, that, otherwise said, there was they would not be instructed. They took to them. the
.~ no word of aGod that came to Israel directly from the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh and re-
  Lor,d  by prophetic announce%ient. The Lord had spok- moved it among them that it might save them out of
  en in the past but spake  no motie. IHence, there was the hand of their enemies. They thought that it would
 . no man, prophet of God who could confront Israel save them as if by magic, it being the  cork of the
 -with a "thus saith the Lord." Revelation, intercourse covenant and Jehovah's throne, and in. this lifeless
  of God with the people of Israel, had ceased. Then, thing they llow put their trust, and said to it: "Thou
  after all those years-of silence, the Lord again spake. art my God." Rather than forsake their sins and
  There were again visions breaking throkgh and spread turn .to the living God for_ help, they put their trust in
  abroad. Israel again had a prophet, ,and that prophet a religious syinbol. They made an idol of God's throne,
  was Samuel. The true Israel rejoiced. Samuel was and  believed that it would stand by them in their
  an answer to their cry, "There is no niore any~prophet  ; warfare with the Philistines.        Tq such foolishness
  neither is there any among us that kr+weth  how long. God gives up men who kinow God, as did the apostate
  0 God, how long shall the adversary reproach." The Israel-they kl!ew Him by special revelation-but who
  adversary was reproaching in those days. Israel, was glorify Him not as God and a?e not thankful (Rom.~
  being oppressed by the Philistines. And the worship 1:20)  9 and whose religion has ceased to be a thing
  at the sanctuary was in charge of the wicked sons of        of the heart `and  become  a thing only of the head.

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

Then men of religion go to trusting in God's symbols, that the thing for them to do was to instruct the
His nzenns of grace-the sacraments and the church, priests to fetch the ark to the camp, which they did,
the dead letter of the word and even prayer-instead in the expectation that it would save them. To be sure,
of in the living Christ and His Father, as when, to they knew b'etter,  for they were rational men. Their
illustrate, they imagine that they are saved just be- blindness was not intellectual but spiritual-moral.
cause they are sprinkled with the water of baptism, Being apostates, they refused to think and act realistic-
eat the Lord's Supper, spend much time in prayer ally in matters of religion. The fault lay with the
and Bible reading, and belong to a church. Wle have hardness of their heart. It was not a lack of theor-.
a name for such foolishness. We call it superstition, etical knowledge about the true God and the impotence
but the Scripture calls it idolatry. That was precisely ofidols that can account for their doing. What they
the sin of those men of Israel ; they trusted in the needed is not more instruction in the field of theology
ark instead of in Jehovah. It is against this sin that but a new heart to receive the instruction that already
the church warns when she says to parents, who pre- had been given them. What they needed is severe
sent their children for baptism,-  that they must not chastisement, a bard blow that, as blessed to their
use this s,acrament out of custom or su@erstition;  and hearts by Christ's spirit,, would gender in them the
she exhorts communicants not to.  cleave  with their will to put away their idols, including the ark, cleanse
hearts unto the external bread and wine, but to lift themselves of their vain imaginings, think right of
them up on high in heaven, where Christ is our advo-        God, the knowledge of whom they were holding in
cate. Sinful man, by nature hateful of God, dissociates unrighteousness, and serve the living God  w,ith all
from God's person His power and grace and shuts their hearts, repenting of their sins. That would be
them up in things harmless, lifeless, speechless, sight- the only solution of their troubles. Hence, the Lord
less, and deaf, yet mighty to save out of all trouble,      does not give them more instruction, but He deals them
so man likes to imagine contrary to his better know- t h a t   b l o w .                    *
ledge.    Certainly, the people of Israel could not do         The ark came into the camp, "and all Israel shouted
without the Ark, the priests, the sanctuary, and the with a great shout, so that the earth rang again."
sacrifices, no more than we can do without the sacra- Thus they'w.ere  wildly enthusiastic. Victory should be
ments and the church. But it is Christ's God who theirs, considering their splendid morale and the state
saves Bis people.                                           of mind of the Philistines. And yet Israel was smitten
   Let us try to understand well the doing of those, even with " a very great slaughter ; for there fell in
men of Israel and the imaginings back of that doing. Israel thirty thousand footmen." If courage counts
Judging from -their- complaint "wherefore hath the for anything in war, the men of Israel should have
Lord smitten LIS today before our enemies",  they had won that battle. But despite their shouts of joy, true
made the Lord their expectation prior to their defeat; courage was lacking to those men. They were afraid
yet not actually the Lord but the Lord as changed by of God and afraid therefore of the Philistines. For
them as to His glory-as to all His goodnesses,into  an being apostat~es,  they received testimony in their hearts
image made like to corruptible man (Rom.  1:23), that the Lord was against them. Hence, they were
capable of the vices of such a man. For tlmey wanted defeated before the commencement  of the battle. As
the Lord to send salvation as walking with them in to`the Philistines, investigating thie shout of the Israel-
their sins. But this the Lord could not do, he being ites, they learned that the ark of the Lord had come
Holy God. Be could only be against them as long as into their camp, and with it, so they believed, the Lord
they continued impenitent. Thus their problem was IHimself; for being heathen men, they, too, identified
how to get Israel's God to work for the success of their    God and His throne. And they were sore afraid.
arms without laying  upon them the necessity to repent. They thought that they all were dead men. For-they
That their solution was the ark, shows that in their were not unacquainted with Israel's God. The works
minds they connected God's power with this vessel or that He had performed in delivering Israel from the
rather identified the two and thus reduced `God to a bondage of Egypt had clearly demonstrated that He
blind, impersonal, non-intelligent, non-volitional, and was' God and none else. And the report of that mighty
non-ethical foroe, to -a kind of atomic bomb, in His demonstration of His power had travelled far and
essence and terrible energy locked in the ark; and wide. Indeed  .His name- had been declared throughout
that they believed that this vessel, if only Feemoved  to all the earth. And the Philistines  rememb!ered.  And
the theatre of war, would spend its energy against their plight seemed hopeless to them. This is what
the Philistines. Was it not Jehovah's throne? Was they said, "God is come into the camp. And they said,
it not the token of )His presence among them, and the Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing here-
sign of His covenant? It had made for their fathers tofore. Woe unto us ! who shall deliver us out of the
a path through the Red Sea and led them on their hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that
journeys through the wliderness. So they concluded smote the Egyptians with all the plagues of the wilder-


