V O L U M E   X X I V   -                                    - November  1;1947  .- Grand Rapids,  Mick;.'                                       NUMBER 3
                              :
                                                                                                     De nieuwe wereld-orde !
 :`M'E                        J-)I.J'A.T                              1(--N.                         Ze. is eerst geestelijk. Johanies  moet in den geest
                                                                                              zijn om het te zien.  i Een echo van. wat Jezus tegen
-_.               .^                -                 ._'        -                            Nicodemus zeide :  .Tenzij dat  iemand wederomgeboren
                  _                                                                           zij, hij kan  h`et  ,:,Koninkrijk   ,Gods  niet  zi.en!. En die
    .--  Et6r&~m.  Den  flhion.  :  .'                                                        wedqgeboorte  is  dqor den  Gee& Vleesch en  bleed be-
                                                                                              Brft het  niet;  kan het ook niet zien.
                          "En  rondoIn  .deti-&on   i&en  ;ik$  eti twintig  &o-                     Tweedens,  zij-is ook  hemelseh van aard.  : Johannes
                        nen; en. op`de' tfotien  zag ik de vier kn &inti&  O&r-               ho&de  .die stem die  tot hem  .zeide : Kom hiec op ! E n
          `.            l&g&l   zittende,.  beklked   met  witte  kekderen,  en zij  ` die  ppgaqg is  naar den  hemel der hemelen.
   .            .' sadden  goudeli  kr&en-op  `hum; hoofden."                                        Derdens,  .die  ,wereld-orde is streng  .theologisch van
                                                                       Op&b. 4 f4.            stijl. Gqd zit  daar  .op den troon  jn  bet  middell des
         Het  stiachtefid verlatigen der Kirk is  geweest naai                                hemels..  .Alle&,  -l&ter!ijk  alles,.  i n   dien  hemel  i s   ge-
de  i&euw  e'  %ereld-ordk'l. .                                                               groepeerd rondom den  t,roon.. God is het  middenpunt
         Het zou  kotien  van.  debergeti  Gods.                                             .' des hemels. En. dan ?a1 `t gaan.
 .   M e n   `sloei  d'dogen  n a a r   ` t   g e b k r g t e   heen.                                        :k             a.**                   `.
  -- Het  ZOU een'dereld-orde iijn`van  enk&l vrede.                                                                                        _
  -. De Heere  gaf  schadtiw,en,-   iyien,  .beeid&  en  syml                                  Zoo  z&n-  we  Gier- en twintig `tronen  rondo?  den
bblen  v&n-dat  vrede-rijk,  maa?  &&  rijk  zeJf kwam  nag  - grooten  witten troon.
ni&.  I           S          er-nnu  ,n-og  tii+t:                                                   En op die tronen de  viey en twintig  Ouderlingen.
         Er is  v&e1  gekoin&i.              We.  `ti@exi zelfs  zeggkn, dat                         En- hun `aaniien?  Wei,  ?ij  hebb&  witte  kleederen
centraal  d6  xiieuwe `wereld-orde al  kw&n.  Mtiar het `aan; en gouden  kr&en  op'hunne  hoofden.
i n d e t   n o g   vervuld  tiordeti.                                                               Vier en twintig.
         Centraal   kwam',die   wereld-orde in Jeius  Chri&&                                         Bijbelsche  symboliell;,  66k in de  g&&n.
d e n   Heer&  Hij  i s 'd e   griote  Vr&d+Vorst.                                                   In&en we de rest' van den  Bijbel niet  hadden,  ,dan
 Centrag  kwati  d i e   wereld-orde  o p   d&n  .Pinkster zou  het niet gemakkelijk zijn om-de  beteekeni$  TiSn dit
dag,  W&i-&de Wet Gods  is  geschreven in`het  hart San                                       symbolische  getal te  vatten.
elk  hunnet  die in  die  tiereld-ord&  een plaats hebben.                                    . Vier en twintig is de som van 12 plus  12:                      .
Daar in  dtit  d,i&p&  hart is het stil. In de grootste smar-  y                                     En zelfs in dit  -bock der openbaring  binden we dit
t e n   blijven  lluhne  h&en  +.`den  Heef  gerust.  D&<is dubbele  twaalftal  terug.  He!,  spreekt .van de  twaalf
`waar in  alle eeuwen.                                 .-                                     geslachten Israels  .en van de  ,.twaalf   Apostelen  d&s
    l$Iaar  v e r v u l d   i s   h e t   n o g   ni$.                    _'               1  L a m s . In. het  Blste  hoofdsttik wordt weer den  hemel
    `De  vervtilling ervan heeft Johannes gezien.                                             der heerlijkheid beschreven. De hoofdstukken vier  ei
         Hoofdstukken  vier' en tiijf van h`et bo&k der Openba-                               vijf  passen.  op  .de hoofdstukken  .21  en 22, Welnu : in
ring bevatten een beschrijving van die  nieuwe  wereld-                                       de beschrijving van de  gtad  Go& lezen we, dat de
orde, waarnaar de kerk  gesmacht heeft. -Van Abraham twaalf namen der twaalf geslachten Israels geschreven
staat,  er,` dat  hij  ce van  verie zag en omhelsd  hkeft.                                   zijn op de  poorten  .der'  s&d.      En in de fundamenten
Geen wonder: de  aanblik-is   schoon   en lieflijk,  kenbeg van den  muur van het  hemelsche Jeruzalem  waren de
oni tot` iti-  alle eeuwigheid tevreden te zijn.  `Indien. namen der twaalf  Apostelen  des Lams.
iemand-al. het  goed  vati zijn huis zou bieden voor den  '                                          -Nu  weten we, dat de Heilige Geest vaak  de Kerk
aanblik  vanS dat  rijk,van  eeuwigen vrede, zoo zou men                                      GQds  noemt  naar'den naam van hem'die met  ,God  wor-
hem ten  .eerienmale  Vera&ten.                                                               stelde :  jakob-Israel;- En  zelfs nu, in de Nieuwe  bedee-
                                                                           ,          -
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- 50                                            P      `I'HE-  S T A N D - A R D   BEARE--R-

      lin'g, noemt men vaak de kerk  n&ar dien  Oud-Testa-                    geeft om koningen te  zijn.  Z,elfs Jezus Christus, de
      `m&tis&hen  naam. En van die'  tw&f Apostelen staat                     uiterste hoeksteen van het gebouw Gods, is hier niet
      on,$ vermeld, dat de Kerk  gefundeerd is op het  funda-  ` uitgesloten.  -  O& Hij ontvangt het`regiment tot in alle  _
      ment der Apostelen,  waarean Jezus  Christus  is de                     eeuwigheid  van  ,God. Want God wil en moet zijn :  alles
     u i t e r s t k   h o e k s t e e n .                                    en in  allen.  Boiendien, er is  -slechts  B&n fontein van
     '  .I Zoo  moge@%re  conclude&en, dat dit dubbele  twaalf-               macht en kracht, en die  .&ne Fontein is God!
      !a1 de  Kerk'van Jezus` Christ+  representeert, de Kerk,                   Zoo kunnen we  bet  zien, dat de vier en  twilitig  tro-
      beide  van het  ,Oude  `en  vajn  he* Nieuwe Testament.                 nen staan  ronclom  den  boon.  Dat  ronclom den troon
              Zij  representeereq de Kerk  vati  .christus.   Daarom          moet U nederigheid  leeren. Gij zijt niet het  midden-
      staat  er dan ook, dat zij de Ouderlingen  ,zijn.  _ Te  den- tiunt in den  hemel, o Kerk Gods ! Leert dat hier op
      ken  aan  h$  speciale ambt  Gan  ouderling, op aarde is                a a r d e . Alle  hoogmoed heeft uit in den  hemel.  ..-.De
      foutief. De  speciale  &hbien  gebben uit  in den  hemel.               Kerk van God wil,  verlangt  bet. niet anders,  dint dat
              Evenwel, op aarde  waren immers de oudsten  ,de hun tronen tot in alle eeuwigheid staan zooals ze ons
      vertegenwoordigende  hoofden der' families en naties?                   hier getoond  worden. Men beleeft  ,daar ware THEO-,
      En zoo duiden  die vier en twintig  Oudsten op de  ge-                  LOGIE !
-     heele Kerk Gods. Zij  vertegenwoordigen haar in dit                        En onthoudt, geliefde lezer, dat die vier en twintig
      gezicht.                       . .                                      ouderlingen U vertegenwoordigen.                   De  .geheele kerk
              Die Ouderlingen zitten op tronen, die rondom  .den komt  straks in den troon  rondbm God. En  d,e geheele
      grooten troon Gods geschaard zijn. Daar zit  tweegrlei -kerk zal regeeren onder God over al wat. in de nieuwe
      in.               -                                                     wereld-orde zal  pro&&.              `Jezus heeft beloofd; dat al
              Eerst, de  Kerk  ,Gods zal regeeren. Dit ligt in de             wie volharden zal tot het einde met  Hem zal zitten in
      idee van den troon. En dat is een gedachte die  overal                  Zijn troon. En Hij  %a1  doen wat Hij beloofde, want
      in den Bijbel ons geleerd  .wordt. Zoo was het met den                  Zijn  haam- is  ,Getrotiw en Waarachtig.
      oorspronkelijken-mensch in het eerste Paradijs. Hij                        Een weinigje  gel,eden heb ik gezegd, dat  centraal
      regeerde over  alles wat de  H$eere gemaakt had  op                     die  niepwe wereld-orde er al was. Eerst in  Ch&stus
      narde. We onderschrappen die laatste twee woorden,                      Jezus die kwam en nog is. En  tweedens in het feit van
      wailt `Adam had geen  ,souvereiniteit   over den  hemel                 den Pinksterdag. Welnu, gedenkt daaraan in dit  v&r-
      of de hemelsche schepselen.                    Verder dan de aarde      band van die vier en twintig tronen.  ,Ge regeert nu
      strekte  zich zijn  gebiedniet uit. Maar hij was  koning al met Christus. Leest wat  Johatines zag in het verder
      geschapen.             Hij stond  a+n het hoofd der  dingen op          verloop van  de gezichten op  Patmos,                      De twee  ge-
       aarde.  Alles, als  `t ware,  eindigde in den mensch. Zoo              trouwe  getuigeki  ontvingen groote  macht, zelfs om den  ~
      als het-zoo  schoon  uitgedrukt  wordt in der  vaderen be-              hemel. te sluiten zoodat het niet regende  qp de  garde,
     lijdenis:  alie  dingen moesten Adam dienen, opdat  hij                  en om het water in bloed te veranderen, en de aarde
       G o d '   dienen  mocht.  8                                            te slaan. met vele plagen, zoo  meniffmaal als zij  zulleli
              Ddch  toen de kdning  iGods  zich onderwierp  aan het           willen: Hoofdstuk  11:6; En die twee getrouwen  ge-
      koninkrijk der leugen,  raakte hij koning-af.  D.w.z.,. hij             tuigen zijn ook weer van die  Qudsten die U  vertegen-
       lion niet langer Koning  zrjn onder God, want dat de                   woordigep..' Het is de Kerk  ,Gods ten tijde van het
      mensch nog  +eel zeggenschap en regeering  overgehou- einde, ten tijde van de  realiieering- van het  Be&t uit
      -den heeft, is duidelijk. Evenwel is hij nu  koning onder               den  afgroncl, en uit de zee. .
       Satan en dient hij hem met de aarde.                                      D,& Kerk regeert. Zij doodt zelfs met het Woorcl.
              En nu zien we den laatsten Adam, en  ziet, Hij is               Zi.j  pijnigt den goddelooze,  en  266 erg;  dat die  godde-
     de Koning der koningen en de  Heer.der heeren.  Het                      loozeti groote vreugcle zullen bedrijven  bij. het  hooren,
      koningschap   van Adam in het  -paradijs is  opgevoerd- dat die  ttiee getrouwe getuigen eindelijk dood op de
       tot in den  herriel zoo hoog. Jezus Christus, de  Ouder- straten der stad  zullen liggen, de stad die geestelijk
       ling bij uitnemendheid, regeert over alle  dingen.  -  En genaamd  is Sodom en Egypte waar ook de Heere  ge-'
       ditmaal houdt het ook den  hemel en de hemelsche  dir+,                kruist is.
       &en  .en  creaturen in. Er is slechts EEN uitgesloten, en                                                                         .
       dat is Hij Die Hem alle  dingen  oqderwierp.                                                   :b    $4      :fz     *
              Maar Jezus  regeert.                                                                                                               --.  :
                                              En die van Jezus zijn zullen
     regeeren.                                                                    Maar er is nog meer in dit heerlijke gezicht.
              Dat is  h=et wat Johannes hier ziet.                                lje Kerk van God die regeert onder God en door
              Ze zitten op tronen.                                            God. .heeft  witte kleederen  .aan.
              Tweedens, er zit in dit gezicht ook dit, dat de kerk              Wit is een zeer  -sprekende  .kl&r. .  Eigefilijk  is  bet.
       we1 regeeren zal,  maar het  bewind der kerk heeft zijn                geen  kleur, net zoo min als het zwart.
       oorsprong in den grooten  witten  troociz. God is het die               Wit is het inbegrip van alle kleuren. En zwart is
       hun elk oogenblik de  yacht  en de kracht en  d,e eer de  algeheele ontstentenis van kleurenpracht.
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                                                                                                                       _.
                                     ~  T H E   S T A N D A R D ,   B E A R E R                                                                 5s.
     _...,___      -_                                              -                                          ,I,  _.  _`  -.  ~..  ,.  ~_        ._         ?
     Het wit van de kleederen der kerk hier, is niet  bet van den  allerkostelijkst&   Steen jaspis !
 matte en levenlooze wit  vali onze witte linnen kleederen:               ' Zij  rusten  cn rustende  regeer'en  zij. Zij  xi-(te~   op
 Het wit des hemels is het  ideale wit. We bemerkten                    dietroeen.          ..         `.             _           `.
 er  jets van  toen de  tingelen  <Gods op aarde kwamen.                    En de ware ruste is immers  d&t zij ingaan in  he'i
 Of  toen  Mazes van den berg omneer  kwam.  IOf  toen                  volbrachte werk van God? Dat  werk. te zien, en  b&g
 Jezus  bp den  b.erg  der verheerlijking  veranderd werd               te zijn in dat vol-brachte  werk, dat werk te  bewon-
 yoor- tijd en  w,ijle. Dat is het ideale,  bet- Goddelijke             deren, is de ware ruste.
 wit. Het is het wit  sls van het  zdnlitiht,  doch ook dan
 is. de vergelijking te  zwak.            get is het wit van de                                    a  *  *  *
 schittering des diamants, van kristal  en zuiver  glas.
 Het is enkel schittering en straling; fonkeling en  beer;                  En, eindelijk,  zij- hebben op hun  slapen gouden
 l i j k h e i d .                  .I                                  kronen:.
     :Orn eenigzins te  vatten, wat de  Heilige Geest  be-                  D,e. kroon is  symbool  van overwinning.
 doelt met die witte  kleederen  der  Kerke Gods,  moeten                   Deze glorieuze  veYschijningen, op de tronen  zit-
 we voor  ?le aandacht houden, dat die  vi.er en `twintig               tende, vlak voor  Gods--aangezieht; zijn uit de groote
 tronen  rondbm den troon Gods staan. Zij vangen dus                    verdrukking gekomen.
 de fonkeli.ng van den jaspis op. En de  vorige  maal,                      De Kerk van God op  aard&' is in een grooten, strijd
 toen we  stilstdndeen bij het  derde vers, hebben we iets              gewikkeld.
 gezien van die kleur  Gods; het inbegrip  v&Y alle  schit-                 `En-zij hebben dien strijd om Gods wil.  .Om  Gods-
 t e r e n d e   d e u g d e n .                                        wil  worden zij gedood, en  zullen zij gedood  worden, tqt
     De Kerk is in  3 wit,  in. `t  schitterend wit  gekleed op den laatsten dag toe.
 van alle deugd. Elders staat geschreven, dat die witte                     Verkeerend temidden van de wolven,  hebben zij de
 kleederen  zijn.de  rechtvaardigmakingen der heiligen.                 schapengestalte.      En de wolven werpen zieh op de
      Och, als ik  siechts rechtvaardig mag zijn voor  ,God,            schapen,  verieheuren hen en dooden hen.
 dan ben  .ik  schoon  en  lieflijlq De rechtvaardige is in                 `Temidden van de goddeloozen, begeesterd door den
 harmonie  m& `t hoogste  Goed. Dat is immers  de juiste                geest uit den afgrond, hebben zij een  z$ad Gods in het .
 besehrijving en  om&hrijving van  rechtvaardigbeid  `:                 diepe hart, en dat zaad wil naar buiten en' tre,edt ook
 Als ik in al mijn  willen, begeeren,  denken en  doen in               daad.werkelijk  naar buiteri. En waar  nu maar ook dat
 overeensteixi&ing  ben met God, als `t Hoogste  Goed,` goddelooze volk het zaad van God gewaar wordt, daar
 dan ben ik rechtvaardig. Dan  b!ink en schitter ik van benauwen zij die zaaddragers. Zij zaaien dat zaad,
 hemelsehe en Godclelijke schoonheid.. Dan  beti  ik  be-               do&  doen het met tranen. Zij zijn getrouw  (zie Psalm
 zitter van ware deugd.                                                 44) in het verbond,  doch zij  worden  verkocht  en'God
     En dat heeft de Kerk van God.                                      verrijkt  zich niet met hun  prijs. Zij houden niet op
     pat heeft ze  eersi in de rechtvaardigmaking.                      van het getuigen, zoodat  de  Hsilige Geest hen noemt
      En  dan  moeten we  we1 bedenken, dat dit niet  be-               de getrouwe getuigen,  doch zij  doen het met zakken
 teekent, dat wij rechtvaardigheid als een deugd  ont-                  bekleed. Zij hebben den Konings-Geest in het hart,
- vangen in de daad der  rechtvaardigmaking.                            doch voor tijd en wijle zien we hen  bekleed met schaaps-
      De rechtvaardigmaking  iS die daad van den  Dlrie- vellen en geitenvellen,  ze  dolen soms rond in de  holen
 Eenigen God waardoor Hij den in zidhzelven  verdoeme-                  en spelonken der aarde.          .
 lijken  doch  uitverk&en zondaar vrijspreekt  yan alle                   .Van  allen is waar: zij zijn in de groote  verdruk-
 zorrden en  schulgen, en om den  wille van het werk des                king. En de grootste verdrukking geschiedt in hun
 Middelaars Jesus Christus, hem de gerechtigheid van                    binnenste hart. Daar is de strijd het hevigst.
 Jezus  Christus  toerekent, zoodat hij frank en vrij  staat                Men noemt  d,e kerk die door die groote  verdrukking
 voor den troon van God,  en hij  recht ontvangt om den van eeuw tot eeuw naar den  hemel reist, de  strijdcnde
hemel' binnen te treden als het aangenomen kind van                     kerk.  S
 God.                                                                       Het- is slechts ten deele waar. Ik mag ze  oak  noe-
      En, tweedens,  op grond van  die rechtvaardigmaking men de  triumfeereide k&k.
 die  j,uridisch is, geeft God ook  reclitvaardigheid als                   Ik mag zelfs zeggen, dat zij meer dan  triumfeert:
 deugd  aan  diezelfde uitverkoren zondaren in het  pro-                de duivel,  -de wereld, ja, en  0o.k de zonde,  moeten nog
 ces der heiligmaking, welk  proces  begindigd  .wordt in niedewerken ten goede. Alles,  lettWlijl<   alles  StlWt
 den dag  van?  Jezus Christus, wanneer die  uitvergoren                dat volk naar  boGen naar de tronen rondom den troon
 zondaren opgewekt  worden  naq het  lichaam.                           Gods.
                                                      _
      En dan  zullen zij zitten.                                            En dan, aankomende,.  .tiachten de kronen,  zinne-.
      Dan  zitten zij op tronen.                                        beeld van glorierijke overwinning. Om `t eeuwig -wel-
      En. hun kleeren zijn dan Wit.                                     behagen.!
     Ze  vingcn den  vollen glans op van den  Steen Gods,                                                                                 G. V          .
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       52                   .-                   .,                                                                     TtiE `ST.ANDARti                                                              _~      BEAREIZ .           _     _          .
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        Rev. J. D. De' Jong, Rev. A.  netter,  Rev,  C, Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                                                          Doekes of- the Netherlands Reformed Church, main-
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                                                                                                                                                                                                   Hoe reageert Ds.  Boeksema op onze  artikelen?. De
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                                                                                                                                                                                               t e   weten. We' onderbreken  daaroq  de  voortz&ting  \`atli.
                                            ,                                                                                                                                                   onze reeks om iets  vi6 Ds.  Hoeksem& op te  tielnen.
                                                                                                                                                                                               Jaminer  gelloeg heb ik nog niet zijn  kantteekci;ingen
                                                                                             ,.
                                                                            -  CONTENT8   -                                                                                                     op mijn eerste artikelen in bezit. Maar na de  ont-
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                  R e v .   G .   .Vos.                                                                                                                                                         Standard  Bearer".  <an 1 Aug.  allereerst een  zorgvu!cl,ige
                                                                             c.                                                                                                                vertaling van mijn artikel, waarna Ds. Hoeksema'het
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       EDITORIAL&- . . . :                                                                                   _                                           -                                     volgende opmerkt  (ik vertaal)  ,:
       CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE NETHERLANDS ._........: . . . . 52                                                                                                                                  Tot  zoo  ver de vertaling.
                -Rev. G. Vos.                                                               -- .                                                                                                   "Er is  &n punt in het  artikel.van ds.  Doekes,  waar-  *
                                                                                                                                                                                               op  ik.dadelijk de aandacht  moei  Sestigen, Het  betreft
       OUR DO,CTRLNE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  i . . . . :.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :.56de vraag, of in de geschriften der  mijger&akt&   iets
                  R e v .   $?L  V e l d m a n .                                                                                                                                               aanleiding gaf  tot mijn  vraag betreffende de  aange-
                                                                                                                                                                                               haalde onderscheiding tusschen  belofte en  to.exeygi@.
       SAUL'S REBE,LLION . . . . . ..I . . . . . . . . . . . . . I................................: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6;.                                                            Het spijt mij, dat  ik op dit oogenblik geen  tijd heb
     GO.D'S  PLAGUES ON PHARAOH'S HEART . . . . . . ..*................... 62                                                                                                                  om opnieuw het  overvroedige  matkriaal te doorzocken,
       R e v .   G .   M .   O p h o f f .                                                                                                                          *                           dat mij- na de  beeindiging  vari den  o&log werd  toe-
                                                                                                                                                                                               gezond,en, en dat op deze  kwet'ie  betrekking  heeft.
       IN  HIS FEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  :.v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66        11~ schrijf dit in  gkoote haast, omdat  ik op  .het  punt
                  `Rev.  M:  Gritt&s.                                                                                                                                                     sta, Grand Rapids  te  verlaten voor  een,  reis. naar het
                                                                                                                  `
                                                                                                                  .-                                                                            Westen, en er  prijs op stel, het artikel van ds.  Do&es
       FROM HOLY WRIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 op te nemen in het  zoo mogelijk  eerstv&ende  nmnmer
                   Rev. G. C. Lubbers.                                                                                             -                          .-                               van ons blad.                    `,
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Laat mij  bierover dit zeggen, dat ik sbms  uit  ge-
       PERISCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . `I............;  . . . . . . . . ..-..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 schriften van de vrijgemaakten den indruk kreeg,  -dat
                  Rev;   \y.  Hofinan.                                              -_                                                              '                                           zij den term  "toezegging"  (gesproken  belofte, "the
                                                                                                                                                                                                spoken pledge") de voorkeur  `geven boven de  uitdruk-
                                                                                                                                                                                                king  "belofte"; omdat hij  zich  gemakkelijker  l&ent  `om


