                                                                                                                                              d


VOLUME XXIV                                 March 15, 1948 - Grand Rapids, $!Iiehigan                                                         NUMBE&-

                                                                               Qh yes, the devil had his houk, we rkad ; aad he c&-
       M-.EDITAT  I O N tainly used his hour. Every spirit or man at his `post,~
                                                                             each doing the thing that fitted the hellish plot; and
                                                                             here we have the restilt  : Christ is on the tree of shame
                                                                             and dishonor. Satan has won'his war!
                 The  Dying  Christ-                                                                      *         *    *     *
                                                                                But has he?                                                              -
               "Jesus, when He had cried  a&in  with a loud voice,.             There is a masterpiece .in existence, depicting .the
             yielded  up  the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the            awful scene of the crucifixion. And with marvellous
             temple was rent in twain "from the top to the  bot-             skill the artist has depicted on the face of Satan, hover-
           .. tom; and  the  earth  did quake,  ,and the rocks rent;         ing above the cross in a dark and lurid background
             and the graves were opened; and &al?y  bo,dies  of the          of clouds, a sardonic  #leer or grin, but in it there  iS
             saints which slept'arose, and came but: of the graves           also an unspoken question of awful -dread: Did I have                            l
             after  His'resurrection,  and went into the holy city,          the victory?                      ~                                   !'
             and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion,                    I wonder-what exegesis Satan put on the perfecturn
             and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw                of Jesus : It is finished !
             t;he earthquake, and those things that were done,                  And then that loud cry of Jesus as He bowed the
             they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son             head and gave up-the ghost. Satan must have heard it.
             of God."                                                        He certainly was, $h`ere  at the time.
                                              M a t t h e w   27:5&4.   !       And the import of the last crossword! Father, into
               "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He               Thy hands I  coinmend My  spire%!
             said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit:                  Also the terrifying signs at the death of' `Jesus:
             and having said thus He gave up the. gholst."                   the earth quaked,  the rocks  r&t, the graves were
                                                 ~  L u k e   23:46.-        opened, tine veil was rent, and even from the top to
    Everything surrounding this awful cross & `won- the bottom, signifying that it was God's hand!
derful.                                                                         Of  cotirse,  Satan now knows, that with all his
    We feel a great humility when  tie set  -ourselves                       hatred of God in  tie persecution of Jesus,  - he did
to say something about one of its episodes. This is                          nothing but help to lay the foundation' of the- holy
true of every- attempt at exegesis of the Holy Word;                         city where the' perfected kin.gdom  shall be to God's
but how much more when we attempt to say some- praises forever !                                                                         .
' thing of thlk dying Christ of God!                                            :Sorrows of Satan!
    It was early  w&en  we arrived' at the place of a
Skull. The rulers of the, people had done everdhing                                             *                   :g  :,:  :p
with expediency and dispatch. They must have con-                              Yes, Jesus died on the cross.
gratulated one another, and themselves. There ! That                            And what  marveilous  things happened at His
' is work that is well done. We' `are rid of Him; `who death.
`Peally was a thorn in our sides! At nine o'clocl~ in the                       First, He cried with a loud voice just before He
mdrtiing it was finished, as far as their  ri&farious                        died, and said: Father, into Thy hands I commend
                                                                                                                                    -
labor was concerned. The  :Christ (in their eyes, the M y   S p i r i t !                            '
pseudo-Christ) hung on the cross. Let now every one                             This is a quotation  from  qsalm 31. And yet, it  is
look to Him.                                                                 no quotation, for  th@  are' the  words  of His own


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 266             ~                            `1' H E    STANDAR'D  B              E    A    R     E    R