                                     T H E   STANDAR 'D   B E A R E R                                               399

  ness." The description here is lively and distinct.  '        So had the Philistines been gloriously victorious,
  The shout that rose from the camp must have aston-. so they thought. They-had proven to themselves that
  ished the philistines ; for in that first battle Israel had they were men indeed, if only they wanted to be.
  been vanguished.    But  ihen they learned through Trusting in their own strength, they had not been
  scouts that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp put to shame. Even the invincible  `God of the Hebrews,
  of the Israelites, their astonishment gave way to fear could not stand before them, when once they had arous-
  and terror. Yet they did not  .seek safety in flight. ed themselves. Having captured the ark, they even con-
  Stouthearted men among them  spalie words of en- cluded that He had fallen into their hands and that
  couragement, urging the terrified body of the army to they now had iKim in their, power. And they took the
  bold struggle. They said, "Be strong, and quit your- ark, and brought it int5 the temple of Dagon and set
  selves like men, 0 ye Philistines, that ye may not be it by Dagon, who had given them the.victory; as they
  servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: said.                                           G. n4. 0.
  quit yourselves like men and fight." It was doubtless
  the leaders that. were -here speaking, the generals in
  the army: They were of the world's brave. Their
  "be men" .was twicle repeated and opposed to the two-
  fold "Woe unto us". So did they appeal to the pride of                ION'            'ZANGEN
  those feaiful ones in the attempt to shame them into.
fighting the war to its finish. If they be men, let
  them act the part of men and not be dismayed even
  by the consideration that the adversary with whom they                    (Psalm 90; Derde Deel)
  have to do is the mighty God of the Hebrews. They
  must not allow themselves to be demoralized by the            We zijn bijna aan het einde van dezen heerlijken
  consideration that Jehovah is invincible God-as he was Psalm: het gebed van Mozes, den man Gods.
  reputed to be. That doubtless was fable. "Be strong,          De  vorige  maal zijn we opgehouden van praten
  quit yourself like men". Thus these leaders appealed over dit mlerkwaardige lied toen Mozes bad: Leer ons
  not only to the pride of those fearful.ones but they a;lso alz66 onze dagen tellen,  dat wij een wijs hart bekomen.
  exhorted them to consider that they were strong men,          Tot hiertoe weende Mazes aangaande het verleden.
  strohger even than God, and ,that therefore the thing' Zijn zingen was "uit den treure".
  for them to do was to realize that they were strong.          Nu zal Hij den IHeere aanloopen voor het deel des
  And trusting in  their own strength they would not levens dat nog komen moet : de toekomst. Aangaande
  be put to shame, in a warfare with Israel's God. Let de toekomst heeft Mozes nog een gebed.
  them fight therefore. This "B'e strong and fight" the         "Keer wed!er,  Heere, tot hoe lang? En het berouwe
  -leaders oppose to the "Who will' save us" of those f,ear- U over Uwe knechten." Een zeer zwaar vers.
  ful ones. Who would save them? They themselves,               Hoe kan men tech aan den Heere vragen om "weder
  if only they fought. Therefork "Be strong and fight." te keeren"?-  Is er dan ooit sprake bij God van veran-
  These leaders had one more argument. That they dering, van weggaan, van terugkeeaen? Is Hij naar
  quit thetiselves  like men, and fight was a dire neces- Zijn  Wezen dan de  Onverancierlijke  niet?
  city in view of  what would result from  thleir being         E,erst moet vaststaan, dat  .er bij God geen  v$r-
  yanguished. They would be servants to the IHebrew andering is, nog schaduw van omkeering. Bij God
  as the latter had been to them. That would be  in: is &r een eeuwig onveranderlijk iHeden.  Hij is de Rots
  sufferable. That certainly  th.eir pride would not be die altijd stille staat. Zijn werk is  af. Als dat niet
  able to endure. Well then, Let them fight. The words zoo ware, zou ik de eeuwigheid niet in durven gaan.
  of the leaders' took effect. But. only because God In die waarheid ligt juist onze troost.  Ik' de Heere
  worked. By that  vain,curt,  and martial address of worde niet  veranderd,  daarom zijt gij, o  wormpjle
  those Philistine leaders, God worked in the hearts of Jakobs, niet ver.teerd.
  those fearful ones the fierce and iron determination to       Evenyel, er is verschil in de ervaring van Gods
  fight. And he made their arms strong and their hearts onveranderlijke  nabijheid. Bij den goedertierene houdt
  hard, so that they went forth to do battle with Israel's Gij U goedertieren, bij den oprechten man houdt Gij
  God. And  t&e Philistines fought, "and Israel was U oprecht. Bij den reine houdt Gij U rein, maar bij
  smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and dmen verkeerde bewijst Gij U een worstelaar." Psalm
  there was a very great slaughter; for  thiere fell of X3:26, 27. Daar zit eigenlijk ons antwoord op  tie
  Israel thirty thousand footmen." That wag the second vraag : Hoe kan Mdzes zeggen : Keer weder, Heere !?
  defeat and a major disaster. That was the second Toen Israel zijn weg voor den Heere verdierf scheen
  blow that, God dealt them. It was a blow much harder het alsof God veranderde, wegliep, verdween  om nim-
  than the first. For they had refused to be corrected.      mer weer te keeren. Wat echter werkelijk gebeurde is,

I-'