                                       I





                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D -   B E A R E R                                             53

   de gedachte van een conditioneele belofte uit te  druk-                  scheiding  gemaakt moet  worden, die onderscheiding als
   ken. En het citaat, dat ds.  Doekes hierboven  ,aanh&alde                vo1gt :             -
   uit de "Verklaring van  Gevoelen",  versterkt  rqij juist                    a. De belofte is de onvoorwaardelijke, algemeene
   in die overtuiging.                                                      .verzekering  aan de geloovigen of de  uitverkor.enen:  -
          Ik geloof dat  ik  j,uist nu, min of meer "offhand"               zij, die gelooven in den Zoon,' hebben het leven, en.
  (voor de vuist weg) ,  kan  vel;klaren hoe ik  dezer, indruk              dergelijke  u i t s p r a k e n 'i n   d e   Schrift.
   ontving.                                                                     b. De toezegging is de  voorwaard$ijke  belofte,  ge-
   .      Ilr-verwijs naar `"De  R.eformatie", jrg. 22, no. 12,             aclresseerd  aan alle gedoopte kinderen.
   waar dr. Schilder de volgende  synodale verklaring  be-                      Is deze indruk van mij juist ?
   critiseert  (de vervangingsformule, L. D.) :                        _        En, in de-  tweede plaats,  wanneer- de vrijgemaakten
          "In de- belofte  betui.gt Hij niet alleen, dat een  iege-         de  termen belofte  en toezegging  zonder onderscheid
   lijk, die  in den Zoon  geloift het eeuwige leven heeft, .gebruiken, schrijven zij dan  aan  belofte  niet  altijd de
   maar zegt Hij ook den Heiligen  ,Geest toe; Die het  ge-                 beteeketiis toe van  de  gesproken   toexeg$ng,  geadres-
   lo6f  werk$  waar,door Hij ons  Christus  en al  Zijy  wel-              seed  aan  conwrete  indivicluen?
   daden  dcelachtig  maakt".                                                   Tenslotte,  spreekt de Bijbel niet  -steeds  van Gods
          Prof. Schilder  klaagt,  dat de synode in  gebr,eke               belofte als (van) de  onvoorwaardelijke  heilsverzeke-
b l e e f   s c h e r p e   e n   zuivere  onderscheidingen   t e   maken, ring  aan de uitverkorenen?"
   sp&iaal  ten.  &anzien  van  de beteekenis  van den term                     Tot  zcjover ds. Hoeksema. We  zijfi  dankbaar voor
   belofte. En dan schrijft hij verder (hier citeert ds.                    zijn  `opmerkingen. Want nu kunnen we hem al weer
   Hoeksema  ver?olgens,  wa!,  Prof. Schilder schreef in                   verder' helpen.
   oi-~s blad no.. 12,  pag,. 1, kol. 1-2. L.D.) .                              In de eerste plaats iets over de door hem  aange-.
          "Prof. Schilder vestigt dan de aandacht op een                    haalde citaten  ;an  Prof. Schilder.  ik kan mij  voor-
   onderscheiding, die  de  vadereti  maakten tusschen  be-                 stellen,  dat ds. Hoeksema daarin steun meende te  vin-
   lofte en  pollicitatie.  Nu is een  pgllicitatie  een  be1oft.e          den voor zijn aanvankelijken indruk. Maar bij  her-
   zonder  tiederkeerigheid, d.w.z.,  etin belofte, die niet                haalde nauwkeurige lezing van het door  Prof.  rschilder
   aanv8ar;cl   $s door de partij  aan  %vie zij gedaan werd.               geschrev&ne moet ik  tech tot  de  conclusie komen, dat
 Ze is daarom een  onvobrivaardelijke  belofte. En  Prof.                   ds. Hoeksema' er meer in leest dan er in ligt opgesloten.
   Schilder schrijft zelf in dit  verband :                                  In. no. i2  vtin ohs blad laat  Prof. Schilder op de
        "Heel `de' kwestie van  Tioorwaardelijke of  onvoor-                door ds.  Hoeksema geciteerde woorden  volgen:.  "Wij
waarde1ijk.G heilsbelofte  h%ngt hiermee  samen". .  1                      `zeggen  niet, dat wij die pollicitatie-theorie  willen gaan     -
 :  - Uit dit  alles,. en  oak uit andere passages in de  ge- doctieren. Wij zeggen  wel, dat we ze niet zullen  ne-
   schriften van  de  vrijgemaakten,  mede  061~  in  verband geiren.                   Hieruit`  kan.  ds. Hoeksema zien, dat  Prof.
   met de  onderscheiding die zij inaken  fusschenc   "schen-               Schilder allereerst aandringt op nauwkeurig onderzoek
   kink"  en'- "in bezit stellen",  kre&g ik den indruk dat                 van. de kwestie, en  voorts, dat hij de in den doop  ver-
   zij een  onderscheiding,.maakten tusschen  belofte  eri zegelde  belofte.aan   elken wettigen doopeling individueel
 `toekeyging.  D.e belofte  is  een  tilgemeetie  verklaring, .geadresseerd~ noefit. Dat hij  daarbij de  uitdrukking
aan  niemalid  ptik;ticulier  geadresseerd,:  " W i e   i n   d e n         "toezeggen" gebruikt, is  m.i:alleen om daardoor  scher-
   Zdori  gelocift;   die heeft' het  eetiwige  leven"; de  toezgg-         per te  -1aten uitkomen,  dai  de.  veTbonds-belofte  niet
   king is de belofte,  @adress'eerd   a% particuliere  indi-               l'naar een  algenieene  mededeeling is, die al's  `t ware,
  -viduen.      De  bglofte is beperkt  tot geloovigen, de  uit-            "over de  hoofden  heen" wordt uitgesproken (en  waar-
   verkorenen  ;  ,de  toezegging is  voor..  allen, die gedoopt            bij ieder dan maar moet zien uit te  vi&en, of ze tot
   zijn.  `DienoveY;eerikomstig is de belofte  onvoorwaarde;                h,em of haar is gericht),  doch dat die belofte  zich zeer
   l i j k ,   d e   toezegging  conditioneel.         .          _         concreet  richt tot ieder kind van geloovige ouders.
          D'eze indruk wordt versterkt door wat  ik las in "De              Met andere  woorden: de term "toezegging"  die&  bier
   Reformatie", jrg. 22, no.' 15: "Met  a$`ere woorden :                    alleei? om  aan te duiden, dat  de'  verbondsbelofte   in&-
   aan  Al&E, kinderen,  di,&  wettig gedoopt zijn, is de                   &clu.esZ  greadresseercl is  aan alle  kinderen der  geloovi-
  wedergeboorte   TOEGEZEGD, en  d& H. Geest  TOEGEL                        gen;  niet om daarmee de "belofte" als iets  onvoorwaar-
  ZEGD.         E n      dk  recht$aardigmaking  Yl?OEGEZE,GD. delijks te onderscheiden van een "toezegging", die  voor-
   Evenals  huti  TOEGEZ-EGD   -is, dat de` Vader hen van waardelijk zou  zijti.  -tOverigens  wil ik niet .nalaten
  alle  goed  +,e?zorg&  en alle kwaad van hen weren of  te                 hi,erbij  op te merken, dat ik over Joh. 3  :36 anders denk
  hunnen- beste keeren wil. Maar die  ttiezeggingen zijn dan  Prof. Schilder-. Maar dat komt nog  we1 ter  @rake.
  voorwaaF.delijk.   --                                                     Dat ds. Hoeksema  t.en onrechte het verschil tusschen
          Met het oog op dit alles  mpet ik mijn vraag  aan                 de  termed  "belofte"-en  "toezegging" bij ons meent te
  ds.  Doekes herhalen, maar'nu in' d&Zen vorm :                            zien  samenvalleti met de bnderscheiding van  "voor-
          Hoewel u belofte en toezegging  dikwijls zonder                   waardeliik" en "onvoorwaardelijk", is ook te bewiizen
  onderscheid gebruikt, is  tech, wanneer  er  een  ondey-                  uit het  Bewaarschrift  tegen de Toelichting, in Juni
                                                            ~-
  :'

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

 1943  ingediend door de reeds vroeger genoemde groep                 noegen-.willen  doen, enkele  teksten  aah te voeren,  -die
 van  bezwaarden: (dr. S.  0. Los  c.s'.) , en  als  bij!age.  op-    z.i.- kennelijk een onvoorwaardelijke heilsbelofte  aan
 genomen  bii  de Verklaring van  Gevoelen. WB  verwij-               (de)  -uitverkbreeen bevatten? Ik zal daar dankbaar
 zen vooral.  n@rpag.   55-59, waar de  schrijvers  zich  ver-        kennis van nemen, en er graag op  ingaan.
 zetten  tegen de in de  Toelichting gehanteerde (en later                                                           L.  DOEKES.
 ook telkens verdedigde)  onvoortiaardelijke heilsbelofte                 I   t r a n s l a t e :       -
 aan  de  uitT!erkoreiien": Zij zeggen  daartegenover :
 "De  beloft des heils. . . . komt. . . . niet anders tot                             wzoMxs13 AND SLEDGE
 ons dan in conditioneelen vorm,  d.i. met bevel  van  `ge-
 loof en  bekeering" (pag. 55) .                                                  . (Reply to Rev.  ioeksema)                  I
        Op de eerste  der hierboven  genoemde vragen van                How does the Rev. Hoeksema react upon our articles?
 ds. Hoeksema is dus mijn  antwoord  : van vrijgemaakte               The reader& of  Qe  Reformatie  haye a right to know
 zijde heb ik  hog geen  onderscheid kunnen  ontdekken                that. Therefore, we interrupt  the continuance of our
 tussehen "belofte" en "toezegging" in den zin zooals                 series, in order to insert something from the Rev.
 ds:Hoeksema meende  te kunnen constateeren. En per-                  Hoeksema. It is a pity that I-have not  yet his  side-
soonlijk  acht ik het niet naar de  Stihrift, de heilsbelofte         fi6tes on  tiy first articles in my possession. But after
 te versmallen tot een  speciale  onvoorwaardelijk,e heils-           receiving his accurately formulated questions (see our-
 verzekering  aan de uitverkorenen. Natuurlijk bestaat                paper. `of April 12th) and my article as an answer to
 sr  we1 een taalkundig onderscheid  tusschen "belofte" s a m e   (s'ee: "Reformatie"  June 7th)  "The  StanclarcZ
 en  `toezeggi<g". Maar- daarin ligt  tech niet de  ,bijge-           Bearer" of Aug.  $st now  cqntains first of all a careful
 dbchte van "voorwaardelijk" of "onvoorwaardelijk".                   translation of my article, after which the Rev;  Hqek-
 En de  Schrift geeft  ni.i. ook in het geheel geen  aan-.            sema observes the following:
-le'iding,  aan die  termen een dergelijke onderscheiding                There is one point in the article of the  `Rev;  .Doekes
t e   v e r b i n d e n .                                             on which I must  refleet.`at once. It concerns the ques-
        Op. de  tweede  vrang' van ds. Hoeksema zou ik dit            tibn whether anything in the writings of  the-.liberated
Lvillen antwoorden : inderdaad is van vrijgemaakte                    occasioned my question concerning the alleged distinc-
 zijde  herhaald.elijk gesproken over Gods heilsbelofte               tion  betw,een promise and pledge,  b#elofte   and  tbezeg-
 als over een  cqncreet en individueel geadresseerde                  g&g.
 toezegging (in  tegenstelling met  de  synodale  theo-                   I am sorry that, for the present, I lack the time
 rieBn) . Intusschen wijs ik er op, dat voornamelijk                  to peruse once again the abundant'material that was
 Prof. Schilder  meermtilen herinnerd heeft  aan  qrsinus' sent me after the close of the War, and that is  relatsd
 onderscheiding.  tusschen   conditioneele  en  niet-conditio-        to this question. I am writing this in a great hurry,
 neele beloften. Volgens  Ursin_us is  b.y. Gods betuiging,           becauSe I am-about to  leave  ,Grand Rapids for the far
 d& de aarde niet meer door water zal vergaan, een  on-               West, and I like to publish this  artitile of' the Rev.
voorwaardelijke belofte;  r&&r de heilsbelofte van het                Doe&es in the earliest possible issue of our paper.
verhond is volgens hem  tie1 conditioneel.           Graag  wil           Let me say this about it, that I sometimes received
 ik trachten, in een  volgend  artikel  duidelijk te  maken,          the impression from the writings of the liberated that
`hoe de  Schrift m.i. over dit  `belarigrijke  purit-zich  uit-       they prefer  the term "toezegging"  the spoken  pleclge,
 spkeekh.  `We  komen  dail `ook  .Tianzelf met  d.e kwestie          to the term "belofte" or  promise,:because   it more read-
 vati de gemeene gratie in  aanraking.                                ily lends  itself to  .express  the idea of a conditional
        Tenslotte vraagt ds. Hoeksema:  spreekt  de Bijbel            pk:otiise.. And the quotation  Mihich the Rev.  Daekes
 ni& steeds van Gods belofte als van  de-onvoorwaarde-                niakes -above from the  "D&laration  `of Sentimeht"
lijke  heils<erzekering   aan de  uitverkorehen?                      rather strengthens me in that conviction.
   Vergun mij  daarqp eerst een wedervraag : kunt  LI                     I believe that I can even  now, more or less offhand,
 mij uit de  Schrift een tekst noemen, waar de heils-                 explain  how-I  .received  this impression.
 belofte (die  aan alle  uitverkoreaen en geloovigen  ver-                I refer. to  De  Refkmatie;  Vol. 22, No. 12, where
 vuld wordt)  als een  onvoorwnardelijke   heils'crerzekering ,I%. Schilder  criticizes..the following  synodical declara-
 aan.  &5n of `meer uitverkorenen wordt toegezegd ? Ik                tion :
 hen-  daar- bijzonder benieuwd  naay. Tijdens mijn                       "In the promise; He Witnesses not only that  `who-
proces heeft een classicale  cotimissie  zich  eerst beijverd `soever believes in the Son has eternal life, but He  als'o
 argumenten  aan  te voeren  om mijn verzet tegen de                  pledges  thti Holy Spirit  (xegt  Hij ook  @en  Heiligen
 synodale  leeruitspraken te weerleggen. Ze  poemde  iti              Geest toe),  Who works faith  whereby `He  .makes us
 haar rapport een aantal teksten, die ik  i!oen eens  r&tig           partakers of Christ  an,d all  H'is benefits."
 heb onderzoeht, en die to& allerminst  g&chikt bleken                    Prof. Schilder complains  .that the synod failed to
 om als pijlers  onder den wankelen  sinodalen  bruggen-              make sharp  `and correct distirictions, especially` with
bouw dienst te  doen.. Zou ds.  fioeksema mij het  ge-                respect to the meaning  df  ihe term promise.
                                                                                            . .
        c


                                        T H E   STANDAR,,D  - B E A R E R .   '                                               5 5
                                                                                                              .-
                                                                                                  ,
      `-And then-he  wri_tes (I translate) :         -.           De Reformatie,  Vol.  -22, No. 15: "In other words; to
       `*Here, the contents of the promise is supposed  %o        ALL legally baptized children regeneration is PLEDG-
   be indicated in the words:  who$oeve+  believeth in the        ED  .(`l'OEGEZEGD)   $.nd the Holy Ghost is  PLEDGE,D-
s Son  h&h  .eternal  life.                                       (`rOtiGEZEGD).  And justification  ~&EDGED  (TOE-
    "But is this a  p&mise?                                       G,EktiGD). Just as it  is PLEDGED  .(TOEGEZEGD)
       `$0, if there were no debate, and no learned or seem-      to  &em that the Father will provide  them with every
  ingly learned reports  were  handed in, and the  air were       good thing. -and  -will avert all evil, or turn it to their  _
   still pure, and the relation were still honest,  we should     profit. But these pledges are  conditidnal."
   probably call this sentence a promise, with  th'e greatest        In view of all  thii, I must -repeat my  questiop to
  of pleasure.                                                    the  l%ev.  Doekes,  but  now in this form:
       "Bht now things are being debated, now there is               Although you use promise. and pledge (belofte en
   expulsion and things  tire sharply  accentua+d, now            ioezegging)  pro&scuously often, yet, when a distinc-
we say: against the background of all this God and                tion must be made, that distinction is as follows :  -
  meti grieving misery, we can  dhly note that the prob-             a.  The promise is. the unconditional, general state-
   lem of the promise is here being avoided; even though          ment to the believers or the elect: they that believe in
  the word `promise' is mentioned.                                the  iSon have life, and similar statements in Scrip-
       "For, strictly speaking, the citation-is  nb  promise,     ture.
but-a  `dogrriatid-truth.  ,   : .                                   -b. The pledge  (toezegg+g) is the conditional prom-
      "The difference is -felt at once when the  begin&@          ise addressed to all baptized children.                            .-
 of `the quoted'  expr,ession is  comparqd with the rest.           ~.  IS. this, my impression, correct?
   The `latter declares that the Lord pledges  th& Holy               And;secondly, when the liberated use  the terms
   Ghost  ("toelzegt!`). To whom? To him who already              promise and  pledge,  belofte en  toezegging; promiscu-
   believes? I say: yes, for  s&h a one needs the Spirit,.        ously, do they not always ascribe to  promise  (belofte)
   every day, to remain stedfast, and to be reborn through the nieaning of the spoken pledge aclclressed to concrete
   faith (art. 24  Confkssion)  .  Bu.t that is supposedly indiviclu4zls ?
   not the meaning here. We all think, in this connection,            Finally,  do& npt the  .Bible ever speak of the prom;
   of the  childyen (Lord's Day 27, qu. 74). To the child-        ise of God as the unconditional assurance of salvation                   -
   ren,  .i.e. to John and Mary, and to every N.N.,  e&h t o   t h e   e l e c t ?         `.                       .H. H.
   time one by one, it is said: `to you, N.N., the Holy
   Ghost that works faith` is pledged (toegezegd) . There,            Thus far the Rev. Hoeksema. We thank him for
 not the  genizral'  Kwhosoever', but the  individual : you,      his observations. For  riow we are able  td assist him  tp
   N.N.`is used."                                                 further progress.
     Prof. Schilder then calls-attention to a distinction             First, something about his quotations of Prof.
   which the fathers made between promise and  pqllici-           Schilder: I can imagine that the Rev. Hoeksema sup-
   tatien.      Now, a pollicitation. is a promise without        posed to find support in them for his first impression.
   mutuality, i.e.; a promise that has not been accepted          But through repeated accurate reading of that which
   by the party to whom it `is made. It is,  theref?re, an        Prof. Schilder wrote, I must nevertheless come to  tli&
   u+wonditionul  promise.  And Prof. Schilder himself            conclusion that the Rev. Hoeksema reads more in these
   writes in this connection: "The whole question of con-         quotations than is contained in them.
   ditional. or unconditional promise of salvation  X is con-.       .In  ntimber 12 of our  paoer, foilowing the words
   netted with this."                                             quoted by the Rev. Hoeksema, Prof. Schilder continues :
     From all this, and also from other passages in the           `!We do not  say that'we are going  to  teach  th%t pollici-
   writings of  t&e  liberqted, in connection, too,  .with the    tation-theory. We do say, that we shall not  ionore  it.",
   distintition they make between "bequest" (schenking)           From this the Rev. Hoeksema  may see, that Prof.
   and "giving in possession" (in bezit stellen) , I received     Schilder first of all insists on accurate  investig'atfbn
   the impression.  that they made' a distinction between         of the  question, and further, that he terms the  pkomise,
 "promise"  and "pledge",  belofte  and toexegging. The           which'is sealed in baptism,  ilidividually addressed to
   promise (belofte) is a general statement; addressed  to        each  lawftilly baptized child.  19 my opinion, he em-
' no  one&in particular : -"Whosoever  believeih in the Son       ploys the expression "to pledge" (toezeggen) in that
   112th eternal life"`; the  pledge (toezegging) is the prom-    cotinection, in order to  lpring out very clearly that the
   ise as addressed-to particular individuals. The prom-          covenant-promise is not merely a general communica-
 ise is limited to believers, the elect;  tlie pledge  (toezeg-` tion which is pronounced, as it were, "over their heads"
   ging) is for all that are  .baptized. Accordingly, the         (and  whereby  theli  kvery body must try to find out
   promise is unconditional,  the pledge (toezegging)  iS whether or  riot  it'is addressed to  him or to her), `but
   c o n d i t i o n a l .                      .                 that this promise addresses itself very concretely unto
       This `impression is  stengthened. by what I read in        every child of believing parents. In other  words,  the.


        5     6                                                THEN             ST.ANDARD                      -BEARER          "
                                                                                                                                     .
       term "pledge" (toezegging) merely  serves.  here to                                                Finally, the  Rev. Hoeksema asks: does not' the
      denote  that the covenant-promise is  iwdividwllzj  acl-                                     Bible ever speak of  the promise of  `God as the uncon-
        dressed to all the children of  be&vers;   dot  in order                                   ditional assurance of salvation to the elect?
        therewith to distinguish the "promise" as something                                               Grant me first a counter-question on this : Can  you
        unconditional from a "pledge" which would be  c&-                                          quote -a text for me -from the Scriptures where' the
        ditional. Apart from that, I will  nbt omit to observe                                     promise of salvation (which is fulfilled unto all the
        in this connection that my interpretation of John 3  :36                                   elect and believers) is pledged as an  ,unconditional as-
        is different from that of Prof. Schilder. But that will                                    surance of salvation unto one or more -of the elect?
        come up for discussion later.                                                              I am especially curious to know this. During my  (ec-
             That  tihe  Rev. Hoeksema is wrong when he supposes                                   clesiastical) trial, a- classical committee first did their
        `chat with us the difference between the  tepms "prom-                                     utmost to advance arguments in order to  reftite' my
        ise" and "pledge" coincides with the distinction. of                                       opposition against `the synodical doctrinal decisions
        "conditional" and "unconditional" can also. be proven                                      (leeruitspraken) . They quoted a number of  texts in
        from the Writ of Grievances against the Elucidation,                                       their report which  texfls I have quietly examined at
      '  pr'esented  in, June, 1943 by  the.group  of aggrieved                                    that time,  -and  tihieh  cerlainly did not prove to be fit
        persons  ivhich I mentioned before  (Dr; S. 0. Los,  c.s.) ,                               to serve as pillars under  the unstable  synodicalbrid&e-
        and as an appendix inserted in the Declaration of Senti-                                   construction. Would the Rev. Hoeksema do, me the
        ment. We point  especially__to pages 55-59, where the                                      pleasure to present some texts which, in his opinion,
        -a&hors set  th,emselves   again&t the "unconditional pro-                                 plainly  cpntain an  un`conditional  promise of salvation
        mise of salvation to the elect", manipulated_ in the                                       to the elect?, I  shall thankfully acquaint myself with
        Elucidation (and later also defended again and again).                                     such information, and gladly enter into the subject.
        They say against that: "`The promise of salvation. . . .                                                                                L.  DOEKES.
        comes to us. . . . not otherwise than in a conditional                                                                             G. V.  (Translatpr)   :
        form, i.e., with  the injunction of belief and conversion."
       (page  5 5 ) .
             .Hence, my answer to  the first question of  t'he.Rev.
 - Hoeksema, mentioned above is: from the side of the,
        liberated I have not been able to discover a  distinctiqn                                               W-JR                      DOCTRINE
        between "promise" and  `6pleclge" in the sense in which
        the Rev. Hoeksema thought he could ascertain it.' And
        personally I do not deem it in  accordan&  -with the                                       God's Revelation In The Sci-iptures
        Scriptures to reduce the promise of salvation to a
       ' special unconditional assurance of salvation  co the elect.                                      The Scriptures'are the Word of  ,God. This  expreh-
        `There is, of-  cotirse, a grammatical distinction between                                 sion implies three things. In the first place, the Bible
       66pro&se,J  a n d   Ypledge". But therein we certainly do                                   is the Word of  ,God because it was spdken by  God. All  '
        not find the .by-thought of "conditional" or  "uncon-                                      Scripture,  w,e believe, was given by inspiration of God.
       `ditional".       And  in my opinion the Scriptures do not                                  The Bible is the only book  Which can trace its origin
        give  .occasion  at all to connect such a distinction to                                   directly to  the Lord. In the second place, the Bible is
        those  %erms.                                                                              the Word of God because it is the infallible record `of
             On  the second question  of the Rev. Hoeksema I                                       the Word of.  God. I  no% refer to  SGod's  Word as a word
        would answer this: Indeed, from the  sid.e of the liber-                                   which God. alone can speak and `as He alone  can speak
        ated there is repeatedly  spdken relative Gbd's  prom&                                     it.     When God speaks, as God, He speaks  effica:
        .of salvation as of `a concretely  2nd individually ad-                                    ciously, irresistibly, with almighty power.              "By the
 -      dressed pledge (in contra-distinction to the synodical                                     word of the Lord were the heavens made;  and all
        theories).       Meanwhile I would like to point out that                                  the host of them by the breath of His mouth  ).  .,, . .
        especially Prof. Schilder oftentimes has reminded us                                       For He spake, and- it was done ;  He  comtianded,
        of Ursinus' distinction between  cqnditional and  non-                                     and it stood fast"-Psalm 33 :6-9.  YVherefdre  He
        conditidnal promises. For instance,. God's declaration                                     saith, Awake thou  that  `sleepest,  and `arise from- the
        that the  <earth shall never again perish by  tiater is,                                   dead, and Christ shall give thee  liiyht"--Eph. 5  :14.
        according to Ursinus, an unconditional promise;  buf.                                      This latter passage speaks of a Divine speaking which
        the promise of salvation of  -i&e covenant is according                                    causes the sleeping to awake and the dead to-arise. I t
to  h i m   i n d e e d   c o n d i t i o n a l .   I n   a   f o l l o w i n g   a r t i c l e    is  ther,efore beyond all doubt that the Scripture speak
        I will gladly try  ,to clarify.  ho&- in, my opiniqn the                                   of a Word of. God in the Creative, efficacious sense`
        Scriptures  speak on this  -importarit  -point. At the                                     of the word.  1 Man  cati only speak  about, concerning
       .-same time we  will be brought into contact with the                                       the things, brings them forth. The Lord is  not'deter-
        [question of common grace.                                                                 mined in His  spe'aking by the things ; the things are
                                                                                 .


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                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D  B E A R E R                                              57

  de&mined.by' His speaking. Hence, tie can speak of                  And' finally :  "When  the even was  come, they brought
  the Bible  asthe Word of God because it is the infallible           unto Him, many that were possessed with devils : and
  record of  this creative, irresistible Word of  the'Lord.           He cast out the -spirits with His word, and healed-  a!1
  In the third place,  the Bible  is  the `Word of God  be-. that' were  sick: That it might  .be fulfilled which was
  cause it is  the  mkdium through which  God  @ontinues to           $poken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took
  speak His  Bmighty,  effic&ious word. God's people                  dur infirmities; and bare our sicknesses."`-Matt. 8 :
  experience  .the  Scripitires  .as the living Word of `God.         16-17. The `Bible abounds in `passages of  this nature,
  Why?.  Bee&se the Lord continues  to speak His  own as the following,: Matt.. 12  :15-21;*21.:4,-  5 ; John 13  :18-;
  po%%ful  word through the Bible. The Lord continues                 Mat't.  26  :31;  27:35;  John 19  :36, 37. Moreover, Christ
  to',speak  the Scriptures in the hearts  df His people.             the  .Lord of His Church, testified of the  .S$ripturks  in
  Consequent& the Bible is full of life for. the child of             such  a: way that it is beyond all doubt that He main-
  God and he experiences  Xs truths as  liv&%$+s.                     tained  those Scriptures as the  Worg'of God. Those
  If  thilis were  ndt"true,   -how  cduld the Word of God  ,be       scriptures  were- and are His own word, are they not?
  a  lamp `before  pur feet  -and a  liglit upon  `bur path,          He Himself  sppke them through the prophet's whom
 actually  enlighfening  bur'cathway  and giving us com-              He inspired  tlirough -His Spirit; Hence, He quotes
  fort in  tin  .other&ise'hopeless.  world? Yea, it is exactly them as having absolute authority. Three times  tie
  this  itine@,  powerfui  tkstimbiijr  of the Holy  Spirit which' answers  the~devil with a quotation from the Old Testa-
  the  &ld of  Go4  `&xp&ien&es  in.  connectioil with the            ment, a literal quotation. That written word, there-
  Xcri$tures-  ivhich  causes him to cling. unto  those  &rip-        fore, has  abthbrity; does not tolerate contradiction, has
  tupes  regardless  qf all  `ihe eyil attacks of an evil world       "the last  say": Eden the devil does not dare to con-.
  uhon.  the& infallible character.  Hence,  .also  in this           tradici. Christ's quotations  from the Old -Testament:
  be&e  we  ian-  speak of `thk Bible  as: the Word of God.           How  cbuld the  .written word have  such authority  %,-it
  !E-Iow&er,:in this  articie  we  refer.primar'ily'to  the Bible     tier& not  ihe infallible  $ord~ of God? Of these Old
  & the Word of. God in  th& sense that  ,it `is God's own            Testament Scriptures,  called the "Law and the  .Pro-
  &spired,'  i n f a l i i b i e   ViToid.  1                         phets" in the Bible,-we read in Matt. 5  :17-19 :  `!Think
  :    That the Bible is `the  inspired  Word of  `IGod is  subi      not that I am dome to destroy the  law, or the  ppoljhets,:
  stantiated, first of all,  by  ihhe.  S&&es  th@ms&es. .I am  n6t  come  to destroy,` l&t to fulfill.' For verily I
  `Theye is,' ifi  thie first  -pl&&,   the  .testimony-of  our Lord' say  .unto you,  Till heaven and earth  paqs, one jot or-
  Jesus Christ.  Hk  &rely  regarded the  scriptures,   (of ok Cittle shall iti no, wise jxjss fr-ok the-law, till all be-
  c&.n%, thk  'O&l  Testament)  ds  the  cinfallible Word of fulfil'tecl. WhosbeTier therefore shall break one  of  these
  God. This is  c$ the  utmdst  -impti&nce.  For  Christ              least  commandtients, and shall  teach  inen  -so, he shall
  iS  l$tianuel, God' with us, and therefore the living  `God         be. called the least  in the kingdom of heaven : but who-
  Himself.' Wheti  J&Us therefore quotes' fro& the Old                soever -shall  ddtiilcl'teach  them,  the same  shall be called
  Testament.  &ad  recognizes the  atithority  qf  thbse Scrip- gr$.at   iti  &he kingdom  o!f heaven." And in Luke  24:44
  ttires it  -is Gdd Himself Who quotes from them and                 we read  :  "And  Ije  said u&o-them,  These.are the words
  sets His  stamp  bf  approval  upon their  authentikity. In         which` I  spake  unto  you, while I was yet with you, that
  those Divine  Seriptilres   Chkist, for  example,-found  the        ill  things-must be fulfilled, which were written  in  the
  entire pi-ogram fdr  J%s life (His suffering, death,                law of Moses, and in the prophets, and'& the psalms,
  r&&r&tion;   &d  glorificatiofij . "`Now all this  &as              concerning  Me." Unto  th&-unbelieving  Jews Jesus de-
  dotie,  that it  tiigl&  be'fulfilled `which `was spoken of         clares in Jdhn 5  i3G.a  *
                                                                                              . . "Search the  S%-iptuyes  ;  for.  in
  the Lord  bb-the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall            them` ye  &i& `ye  have  ,eternal life : and they  are they
  b&?Vith  Child, and shall  l&ig forth  a  son, and they             tihich  testify  -of Me." And  He identifies the written
  shall call His  name  Em.-&miei,  which being interpreted word of  Moses  &th  His. own word when He speaks
  is,' God with` us"-%&%. L--i  :22, 23. A& again, "And               unti,  them  in  verses 45-47 : "Do `not think that I will
  was  there  until the d&h of  Herod: that it might be               accuse you  10 the Father: there is one that accuseth
  fulfilled which was spbken of the  L&by the prophet,                you, even  `tio&s, in  `whom  ye trust.' F,or  had ye  be-
  qaiiring,   Out of  Egypt have I called My  son."ilr/gatt.          iie?ed*Moses, ye would  h&e believed Me: for he wrote
  2:15. And this.:  "And-leaving Nazareth; He came and                of`me. But if ye believe not  his writings, how shall ye
  dwelt  iti  ,Capernaum,  tyhich is  tipon the sea coast, in         believe  n&y words?" Chyist,  t$eref&e, identifies His
  t,he  b&ders of  iabui&and-  Nephthalim :  That  $ might            ivords with -the-words of Moses  Bnd `thereby confirms  _
  be  fulfi@d  ,tihi+  was  spoken  -by!  I&aias  -the prophet,       the  .&thknticity' of the  words of  thie lawgiver of the
                                                                                                    .
  $aying;  -The land of Sabulon,  &nd  `the  .land of  NGph-          old dispensation.'  -
,  thalim; by the  .tiav of the `sea; beyond  Jdrd~$n~  Galilee' ^       Th&ti thk Bible is the  .inspired Word of  God is  &vi-
  OF  `the Gentiles : The  people  which_ sat  iti darkness  sati=~ dent,  Z.in the second.  place,.  from  the  fact that every-
  !+@t light:  tind  to them  whi&h  sat in the  recrion and          where. in the  Sciiptures God  dr  Cl&i&  or `the Spirit of
 ,&adow `of death; light is sprung  .up."-Matt.-   4  :13-16.         the  Lor'd appears as the speaking Subject. How often