 400                                    THE STANDARD BEARER                                  '          -

 dat de [Heere  Zich een'worstelaar  bewees &an Zijn zon- ' Het zijn de winden  Gods die waaien, waaien, om Zijn
 d'ig volk. En  nn vraagt Mozes  aan God of Hij weer, volk te zegenen.
 Zichzelf wil openbaren in al Zijn liefde en barmhartig- Verzadig ons nu, Heere,  met die goedertierenheid!
 heid. Keer weder, Heere,  Gil zeggeni  Toon ons Uw                Dat is het tweede lid.
 lieflijk Aangezicht weer !                                        We zingen in t' Engelsch: "Then, then,~ I shall be
     En die Goddelijke drijfveer zij : Wet berouwe U over satisfied  !I' Then? Wanneer? Wanneer we aankomen
 Uwe knechten! Het lijkt we1 wat stout om den Heere aan de strand,en der . .eeuwigheid.                      Toen ik een heel
 266 aan te spreken, het Hem `alvast maar te vertellen, kleine jongen was, o zoo klein, toen heb ik mijn drie
 waardm \Hij een zeklere  houfling aan moet nemen ; maar oudere zusters vaak de liederen Sions hooren zingen.
 meer dan schijn is  bet  niet. Mozes kende God. Hij            Eeli van die versjes had leen strophe  die jubelde van
 wist dat de Heere Zijxi volk van eeuwigheid liefhad. het feit, dat. we da,ar nimmer scheiden, en scheiden
 En dat Hij nimmer zou laten varen de w.erken Zijner nimmer, riimtiermeer  ! Ik moet daar nu aan denken.
handen. Hij  grijpt God  aan in Zijn  geopenbaarde,             Jezus zeide tot de Samaritaansche vrouw : Vrouw, wati-
 eeuwige liefde voor Israel.' Ziet ge, de :Heere kan Zich- neer ge `drinkt van he! water .dat Ik U geven zal, zoo
 zelf niet verloocbenen;  Keer op keer lezen we het in zult ge nimmermeer dorsten. Maar het water dat.Ik
 Gods Woord:  Toen  da&t  $ij  -aan Zijn verbond! En g geven zal, zal in U worden een fontein van water
 dan werd- het beter. Dat Verbond is  eeuwig. Van opspringende  tot' in het eeuwige leven. Er is geen
 eeuwigheid ligt Gods volk  gestrengeld  in de  armen einde aan de verzadiging der goedertierenheid Gods in
 Gods en kan nooit verloren gaan. Het gebed van Mozes Jezus Christus, den :Heere!
 den man ,God wordt zekerlijk verhoord. De Heere is                Verzadig  ens, 0 Heere !
 weergekeerd.' Hij  riep Jozua en daar ging het door              0, als God tot ons komt en & Hij ons Jezus Chris-
 den Jordaan des doods het land Kanagns binnen! Een .tus geeft, en dat is,immers  Zijn Eigen Goddelijk Hart,
 type van Jezus die Zijn volk leidt door de vallei der dtili is het goed, dan wordt het stil. Dan zijn we gelijk
 schaduwe des doods tot in het hemelsch:e Kana%i daaY' een kind, dat stil inslaapt aan `s moeders borst. Het is
 boven bij God.                                                 verzadigd, gelukkig, vredig en stil daarboven  bij God.'
        In de volgende-  vel-zen ial Mozes tot in bijzonder-       En doe dat, Heere, in den morgenstond!
 heden treden en het den Heene vkrtellen hoe die tieder-           wat  mag dat  tech  we1  beteekentin?  Och, geliefde
 keering van God zal zijn. Daak zal dan eerst zijn de lezer, dat beteekent nu, dire&, ccun het begin van &es.
 verzadiging der goederti~erenheid  Gods- in den morgen-        In den morgenstond begint tech immers Uw dag, de
 stond. Wat schoone beschrijving van het zalige nabij- dag van Uw kind, van Uw land, van de histqrie? In
 God-te-zijn !                                                  den morgenstond openeiz wij de oogen ed worden ons-
  De  goedertienenheid  Gods,  w&t is  zij?         '           zelven bewust. In dienzelfden morgenstond vind ik
        Geliefde  lezer, de goedertierenheid Gods is die bij mijn bed direkt de vragen Gods, d'e geboden des
 d?ugd van den DrieBenigen God, waardoor alles in Zijn Heeren, mijn nooddruften, mijn materie  vobr historie-
 ontzaglijke  Wezen Hem dringt om goed te zijn door maken.  En.nu is de bede : Heere,. we hebben het in de
 Zijn volk en hen te zegenen tot in eeuwigheid ! Goeder-        bange woestijn geleerd: we wertrouwen onszelven niet
 tierenheid is een hartstocht. In dit geval, een harts- meer. Last nu aan den morgenstond direkt Uw goeder-
 tocht Gods. Zijn geheele Wezen denkt aan. U in gena tierenheid ons beinvloeden, ons vervullen, ons versadi-
 en wil naar U toe om U te omhelzen, te omarmen en te           gen.  Last Jezus ons leiden.       .
 beladen  Ien overladen met zegeningen ! In  concrete,             En dan is `t goed. Dan zullen wij `juichen en ver-
 beteekent het ni&ts anders dan dat 2Iij, de Driegenige         6lijd zijn in alle onze dagen.
 God, Zichzelf aan U schenkt.                                      Hoe zouden de  gasten  toeh treuren terwijl de
    `En als ge het dringen en waaien van die Goddelijke Bruidegom met en bij hen is. Ge moogt zelfs we1 zeg-
 hartstocht nu eens duidelijk wilt zien; ga dan naar gen, dat de Bruidegom in hen is. ;Hij vervult, verzadigt
  Golgotha en wacht totdat het duister wordt voor drie hen.
 lange, bange men. Dat was &n uur voor elk der Drie               Verblijd ons naar de dagen in dew&e Gij ens' ge-
. Personen. Wacht daar dan in den doqker, totdat Jezus drukt  hebt, naar de jaren in dewelke wij &et kwaad
  Christus begint te schreeuwen, neen, brullen: Mijn gezien hebben !
  God ! Waaroln  hebt Gij Mij- verlaten? ! I( Het is een-          Mozes heeft het oog, eerst, op de jaren van de woes-
 voudig niet doenlijk om hier ontelbare millioFn.en  van tijn die  achter hem liggen. In die  jaren,  veertig in
 uitroepteekens  achter deze woorden  te zetten. 1-k heb getal, hadden zij het kwade gezien. Dat zal waar zijn.
 er geen tijd voor: trouwens: Die riep was &en eeuwige Ach, hoe zullen we in stgat'zijn  om al dat kwaad op te
 toorn aan `t wegdragen 1)                                      s~ommen ? Er was de openbaring van schromelijke
        En als ge dan die brullende stem goed gehoord hebt, ongehoorzaamheid, ongeloof, inuiterij, ondankbaarheid
 dan moet ge tegen Uzelven.  zeggen : Dat is .de goeder-        voor  `s Heeren groote  daden.  Het was zelfs  266  veti
  tierqlheid Gods  ioor  mij !  HI&  tocht. bij  Golgotha.      gegaan, dat, ;sommigen  q@~ @rrl des Heeren &h,ori-


                                    T - H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           401

beit, die op Mozes was,  verwierp&.   Sommigeq   moes-     dat  volk was verwoest. En Egypte dat Israel benauwt,
ten levend ter belle varen. Duizenden en tienduizenden doch straks haar prooi moet overgeven, is  tech  een
zijn door God  neerieworpen  in de wildernis.  Ii7. het type van de verlossing van Gods volk uit de klauwen
meerendeel had God geen welgeva\len. (Het ging Mozes van )Satan, de wereld en de macht der zonde. Hoort ge
aan het hart.                                              het niet telkenkeer als er een kindje gedoopt woY'dt:
    En toen was keer op keer  Gods slaande hand ge- . . . .en Uw volk Israel droogvoets. . . .door hetwelli
komen om Israel te slaan, te straffen, te geeselen. de doop beduid werd?
0 ja, zij `hadden  het kwade gezien. Het was immers           En Moges wil, dat Gods volk dat werk zal zien. En
~66 erg, dat Mozes klaagde:  de' uitnemendste onzer geen wonder. Dat werk te iien is de hemel. Dat werk
dagen zijn moeit; ,en verdriet, en het wordt snellijk af- van God te be&n Ien te bezingen was het groote doe1
gesnelden  en we vliegen daarhexien !                      van God voor Zijn volk. Hij Wilde een groote schare
    Daarom, Heere, in dezelfde mate nu, dat we het voor Zich hebben tot in alle- eeuwigheid om bet Hem
kwade gezien en geproefd hebben, schenk ons nu Uwe toe te zingen, dat Zijn werken, en dat is ask een open-
goedertierenheid,  en dan in die mate, dat wij den gan- baring van. Zichzelf, heerlijk zijn. Dat is de hemel.
schen dag ons mogen kumlen verblijden.                        Mozes vraagt hier eigenlijk, dat, eerstens, het  ge-
    Die bede worcit we1 verhoord, doch slechts in begin- zien mag worden  aan Israel, dat zij gered, verlost zijn.
se1 geschonken. Ja, wfe zullen ve?blijd zijn en j&hen, En, tweedehs,  dat dit verloste volk dat werk der ber-
doch steeds uit den treure. We moeten door vele smar- lossing mag gadeslaan.
ten ingaan in  h&  Koninkrijk der  `hemelen.   Vraagt         IHetzelfde vraagt hij voor hunne kinderen. We
me ni.et om U dat tot in bijzonderheden te veyklaren. hebben hier een vingerwijzings Gods, dat wij voor onze
Ik weet het niet. Ik weet wel, dat bet .een goddelijke kinderen   `en  kindskinderen   moeten bidden. En dan
wet is, maar ik kan h'et niet verklaren. Ge kunt het voor vragen we dat de glorie Gods over onze kinderen  kome.
Uw oogen zien gebeuren, dat Gods volk moet zondigen Dat is het ielfde als dat we vragen,  dat zij met het
hier en door God gegeeseld  #en gekastijd worden.  En ook aangezicht tot  ,God  gekeerd  mogen staan om de  af-
weet ik, `dat dit gosd is, dat dit wijsheid van God is, straling van Zijn deugden te zien.
dat het een wet van -h&t koninkrijk is, want Hij zegt         En dan zal `t gaan.
eenvoudig : Hij geeselt een iegelijken zoon die Hij           Dan komt er een beschrijving van zegen, zooals het
aanneemt. Het moet, het zal aanstonds getoond wor- moeilijk is om in worden te brengen. Hier beluisteren
den en bewezen, dat het zoo moest om  Gele zonen we hemelsche klanken.
tot God te brengen.       Immers zoo is  bet ook met          De lieflijkheid Gods.
Jezus. Alleen door den weg van ontzettende vernede-
                     _                                        Letterlijlr staat ,er in het Hebreeuwsch: De zoet-
ring en sma?ten komt IHij op den troon. En zoo ook heid Gods.
wij. We zullen blijven zingen .uit den treure.                Hetzelfde woord hebt ge in den naain van Naomi:
   Doch jeen beginsel van de blijdschap ontvangeh  we, "Mijn lieflijkheid".  MoBes  heeft  hiler het oog op al.
Mazes bidt er om in de laatste twee verzen.                de  aantrekkelijkheid  van Gods  cleugden. God is  aan-
   Laat Uw werk aan Uwe knechten gezien worden,            trekkelijk,  lieflijk,  schoon: het is de  hem&l zelf om
en Uwe heerlijkheid over hunne kinderen. En de lief- slechts te mogen staren naar het aangezicht Gods.
lijkheid des Heeren onzes Gods zij over ons;  eli  be-        En het slot is, dat cli@ li,eflijkheid van God, de &t-
vestig  .God het werk onzer  hand,en over ons, ja  bet werking van het staren naar God en Zijn werk, ons
werk onzer handen, bevestig dat.                           werk bevestige, vast make, bestendige.
   En dat is het beginsel van blijdschap, van hemelsche       Geliefde lezer, het beteekent niet anders, dan dat-
blij dschap.                                               het ons in staat stellen mag om ons werk te volbrengen.
   Het werk des Heereq  is het werk dat Hij doet in           Vraagt ge mij : wat is dat werk, dat bevestigd moet?
Christus, Zijn Zoon. Het is de roeping van Zijn Zoon Dan is mijn antwoord: Al zingende `en lovende .naar
uit Egypte. Het is het werk van de verheerlijking den hemel loopen!
Zijns naams in Zijn Zoon en Zijn volk, die eeufviglijk        Jaren, veel jaren herwaarts, bEb ik er van hooren
random Zijn troon zullen staan om IHem toe te zingen zingen : "Schraag op dat spoor niijn wankelepcle,. gan-
alle lof en prijs en majesteit tot in eeuwigheid. Het is gen !"
wei+, daarom, van verkiezing en verwerping.                   Ja, Heere, we komen al: want Gij zijt onze God!
   Stlempt geifiij dat toe ? Of wilt ge exegetisch be-                                                     G. V.
wijs hebben? Welnu, het is tech Mozeq die hier zingt?
En wat ander werk kan Mozes nu tech op het oog heb-                 NETHERLAND SUBSCRIPTIONS
ben, dan de verlossing van Israel uit  Egypte? Daar           At the last Board meeting of the R.F.P.A., held
liep alle mend van over, zelfs in het heidendom rondom. M&y 16, a charge of $4.00 was placed on Netherlands
En dat werk was tech tw.eegrlei-  geweest?.  Israel was yearly subscriptions to meet the added cost of postage
gered, doch Egypte schreide voor jaren, De bloem van, and printing.                       Board of the R, F, P, A,
                                                                                     -