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  -58                                     T H E-    S T A N D A R D   B.EARER
                                                                                                   ,
  do we,  notread in  the.:writings  of the Pentateuch : "And $hdt the  ..Holy Scriptures; also in `this  .respect,  .a&
  the Lord spake  untb Moses."!.  ,Over  .and over again            wholly uniqde. The Bible- alone Speaks this language
the expression occurs in the Old Testament: "Thus                   of the natural man, of you-and of me... Either God'is a
  . s a i t h   the.`Lord."  1                                     -  liar  or man is  8  liar.. And the Church experiences
         `Thirdly, as far as the New  Testament~is  concerned,      within her'heart  the living  reality: of the Word of God;
  we would.boint to the. f act that several passages  empha-        through the `Spirit of Christ Jesus, her  *Lord.
 -size the tfuth that the apostles -spoke through Divine                Hence, we believe  jn  Divine inspiration. What is
  inspiratioh. Thus we read  in John 16  :12,  13, : "I have        Divine inspiration? Divine' inspiration is that  work
  yet many things to say `unto you, but ye  camlot bear             of God whereby He moved and illumined  holy men to
 ~. them now. Howbeit when He, the  Siirit of  truth> is            write His Word,. We  must not, confuse  inspir&oii
  come, He will guide you into all truth: for He  .shall ~with dictation; Also a stenographer writes only that
  not speak of. Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear,              which her employer  vr;buld` have her write. However,
  that shall He speak: and He will shew you things  to              such a stenographer is merely passive.          She has  i&
  come."  9' And in John  14:26 we read: "But the Com-              personal, interest  in.tLe  dictatiori. She is  pai'd for her
  forter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will work and is only interest&d  in, the producing of a  per-
  send  -in My name,. He shall teach you all  things,. and          f ect, copy. In the work of Divine.  in@iration,  however,.
  bring all things to your remembrance,  whatqoever ,I holy  men  were  -moved  and  illurklined. Indeed, they
have.s&d  u n t o   y o u . " In Rev.  I:1 and  2216  we read:      wrote only that  wh.ich  the Lord  ti;o'uld~ have them  "writ&
  "Th,e Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto             God is the  pl;irrtayy  Author. B&the  aljostles and pro-
  Him, to shew unto, -His servant things  Which  n&&t               phets are the  -secondary  guthors.  And  sis -such  thejr
  shortly come to pass ; and He sent and signified  -it by `were  nzovecl. They themselves were heart  &d soul in
  His angel unto His servant John. . . . And He said                their work. And,- although-` inspired and illumined
  anto,. Me, These sayings are faithful and true :  atid the        by the Lord, each secondary author wrote according to
  Lord  God of the holy prophets sent  .His angel to shew           his  own'character and peculiar adaptation. John wrote
  His servants the things which must shortly be done." as John and Jeremiah as Jeremiah. This we believe to
  In addition to these passages- are the various  saluta-           be Divine. inspiration, God. writing His will `through
 tions by which the apostles introduce themselves to the the  .instrumentality of holy men.
  churches,  always.emphasizing  the truth that they speak ..          It should not be  diticult to understand  the  -nec&s-`
 -not of themselves but by the will of God. And in                  sity of this truth of Divine inspiration. Some would
  2  Tim:.3  :I6  s/nd 2 Pet. 1  :I%21 we read : "All Scripture     deny that all of Scripture must be regarded as Divinely
  is  iiven-,by inspiration of God, and is profitable  for .-itispired. They declare that we have the Word of God
  ,doctrine,  for reproof, -for correction, -for instruction:       in the Bible and that therefore the whole of  koly  Writ
  in righteousness. . . .We have also a  tiore sure word is not the inspired Word of God. First-of all, however,
. of prophecy  ; whereunto  y'e do `well that ye take heed, if  .this were  true;  who then  wo.uld determine what is
  ai  Unto a light' that shineth in a dark place, until  %he        or is  not the Word of God?  Who,  wilr  separtite- the
 day  dawn, and the day star  aY;ise in your hearts : know-        word of man from the Word of the Lord? Then we
.ing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is  of- could not know of any particular passage of  Holy Writ
  any private interpretation.        For the prophecy came whether it is the Word of  <God. Personal  assur&e
  llot  in old time by the will of man : but holy  men- of God     and certainty would become `impossible.  $econdly,
  spake as they  were moved by the Holy Ghost."                     God could  surely not  intrust His Word to the imagina-
         ,That the  <Bible is the inspired Word of  `God is not    tion of mortal men.       In all reverence, He  cbuld not
  only substantiated, however, by the objective testi-             take that "chance". `Would-passages  such as  Ps; 137,
  mony of the Scriptures itself, but. also, subjectively,          Eph. 1, and Rom.  9. ever have been written'if the mat-
  by the testimony of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.           ter of writing the Word of  IGod had been left to  mbrtal
  ThiB lies in the very nature of the case.. The Spirit            man?.  .In, support  bf this fear-all we  need do is point to
  within us will surely verify His own work in the Bible.          the  confli'ct which- has been  ragi& within' the Church
  He will certainly confirm His own  testimbny.* And               of God throughout the ages. Through&t history the
  this  He. does, also,  .by causing us to experience the truth of the sovereignty of `God  and-the litter depravity
  truths of the Word of  ,God as  .livirig realities. The          of  man has  beeli attack&d.  Are not the Three Points a
  testimony  6f Holy  Writ, as for  example  iii connection        striking  illutitratioti of  this fact?  Thai, think- ye,
  with  our natural  .depravity, our hatred  6f  `,God and the     would have. been the  r8su!t if  the Lofd  l-&d  i&&t&d
  reighbor, our own utter  helpl&snesa to save ourselves, . the"wr&ing of His will to' man;' yea;  l&s'  Chu&?
  the- only possibility of salvation through the blood  .of `Thirdly, the doctrine of Divine inspiration'is necessary
  Jesus  Chris+,' our Lord, and the complete folly  Gf  an-        because God alone  ca!l reveal  hop& and life,  -etc.,.in the
  o%her way of salvation, is copfirmed by the  ISpirit of          midst; of our world  .of death and-  desnair: Salvation
  Christ  Jesus within our hearts. Atid let us  not forget and the  glojriods renewal  0's all  things in  hkdvitnly   gldrk


                                        THE.  `-STA1~\tARD   -BfiARER'                                                            59.

 are  truths. which  .c&ld never' enter into the heart  6f          he stodd  in his own strength?-  ,Aid the apostle Paul  `-
man. We all  like sheep  have gone astray and  w'e all - surely knew whereof he spake  when, he declared  that
 have gone oyr own way, but to return into the  .fellow- our present light  .aff&tion which is but  for.  `a moment
 ship  -and communion of .God is  humanly impossible. works for us an  exkeeding'and eternal weight of glory.
 The Scriptures; as the revelation of God  as the God               Of all- the apostles, he surely was acquainted with af-
 of our salvation in Christ  .Jesus, our  Lord, could never' flidion `and suffering for the  cause of Christ. And                         -
 have been delivered. unto  -us except by  f;he living  ,God        finally; it is God Who inspires them' by His Holy  Spirit,
 H i m s e l f .                                                    moves and illumines them,  sd that they reveal unto us
   : We distinguish  betwe'en "plenary" and "organic" the-full and `complete will of God as the God  of.  our
 irispiration.  -This distinction  is, important. The word          salvation iri Christ Jesus, our Lord.
 "plenary" means :-full, complete,  enttie. Tfiis implies,             As far as the content of, the Bible is concerned, it is
 in the first place, that all of Scripture  ,is  inspired.- All     the  reirelation of God as the God of our  salva%ion in
 of the writings  `oi  the apostles and the prophets, in            Christ  J&&s. It is  this,..first, of all, in `distinction  fro,m~
 every detail (we, of course, no  longer have the original          "nature".     This does not d&y the relation between
_  tianuscripts),  are the inspired word of God; P l e n a r y "nature" and Holy  Writ. The former is  sureiy'adapted:
 inspiration  &so implies, however, `that  IScripture  <s           to the former, serves the-latter. Creation is a symbol
 the complete revelation of the will of  ,God as the God of         of the heavenly renewal of all things. The sun speaks
 our  salvat%n.  To.be sure, the Bible is: no dictionary.           of the Sun of Righteousness. .The `seed  which only in
 It:do&  n&$ell  tis what  we may or may not eat, what the way of death produces  it$  fruit  speaks  to us of the
 tie  m&t or must not  ptit on,  et& It is spiritual, ethical.. good-pleasure of God  wh>ereby He wills to call life out
 The `miserable and constantly reappearing questions,               of `de&h. The  world"of  c&r, of plants,  and  .of the
 such  ai  :: What  rnay~ or may  we not do, which moving           animals, etc. speaks a symbolic  language; And  this-
 pi;ctnres  may we or may we not see, will be  anstiered            is due to the fact that- the Lord created the earthy a.
 automa66ally  if only  our heart is right and the love             symbol  pf the heavenly. Hence,  `fnature" is adapted
 of  dad dwell? within our hearts., The  Scrij$ures ye-             to  and serves the revelation of God in Christ in His
 &al `Unto us all we  need know as far as our salvation             Holy Word. However, this language of the works of
dnd-sp?rittial  callink in  the'midst of  the,world are  con: ,God's hands we understand only in connection with
 c'erried.                                                          and  thro.ugh  the Holy `Scriptures. This world is the
  `.  We  ,also believe, however, in organic  yinspiration.         revel&oh.  of the  wpath  $f  `God and speaks of death.
 Tllis  .implie's;   in- the first `place, that Scripture itself    `That God  .will erect His eternal kingdom out of this
 i$ an  organic  whol& It is characterized by  one_centra,l         dkath we know, not from  "rmture" `apart from  ,the
thought`:  ,God's revelation in Christ. Christ is  the Scriptures, but only through the Word of God. The
 Chief  Cornerstohe,  Ep;h.  120-22. In  Him all things,            Bible, therefore,  reveals unto us  ,God's salvation  ih
 iii  heaven-  and  oil-  earth,  wfll `be  imited in heavenly      Christ  Jesus. Consequently, as  fay as the reprobate
 glory,  Eljh.  -1:9110. All things  tire  related to Him.          wicked are concerned, the Word of God reveals the
 In and  throtigli   Hini the  elect obtain salvation and           utter and complete  nature and character of sin. Sin`
 are  `heirs  :of  e&erla&ing  life; In  &lati& to Him `the not only rejects the living God. This Adam did  iti,
 ungodly sturrible unto their  ete.inal damnation,  ,n&o            Paradise; But sin also rejects the living God when
 which they have  beefi appointed,  i Pet.' 2  :8..  Organic~ revealed as  the God of salvation. To reject the living
 iilspirati&  `also  impiieg,   ho\Vever, that  in the  writing     God also in His revelation as the only  possibil$y   bf
 of the  Scri&ur&   the`writkrs  occtipy their  own  Divin`ely      salvation signifies that man's love of sin and his hatred
 ordained  place.    Indeed, we  must not' speak of the             of the living  .God is complete. To the godly, however,
 "Divine?' and  "liuman"  factor. It is not God  ancl the Script&es speak  -of the counsel of Divine redemp-
-man  Tivho  write the Bible.  It-is  God Wlio -writes His          tion: This' salvation is bestowed upon them  only in and
 W&d $&gh tian. Yet, in  %lie writing of the  Word.of               through  the- Lord Jesus  Chi-is*.  Moreover, this re-
 God each  writiey  occu&es  his own  place in this Divine          demption must  be  und&tood  in connection  -with all
 scheme.' `God  causes  each `writer' to  b<`born with his          things.  AccoY'ding  to Eph.  1:9-10. it was the eternal
 own  peedliar  ch&r&cter, gifts  `,and talents,  according.to wisdom and counsel to gather together in One, namely
 the  .plac&  116 occupies in' the Divine scheme of  tl+ writ-      Chiist  Jesus,  all~things  in heaven and on earth. This,
 ing  of, His  Word..  -  IOnly  @remiah  c&  writ6 -as Jere-       $6  &lerstand,  W& the eternal  wisdbm and counsel of'
 miah,  &c.  God calls  e+,ch writer  put  6f  da?kn&i&o   Hi&, th&  .$brd.'  Fran/  thq, very beginning,,,  therefdre,  even`-
 n@ir&& ligk;t: : God &a&es%ach  wr%r td expe?i&ce- b'efd& the fall of Adam, it  was the' pimpose and also
 in his own  1iTe  the things  h6  is'  ordaine'd  to write.  Then the operation of God to realize His eternal kingdom in
 we,` can &d&&&d  ihthat `it wzis pa&cul&ly~  Pete& Gho Christ Jesus. The Scriptures'know of only one counsel
 co&d -exhort -the  Church  to- take heed  `that'  i%e$  stand and  plan of God.            .The  `3XUnon  <Grace  Interim",
 lest'.they fall. Did not' he thrice  @ny his  L&ii  eheh  which would  as&e  - a  .s`pe&al significance to this


 60                                         THE  S T A N D A R D   B.EARER
                                                                               .                             .~_  -.-..
-earthly apart from the heavenly,  is  surely fdreign to              that  the  qbject of  his  prayer must  be the release of
 Holy Writ. All things, including the fall of  A.dam and -Saul from the. sentence of rejection  and the  foregive-
 sin, are instruments in the hands of the Lord unto the               ness of his disobedience in  the,way of true  repentence.
 realization of His eternal kingdom- and covenant in                  But  Samuers crying is sinful; for he knows the Lord's
 heavenly glory. And all this is presented in  tJhe  Bcrip-           will. And therefore  the  Lord is silent.  -When he does
 tures as the work of the alone sovereign  IGo< Who                   again speak it  iK to rebuke the  .seer on  alecount of  hi,s
 worketh all things according to .the counsel of  His                 persistar$!y  mouring for a king  rejtict&d. of God from
 sovereign will.                                                      the  reigging'over Israel.
         What, then, should be our attitude toward Holy                   But  Samuel fears the Lord. He is a `great `man of
 Writ? The answer is plain. The Bible must be  td us' God. However keep  his  disap.pointment  and deep sor-
 the authoritative Word of  God.. We cannot and  -may                 row, now  as always he  is the obedient servant of' the'
 not be neutral here. To assume an attitude  .of higher               Lord, ready, to communicate to Saul the will of God
 criticism is `surely the height  6f conceit. The Bible is            concerning  him.. Accordingly,  earljr in the morning,
 the Word of `God. We do not stand above it but it                    at the  .first streak of  the dawn, Samuel rises to meet
 stands above us. It  .speaks to us  &th Divine authority.            Saul  ,in the expectation  th&  the_ king comes to report
 Let us therefore  sub&t  to it. Prayerfully. Let us                  to-him. Saul-is in duty bound to  do,  j.ust that. But he
 never,question the Word  df God but embrace  its truths              forbears. What has he really  tq do with  rSamue1, that
 and teachings.' And let  US, above all, make it the  obj&t           imperious old  rngn; It is the Lord whom he serves
 of  aIT our study and meditation. Sad to say, this can-              not him  ; and it is the Lord's orders by `whom he is
 not be said of our  fising  ,generation. The desire  tb              boun`d not by his. And  Xt is the Lord to whom he will
 study the Word of God does not' seem to characterize                 give account of his doings not  to'him. So. says Saul, as
 the young people of  the present day. May we  take                   his actions plainly indicate. For he is not on his way
 inventory of ourselves and, -wherever needed, mend                   to  Samu&s house at all  ; but he is  headed* for  Gilgsil
 our'ways. May the Bible be a lamp before our feet                    to sacrifice unto the Lprd some of those spared fatlings
 and a light  u$on our path. M,ay the Word  of- God of                and oxen and lambs-verily, Saul is a pious man-and
 2 `Tim. 3 : 1'7 be applicable to our young men and women :           to receive there in  Gilgal the plaudits of the multitude
 "That the man of God may  be.perfect, thoroughly fur-                for his capture of  Agag. The mighty  Agag in  chaitis!
 nished unto  all. good wbrks."                                       What a gladdening sight! What  a magnificent  toketi
                 .                                    H, V.           of Saul's military  pr0w.es.s ! S-au1 craves the applause
                                                                      of men. His concern about his own glory even causes
                                                                      him on his  .wap to  Gilgal, when he is come to  Carmel,
                                                                      to Set, up a  nionument in commemoration of his great
                                                                      victory over Amalek. The Hebrew text here reads,
               THE  DAY  Ok'  StiADOWS                                "Behold, he-Saul-  sets,: erects to him a hand. . .  ."
                                                                      "The  i hand" here signifies a  monumetit- of victory, as
                                                                      in II Samuel 18  :18, because this, like the hand, directs
                      I
          -                                                           attention to what it  denotes. And the  him  (to him)
 *                         Siul's     Rebdion
          -.7.-t  ,  :  :                                             brings out the carnal  :pride that  actuat&  the_ king;
 bli            ----- :
 ;I;                                                                  he erects a' pillar to  his  ow,n honor.     '
        ~ The' meaning of  th> Lord's repenting him that he               Not meeting up with Saul, as he expected, Samuel
 set  up'Sau1 to be king has been explained. "Saul'j, to              makes inquiry, Where can. the king be going? It is
 qudte the Lord's own words, "is turned back from fol- told the seer. that  `Y3aul came to  Carmel, and, behold,
 lowing me, and  bath  XX% performed  ti$  con&and- he set him up a -hand, and is gone about, and passed
 ments." In the  beginniliy  of his  career he did  sp,;yet,          on, and gone down to  Gilgal." So  Samu4smust take
 n'ot'truly but only outwardly. His obedience was hot                 the long journey to  Gilgal to meet Saul to speak  td him
 motivated by love o-f  Gbd but  by love of self.,             "      the word, of  ,God.                # . .
         The Lord's rejection of  <Saul as king grieved Samuel  ;.        The Lord had not revealed to Sam&l precisely in
 and  hk cried unto the Lord. all night. The Hebrew                   what respect Saul has offended and to what extent.
 phrase translated "was grieved"  mean? properly  `%as `These are matters of  secdndary importance that Samuel
hot; excited'! by anger or  g?ief  or sorrow. or  by all ,cannot  but help observing for himself. So, arrivirig on
.three  conibined..  ( If  Samuel is angry, it  isnot with the        the scene of the celebration that is'going on in  Gilgal:.
 Ldr,d but  .witQ Saul. At the same time; for reasons -thither Saul went to celebrate his  vi&dry  withi  offer-
 that already have been stated, the consideration that                ingstSam.uel  hear.s the sound of the bleating of sheep
 Saul is now a king rejected of God, causes the seer                  and of.  the.lowing of oxen, and all  is plain to  him: He
 me:&al suffering that runs deep. What he cries  unt.o comes  ~o`Sau1~. There can be no doubt that should`the
 tJ& -Lord  $1 night, is  %qt.  .qevealed ; but it is  pbvioua         king speak.  his heart, he would say' to the seer,  "Ha&