             402          - .                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                          the Loyd of heaven and earth, whom they must fear
                         `IN  QIS FEAR                                    and obey. In using the rod the parents certainly aught
                                                                          to explain to their children that their disobedience was
                                                                          not simply a failure to do what father and mother de-
                                                                          manded or a performing of that which they had for-
               -To The Utmost Of Your Power                               bidden but that it is a sin against the Lord and that it
                                                                          is the Lord who has given this rod td the parents for
                                         V.
                 _                                                        the correction and chastisement of His sinning child- 1
             Am I Using All My Power In Comformity                        ren. How often is the parent himself conscious of that
             With My  V'o?,u?  (,Continued)                               fact?  How. often is it not the child sees and bears
                                                                          nothing to give him any other impression than that
                Johnny  was naughty again today.  Tie rod  had. he must simply fear his parents and that makes him
             to be taken down from the place where it is kept, and long for -the time when he -will get from, under this
             Johnny felt its sting. Johnny walked ayay crying, terrible bondage when he becomes of age? He must
             and only too often, with nothing less than an increased early be taught that he is the Lord's servant and that
             degree of fear for his father or mother. His fear of he can never outgrow his obligation to serve Him. He
             the Lord had not increased at all. What is wrong must then also be taught that even though he may
             with the above description of Jolnny's experience with disobey his parents and not be found out, there is still
        .the rod?                                                         the Lord with whom he must contend and to whom he
        -       Surely we are not advocating `the sparing of the must still give an answer for his deed. Our contention
`.           rod. The fear of the Lord-is never taught that way. is that when the rod is applied the parent must use a
      _ "Spare the rod and spoil the child." The Lord Him- few words. of Christian admonition and. explanation to
             self declared in Proverbs 13 :24, "He that spareth his the child. You can whip a horse and beat a dog be-
      . - rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth cause they must simply obey your will, but your child
             him betimes." In this world of sin and folly in which is a rational moral creature who can know God  .and
             we live there is a growing tendency among the worldly concerning whom you have promised that you will in-
             minded to cast the rod away entirely or even to put it struct him in the fear of the Lord to the utmost of your
             in the hands of the child to use against his parknts. powler. As we saw last time, God declares in Deut. 6 :7
        -At least the practice of the world has that effect. that `we should diligently teach our children to serve
             But a properly used rod is-a necessity in the Christian God and that we should talk of His precepts to our
             home. You have God's word for it in the text quoted children when we sit down with them in our house or
        above. God approves of its use. You better not do walk on the way. Surely when they have disobeyed
             away with yours, and if you have none by all means these precepts we should talk about them and call their
             provide yourself with one. Have no fear of bleing &uel       attention to the fact that they sinned against God. Let
             or of being considered to be cruel by  ,God. The rod us remeniber  that you can never frighten a child out
             indeed can be  aid often is misused but that is not of sin and into obedience. Only by teaching them the
             because the practice itself is-of the devil rather than fear of the Lord so that they have a profound respect
             an instrument for bringing up `children. in the fear of and reverence for Him in love can you train them in
             the Lord. The misuse is simply due to the fact that the way of righteousness and obedience.
             one does not' use..it.  iri the fear of the Lord. iHe who       The ability of the one parent or the other to do this
             misuses the rod is not living himself from the principle I when the rod iS applied varies. Yet we are ConvinGed
             of this fear and consequently in using it, he does not that there is not a Christian father or mother who can-
             instruct in th8 f,ear of the Lord by means of it. He not tell his or her child that God demands obedience
      . teaches his child to fear the rod or to fear his own              and that Hle says that the disobedient must be punish-
             violent temper. But that. parent who does not use the end. There is not a Christian parent who cannot tell
             rod and lets his child grow up with the impression his child how God punished Israel for its. sins when '
             that he can sin and "get away with it" is cruel. You Israel was in the wilderness, when the Judges ruled
             have God's word for that' too.  The text  abovc"de-          the land or even in the times Df the Kings. Scripture
             clares that such a parent h&es his son.                      is full of examples and stories which can be told to
       -        However; a parent may use that rod faithfully and the younger children in connection with their own
             be under the impression. that he is doing what God punishment. OS, I know, it takes time, and-well, it
             demands of him while he. really is-not bringing up . is easier .just to apply the rod and go back to what we
             his- child in the f,ear of the Lord. `As- we stated in were doing. ourselves, but please read again Deuter-
             our first paragraph, the ~child learns only to fear his onomy 6 :l-9 and see once if God does not demand it
             parent. This occurs when parents fail to make-use of you to take the time.
             of this oppdrtunity to speak to their children about            What is to be said to the child depends a great deal