                                       T H E   STAN-DARD-  B E A R E R                                                    61
                            -    .               _    _  "  ._
 thou found  me, my enemy". For  iSamuel  `is the  otie the  king; perinitted it; the- people dared not do it con-
 disturbing element in Saul's life. But the king controls trary to  his will. 2. He tries to justify  his transgres-
 himself. He must take  care how he behaves toward                sion of the command of God by pleading the holy in-
 the seer. He  cannot  afford  to lose his favor, for-his         tention of sacrificing to God. If this was thought of,
 influen&,&th  the, people  is  not. a thing to  be trifled       it was sheer  hypocricy nevertheless.  .For it was lust-
 with ; it is still that great. Before the seer has oppor- of. gain that  had. constrained them.
 tunity to say one  w&d, Saul,  ,$th- forced friendliness            That Saul in his  pride'dares also to set him up as
 and in a booming  .v&ce  vibrabt  with good-will, it may judge over Samuel's orders is evident from the fact
 be imagined, utters his greeting, "Blessed be thbu of            that it is at the  -pride of the  man%hat Samuel in reply-
 the Lord  ;"    -
              and in the same breath adds, "I have per-           ing  tq his argumentation  f.irst strikes. "Stay", says
 formed the commandments of  the Lord." Saul is adept             the seer to him, "And I- will tell-thee what the Lord
 in.puttin& on  a? act. But his very speech betrays him. bath- said to me this night." "Stay, hold," are words
 Why should he bring up the matter of the command-                that as coming  from Samuel seemed to indicate that
 ments of the Lord and be affirming with  s'LIch  empha-          the seer, sorely vexed and grieved by Saul's hypocracies
 sis that he  .has  pmerformed them? Who as yet has               and lies, can endure listening to him no longer and  _
 maintained the contrary?  Nd one but the voice of                therefore bids him be silent and hear what the Lord
  Saul's own conscience.  And,it speaks,  do& this voice,         has to say to him. And S&l's response, "say on",
 with such clarity and condemnatory power as to throw             bespeaks an impudent and defient spirit. That the
 Saul on the defensive  the moment he catches sight of            seer does. He says on, "When thou wast little in thine
  Samuel. But  ali along Saul has tried to stifle  that           own sight, wast thou not made the head of the  tfibes
 voice.              -                                            of Israel? And. the Lord anointed thee king over
   In replying, Samuel-  doed not argue with  ,Saul, Israel?" Saul has never known true humbleness; for
.- but he  straightway  opposes to Saul's lie the truth.          he is-devoid of  -grace: But there was a time  when he
 Says he to the. king,  "Whit  meaneth  theri this bleat-         suffered from a morbid sense of his personal inferior;
 ing of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of `the            ity. That  w& when his compact with  .the reality of
 oxen which I hear?" In a word, `Thou, Saul, hast not             his having been selected for the throne stunned him,'
 kept' the  conimandment of the Lord ; for those sheep            and  when in consequence thereof he declared,  ."Ani .I
 and  oxen`should have been destroyed, as the Lord com-           not a Benjamite, of the  smallest of  the tribes of Israel?
 manded. Saul has ready his answer; for he imagines               and my family the least. of all -the. families on Israel ?
 that he has. built up. for himself  a defence that  even         Wherefore speakest thou so to me?" And when some
 the old seer `is not able to break down. Saul replies,. time later on the  ,day of his  pdblic anointing he was
 "They have brought them from the Amalekites ; for                nowhere to be found because he had hid himself be-
 the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen,. hind.  the stuff. But it did not take long before he
 to sacrifice unto the  L&& thy God  ; and the rest we            discovered himself, woke up to the realization that he
 have utterly destroyed." Let the thrust of this argu- was a  ma; of no mean natural ability and courage, a
 ment not escape us. It is this, `What meaneth this               re'al leader of men with an inspiring  presetice. And
 bleating:of the sheep- and the lowing  ,of oxen? True,           the more battles  he-won, the more intolerable  he be-
 they were -not destroyed. But  khow well that I really           came  of the Lord ; until finally he concluded that he
 had nothing to do  with that. They, the people, brought          could well manage without God. In this state of  mind
 them from the Amalekites.,  '  The. blame is all theirs.         and  heart we find him now. Yet, of course, it must
 Why,  then, dost take me to task? Besides, what if               not be supposed- that he is telling around or even ad-
 the people  .dic$ spare? , They  were thoughtful of the          mitting to himself that he wants to reign without the
 Lord% altars. Their intention was  gbod. Why then                Lord. In his own eyes and doubtless in the eyes  o?
 dost thou find fault? True, thou didst  .order them all the people he is an exceptionally pious  man, thoughtful
 destroyed, even the best of them. And thou wouldst               of the Lord's altars. It is Samuel with whom he col-
_ have us  bel&ve that  such was-the Lord's will. But the         lides. He will-not  submit  to Samuel's  wor$, as willingiy
 people and  I, judged otherwise. They  wePe more mind-           ignorant that in  !Samuel he verily has to do  w<th the
 ful of God's altars than thou. Lay: aside thine anger.' Lord. With the, Lord he lives on  *the best of  term:.
 Consider that the Lord hath wrought salvation  i!l  Is-          So he tries to  cqnvince  himself:even to his dying day.
 rae!. Come, celebrate with us the great  .victory over           And doubtless he succeeds pretty  well  in thus  deceii-
 Amalek;'     ; ,                                                 ing himself  `with the  arts of a heart entangled in
    -:Saul;. then, has a twofold `defence : 1. "The' people hypocracy and lies. and actually alienated from the
 spared",  he. declares.    Hence, the blame rests upon           Lord. How true it is that the heart is deceitful more
 them, -and he  is. without fault. Yet, `at  vekse 9 it is        than any thing. Said the seer to the king; "When thou
 statedj  33aul.  -and  %he people spared". Besides,  sup-        wast little in thirie own sight, the Lord anointed thee
 ppsing  the-  ceople  h&d spared the good. oxen, yet he,         king, over his  .people," meaning  to, impress upon him
                                                                                                            .
                                         -=T.


                                                                            -
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        62:                                      ;T'HE       `S T A N-D A j&D                .:B';E A..R'E R
                                                                             _. __          .       _ .               _             _

   two things: 1. that pride coineth before  the  .fall.; and               this that -disobedience, serving a. not-God is  just as
   2: that, being the  .`Lord's  anointed;  he. was -in duty                plegsing  to  IGod  .a$-being   conse&ated  to him in  loving
   bound to allow  ,him&lf, to  b'e -bound by the Lord's                    obedience of  h& command, if only  thatbdisobedience,
   orders..  Samuel continues, "And the Lord sent thee  $n                  that serving the not-god is motivated; by the  g,ood inten-
   a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy-the- sinners: tion of making provision for the Lord's altar..  ..`*
 . the Amalekites,  and~fight  ~against  them until they be                           That such is actually the thrust  of, Saul's reasoning
   coilsumed.  Wherefore then didst thou  .not obey the                     -a reasoning as absurd as it is  godIes-is evident from
   vdice of the Lord?" Saul again affirms with greater                      Samuel's reply, "Hath the  .Lord as  great delight in
   emphasis than before that he  has. done-  just that  :. obey burnt' offerings and in  sacrifi&s,  as in obeying the
 the voice -of the Lord;                Says he, "I have  obey,ed the       voice of the Lord? Behold,  to-obey is   bett@than sacri-
   voice of the Lord,  alid have gone the  .way  which'the                  fice, and to  hearken%h+n the fat of rams." rI'his, cer-
   Lord sent me, and have brought  Agag -the king- of                       tainly; is true from the'  nattire of the matter,-true,
   Amalek, "and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.                      that obedience  to the  `Lord% command is better than
   But", he gdes on to say, "the people took of the  spoil,                 sacrifice if the very  sacrifice.is-a  forbidden  thing;thus
   sheep -and oxen, the chief.  of- the- things, which should               disobedience,  ,as  .is- here  -the  case.in-th.at,  according to
   have  beei? utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord                the command of  &he Lord, the  victimsi those animal
   thy God  iy.1  Gilgal."                                                  sac&c&; should have  beenddestroyed. Such  a.sacrifice
               It is  piair; that  Satii  is inflexible in his iron  deter- is sheer rebellion,  -stubbornness-;-   tind,  if. so, the Lord
   mina.tion   r~:)l. to  @onfess that. he has sinned and  to. can  h&e no `delight-in it; for,  says.ihe seer,  "reb&on
   jl:stif'y  b.il;,splf in  his transgression by any kind of               is the sin-of witchcraft,  and  -stubbornne.% is as  iniquity
 argcmcnt  -1. owever false -and absurd.                  Of `his  bping- and idolatry. Hence, to maintain, as `Saul now  d&s;
   t.hus determmed, his greeting Samuel with the  deci:l.ra-                that.  the  Lbrd liath pleasure in  the  sac&e of that
   Con. "1.  ha\  e. performed the  cdmmandmenti  ,I!  +he spoil, is to  jnsist, that  `witchcr&,  .iniquity, and idolatry  :
   l+OFd,' ;tl  ,e.r.?y gives evidence. Well  might  Zamn4 delight him.  &ml  h&e  .blasphenies,-  God'  in. the vile  -
                                                                                                                                                  .
   wonder how the man dared to bring these  wosrds over                     att&npt'  t o   r e a s o n   &ay  h i s   g u i l t .   :
   his  .lips  -with the bleating of  the sheep  -and' the  lotiing'                  And his sacrif-icing: is witchcraft  aad,+dolatry,;  ,and-
   of the oxen in his ears.  -It shows that already now,                    that witch-false prophet-in this case is  Saul* himself';
 having been unwilling to  retain  ;God  in  his.knowledge,                 and the idol,  ihe'not-god,-befbre.whose  shrine he pros-
   he` is being  ,given  over to a reprobate mind to think,                 trates himself, is again  ,&ml.                It  .meatis that he is a
   will, and speak.  thin& which are  convenfent.  Samuel's man wholly self&absorbed, fighting God's wars`  mider
  ,call@g his attention  .to -the  ~sounds  of, those bleating              the constraint of a  tl+%ughly  carnal ambition.
   she&p has no other  effect on him than. to stiffen him in                          If Samuel  had- hoped to bring  %aul  id  kepentance,
   his determination -to reason away his-guilt. His stand                   he is sorely disappointed.  Tl-&t  ihe seer  .is  tioved to
   continues to be that so far from the truth it is that                    the'.  <ore  .by Saul's  obdur+ is evident. Having set
   he  did  any&g  amiss that  he. has fully obeyed the                     forth Saul's disobedience in its truk light,  h&  ini-  :
   &ie of  the  Lord.. What is  more; if  ,fornierly he only                mediately  com&.&cate~  to  4he king the Lord's  sen;
   intimated that  the' blame for  iyhat happened rests                     tense,:'  "l&cause thou hast rejected the  ,word of- the
   squarely upon  the  peopje he  noti expresses  himself. Lord, he  bath also  rejected. thke from being  king;"
   clearly on this point. Besides, Saul now admits that                               Samuel's communication to  Saui.that'the   Lord'has
   the  `spoil-thft sheep and the" oxen-should have been                    rejected  him.t&kes   him.by surprise. It frightens him.
   destroyed  ; but-in  thti same breath he adds,  -"to  sacr$ce            G&e is  `thtit'  &r  of  .fiippancy;  indifference, and  ar$o-
   unto the Lok;d thy God in- Gilgal." In a word, the whole. gancy -that  has characterized all his speaking. He
spoil of war should  have been put to the  stiord, to the                   stands there  now as a man  tr&&ixed, worried and
   la@  sl+ep apd  to the last' oxen  ; but. the  people  took of           &estfallen.   - Samuel`s  %ords   bav< moved him  ~ti the
   the spoil to  sqcrifice   unto the  k'ord.  .The  5rgument to            core. For their  -import flashes  ipon his  ,~&i&!l. Not
   which  Saul- now resorts in  justific$ion;-of  -his doing                that `he `is  :o&iy troubled  by the  thought  t@t he has
   could not be  &$se..   ' Only  a  man filled  Gth Satan to' sinned  tin{. is,  @w  .Yejected of God. He refuses to
   lie  `cp  the  LoTd  would  m.+ke  use of  `.i$. Saul  ,means  to        believe that  hq  is -rejected  -.of-  ,Gocl,. though. his heart,
   s&y  th+ : The people's  Fparing  t$e<spqil- for God's, altar            tells., him  @at the `seer spake the truth. But Saul
   c'ontracy  ,tq.H,is  ,c.ool)?mand   tbai the  Sg?i!  be  utterly-de-     is  the  kind  bf"$ man  wh-d  in"uqb&ief  h?lds the truth
   str?yeCJ,.  $c$+d C+d just ,?s  muchP orb  eyen.Imqre, thap  - uFd$r  :ip  .ynrigllteousngss.  '  He&e,, he  ,contim&  $i\l-.
   their, obeying  ,His  {b-and   3n disregard  bf His altar                ingly  igtiorant". of  his  re  j-e&on  ' as  long,  2s  hi  `1  lives.
   would havk done:  `_  Iti  othe&  war+, a disobedience that What  troizbl&   and  surprises.  S a u l   now  i s   -Sirnuel's
0 iS motivated by  the good, intention to  ,sacrifice  is just
               -     -                                                      great  indi&itidon.  l%e had not  thBught  that the seer`
   as  pleasing~  or even  much,lnore pleasing than obedience.              would  takk  h?s defection that  serid& What  tro;b&
   Such is now  Saul's`ar&iment: It really  co&s down  to- S&l  hoti  `is-thit  the.seer has as  much-& told  l$m that,
                                                                                                       _-       li

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                                      -_ T H E   -STANDARD   B E A R E R                                                               63
               .,.