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D          B E A R E R   '                             403

  on the age of the child. You cannot speak of the fear to the fact that we sinned against God. She could tell
  of the Lord when you spank a two-year-old child. At Mary.that  a11 the sickness and pain we have in this life
  the age where he begins to attend school, it is quit2 ought to remind us of the fact that we are sinful people
  different. When, however, they get to be iri their early and ought to remind us of how thankful we ought to
  teens and the rod becomes almost impossible to wield be that Gqd sent His Son to die for us that we might
  on a big strapping lad, bigger and stronger thai you presently go to a better world where once more there
  are yourself, the punishment may assume the fo?til of shall be no suffering, pain and death. Let her tell
  clepriving them of things. God did that also in  cey-        Mary that she ought to be thankful to God now that-
  tain instances in Israel. `IIe kept them in the wilder- tie has made.her  almost completely well again.
  ness and out of Canaan for 40 years., He did not allow          It takes time to do that. Of course it does. Yet
  Moses to enter it. By the way what an example we we promised that we would turn the thoughts of our
  have here ! Eveli Moses, who had served so faithfully children to God to the utmost of our power, and rather
  for 40 years, is punished by Go@. But to return to our .than to overloolc these opportunities we ought to `look
  line of thought, when we deprive our chilclren  of things fey them. Especially sillce we live in these days when        '
  as punishment we ought also-to do so in. the fear of things are rapidly moving toward the end of time and
  the Lord, and then when they are of that age we can when the devil has such an array of subtle deceptions
 add to our. instruction by explaining to them that be- invented and in operation whereby he is striving to
  fore God they deserve a greater punishment Man we tempt our children to look for the Antichrist and
  could ever meet out to them even if they commit bui accept- his offerings, we-ought to do all we can to turn
  orle sin, namely, the torments ofahell and that we escape the thoughts of our children to God and to His Christ.
  cjnly because the Lord whom we fear has inflicted in- We must teach them the fear of the Lord when we sit
  7lpon iHis Son for us. Then you teacll th.e fear of tit:?    down with them in our houses, on the way, when we
  Lord.                                                        `arise and when we retire at night according to Deut.
                                                               6 :l'-9. Does that not also include all these incidents
     Mary was sick and was in $ed for a few days. Her in the home?  #Of course it does.
  friends asked for-her to come out and play. Mother                                -          -
  said,  "No? Mary cannot come out yet." Mary gets a              The same thing may be said of the times that we
  little better and wants to go outside. Mother still says, are on the way with our children as Deut. 6:7 also
  "No, Mary, you were sick and might get worse if you suggests. The family is out on a picnic or out for a
  go out now." Mary asks, "`Well, why did I get sick? ride, and everywhere the works of `God's hands are
  Johnny and Ruthie and the rest did not get sick." mai?ifest. The fields are filled with bjeautiful flowers.
  "Well, Mary," mother replies, "you were not careful Birds of brilliant plumage present themselves momen-
  and you got yourself all wet and cold when you ran tarily. Everything speaks of God's praises and glory.
  out in the rain last wjeek". Or she m,ay say, "There Everything does except man who either fails to see
  was a case of Measles in school and you caught it from God's glory, or else if he sees it makes no mention of
  some one." Mary walks away with a pout on her face .these things to his children that their thoughts also
  considering herself to be quite an unfortunate creature may be turned to their Creator and that they may be
  for being one of those who happened&o get sick.              caused to stand in awe before Him because of what
   ' But has Mary's mother done all  that she could? they see of Him and His' glory. The falling star, the
  What more could she say to Mary? She has not told song of a bir'd not heard before, the new flower., the
  her any lies, surely not intentionally at least. Surely, thunderstorm and a host of other things which the
  though, you will agree that Mary's mother has not child observes are not interpreted for  him as they
  really satisfied her question or explained that sickness ought.
  in a way that &Iary's though& are turned to God Who             Parents so quickly shrug their shoulders and say;
  made her sick. What an opportunity her mother really "Oh, I cannot do iha;;. It is all right for Ministers and
  had to teach her one of the fundamental truths of the School teachers, but I cannot do that." In conclusion
  fear of the Lord! :-,Our  Heidelberg Catechism. devotes therefore a  f,ew remarks ought to be  madIe in regard
  a whole section to the knowledge of our misery. What to this. -First of all we would remind you tha$ D@ut.
  a wonderful opportunity Mary's mother had to tell 6 :l-9 was not directed to Ministers and School teachers.
  Mary a  ficw things about this! She could have put .It was directed to unedu'cated-ihat is in Xhce earthly
  down her work for a minute a.nd called Mary to her sense of. the word, for spiritually they were (educated-
  side and told her how wonderfully God made- us in the keepers of sheep who but recently were slaves in Egypt.
  beginning, placing us in a world where there was no Besides, with the fulness of the revelation we have in s
  sickness, pain or death. She could r,epeat  the story of possessing both the Old and New Testaments and hav-
- the fall to h&r and remind her that all the sickness, ing had the privilege of attending catechism classes
  pail; and de&h  that; we now have in this.world are due      from early childhood onward and having the abundant

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

 means for growth in spiritual knowledge which is our
 portion -to.day, no one ought to feel even that he has                                   FROM HOLY WRIT
 the right to try to hide behind such an excuse. If
 we are  so unspiritual that we do not desire to put
 forth the  -effort to do these things and  .to seek to
 increase our own knowledge, the fault is not with the                                   "In whom also ye, having heard the Word of truth,
 principle but with us. R!emember  that God demands                                      the gospel of your salvation, in whom-  also (in which
 the utmost of your power. If then He `has given your                                    (gospel)  aLo) having believed ye  ?vere sealed. . . .
 neighbour who is a school teacher more ability than                                     by the  Boly Spirit cf Promise unto the redemption
 you,  Ee is not going to hold you responsible for as                                    of the (final)  possessiom,  unto the praise of His
 much as your neighbour. The Parable of the Talents                                      glory."-Ephesi+ns   1:13,  14.
 ought to teach you that. But He will demand of you                                That the "sealing" of which the, Bible speaks must
 the utmost of the-power He has given. 2~021.                                 not be conceived of as being realized in a mechanical
     We would present one question ,yet to those who way, nor in such a way as to render man a "mere stock
 feel their incapability of bringing up their children in and block" became evident, we trust, in our former
 the fear of the Lord and desire to have their power writing, This act of the God of `our salvation is, ac-
 increased. Have you .made this a matter of prayer? cording to  the. clear teaching of Holy Writ, such a
 Have you prayed to God to give you wisdom and even work of God in Christ that it honors the moral-rational,
 courage  to speak of these thi-ngs to your children? the spiritual-ethical  nature of man. It is so performed
 That prayer o6ght to begin before the child is born by God, that it takes place-in the "heart" of man. This
 and ought to bte uttered every morning when we arise means that man consciously and actively is partaker of
 with them, at evening when we retire with them and the "sealing" while he undergoes this act of God. God
 as frequently during the day as new problems arise. is first,' He is the primary and efficacious Author of
 That prayer is pleasing to God, you may be sure. It this `work. He assures us through this sealing, that
 pleased Him to have Solomon pray for wisdom to the treasures of the Promise to Abraham are OLXS,
rule  !His people. It will please Him to have you pray that we are partakers of them now in very truth, and
 for wisdom to bring up His children in  th`e fear of that finally we shall receive all that God has prepared
 His name. He alone can give you that wisdom, and for us in `IHis Christ completely.
 James tells us that be that lackeih wisdom should ask                             Such is the sealing of which the Bible speaks. It
 of God "Who giveth liberally to all and upbraideth not, is a reality in our lives. The truth of this the apostle
 and it shall ,b'e given him."                                                teaches us rather in detail in these two verses. When
                                                         5. A. H.             all the elements of this passage are carefully analyzed
                                                                              and viewed in the light of all of Scripture, it is not
                                                                              difficult` to form a rather  clkar conception of this
                                                                              marvelous work of God.
                             IN  -MEMORIAM                                         Let us take notice of the following :
        Op den morgen.stond  van April 25, corverleed  zacht en kalm,              That the Agent who realizes this work of grace in
  onze geliefde echtgenoote'en  zuster                                        our hearts is `none other than the Holy Spirit. The
                      MINNIE  IDEMA,  geb.  Ensing                     `_     text says "by  the Holy Spirit of Promise". Concern-
 in den ouderdom van 73 jaar en vijf inaanden.                                ing this phrase we would ask. various questions. First
        Dit is  once  groote troost dat  ,ij is  ingegaatn  in de rust die    of all we-ask: Who is He? We would emphasize that
  er overblijft voor het volk van .God.                                       He is the third person in the Trinity. `Ue is not merely
                                                M r .   T .   Edema           an influence, but a Person. He wills, desires, works,
                                                Mrs. Jennie Nagel             givtes. Of Him the apostle writes, that "He searches
                                                                              all things, yea, the deep things of God". I Cor. 2:lO.
                             IN MEMORIAM                                      And we believe that He proceeds from the Father and
                                                                              from the Son. He is very God, co-equal and co-eternal
        The consistory of the First Protestant-Reformed Church of with the Father and with the Son. He is therefore all
  Grand Rapids hereby wishes to express its sympathy to our                   the Divine attributes and perfections of the God-
 brother consistory member, Elder G. Stonehouse,  in the loss                 h     e    a    d    .
  of  hi:s brother                                                                 In our text'iT3e is first of all called "Holy". As the
                            B. STONEHOUSE                                     angels sing "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty"
  May the Lord graciously sanctify this sorrow unto the bereaved,             and bow their faces to the earth in worship and adora-
  to the  glory of His name.                                                  tion, so we bow to this Spirit, Who is this God thrice
                                      Rev. H. De Wolf, Vice Pres.             Holy. By the "holiness" of this Spirit is first of all
                                      Mr. J.  Bouwman,`Vice   Sec'y.          expressed, that XLe is exalted far above the creature.


                                                                                  -

                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     405

  He is the Transcendent God. H,e is not subject to the that it is the Holy Spirit, that will raise our bodies
  law and limitations of the creature. He is not to be from the grave, Ieven as it is He. who dwells in our
  compared with the "spirit of man". Man's spirit is hearts.         That the  ,Holy Spirit is the one, who will
  finite, temporal, limited, increases and decreases in its finish the work of God, is furthermore, the clear teach-
  powers. It cannot reach to the Infinite. It cannot ing of all of Scripture. Pentacost  is the last event
  know the "mind" the deep things of God. Of .God, the before the return of Christ. "Christ", the apostle
  Holy One, Who d*elleth in eternity, in the unapproach- tells us, "became ,a curse for us, that the blessing of
  able light, man can only say, "Behold God is great and Abraham (which was for all nations) might become
  we know Him not; the number of  His years is un- a reality in Jesus Christ, and that thus we might
  searchable". Job 36:26 and idem 3'7:5. "God thunder- r#eceive  the Promise of the Spirit through faith" Gal.
  eth  marvelously  with His  vpice, great things doeth 3:14.
  He which we cannot comprehend." And,  let us not             We may, therefore, deem it established; that the
  overlook the fact in this connection, that this marvel- Holy Spirit is the finisher of the work of God. How-
  ous transcendancy is expressed in  .the term "holy" ever, the question remains, why just this Spirit, as the
  with -relation to the Spirit. This should cause us to Spirit of "Promise"? What is this "Promise"? And
  put off our shoes from our feet. Let us be very. how is this Spirit &at&Z to this Promise?
  humble when we think of this  1Ho1y Spirit, Who is           As to the first of these questions we would answer
  the High and Lofty One. Isa.  5'7:15. That this idea that the Promise is what always and again in the
  of the "transcendancy" of the Spirit is expressed `in Bible is called "the Promise". In it God promised to
  the appelative "holy" is evidently the clear implica- make of Abraham a great and mighty nation. Gen.
  tion of the apostle here first of all. This is `clear 12 : l-3. This Promise is ratified by God Himself, and
  from a comparative study of Eph. 4 130. We read here to it God has added His word of Oath.  Gen1  22:16,
  "And grieve-not the-Ho@  Spirit of God, in Whom ye 1'7; Heb. 4:13, 14. This Promise  cannot fail, for God,
  were sealed unto the day of sedetiption.`, The apostle Who has made it, is faithful. This promise is realized
  here raises a warning finger. "Beware" he would say, by God in such a way, that always and again it is im-
  th-at you keep all the commandments, live after the. possible for man to realize it. The underlying axiom
  new man in Christ, lest ye gri,eve this {Holy One !       is ever and again: `"What is impossible with man, is
    Besides this idea of "transcendancy", the term "holy" possible with God". Nothing  shall be too great  fora
  also refers to ethical perfection. This SpiTit is never IHim. Gen. 18:24; Luke 1:3'7.
  down on the level of sinful and unholy man. He is            This promise is therefore much more than a mere
  separ,ated  ,from sinners. He never does evil. He is announcement of wliat God `is willing to do. God in
  wholly  conseckated  to God, to Himself. And, further #His Promise, does not pror=lise something conditional.
  He- always consecrates all to God and to His service. He will surely bring it to pass. For God is one. His
  Whatever He brings about in the Church, in the hearts Promise is not  .weak.  God is His own party in this
  of the believers, is always placed in God's service. He Promise. And those who will be partakers of the
  is, indeed, holy! And iHe is the Divine Agent of our Promise He makes to be of His party. Nothing can
  being sealed.                                             change this promise of God. The law did not that
      The apostle tells us one more  imljortant  matter came later by the space of ,430 years. For the ratified
  concerning this Spirit, Agent df our sealing. It is an covenant of.  Go$, His promise is to "Abraham and
  elifment which must be seen, be understood, to correet- his seed'.`. Compare Gen.  Ii:?;  13:15;  17:7;  22:18
  ly appreciate that it is just this Spirit that seals us and  24:7. And the Apostle hastens to tell  us,  that
  to the final redemption. The Spirit is here, therefore, we must notioe that in all these passages in Genesis
  called  "the Holy Spirit of the Promise". -Only this the writer employs the singular tense. We read, says
  Spirit of the Promise is the certain pledge of our final he, "and not unto seeds as of many, but as of one ; And
  redemption. Only such a Spirit can finish the work unto Thy Seed, that is, Christ". Christ is the Seed of
  of God ; He alone can and shall Realize the consumma- Abraham; Gal. 3 :16. And in the last verse of Gal. 3
  tion of the work of God.                                  we read : "Now if ye be. of Christ, then are ye Abra-
     ,That the foregoing is true is  expliciily taught in ham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise".
  many passages of the Word of God. Although this is           As to_ this promise we may, therefore, conclude the
not the place to enter into any detailed quotations, f o l l o w i n g   :
  we would call to your attention, first of all, to Rom.       1. That there is one Promise of God. It is very
  S :ll, where we read: "But if tile Spirit of lHim that really God's. He has thought it out, has rev&led it,
  raised up Jesus from the dead dwell .in you, He that spoken it to Abraham and His Seed. God in realizing
  raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life this Promise, performs His wonders. In the last
  also to your `mortal bodies through His Spirit that analysis, this Promise  .is as it is just because God
  dwelleth -in you." From this quotation it is evident, willed it thus in His sovereigri good-pleasure.