  -`seeing  the  .Lord  has  r&j&ted   bini; he, Samuel, has thing. Samuel turns  him, about to go  away; and  Saul
  ~come with him  to-the  parting  of -the ways.  S&u1 is                 is frantic. His words have no effect on the seer, so
  afraid that as forsaken  .of  Sainuel, `he  .Will lose the              now  he resorts to  force.- He lays hold on the shirt of
  .Cfollowing  -of' the  `people.    By.  a11  _  mealis therefore he the seer's mantle. The seer attempts to  frke himself
 ' must get himself  restoied to Samuel's `favor.  Hence, from the hold of the king, The strain on-the `shirt is
  `to hold  S&muel he' confesses all, -and implores the seer too great, and it  rencls. The Lord  ,puts  another  tiord
  to pardon his sin. But God  iS not  4n all his thoughts. .`in the seer's  mouth-a  word or  prdphecy symbolized
  As  always; he is absorbed only in self. These  aY;e  his               by the rending of the  shirt,  "Thg Lord hath rent the
  :words,  "I have  sinned : for  -.I:' have -transgressed the            kin&doin  of Israel from. thee this day, and  bath given
  commandment of  the. Lord,. and thy words : because I .it to a neighbor-of thine that is  better- than thou. And
  feared the people, and  obeyed   their voice. Now, there- also the' strength of Israel will not lie nor  repent: for
  fore, I  pray  thee, pardon  my-  sin, and turn again with              he is not a man that he should repent." But Saul hear-s
  me, that' I-  titiy worship the  ~Lord;"        As to the form .as-  jnot hearing. He is occupied in his mind with  .but
  of the words the-confession of sin to which Saul gives                  one thing: how  td induce the seer not  td- forsake him.
  utterance is  superbly  correct : it cannot be improved                 He  repeat%  his  eonfessioti  and &gain  go&  to. begging  -
  upon. Apparently,  the. Lord, too; is  iti  his thought Samuel- to honor him before the -elders of  his  ljeople
no\+.       Does he  not'pl"ay, "I  `have transgressed the  com- `and before  Jsrael, and turn` again  with. him; "that- I
 _ mandment `of the Lord?" And in a formal sense  he is may  worshilj the Lord thy God." And Samuel yields,
  perfectly horiest  with the Lord and Samuel. He lays                    whether' out of pity or because of Saul's importunity,
  bar'e his heart before  theti'both in admitting that it the `text does not  state.  After all, Samuel is  human,
  .T;iras  feal of' the people,  -fear  -tio:P losing their- good-will    But instead-of honoring  :Saal  before  the  elders of the
  that accounts for his  allowing them to" transgress  the people,  h& publicly  ljrotests   agaihst his  disobediehce,
  Lokd's command.            Yet, no prayer  ever'  tittered by by hewing  Agag in pieces before the Lord in  Gilgal.'
  hum&n  liijs could be  `,  nitire -abominable.          For  w h a t    Then he, goes  to  Ramah  ; and Saul goes to his house  iti
  brings  :  this prayer over  s$~l'S lips is  the same  vile :Gibeah. And Samuel  cdmes  rio more  td  see Saul  until
  ambition  Itinder the  .impulFe  of which he fights the                 the day of his death.
  L<ord's tvars. What  c&es  ,F~iul  whether he has sinned                                                               G. `M. d.
   or not. [Saul  de%& it.' .Btit.if  the seer will have it so,
  ,it is well ; Saul will-  yield  the point. For by all means
  he must hold Samuel.  ' He  <vi11 confess to  tilmsst any-
  thing under the  stiti, he `will  bs as honest as-gold with
  Samue! arid with the Lord; too, `if he will only agree to                God's PBagu& On Pharaoh's H&art
  p&don his sin and turn  &gain with him, that  .he may
  worship the Lord,  mayk you; worship the Lord. Had                         Fc now turn  to. fhe  ninth-:chtipt&r  of the  book.  bf
  Sa_ul only greeted'  Samuel with this confession,  b&ter                Eiodus, the  thiiteenth and the  foiirteenth verses,  and
  still, had he only sought -out  the seer' <n  his_place of              read, "And  thb Lord  sa5d unto Moses, Rise up early
  residence and there made this confession  -to `him of his               in the morning, and  starid  before Pharaoh; and  s&y
  owh accord, all would have  b&en different. But as                      untp  him5 Thus saith the Lord  Gpd of the  ,.Hebrews,
_ pressed out  ot him solely for `the- purpose of holding I+t my  .people go, that they may  -serve me. For  4 will
  the seer to his  pel;son, it, the prayer; is a filthy thing.            at this time send all my -plagues  .upon thine  heart, and
         Samuel sees through  t&e man. It-  can therefore be upon thine servants, and upon thine  .peopl.e; that thou
  understood that he replies as he does. Said. he to Saul, : mayest  kfio% that there is none like me in all the
                                                                                             t
  "I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected                    e a r t h . "                                               ."
  ihe word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected. thee,                     , The fifth plague  has  come. It is the plague of the
  from  being king over  Israel." Here the seer tells Saul  j-Iboils breaking forth  with blains  up&  -man and beast,
  in plain,  words..thaD-  henceforth he  will..have to  go  his  `. throughout the land of Egypt. Because. of the  boils,
  \,-ay  ,alone  ;' and- this of  ne&%sity  ; `for  as the  Lor'd' has    the magicians  cannt stand before M&es. For,  sd.it'is
  ,r@jected  Baul,  Saindel  henkeforth will be speechless                stated, the boils are upon  the:ma&ciani,  and  tipon all
  as faP as t&e king `is conderned. He Will have no word                  the Egyptians. And of  Ph.araoh  it'is stated, "And the
  of the L&d  td  speak to  him! He  co&  df  cburl;e have Lord'hard'ei@d  t%e.he&t of  Pliaraoh, and he  hearkenkd                          -
  tioilCeaIed   l!he  .rupture  `betweeti  .him  aAd  l&e  -Locd  in      not',`unto them  ; as' the  ZLord had  `spokeii  imto  i&%e$!"
  the  & `hand  .and  Saul  oi the otlier,  `by  continui&`to -And now  the.  Lord,. through the agency of' M&es,
  honor the king  before the  elgers of the  peoplej but                  s'peaks  t& Pharaoh  w6rds'  that He has. not  Spoken'to
  Samuel  is`not-that  kind of  6 man. He is a  ti-ue servant him before, the words that form `my text. What i`s
  .of  t h e   L&cl.  .:-                                                 Cev? in this  message  is, of course, not the command  to
     -  llut Saul nevertheless insists that he do this very               Pharadh  that he let the people' go, -but the  announdel
                                                                                                                                      x.
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                                                             .-\
        64                 I                        T H E      S T A N D A R D   .BE-ARE;

        ment that the Lord at this time will lay all His plagues               like the Jehovah God of the Hebrews in all the  earth:
        on Pharaoh's  heart,`and'upon  the hearts of his servants               This the Lord now does in a  measfire and to-a degree
        and upon the hearts of his people,  tliiat they may  klioiv            according to which he has not' done  befcre.. And-it
        that there is none like the Jehovah  (God of the Hebrews               is also most evident from the behavior of Pharaoh and
        in all the earth. The right paraphrase of this message                 the Egyptians that at this time  -the- Lord sends His
        of the Lord to Pharaoh is  this, "Let my people go, that piagues on  their hearts. Let us take notice of this
        they.may serve  tie; for know well, 0 Pharaoh, that                    evidence. The  L'ord visits Egypt with the next plague,
        -with thee persistently disobedient; I will continue  .to              the terrible  Ijlague of hail. And` during  the rioting of
        visit thee with new plagues, thus continue `to show                    this plague,  Pharaoh, sends  aid calls for Moses and
        thee:my pbwer, and in the end thou shalt be destroyed ;                Alaron  ; and  he says to them, "I  have sinned this time  ;
        and moreover, I will send all my plagues on thine heart                tile Lord is righteous, and I and  niy people are wicked.
        St this time, and in  .cons&quence   .thereof -thou shall              Intreat the  .Lord; (for it is enough)  that there  be no
        know arid  all thy  sel;vants and pebple shall know, that              more  niighty. thunderings  and'hail; and I will let you
        there  is none like -me in all  +he earth,  so. that,  .% per-         go, and ye  shall-  stay-no  lon.@er.!' What a remarkable
        sisting in  thine unbelief with this  kl-iowledge in thine             confession-  as coming -Prom the wicked and  rbbellibus
        heart, thou wilt be wholly without excuse,  and there-                 Phara,oh.2.   There is this in -it. Yes,  $ndeed, Moses.
        fore thy guilt will be  great and always greater,  SO that -The Jehdvah God of the  Hebrews. is  t&b Lord of all
        in the  end,, when the measure of thy  guilt is full, thou' the earth, thus also  my Lord, and maker. The Hebrews
        shalt be destroyed. Therefore Pharaoh, be instructed,                  are  Hiti people. . They do belong  +ul and  bbdy  to%im
       -let my people go. And thou. shalt live and not perish." and I have  tie claim upon them at all. Thus-tiy Yefus$l
     H a s   i t   n o w   become   t h e   .Lord's  d e s i r e   t h a t   Phai;aoh tb  let the  Ijeople  go- that  .they may serve  their. God in
      obey? This cannot  Abe. Fdr after the  next plague-                      the wilderness'--what terrible wickedness' on my part.
        the plague of hail-has come and  -@one, the, Lord' says                For I am  in duty  bound to obey the Voice of your God.
        to Moses, "Go `in unto Pharaoh, for I  h`ave hardened                  How wicked  -I and  ,mJi  pgople  are. How disobedient  i
        his heart, and the heart of his servants,' that I might                How rebellious ! How.Fighteous  your  `God is in smit-
        show these my signs before them,  that is, might visit                 ing me and my  peop!e.  &d country with His  -plagues.
        them with new plagues. Thus, the only reason that I see it now. I  krio%$.ifi my heart. I am  colivinced.
        the&ord  anew commands Pharaoh' to let the people go,                  So -does Pharaoh now  h$&ble'himself before God, now,
        is that through this  cominand `he is hardening him.                   with  ,God's' plagues and- Gdd's terror on his heart,  as
       .Moreover,  the Lord is. about to  pei-form  a new work in              put there by the Lord. He is in the dust before  Goa. --
        Pharaoh and His  servants and -his people. The Lord                    He is humbled. Gone is his  disbbedience and rebellion.
        iS about to send all His plagues on Pharaoh's heart,                   This Pharaoh, in `the dust before God, what  a.  fa;r-cry
        in order that Pharaoh may know that He is the Lord. `from that Pharaoh, with his  vile  .fist in God's  f&e,
     And  %s  was just stated, with this knowledge in  His                     defying the  living God. What -is the solution  -of. it?
       heart, Pharaoh's  guilt.wi!l be great and  always  great&,  _-`ThG-.Ltir,d  has sent His plagues upon Pharaoh's  he&t
_      un'-il, when the  nieasure of his guilt is full, he will be             and put upon him His terror.  This'is the  explanaiion.
        dii-royed. But before the Lord  makes a beginning of                   Has  the Lord regenerated and converted Pharaoh?
       performing this new work  in.Pharaoh, he tells Pharaoh                  Is he now a man of true contrition of heart? N&at
       about it, his only reason again being that  Pharadh be                  all.    It's the same  unregengrated, unconverted and
       without excuse.                                                         unholy Pharaoh that we sek here in the-dust before
         And  now at this time the Lord actually does  per-                    God.;. but the  s&e Pharaoh minus his active  '  dis--
       fdrm this new wdrk on Pharaoh's heart,  2nd on, the  obedient, rebellion  ,against and defiance of Israel's
       hearts of the Egyptians. The Lord does actually lay -God. The.-unholy  Pharaoh is now wholly passive in
                                                                                                            .
       ail  His plagues on Pharaoh's heart  ;  a$d Pharaoh and                 the hands of God  ; and;  ,in  $I&  state of  fiassivity  in
       the Egyptians do know that  there is none like  the L&d which  -God puts him  loi'  s&d&g   His plagues on  Phar-
        in all the earth. But there is first of all this question:  * aoh's heart,  hq only  &f&rs;  j&dergoes, the wrath'-of
        Just what doks it mean that the  -Lord, lays  al! his                  God with which he is filled  by:  Go&. as to his mind  ancj  .'
       plagues on Pharaoh's heart- all His  p1ague.s  :  ,the heart and  beink. In  tliis  sense: God has  overcome.  for
       plagues with which  the Lord  a&ady, has  visited.  h`im,               the time being sin in  liini'?  -. How? By  qperating.  in
       and  tie  plagu& With  `tihich Pharaoh is  still to be  II him with  His common grace?.' : No  ~indeed, -this  I& not
`if', visited:' It  mea& this:  Iwhat  thie$,prd  reve&iqf  Him-;:,,  th,e.teaching of my  $tixlj.;`but  .tl&:- For I will at this
       self to  Pharaoc'by the plagues,  ngmely  His'  $&ver`  and             time send all  ri?y plagues  upoh  think heart, and thou
       His wrath, the Lord at this time also sends on-his                      shalt  know.that I am the Lord of all the earth." 0, it
       heart, applies to  His~heart and the hearts of the Egypt-               is true, that in the next  &apt&  we  .see Pharaoh.-on
       ians, so that Pharaoh  actually knows  in-his heart, `is                his feet again defying the  livilig God and exalting
       thoroughly convinced in his heart, that there is none                   himself against God's people.,  `,  Indeed, but is it Pharaoh


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                                        T H E   S'rANDARD   B E A R E R

  who again raises him up and makes him to stand?                 ye h&e said, and be gone; and bless  me also." -Mark
  No indeed. If `it is God who  .casts him in  the  dtist,.       you,  -"And bless me also," is now again Pharaoh's
  how can Pharaoh be  the one  t& raise  l&n up out of  the       prayer.  Do& we see ? The Lord again has sent all
  dust? It simply cannot be.' It is God who again makes           His plagues on Pharaoh's heart; and Pharaoh, sin, is
  Pharaoh to stand-makes him to stand  bi sovereignly             once more in the dust before God.  And a's to the
  hardening his heart. It cannot be otherwise. How                Egyptians, they ace urgent upon the people,  .that they
  true it is therefore that Pharaoh's  hegirt is in God's         may send the people of Israel out of the land in haste ;
  hand, and not God's heart in Pharaoh's hands. How               for they said, `We be all dead men." But soon Pharaoh
b true it is that Gbd is the Lord of, man's heart and' again stands, as raised up by  the Lord. Once more he
  that man is not  the lord of God's heart. How true it           is  the disobedient,  defiatit, and rebellious Pharaoh of
  is that God turns man's heart to do all God's good              yore  ;- he  aild his servants. And they say, Why have
  pleasure. How true it is that God is  ,God and that man we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving
  is not God. How  true it is that God's will  iS in the          us. And Pharaoh makes ready His chariots and takes
  throne and that man's will is not in the throne. How his people with him. And he takes six hundred  chqsen
  true it is that  the. reigns  Of  ,God's moral government       chariots, and all the chariots  -of Egypt, and captains
  are  in;cod's hands indeed  and.that  these reigns  ar.e not    over every one of them. And the  Lqrd hardens the
  in man's hands, in the hands  of. the Pharaoh's and             heart of Pharaoh  king of Egypt, so we read, and  he-
  the  Esau's in the earth. In a word, how true it is that pursues after the children of Israel with all his horse-
  Pharaoh is the clay, and that  `God is the  ,potter.    How     men, and his army. Sin  is  again on its feet,  .defying
  true it is in a word, that Pharaoh hardens his heart            God, who once more raises it up. But consider Phar-
  only as  sovereigply hardened by God.                           aoh's end. Pharaoh pursues the  chil`dren of Israel in
    But there is much more proof in the sacred  narrai            the path that  the.Lord has made for His  p.eople through
  tive that God, the true  #God  of the Scriptures, is also       the  sea.' And it comes to pass that in the morning
  the sovereign Lord of sin as it riots-in the being of           watch,  th,e Lord looks unto the host of the  Egypf;ians          .
  reprobated men  ; and that, as Lord supreme of sin,             through the pillar of fire and of the  cloud%,and lo, sin
  God raises it up and  ca_sts it in-the dust befqre him,         is again in the dust before God. For the Egyptians
  according as he wills, `and that therefore sin is not           say, "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord
  another God next to the  tr.ue  Go'd of the Scriptures,         fighteth for them against  .the Egyptians.  .And with
 .with which he eternally is involved in mortal combat,           all the plague sof God once more upon their hearts
  striving to overcome it, yet  Cot  beink able, so that          and with  the terror of  ,God upon them, and thus, as
  everlastingly sin, the reprobated in hell, will be stand-       lqqwing and confessing that the Jehovah God  of the
  ing there? mocking, defying, and taunting  ,God. I say, `Hebrews is in truth the Lord of all the earth, `Pharaoh
  there is  mo?e proof in the sacred narrative tliat God          and the Egyptians, are destroyed by the waters of the
  is the Lord of sin.  [God has made the plague of the            sea and disappear in an everlasting desolation, never
  hail to  cease. Then the servants of Pharaoh come to            .igain  t? shake their vile fists in God's face. Yes, God
  him and  ,say, "How long shall this  man Moses be a             is indeed the Lord supreme of sin. Sin therefore is no
  snare unto us'? Let the  rqen  go,.that they may serve          power rioting  independ&&  of His almighty and sover-
  the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that  Egipt            eign will. For in the first place sin has `no existence
  is  .destroyed?" Assuredly,-  the Lord has sent His             apart from  tian, the  sinne;. Sin as such can't meet
  plagues also  ,on the hearts of Pharaoh's servants, so          you on the street and strike you in the face. It has
  that they, too, know  now that there is none  like Jehovah *existence only as an  active privation operative  iri fallen
  ,God of the Hebrews in all the earth. There is still            man's being, in, the being of the Pharaohs and Esaus
  more evidence of this in the sacred narrative. At               in the earth. It is only in and through the Pharaohs
  chapter eleven verse 3 it is stated that the  man  Moses        and Esaus that sin can take on flesh and blood, so to
  was  very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of           say, take on flesh and blood through Pharaoh's powers
Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight  .of the -people.            of mind and body. And therefore it must needs follow
..m-. And then finally this. Every house in Egypt has been that whereas Pharaoh by himself is nothing,. he being
turned into a morgue, on  .account of the Lord's having           G6d's creature,  li$ing  "and moving and  having His being
  slain all Egypt's  firstboi-n. Pharaoh rises up in  the         in  God, sin,  jn its ethical opposition to  `God, is nothing-
  night, he, and  h:s servants, and all the Egyptians ;           ness-a nothingness that God  raises,up  ,a<d casts down
  and there is a great cry  in. Egypt; for there is' not a        as  hk will and puts to  wha,tever use he chooses, so that
house where there is not one dead. And Pharaoh calls              verily, God is God, and  notie'else.
  for Moses and Aaron by night, and  s&ys to them, "Rise             And in  concluXon,  Pharaoh in the dust before  ,God,
  up, and get you forth from -among my- people, both ye the Egyptians perishing in the  se? by  ,God's wrath, as
and the children of Israel  ; and go, serve the Lord, as          knQwing   ancl confessing that God is  IGod, is indeed.
 ye liave said. Also-take your flocks  &nd your herds, as         prophecy. It tells us that the  wicked..will  be destroyed
                                                 -
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         B


is&                               ..                                               '.  THE  StT~NDARD   B E A R E R   -

atid that  sin in  .theti will cease  everlastinily.   -It  :tells
us that in hell all ethical opposition to God  will be  n@,                                                                               -'      IN  HIS  FEAR
more. Verily, there is no idolatry in hell, no blasphem-  -                                                                                                                                  `,
ing of God's name, no  def`iance of  ,God, no disobedience
td  His will,  no thieveries, no adulteries, no  lustingi  .of                                                                John an& Mary are  keGping company.
the' flesh. In hell the wicked who perish are as com-                                                                         The relation between these two young  peoples is for
pletely devoted to God in their suffering His  .wrath                                                                  no small part  `a sexual relationship. God has created
with which  they  are filled as the redeemed in heaven                                                                 us thus. This relationship niust also come under the
are devoted to God  in their heavenly perfection and                                                                   spher'e of  C@venant living and  be conducted  ."in, His
glory. This fact  and truth must  certainly be  bliss- fear". Per_k;api  these are things which are less often
fulfy satisfying to  every `true child of God. His  San&i-                                                             discus&d, but this does not  remove the fact that  they
fied  reason calls for  such a humiliation of the Pharaohs                                                             ought to. be consider&d.
                                                                                                                                .
and the Esaus in the earth. The thought of the Phar-
aohs in` the place of' everlasting desolation, reviling                                                                                         .-Shall There be Sex-Infohmbiord
God as they  do. on this earth, crying out their rebellion                                                              @rites a famous adviser: "`I have hundreds of
with fists clenched in God's face, must be shocking to
every one in  whbse  heart  `God sheds abroad His love. .&cords  in my files of `men  -and wonien  wh6 -are very
                                                                                                                       bitter  .towayd their parents because the latter  failed
Should, the  Pharaohs.and the Esaus continue defiant in
hell, it  cduld only be because God has not the power to                                                               to give them correct sex information early in life.
                                                                                                                       But I have no record of anybody who has protested.
lay them low in the dust before -His feet,  -and in that
case sin were as mighty or mightier than  ,God. But                                                                    because his parents  gave him `too  much. sound sex
                                                                                                                       information or because they gave it to him too early".
tire know. that God is God.                                                        The Pharaohs  .will be  - He  added: "You  are prudish if you cannot discuss
humbled forever.' The evidence is before us  `in the
Scriptures.-                                                                  ,                                        sex casually with  .your children".  -
                                  -                                                              G .   if.  0 .   :      .' Someone might  s&y that sex is a  matter  too delicate
                                                                                                         .     ._      to be discussed, an& that therefore the  less  siid about
                       L,                                                                                      Cl
.'                                                                                                                     it  the. better. Such `people forget that,  as all other
      ,                `
                         ..                                                                                            things .of life are obtained by means of information,
                                                                                                               _.
                F.  .  y;.  i
                `
                .                                                                                                      so also this.. But they aiso  .forget that  sex.information
                                                  I              N            MEMORIAM
                                 .                                                                                     is  b.eing given continually, via hundreds of different  4
,.'
                :  Whekeas  it hath pleased  bur  heavenly  Father to take  unto                                       channels.. In all liklihood  your children receive  the&
H&self   t h e                                                                                                         information from  such- vulgar sources. as the street,
                                                  . .-            FA                                                   obscene  pictur'es, lewd talk, etc.
                                                                        THER
                                  ,' .                                                                                  -' It  is`not   a, (question  bf : shall  ,they..receive such in-
of  one'of our fellow officebearers,  the Consistory of the Second                                                     formation?, But. the question  can better be put this
Protqs tant. Reformed  ChuSch  hai resolved herewith. to express                                                       way.: shall they receive it from a vulgar and question-
its' sympathy to Elder H. Kooiker. We pray that the God of all                                                         able  source,,or shall-they receive it from a pure source?
grace  qay comfort our brother and those who mourn with him                                                                   Shall they  gather. it. from observation, from their
and that we may experience that we `mourn not as the world                                                             playmates, from the streets or shall they gather it
which. has no hope.,                                                                                                   fTom.the pure  soyrce whence comes all their inform&
                                 . .                                     Rev.. S. Cammenga, Pres.                      t&m?,.,
                 _                                                       Geo. .Tek Elshif, Clerk.
                                             -                                                                                This  mattep is frequently brought  tip for discus-
                      . . . .                                                                                          sion. Shall it  b.e treated  .in  our-  schoo!s?                Shall our
                                                                                                                       `young people  receivc'sex  .information along with  .tizeir
                                                                                                                       regular  schbol studies?                             _.
 ._
           .                                              ,IN  Ml&)&AM   _  _
                                        ,                                                                                ,. Marriage (or  .divorce)   &at&&es   .reveal that a high
                                                                                                               I       pert.entage of  .-young people enter marriage without
                 ,  The  Mayy:Martjia  Society of  t$e Manhattan  Proie&a.nt                                           proper knowledge of what was involved.  <Of late
Reformed.  C&rch   express,es its  `symp&hy with  09; of its' mem-                                                     courses aye  given. for the benefit of young people who
bers,  ,Mr,s. Dick Heys, in  -the  loss  of  her .                                               ,`d                   contemplate entering  the state of  w.edlock.
,.,`I                                                           FATHER               `.     -
Mr. J. Mulder of  Manhattari, Montana.  -                                                                                _                       What  S&h The Scripture?.
                                                                                                                                                                            r
                      `May the%ord`conifort  the bereaved in the assursince of the                                        -  ScriptLiFe  touc?eS  on this matter also, either directly,
.coming. of Christ `and 3he  glory that .follows.                                                                      or indirectly. Against the  bdckground. of the -sins
-.                           . . .                        _j          Rev.  ,C.  Ha&o,  Pres.                          of  heathenaom,  Scripture repeatedly  B;dnioinishes   that
                                                                         Mrs. M. Vander Molen, :Sec'y.                 .we walk  in  sanctifi&tion,  also in  this. aspect of life.
                                                                                                                                     E                                .           _
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                                      T H E -   S T A N D A R D   $EABER  -.                                                   67;

 Consider `for instance this notice  frbm. the Word. of                young people in re these things is  prim&y the duty
 God :  "For.this  is the will of  ,God, even your sanctifica-.        of the home, the parents. It is a duty which first of                .
.tion,. that ye should abstain from fornication: that                  all lies upon the  home, and  the.  sex  instrtictiqn they
 every one of you should know how to  ljossess  hiS vessel             recei<e  oUght to originate in and proceed from .the
 in  san&ification and honour, not in lust of concupi-                 home. .
 scence, even as the -Gentiles who know not God".                (I        We mean,  _ this  ipstruction  must'. come from. the
 Thess. 4 3-5). This is a significant passage. It speaks               fathers and the mothers. Blessed are the sons who
.of INFORMATION, for it says: that every one should                    have fathers and the daughters who have mothers.
 KNOW.  Lie  m&t know also  how to  POSSE,SS our                           Nowhere can these intimate and delicate things  .be
 "S~ss~l", it must not possess us. It must be possessed                60 objectively and chastely treated as. between mother
 in sanctification.                                                    and daughter, `father and son. This red&es the dan-
    -The  &techism,  in' explanation of the Seventh Com-               ger of vulgarity and removes  the- glamour and undue  -
 mandment exhorts us to live our sex  ljfe-  out of the                excitement which the treatment  sf this subject could
 principle of  .reg&eration. The Marriage Form ex-                     arouse.    It removes the glamour  of indecency and
 horts! Us to `live godly in the state of wedlock. To  live brings our youth -face to face with certain realities
 go'dly in that` state requires  among  .other, things  th,at,         of life. This induces them to see  this phase of life in
"weavoid  all  uncleanne'ss  and evil lusts."                          its proper  proportioti. There  *and then  matters  can
     If then the Seventh Commandment exhorts us to                     be discussed objectively and piously and they may
 live chastely in holy wedlock and in single life  ; and if            there  be taught, in the ways of the Lord. While  thus
 the Marriage Forni applies Scripture  $0 the'effect that              they may be warned for the pitfalls and dangers that                      .
 we avoid all  uncleannesti and evil lusts,  Yt is evident             surround their path.
 that we must  h&e a certain and positive knowledge                        Let the parents provide this,  `inf'&mation  Wisely
`concerning this important phase of life. In single life               and opportunely. Let them go as far as Scripture goes.
as  ~1511 as in wedlock we  .are to live chastely and temper-          Do  n_ot hesitate  Bo  remirid your  sons how Joseph con-
 ately.                                                                ducted himself when Potifar's  wife. allured him  ;  don't
     It is said sometimes that there is no greater  ul?der-            forget to mention how Jacob waited fourteen  years for
 taking than marriage,  yet there is nothing undertaken                Rachael. Many are the directives Scripture gives. . . . .
 with so little preparation as marriage. Many people                   use them opportunely.
 &ter it With  little more than a natural knowledge.                       We-can teach  t&m also by way of  contrhst.  The
 Many enter upon it with a  gr.oss misconception.. The                 world in which we  -and  our..sons and daughters live
 reading of the  F&m is a fine exhortation but it comes                is an  altogethkr filthy world.' --Every day their  &yes
 a little bit late if it shall serve as an education for               see and their ears hear filthy things., Here we  must
 people who are to enter  thk married state:                           come with the antithesis; Say  "no".to this corruption.
                 Who  Shdll Inform Them?,  1  I                        Thus the world does, let us not imitate her nor- con-
                                                                       form  ourselSes-  to her.  .Thus the  worid conceives of
     Certainly the church must  betimes  to&& upon this                sex, let us  tiot conceive of -it that way. In this fashion.
 phase. of ~life. As often as the minister comes to the                we  can `provide the required information;  :Lef-not our ,
Commandment VII in the Catechism there will be  3                      homes fail in  this respect..                          -
 sermon about the various aspects of sex life.            The              Which presupposes of course that our parents  are'
 Church should- not become prudish. The subject is  a taught of the Lord  th-emselves. If -they are pot spirit-
ph&e of  .our.  natura!'  !ife and the Light of the Gospel             ually educated, how shall they  give spiritual  educ_a-
.must, shine upon  017~  pathtiay  here also. The subject              tion ?
. must be treated  .with due respect for chastity and                   The school of experience has. taught  them  mudh, if           '
 reverence (as every other subject ought to be) but the                they at least have sanctified hearts. They have a work-
 pulpit does not  breach the whole counsel of God  3, it               ing conception of what God requires of us, also as
 leave. out this  phase.                                               pertains to this realm of life. Let them pass on their
     Our schools are bound to treat it also. I mean our                heritage to-their sons and daughters.
 Christian schools, where Christian teachers can candle                    Thi$ will, by the grace of God, do, much to help
 it. Let not  <he filthy world'  inform and educate us                 John and  Mary keep the straight course which leads
`concerning these matters. For they are an adulterous                  to an honorable marriage and a pious wedded life.
 generation  2nd they shall not teach our children' their              More work for us as parents. But we ought more
 ways. Even though they" have  some,regard for decency `and more to realize `that parenthood involves us in
 and good order,  .th&y are adulterous, saith  ,the IS&p-              immense resporisibilities. While we will discover in
t u r e . Chiistian- teachers, are in a position  t?- give  in- the  megntime that exactly in assuming these responsi-
 formatiin as God's Word gives it.                                     bilities lies our  pairental  joy and happiness.
     I believe however that the task of instructing the                                                     Rev. M. Gritters.


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6              8                        *  TH.E  .STA.NDARD   B E A R E R

                                                                      2.. These miracles as works testify, i.e., they have
                    PROM  HOLY  WRIT                              a message that comes with authority, they have con-
                                                                  victing power.       As works they demand faith and
                                                                  obedience. They substantiate the Word.
                                                                   3. `Their very. nature is that they bear the impress
      Sigma  In  The  Gospel  .Qf  John                           of the Divine. They'loudly proclaim that the Father,-
                                                                  God Himself, is in this Son, and that He is sent to
      `That it is of great importance to see the special          perform these works. They are the works of the great
significance John attaches to the term "Sign" we have             office-bearer  of-  .God.
attempted to demonstrate in  Dur former article. More                 Summarizing what we have thus far seen, we notice
could be said to substantiate our contention, but we the following:
trust that what we have written will, at least for, the  ~            Firstly, that the miracles of Jesus are wonders, they
present, be sufficient to indicate its importance. We             Cause amazement to those who  .behold  them, because
will have ample opportunity to refer to this matter ,nowhere else. in `the whole of creation are such phe-
again later in this essay in another connection.                  nomena beheld. Bread is commonly multiplied in the
      It ought to be clear from what we have stated con-, way of  seedtime and harvest. But in Jesus' miracles
cerning the  prevalency and consistent use of the term            it is multiplied under His hands.
"Signs" in the Gospel of John, why we wrote "Signs                    Secondly, that these amazing miracles'  are- also
in the Gospel of John", above these articles. We did              powers.      They `are divine manifestations of might,
so advisedly.            The term "miracles" is too vague  t:o    either to save or to kill. It is divine  \power that is
convey the specific notion of the term "Sign".                    manifested in the raising of the dead to life.
 -' There is, however, still a fourth term to discuss,  *t            Thirdly, these wonders, powers are always "works"
term  used to designate the miracles of Christ. Jesus             of Christ, performed by His will, with all His heart
Himself often speaks of His  miraclesOby employing this and mind and  soul  and related to God the' Father, Who
term.          It is the word "Works". `The term occurs in        is very really present in this "Worker".
the Gospel of John in the following passages, to wit.                 Fourthly, these'works, wonders, powers are always  :
John  5:36;   `7:21;`10:25,  325  14:11,12;  and  15:24.          signs, portents of things to come. They are pregnant
      The term "works" points out the miracles of Christ          with prophecy. They  ,always  speak of greater things
as to their agent. They are then viewed in relationship           to come. They loudly tell, and clearly obsignate the
to the one who has  perfornk-i   them. They point to Mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, and do so in such
their  Performer,  because He is unique, being the Son            a way, that believing in their testimony spells life,
of God in our flesh, these miracles are Works in a class          while unbelief is clearly  wilfull disobedience.    Upon
all by themselves., They are works that are wrought               the latter the wrath of  (God remains.
.in such a way that they betray, nay, they most  em-                  Having thus seen the implication of the  term2  .we
-phatically bear the imprint of the  Divine.Agent. Says           still stand before the task of showing into what pattern,
Jesus: I`1 and the Father are  .one".         And' again: "He     according to the (Gospel of John, the "signs" of Jesus
that  bath seen me hath seen the Father. Beiieve -me              are cast.
that I am. in the Father and the Father in me, or else                To begin, we may point out that the Gospel of John.
believe me for the very  zvorks sake". These works                records to  LB  only eight miracles. They are the follow-
speak so loudly of their Divine author, be in the flesh           ing and recorded in the following chapters:
of the descendants of Abraham.
     Thus Jesus speaks of His works in John  10:25:                   1. The Changing of the  .Water into Wine. (2  :l-11)
"the works which I (emphatically "I" in the  ,Greek)                 .2. The Healing of the Nobleman's Son.  (4:46-54)
do in the name of my Father, these witness concerning                 3. The Healing of. the Impotent Man at the Pool of'
me". So great are these works and  so.  exalteld is their                Bethsaida. (5 : l-9)
testimony that Jesus can say to the Jews in John 5  :36 :             4. The feeding of the Multitude. (6  :l-1`4)
"Now I have a witness which is greater than John.                     5.  ,The Walking Upon the Water. (6  :15-21)  L
The works which the Father gave Me, that I should                     6. The Opening of the Eyes of the Man Born Blind..
finish them, the same works which I do testify con-                       (9 :1-q
cerning Me; that the Father  bath sent Me."                         - 8. The Raising of  Lazarus From the Dead. (11:
                                                                         3 4 - 4 4 )
      In these passages there  seem- to be the following
elements :                                                            9. -The Miraculous- Draught of Fish. (21. : l-14)
      1. The miracles, signs, wonders are  wor&s. . They              When we study this list of "Signs" performed by
are wrought by' an agent, by a personal Agent. They the Lord and recorded by John, it strikes our attention.
are not just occurances in nature. They all point to that all except two of these "Signs" are recorded to us
t h e   a u t h o r ,
          I                                                       only in the Gospel of John. These two are: The Feed-
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  ing of the  Mul&ude,  and The Stilling' of  the  Galilean         world itself would  ndt contain  the books which should
  Sea". These  lz&ter  two are also recorded in the other           be written." What Jesus did as  the Son of  ,God in the
  Gospel  records,`:called   Synoptic;Gospels.. All the.  othey     flesh is indeed to  liumerou$ to mention. The  little that
 `miracles recorded in John are those which he  alone Johp  writes  -is, however, a rather adequate  picture,o$
  mentions.    To  ihis we might add, that strictly speak-          this  itifinitely great Christ, `the Son of God.              For
  ing, there is  ski  on@ more "Sign" performed by Christ' the  .believers  this is  .$ufficient and this  :testimony has
  recorded here  ip John. It is the healing of the ear of           ever been sufficient unto faith in the Son of  *God. For
  the.Highpriest'$ servant, named  Ma$hus. John 18 :lO.             unbelief this witness  is an  ,offence, it is the testimony
  Howevey,  this  si'gn we will not  i@lude in our  discussion-     concerning  t&e, Chief  .Cornerstone. It  need, not sur-
  in this series.  "                                                prise  us  that the attempts to  distiredit this testimony
     Further, we notice, that seven of these signs re-              of the Apostle have  been legion.. But, of course,  all-
  corded were performed-by Christ prior to the hour                 to `no' avail. The hammer  is  worri out but  the anvil
  of  His'  crucifixidn and  death  @d only one refers `to a        stands.
  sign performed -after .His resurrection.  :                          We  conclufle, therefore, that John himself would
    -  Ere tie inquire into the  implicatjons  of  theie Signs      have us understand the intentional design. Also,  we
  separately;' we still  &faced with the task  of  deter- are certain, John would have us understand that he
  niining the-  overal pattern of the  ;Gospel  of John into        made a very careful selection.
  which these Signs are cast.  In attempting to do this                We thus have a directive from  the writer himself.
  we  are reminded of  the words of A.  T; Robertson:               Consequently we will attempt to trace out this internal.
  "The  ianguage  of the Fourth Gospel has the clarity-of           unity of the `Gospel. We will try to detect its plan in
  ti spring, but we are  not able to  sound  the.bottom of its the several parts..
depths.  Luiidiiy and profundity challenge and charm                   A -general perspective and' orientation we receive
  us as we linger over it." Yet, we may not for the                 in the so-called "Prologue" chapter  1:1-l& Emphatic-
  reason of its profundity fail  to,try to see the  u&ty and' ally the greatness, the Divinity of the  Sdri of God. is
  the  design of this beautiful  G&p&l.                             placed on  .the foreground. He was in the "beginning".
     In -attempting to understand this design there  are- 411 `things were. made by Him. H e   fs  co-equ$'  with
  various matters in this Gospel of  John itself that               God, the Father. And He became flesh and dwelt
  slioul4 be noticed, and various notices by  John`himself          among us.  (vss. 1-3, 14). And as the Son of  .God in
  that may guide  tis.                                              our flesh He. dwells (tabernacles) among us and  re-
      F&t of  all we may notice, that,  ai we have pointed          veals His glory, glory  ai of the only' Begotten of the
  out  iri our  for&er `article, John has a very practical          Father, full of grace and truth. Although no one has
  mbtive in writing this Gospel. There is every reason              ever seen the Father, yet  this Son has declared,  exe-
to'believe  that-in view  bf  thi$ practical design, John           geted Him unto us, revealed Him in His word and
very studiously  .@hoo& his  matefials. That he relates             "works". It is true, the final work of Christ is that.
  some events of  gesus' life and' ministry, and passes by          He makes the Father have His abode in us, yet in His
  others is  done  with  conscjotis  purpose. Such is  the. works, signs, we see portents, evidences of  this great
  implic$idn  of  ihe notice  in chapter  20-30, 31. "And           coming of God to make His  abode,~to change the sinful
  many `other  sign;S `truly did  .Jesus in the presence  %f His    world into- a h&y temple,  and- to change the earthly,
  disciples, which` are not written in this book : But  ithese      temporal form of this present world in the heavenly
  `are written, that -ye might believe that Jesus is the            and the abiding.          .
  Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might                 Thus is  the perspective of  the, "book" of John.
  have life through His Name."                                         Into this  perspectiSe all the "Signs" performed by
      Johti- very evidently chose to record some signs.             Jesus  are arranged by John: In  these "Signs" we see
  And tliose which He chooses  show~one outstanding fact :          the Son of God in His great power, clearly manifesting
 Jesus is the  Chkkt,  the Son  pf  Gad! This notice here           that He is the sent one of God, the mighty Worker per-
  in 20  :.30, 31  evi`dently shows not only the  purpose:of        forming the work Of God. By them  IXe convicted  men
  John in describing the events  that transpired and the            that `He is indeed the Prophet; already  spoken of by
  Works- perform&d by Christ, but-has reference to the              Moses,. that  .should come into the' world. None need
  purpose' of John' in this' &tire "book".                          to doubt.  Cti?iously  enough, when John the Baptist
     That this  what John has here recorded  in this "book" sends his disciples  .to Jesus asking Him whether He is
  is sufficient evidence, is a clear and complete picture  of       the one  to come, or  .whether he must look for another,
  the  Christ,`the  `son of God is also  ati element that is        the answer that is forthcoming  is virtually this: Look
  uriderscored by  y John.    This element  ~6. should not          at the things `you both  -sek and hear !
  overlook. Writ& John in  -21  :%5 : "And,  thepe are also                                 (To 
  many  -othe;  thiligs which Jesus  did, the  wk;ich if they                                       be continued)    *    :G.       L.
  shduld be  `written everyone, `I suppose that  .even the