                                        `7      .                   F



   4 0 6                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

       2. Centrally this Promise touches the Christ. In lieved on them were to receive, for the Spirit was
   Him the Promise shall be  realizled.  For all God's not yet given, because Jesus ivas not yet glorified."
   Promises are yea in i&m and in Him Amen, unto the Again, this Spirit i$ the gone who will finish the work
   glory of God the Father. And it is realized ce&rally' of Christ. He was Promise to the  S,eed, that is, to
   in the death and resurrection of Christ from the dead. Christ. Christ would receive this Spirit in the way
 * Acts 13 :33.                                                          qf His suffering and death at  !His exaltation. Thus
       3. And this Promise is thus  realized by  ,God,  not Peter says in  Act,+  3:33 "Wherefore, having been
   at all by man. God was in Christ `realizing it. And exalted  -unto tlze right hand of God, and having ye-
   it is God who must and who shall realize it to the end. ceivecl the Promise of the Holy Sl~%t from the Father,
   The Promise is out of God and through Him and unto hath shed this forth whtit ye now see and hear."
   Him. There is nothing of the weakness of sinful flesh                    From the foregoing we learn, that the Holy Spirit
   in it. It is wholly of the Lord !                                     is call'ed the Spirit of the Promise, because He is to
       4. It touches all the children of Abraham. These beconie the Agent of the crucified and *exalted  Christ,
L children are not the natural  childnen.                 This became to realize the Promise. This is a very beautiful and
   evident during the life of Abraham in all His ex- important-truth of Scripture, that should not be  tiis-
   periences. Not in Ishmael, the son of the bond-woman, understood. `We should riot conceive of this giving of
   but "in Isaac shall thy seed be called,`. The children the Spirit of Promise to Christ as though the Father,
   of the faith  ar,e accounted for the seed. And this the first Person in the Trinity, were giving the Third
   seed are those who are born from above, born out Person, the Holy Spirit,  ~to  the Second Person, the
   of water and Spirit. - Gal. 4 i25 ; John 3 :3, 6.                     Son. This would be a very serious heresy. It would
    This is the marvelous Promise of God,  which in be the subordination of the  thr,ee  persons to each
   the Bible is called "the Promise". Because of the very other. Earlier in this essay we pointed out that the
   nature of this Promise, namely, that it is most em- Spirit' is "Holy", that IHe is the. adorable God. Rather
   phatically "God's Promise" it finds its completion in must we understand this giving of the Spirit to the
   t h . e   H o l y   S p i r i t .                                     Son as pertaining to this Son in the flesh. In the flesh
     Thus it is in our text. `The Holy Spirit, Who seals this Son suffered and died, and was "exalted unto
   us to the final redemption (this is the Promise ful- the right hand of Gqd". And this God is the Triuie
   filled) is called the Spirit of the Promise! This  im- God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father, whd
  -plies two things. -Firstly,. that this Spirit is the dne gave the Spirit to the Son in the flesh is none other,
  who had long been Promised to come: When God gave but  the God and  Fathel of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
   His Promise to Abraham  He assured  iHim of the                       (See verse 3 of Eph. 1, as also verse 17 where we read :
  heaven1.y blessings an.d not merely of earthly bleisings. "in order that the God of our Lord Jlesus Christ. . . .")I
  And, these blessings wer.e  to be: all spiritual blessings The Triune God out of the Father, through the Sofi
  in heavenly places. Implicit `in the "blessing of Abra- and in the Spirit gave the Spirit of Promise to the
  ham" is th.e Holy Spirit. This is literally stated thus Son in the flesh, and thus enables Him to be the Life-
   in Acts  2:38, 39. We here have Peter speaking on giving Spirit for His people.
  the day of Pentacost. To the question of those who                     Of  thjs Christ the Apostle says in II Cor. 3  :I7
  v?ere nricked
            2       in their hearts, and' who ask, "Men and "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit is,
  brethren, what must we do?" Peter answers: "Repent there is liberty." Arid because. Christ is anointed
  ye, and $e baptized each of you in the name of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit of Promise we can
   christ unto the forgiveness of your sins, and ye shall almost withour  contradiction call Chrisi the Spirit and
  receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." And if wle further the Spirit Christ. In  Roti.  8:2 we read "the law of
   enquire, as we are attempting here, why those repent- the Spirit of  life, in Christ Jesus". In the verses 9
   ing receive the foregiveness of sins and the  Holy and 10 of this same chapter "the Spirit" snd "Christ"
   Spirit, the answer is `If& uhto you is the Prqmise and are .inter-changed. Thus we read in verse 9 "But ye
  to your children. . .  ." Exactly in the Holy Spirit are not in the flesh but in the-spirit, if s6 be that the
  the Promise is realized-realized on Pentacost. It Sbirit of <God  dwelleth in you. But if any' man h&h
  is the feast of the first-fruits of the full harvest! The not  thle Spirit of Christ, he is none of  ,His." Now
   Spirit is the "promised One" jn the very Promise to notice in verse `10, that the apostle does not say "the
  Abraham and his seed !                                                 Spirit dwells in you", but "And if Christ is in you-
      Secondly, this Promise is the Spirit of  Promise the Spirit is life because of righteousness"`.
  because Her it is that will realize the work centrally                    Such, then, is the Spirit of the Promise. He `is
  fulfilled in Christ.. Thus we read in John  7:38, 39, wholly in the Service of the risen and glorified Christ.
  "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, I$e receives His all out of Christ and gives it to us.
  from within him shall flow rivers of living water. He is willing and able to seal us and to assure us of
  But this Hle spake of the Spirit, which they that be- our final saldation.                                           G. L.


                                       -  TH;E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                  407

                                                             days one easily feels that today's religious world is
                 PERIS-COPE.                             ,- on the move, away' from narrow denominationalism
                                                             to world-wide unity. Perusing a few religious maga-
                                                             zines we find statements announcing an Alliance of
                                                             Calvinistic Denominations whose purpose it is to bring
Markage, Heaven-Made or Not.                                 churches of reformed persuasion into closer fraternal
   In an attempt to adjust its marriage canons to the relationship. A little later we read about the Pro-
existing conditions, and thus, to "`take a more realistic posed Merger of the Congregational, Christian and
approach to the subject of re-marriage",. Bishop  J! the Evangelical- and Reformed.
Davis of the P. E. Church wants to decide the `validity         Editor of the  U.E.E:,  J. E. Wright, complained
of marriages, at least of those that prove .unhappy and imiatiently  of "quibling over small differences". An
unsuccessful, on the basis of the question, whether it editor of another reformed periodical tells us that the
we a heaven-made marriage or not.                            difference between many of today's factions is as
   Row fertile are men's minds.                              great as the difference between fiddle-dee-dee and
   Eureka. IHOW simple that really was. Here we fiddle-dee-dum.
have bleen groping about for a solution to the kfiotty          Dr. Dan Polini, editor of Christian Herald, holds
problem of marriage and the re-marriage of divorced before us the example of a baptism, where, "A Catholic
people, and right here under our eyes, at our fingers' (he  gleans a Roman Catholic evidently, M.G.) held
tips, in fact, was a tailor made solution.                   the basin of water, a Jew assisted and Dr. Poling
   It only needs to be decided whether the marriage baptized".           Thae's unity, says the Dr. Dr. A.  L.
was heaven-made. And how shall that be determined. Warnshuis from New York tells us that "emphasis
That too is simple. The very fact that-this particular on  denomin&tionalism means out of step  tiith the
marriage was  ,unhappy and unsuccessful proves that European Church". What Europe needs from us is
it was not heaven-made. The `barties  tier12 not really religious unity, not bigoted denominationalism; not
married at all. Hence divorce and re-marriage is quite more disunity but'more unity.
in order. Perhaps if they find new mates, they ,can             Dr. Fosdick, speaking before the Protestant Council
strike a heaven-made marriage. Just that easy:               of the City of New York, after telling  us that  Pro-
 - But is it that easy?                                      testantism has broken up into about two hundred' and
   Jesus said, "`What therefore God hath joined to- fifty sects and that our  .divided  estate has become
gether, let not man put asunder". And  Jesus said unbearable and an outrage to th'e intelligence, pro-
something about the sin `which divorced persons com- ceeds to. ridicule this ,business by telling the story of
mit when they re-marry.                                      Lloyd George. Lloyd George was riding with a friend.
   But, you must remember Jesus lived a full nineteen He said-to-his friend, "`The Church to which I belong
hundred years ago and today we have to take a "real- is torn with a fierce dispute. One section says that
istic stand." Jesus' approach evidently was not real- Baptism is IN the Name of the Father, the other
istic enough.                                                that it is INTO the-Name  of the Father. I belong to
   D'ear reader, did  yen ever  ljresume to  -be wiser one of these two parties. I feel most strongly about it,
than Jesus? Wiser than God. When  wte see poor I ,woufd  die for it, in fact. . .- .but I forget which it is."
fellowmen attempt to be wiser than God, we ought                Modern intelligence is  &raged by emphasis on
not vain!y to puff up ourselves, as though we would doctrinal clifferences. Mankind is impatient with it.
not do that. Perhaps we have often done it in respect The divided Europe  cries for unity. The Atom Bomb
to various practical. problem&  of life today. Whether threatens to blow us to smithereens. of we do not
the bishop of the P. E. Church or whether we pre- hurry  -and decide to patch up our differences and
sume to be wiser than God, God-passes judgment, .de- unite.
c&es us to be fools and then God proceeds to let                Alas for denominationalism.
subsequent history and Final Judgment bear out that             We naturally deplore the cults and Sects that, like
we are fools and that we know nothing. All we know so. many boils and cancers on a body erupt upon the
is what Jesus taught us, whatever we contribute comes surface of the historical church. .
under the heading of "private interpretation" and               But .we ought to let none of these things deceive
therefore foolishness.                                       us into a unity which is no unity. If and when tie
                                                             hold the Truth as Christ and the Apostles have given
                          $8     *     *"                    it us, and if we can unite with others who do that
                                                             same thing, well and good. That is ever our calling.
Alas for  Denohhationakwn.                                   Howbeit, such union does not make us any stronger
                                                             for our strengtlz  is never in numbers. But if we unite
   Tf one. carefully obs&es religious trends in these with  such  as  hay?  here  0~  the+ departed  frow  the


     408       1                          -~  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     Truth and the Traditions of Scripture,  w,e only  cle- not diligently instruct OLW children in the clifference
     stroy ourselves against that Rock upon which is wrif- between us and the others, these chilclren  will eventual-
c    ten, "For we can do nothing against the truth".               ly see nothing greater between us than the differ-
                                                                   ence between horses and tractors. And if we do not
        Antichrist shall sit in the Temple of God saying confizs and practice our Reformed Truth before men,
     he is Gdd, and what could be more convenient for hiiil we will lead them to th&; that the clifference be-
     than to find in the temple a united church-world?             tween us atid others is about as great as this, that
        The clamor for unity teils us that on God's clock we use horses only while others use tractors also.
     it is already a late hour and its notes sound the warn- God save us from becomil;g such laughing stock in
     ing, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols".           the eyes of men.
                                *  :,:  :,: :t                                                                       M .   G .
                        -

     Homes or Tractors.
        While we are on the subject of denominationalism
     anyway; I find something here about horses .and trac-                     STANDARD BEARER DUES
     tors that ought to prove interesting.
        It  ap$ears that there is in this country a  Beet           For  inrformation  as to  wh,en your subscription  ,be-
     called the Amish. This sect again divided into two comes due, you will find the numbers which indicate the
     groups, one group is called the Church Amish the month and year stamped Iwith yam address.
     other is called the House Amish.                                  We have f,ound that payrne:nts  made by means off
        One of the differences between them is that the the mail is less confusing and mu& delay is eliminated.
     Church Amish are allowed to use tractors for their T.herefore  we ask yonr icooperation in making your
     farm  tillage, but the House .Amish find this strictly payments Iby mail wheneirber  possible.
     forbidclen. I  camlot find out just why tractors are
     "verboten" but "verboten"  they,arie.                                                      The Board of the R. F. P. A.
        Imagine  it, if you can. The  diff,erence, being
     horses and tractors. No doubt they are serious about
     these things.      But when Protestantism is charged
     with breaking up into two huxidred and fifty  s&s
     and denominations and the differences between some                           ! IMPORTANT NOTICE !
     of them is no greater than the question of horses or
     tractors, we are reminded of th,e fiddle-dee-dee and               Atterdiom, All Consistories! - The Mission Com-
     fiddle-dee-dum.         It  is indeed sorry when antiquity, mittee desires- to obtain a mailing l'ist of `individuals
     pride and imagination build high fences and .enclose          outside ,our Churches who may be interested in our
     their followers within them.                                   Cause. Oilr purpose is to send them li.teratune;  includ-
                                                                   ing the  Standaticl  Bearer,  &free of `charge, for a trial
        So insistent  moreover  are, these House Amish period of six (months ; exptenses to be  ,borne ,by the
     about their rules that when the Government urged Mission  Committie,e. We  herew*ith  kindly request all
     them to use tractors in view of the labor shortage, of our Con,;istories  to aid ,LIS iron compiling such a list.
     they retorted that the government must release the We wou1.d suggest that each Consistory give its Con-
     sect's sons held' as conscientious objectors. . . .then, gregation opportunity to suggest names and addresses
     evidently, they could get  mor:e farm work done but and that these Ibe forwarded to' the Mission Committee
     still use only horses.                                        by the ConsistorJi. The Mission Commitbele  feels that
        By the test of God's Word either horses dr tractors the distribut,ion  of literature will be a positive testi-
     are all right. This has nothing to do with the Truth. mony to the Truth and may result in the opening of
     Therefore it is vain strife about words and mens' a field for future personal ;work. May we please have
     ideas.                                                        your cooperation?
        But we ought not to laugh at them. For if out-
     siders hear about a schism over ICommon Grace and                Kindly send all names and adldresses  to our secretaiy :
     Particular Grace, they would in turn perhaps laugh                                                 Rev. W. Hoftian,
     at us and count us foolish. Although we know that
     it is not foblish nor is it a strife about words.                                                  105 W. 19th Street,
        What we wanted to say however is t&at if we do                                                 Holland, Michigan.
                                                                                   -.  _  ._