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I    .                                                                   .'                                           -
I 70                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -
                          -
                                                                               content given to it in Scripture  ; also from the  fact
                               PEliISdoPE                       7              that it is not  ..limite_d in scope  tq the old dispensation
                                                                               b.ut is also taken up in the  new. and would  thus have
                                                                         meaning and content for the church today. Generally
I                                                                              speaking, in the Old Testament  revelat'ion  the term is
                                                                               most closely  izonnected with coming judgment,  tem-
                                                                               poral and final, and relative to both God's people and
               The  cbncept "Day of the Lord" or the  idea  con- the world in  gene@. In the New Testament  s&&ioi
           tained in that term is, expressed by the writers, of                is stressed; although  it is true that throughout  Scrip-
            Holy Writ throughout.        B.esides the literal reference        ture both elements are stressed as inseparably  con-
           it is designated  by,such expressions as :  `(day of visita- netted with  the term.
           tion", "day of vengeance", "day of battle", "day of  `.                To limit  the  concept strictly as an eschatalogical
           evil", "day of wrath", "`d&y of `destruction", "day the             idea does not  exhaust'the significance of it. It is  evi-
           Lord made", and  "esp&ially  in the Old  Testametit,                dent that  it has.  mkanini `for the Church through&t  '
           sitiply as "the day", and even more frequently as "that             the ages as well as for the daily life of believers. This
            day". The same is  taken up in the New Testament                   would follow from the prominent place which this  con-
            under the terms: "that day", "His day", "my day",                  cept' receives in the Old Testament. For, although it
            "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ", "day of the Lord  *1s  true that the prophecy of the  (Old Testament looks
           Jesus",  "the great day  of-His wrath", and, "that great            f orward `to the very end of time,. it has its primary
            day of God Almighty".                                              fulfillment among Israel-the Church of  -the old  dis-
               These references extend throughout Scripture, from              pensation.    It is  also clear- that the idea contained in
           Moses in the Pentateueh  to. the closing portions of the the term has been partially realized and `accomplished
           Revelation of John. The specific term or the idea  con-             both among Israel of old and in the new dispensation.
           tained therein  i$ found in all the prophetic writings of              In order' to`see all this clearly and arrive at a  defi-
           the Old Testament without exception. In fact, the                   nite understanding  Qf the term,  three things will be
          entire'body of the  distiourses  .of some of the  so-cdlled          necessary : first to examine several passages in which
            M&r Prophets  is.devoted to the exposition of the con-' the  te+m or its equivalent is found,, secondly to gather
            cept. It is also to be found in some of the poetical together the various aspects of these descriptions in
           writings  df the Old Testament; notably Proverbs and                order `to ascertain the meaning of the concept, and
           the Psalms and including the book of Job. The  refer-               finally, to determine its scope and fulfillment.
            ences do not cease, however, with  th@ close of the Old               In the examination of  th,e concept throughout  :Scrip-
            Testament but are taken up again  in. the New Testa-               ture we will proceed. through the books of the Canon in
            ment. Though the citations in the New Testament are                the  order'that'we  have  them in, our. Bible. This will
            not as numerous and  ,detailed   ,as those in the  0l.d Testa-     not only give a sense of continuity to the discussion  -
           ment it is  evident that they too emphatically belong to            but  will  simplif~~ou~~search  in following the  tra?l in
           the `general  cqqcept.                                              Scripture. It would  be: difficult  $0 determine,. likewise,
               `From the space and time given to the exposition of             which  wriCer first  introdticed the idea historically for
          this concept in Scripture, it is evident that  the--term             many  6f the dates of  the writings of the prophets are
            has  prpfound  import  f&- the Church  of. God in the              not definitely  ktiotT;m-and-  cannot be  set with any degree
            midst of the world. If this were  .not so it is doubtful of `accuracy.
           that  IGod in- the Holy Spirit writing the Scriptures  ~ L The  very first reference, as has been intimated, is,
            would  go+o such length and diligence to expound and               by Moses. This is our starting point, not so much  be-
            p1ac.e the concept in His Word. From this it also  foi-            cause of its  worth or clarity  but.more for its virtue as
            lows that the concept `is  certdinly an aspect of the              the first  inst,ance- of reference to the idea `and as' form-
            Revelation of God in Christ. The Reformed' conception              ing  the-,foundation'tipon'whicli the prophets build. I t
            of Scripture holds it as the Self-revelation of God in             is. found- in  Dtieteronomy  31:17-18:  "Then my anger
            Christ-the Perfect Image, as the, central theme., A                shall` be kindled against them in that clay, and  I  will
            concept  &eiefore, which courses its way throughout                forsake them,, and I  will hide my face from them, and
          that Revelation, as this does, must necessarily be  inti-            they shall  be  devotired, and  many.  evils and  iroubles
            mately bound. with and have. reference to that  Revela- `shall befall  them-; so that  they  till say in that  day, Are
            tion itself. In other words, the  cay of the  Lo'rd must           not -these evils come` upon us, because our God is not'
            be. an aspect of the Self-revelation of God  ; it speaks to        a-momg us? Afid I  wtll surely hide my  face in that day
            us-of God.                                                         for-  all  the  evils. which they shall  have. Wrought, in
               Many, writers believe that  the- term is purely and that they are turned  ~$50  other gods.`"
            simply  e&hat-alogical. in character.      That it is such             I-n  the-;f`ollowing  chapters of the  Pehtateuch  .are
            at  .&I& is evidently from the general expositibn and the          Y;ecorded,Mose%T  parting  Bddresses,  in  which;by'r&+ela~


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 tibn of God, he predicts the falling away of  ,$rael, the the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the
 splitting of, the Kingdom, the  dispersio-g of the ten          Lord, and for  tXe  glory of his majesty. ,The lofty looks
 tribes, the captivity  and  return of Judah, the destruc-       of man- shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men
 tion of foreign nations.      He continues through the          shall be bowed down, and the' Lord alone shall  be-
 final dispersion of  the Jews at the  .fall of Jerusalem        exalted in that day. For  ,the day of the Lord  df hosts
 into the New Testament-Dispknsation of the gathering            shall be upon every one that is proud  and lofty, and
 of the Church. All  .of these subjects are more'fully -upon every one that is lifted up  ; and he shall be brought
 developed by the later Prophets,  .as  is.`also the pro-        low : And ppon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high
 phecy  concerni& "that Day".                                    and lifted up, and upon  .a11 the oaks of  Bashan," etc.
    `The next reference we find in the book of,  Job, chap- And so forth,  f&r this prophecy of  universal judgment
 ter 21. Here Job is diligently maintaining the right-           in that day continues through chapter  3, while the
 eousness of  God in His dealing with Job. He shows              s)ort  chapter 4 speaks- of the  s$vation   of purged
 that the wicked, though despising  IGod, do `sometimes          Israel.    The general theme  `of-  th& first part of the
 prosper but that God is just and sovereign in His deal-         prophecy is a continuation  oi judgments of  th&t clay,
 ings arid "that the wicked is reserved to  the day of up to chapter 40 which opens with the beautiful word
 destruction=? they shall be brought forth to the day            of salvation to God's people: "Comfort ye,` comfort ye
 of, wrath". Also in Job God Himself. in dire& speech my people, saith your God."  ,Of the references inter-
 refers to the day. In the 38th chapter he answers               spersed between these two, some of the most notable
 and  r&bukes  Job declaring His own  rigtiteotisness   slnd     are : "And  ,what will ye do in the day of visitation, and
 power and sovereignty . Vss. 22-23.            "Hast thou       in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom
 entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou            Will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave  your0
 se&n the treasures of the hail,  which, I have reserved         glory?" 10  :3, "Howl ye; for the day of  the Lord is at
 against the time of  trouble,`agaihst the day of battle         hand; it shall come as a destruction from `the Al-
 and war?"                                                       mighty." 13  :6,. chapter 17 :11  1 where it is described
     The Psalms are filled  wit& references to the same          as a day of  grief and of desperate sorrow, and finally
 idea. Of them A. B. Davidson writes: "They give                 in 28  :5 where the aspect of salvation is on' the fore-.
 back, in  thanksgi+ing,  in praise, and often in pray&,         ground : "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a
 the faiths and hopes  already  contained in the mind of crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, `unto the
 the people and long cherished. And  these hopes and             residue of his people."
 faiths are in  $he main  eschatological. When the Psalms           The main references in Jeremiah  are towards the
 speak  of judgment, and  of, the  meek inheriting the           close of his prophecy. The 30th chapter pictures Israel
 earth, of the nearness  pf the, day of the wicked, of           in travail but  in'cludgs the promise of deliverance with
 seeing God's face in righteousness, of the upright              the& words : "Alas ! for that day is -great so that none
 having dominion speedily over the unrighteous, and              is like it : it is  even  the time of Jacob's trouble  ; but
 much of the same kind, they are not uttering vague              he  shali be saved out of it." vs. 7. He speaks specific-
hopes never before expressed, but reflecting  the cer-           ally of the day again in the  16th verse  of. chapter 46,
 tainties of a faith as old at least as the prophets of the      which emphasizes the idea of judgment upon the ad-
 8th century, the certainty of.  4 judgment of  ,God, and        versaries of God and His cause represented by His
 of the rise behind it of  a kingdom of righteousness,           people : `[For this is  the day of the Lord  God-of. hosts,
 and peace, and everlasting joy."  .;                            a  day- of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his
    A splendid  ~extimple' of this is found in  Psalrri 110 :    adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall
 5-7, "The Lord at thy right hand shall  st&e through be satiated and made drunk  &ith their blood: for the
$ings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge  amoig T,ord God of hosts `hath a sacrifice-in the north country
 the  he&then, he shall fill the places with the dead            by the river Euphrates."
 bodies  ; he shall wound  the heads  over  -m&y countries.       Ezekiel adds several  new elements to the  concept;
 He shall drink of the brook  iti the way: therefore shall       predicting that battle comes`with the  day'of the Lord
 he lift up  the  head< And  again in Psalm  1X3:21-24,          and that Israel is not prepared, cf. 13  :5. He also
"1 will praise thee  f for  .thou hast heard me, and art         warns of the nearness of  the day and emphasizes the
 become my salvation. The stone which- the builders              indgment of the heathen with the following. prediction :
 refused is become the head of the corner. This is the           "Fcr the day is  near, `even the day of the Lord is near,
 Lord's` doing;  it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the a  cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen." 30  :3.
 day which the Lord hath made ; we will rejoice and be              All of the -minor prophets, unless Jonah is to `be
glad in  it."                                                    included under this category, he is, the exception, speak
    .The  fii& dir&t  rdference to the term "day of  ihe         at great  length  of. this concept. Much of the inaterial
 L&d" is found  h the prophecy of Isaiah. Beginning              is repetition and  re:emphasis of that which previous
 with the 10th verse of chapter 2 we read: "Enter into           writkrs'have expressed in principle so that we can
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 .72'                                 T H E        STANDAR`D                            BEAREk

 consider their  material but briefly.  ?`liis should not          de  profeten zeiden,  da'i` de dag des Heeren ook voor
 leave. the impression,  hbtiever, that their treatment            Isl:ael een  -dag des gerichts  iou- zijn  ; het volk zou in
 of it is brief, for as we  stated in our  introdpction  so& kallingschap  gaan en zijn land  aan de  yerwoesting
-entire writings are  concertied- with the  conCept and            morden prijs gegeven." Except in the passage  quoted _
 these  .are found among the  minor. prophets. It is also .from Amos we failed to discover  iri our' examination
 true that sevkral new and striking ideas are added by             any such  gene?al  feeling- among-the  peoplti  with refer-
 them to the  already~rich term.                                   ence'to the day of the Lord.` Even here it is  .limited
    Early in the writings of  Hosea  he makes  mentibn             and  -particular in scope'; concerning those  whd were
 of "that day" and relates at the  close of  the. 2nd chap-        not aware  -of  -its import and meaning. In the closing
 ter that the Lord will bring back .His people from their          chapters Amos again speaks of the judgments coming
 adulte'rous   ways and  make a  covenant with them in             tiut `closes with the blessing and promise that the day
 "that' day". This discourse closes with the  beautifbl            shall bring for the faithful.
 pro&se : "And  I`will  so'w her unto me in the earth ;                Also Obadiah in his short  writing  dir&tly mentions.
 and  1:will have mercy upon her-that  had. not obtained           the  dajr of  the Lord ; in the 15th verse : "For the day of
 mercy  ; and I will say to them which were not my                 the  T_lord  is  -near `upon all the heathen: as  t&u hast
 people, Thdu  art my people-; and they shall say, Thou -ddne, it shall be done unto thee:  thy  reward shall be
 a r t   m y   Go'd." In the 9th chapter he  return? `to a  de-    upon  thiie own head."
 scyiption of the day and speaks of it as: "the solemn                 The prophecies of  _ Micah, Nahum and Habakkuk
 day"  atid- f`the day of the feast of the Lord". vs. 5.           -ar'e,  -generally speaking, completely concerned. with  -
     Joel is the first of the  pyophets  .who.se entire  dis-      "that. `day". Micah directs  hiti  proph&y  of judgment
course deals with "the  day of the, Lord". He speaks               especially  ag&nst the ten tribes and Judah; while
 with*re&y@d emphasis of the judgment which  shall                 Nahum and  HtibBkkuk add decrees against particular  \
 befall Zion and Israel first of all. This  portidn  closes        heatheli nations.          All  cl&se-their  writitigs with the.
`with  the promise of  the  dutpouring of the  Spirit which        promise of restoration and  salvaticn for  the -faithful.
 includes this significant description : "The sun shall            Nahum adds an element  tb the idea when he calls it
`be turned into  darkliess, and the moon into blood; be-           "the  d&y of  hi% preparation"  2:3. Habakkuk exper-
fore  the great and terrible day of the Lord  come".-2.:3i.        iences  fehr and trembling. arid rottenness enters his
 He  clos& his prophecy with a  curse upon the nations bones when he  consid>&, "the hay  qf trouble"; as he
 who have wronged  Jeh6vah's  ptiople  and the blessing            calls it. Cf. 3  :16.           -
 which ensues to  Jtidah and Jerusalem "for the Lord                   pnce.again the entire-prophecy of  `hephaniah speaks
 dwelleth in Zion". Here is included one of  the-most              very definitely and precisely of the day of the Lord.
 striking passages where  the'termjs fdund. In  chapttir           He  s_tre&es the-universality  of the judgment that comes
-3  :114  we- read: "tiultitudes,  multitudes in the  valley in that'day and closes with a beautiful promise to the
 of decision : for the day of the Lord is pear in the valley       true Israel: The two most striking passages are  i  :l&
 of decision." And again in vs. 18: "And it shall come             16,"`The  great day of the  Loid  is-near,  it  is near, and.
 to  l-ass in that day, that the  mount%ins shall drop down        hasteth greatly, even  the  voice of  i;he  day of  the  Lo&l:
.ne% wine,  and the hills shall flow with milk, and  all           the mighty men shall cry  there  bitter&. That  day  is. a
 the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a  foun-          day of wrath, a  day `of- trouble  and  d&&tress,  a  day- of,
-tain shall come forth out of. the house of  .tbe Lord and         wasteness arid desolation; a  day of  darkriess  atid  gldomi-
-shall water the valley  bf  Shittiti".                /(          ness, a day of clouds and, thidk  darklie&  `a  d&y  6f. the
    .A.n?o's introduces a-new element when he warns                trumpet  a n d   alarm  @tiin&  t h e   .fericed  c i t i e s ,   a n d
 the  @eople  tyho  .desire  ihe  approa'ch. of the day with       against the high towers.;"  `atid  -f?oti  the  `p&mis&y
 these words in  chap& 5  :1.8  :26 : "Woe unto you that           section, chapter  .3 : 16, 17 :  "In-  tlitit`day it  &hall be  &id
 desire the day of the. Lord! to  what  &cl is  it,for you?        to Jerusalem, Fear thou  not=.and  td  Zion,  Let'&  i;hine _
 the day of the Lord is darkness, and  not light. A&if             hands be slack. The  l&d  thJT God  is `the  mid& of  `the&
 a  nian did  flee from' a lion, and a  blear  met- him ; or       is mighty ; `he  wjll  save, lie  Wili,  iej&e over  thee with
 went into  the house, and leaned his  &and on `the wall,          joy  ; he will rest in  his  lo<e; he  wi)i  joy:  o&r  the&  ,witiz
                                                                                            ._.
 and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of  tlie Lord            singing."                            _~.'     _     _.
 be  darkness,,and  not light? even  v&y dark and no.                                       _'                                          -  W.H:  -  .-
-brightness in  it`?"`.  Dr. H. Bavinck considers this as                                                 _                  -                     -'
[quite a general feeling among the  people, for  he  states
 in his  "Gerefornieerd   Doginatiek".: `De  Jom Jehovah                    :       _-... .NOTI(-,E!`-.'                           -. .            -
 . . . . w&d door de profeten gansch  sliders dan door               \ If consistories will  f&nish the name  atid address
 het  volk  -opg&at,   l!Iet  .volk,  misbrtiikte   -deie.verwach- of newly married  cbuples, the  R: F.  -P.-  A. `Board will .
 ting en  dacht, dat Jhvh  h@t, afgeijen van  zijn'geestelij- mail them a year's subscription to  the.Standard  Bearer
 ken toestand,  tegeii  &lle gevaar  beschermen  zou. Maar         free  of  charge,               .I.                                          ...'

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