   speech as He spoke them through the mouth of the                      For ages it was told the church that God dwel!ed
   prophet  m.any ages before. He simply enters His                   in the holy of  holies, and that no one might  ente2
   own words and deepens tkem to the utmost and full-                there that he die not. The highpriest might enter there
   est significance.                                                  once each year, but he did so because of the fact that
         Father, into Thy hands I commend My  spirit !               he was an official, a dopy, a shadow, a type of One
   I hear in these words an exuberant gladness; it sounds            who was to come; But God was not at home for just
   to me like a shout of victory. `That is especially so anyone. That had to wait for m&e gladsome -days.
   vbhen we connect this last' cross-word with the one He`               The holy of holies was shut to all men because of
   uttered just before: .It is finish.ed !                           their evil, filth, corruption and guilt.              *
         We realize full well that His physical  de&h is                 And this is the Gospel : a Man  w&s found who
   part and parcel of His humiliation ; .and that His body would open the door that led. to the holy of holies,
  `must rest in `the grave so that He might show to the ,&he Home of  (God. And that Man is Jesus. He will
   church of all ag& that He has overcome de'ath in all rend the veil, and that veil is His own flesh.
  `its agonizing phases, to show that He opens the grave                 Do .you notice how God's timing is absolute and
   for all those that follow Him. But let us also see that           perfect?
   this last cry of Jesus signifies that He is going HlOME !             At the moment Jesus died, the veil is rent, the body
   He is going Home!            Home to God, His Father in `and the soul of Jesus are parted in death, and so. the
   heaven. From the moment that Jesus bowed the head                 opening is made that leads to the inner sanctuary.
   and died, He arrived in the arms of `God and at once                  I think that Sanhedrin appointed an able committee
   He was in the midst of great rejoicings and jubilant              to see to this strange .phenomenon ; and that this com-
 singing. The Blood of the New Testament arrived. mittee did good work: the veil was repaired or a new
   1 realize full well th&t the victory- began with His one bought and installed. I shudder at the implications
   resurrection,, but I would like to. contrast this last  .of such an act. It says: I refuse to  en&r the  "sanc-
   cross-word with the fourth, and then-we will re'alize             tuary. And if we note that the sanctuary, `or rather,
-. tl?at Jesus came to rest in Father's  artis. In  His              the opening into the sanctuary, is the symbolic repre-
   arms the spirit of Jesus rejoiced. Moreover,  in His              sentation of the open arms of God,.  the matter becomes
   second cross-word He had already prophesied: toc&                 so horrible that we tremble. Sanhedrin, through its
   thou shalt be with -Me in Paradise! And in Paradise able committee, ,gave notice to God that they refused
   it. is well with Jesus ! What _ inexpressible contrast His Son!
   to the cry from out of the depths and from out of the                 But to the church of Jesus Christ, this act of God
   impenetrable darkness of a few moments before-!                   is Gospel joy. The door is open ! Heaven itself lies
   There He felt forsaken of God; here He is in the hands            open to our wondering gaie.
   of  F&hey. There He experienced an amazing agony ;                    Through.the death of Jesus a new and living way
   here He experiences the delight of heaven.               -       is opened to the heart of: God.
         There is glory already in His dying, a glory that               Oh no, we will not repair that breach which God
  shall progress to dizzying heights of the New  Jeru-               made. But we will come, we do come to Thee; for
   sal$m in His final day.                                           Thou  a.rt our God in this  lying Christ!
                                                                         The blessing of a dying Christ!
                              `*.*  *  +
                                                                                             * * :lC Q
         Yes, the Christ of God died.
         b+.nd both the church and the world shall know it:              The earth did quake and the rocks rent!
   God will take care that this date does not pass un-  ' If you lived in places where earthquakes happen,
   noticed. Awful things shall happen.                               you see more of the import of this testimony than if
         The veil of the temple. was rent in twain from the          YOU  have,never  before felt  the earth shake beneath
   top to the boi;tom.                                               your feet.
         Why is that added to the hoi); record ?                         We speak of terra firma, the fjrm and stable earth !
         Undoubtedly it points `$0 the fact that all this .cross         Well, if the creature  is to be ai rest and comfort-
   and dying, all this redemption and glory, is a work               able, the earth should be. firm. It belongs, to  -our
   cf  ,the Triune God. He will not give His praises to nature to- live upon terra firma. It is unnatural if
   another. For Himself He created all things; well, it              the earth quakes. It should not be, according to the
   shall become evident that also recreation is His `own             ordinances of creation.
   work alone.                                                          But let us not accuse God when He takes the earth
         The veil is rent. `Oh yes, but God reached -down            in His hands in order to shake it and cause all maimer
   into the temple, and His own hands ripped. the veil in            of hardship' and fatality.
t w a i n   !                                                            It is not God who is to blame! Perish the thought!
         There is Gospel joy in tha'c act.,                 . .          We, it is man himself, -who is to blame. We have


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                                               T H E   .STANDARD   B E A R E R '                                                            267

turned  tile foundations of the earth upside  dotin'  opened.                          It is the Gospel in wondrous acts of God.
 through our sin and iniquity. You can find that. in His death is our--iife;~  .-His burial- is our resurrection:
the Bible too. Sin -is perverseness. And  tha,t word                     His agony is our ,bliss. aShal we not love Him?
 is akin to the earthquake. Oh, `I am certain- that when                        The marvels of God's everlasting Gospel !                          .
 the, judgment day comes all the calamities that shall                          The blessings of the dying Christ!
 befall the -wicked shall be beautifully. right, .entirely                                              : :< :::  :i:  *:
 just, wholly righteous. Our condemnation shall equal
 cur corruption.                                                           The  victim of Sanhedrin, Pilate,  ,Herod and the
     The earth  must11 be moved.                IGod's justice de- wicked world had died.  _
 mands it.                                                                      Their .representative  and officiating fact&urn,  the
     He has done Bo many times. It really was not the centurion, could testify to the fact. God took care
 first time the earth quaked when Jesus died. In the                     of that ! He had not only seen the death of this Strange
 Old Testament they reckoned their years sometimes                       Man, but he also saw the attending signs.
 from `"the great earthquake". God has rocked the                               And he marvelled with great admiration.
 world in His anger many times.                                                 A great. change had come about.
     But I must tremble when I remember. a word from                     .' First the howling mob with their gibes and jokes
 Paul: Once more I shall move the earth, and all                         and taunts and sneers, reGiling the dying Christ.
 t h i n g s !                                                                  And. now` the quaking earth, the rending. rocks,
     And that is anticipated every time there has been                   after the inexplicable thl-ee  hours darkness ! And the
 an earthquake, and especially when Jesus died. It was mockers `flee in great fear !
 a prophecy of the final earthquake of the last day.                            The strange death of this victim: he cried with
 The rending of the veil is a blessing, but the rending a  loud voice, and then  Buch mystifying. language :
 of the -earth and of the rb&s is. a curse, or, rather,                  "into Thy hands I commend  My. spirit !"
 the promise  of the- final curse. of God when' He shall                        It was all so unusual, so strange,  80 out of the
 take the earth and shake it in the full revelation of                   ordinary!
 His righteous anger. I think that there shall be an                            `God will have His witnesses even out of the Roman
 eternal earthquake in hell.                                             oppressors.
     But there is a blessing in it for you, my brother, a                       No, I do  not know  if the testimony of this man
 blessiqg in disguise.                                                   spel1e.d salvation for him. He may have meant: this
     `The splitting earth and the rending rocks tell you                 d .
                                                                          ymg man is more than an ordinary mortal. We know
 that on the basis of the dying Christ there shall come                  that the superstitious Romans believed *,in the gods
 a palace that is built on the immovable rock, and the                   dwelling with men.
 rock is Christ. And Christ the Rock is the revelation                          But, at any rate, this man must be a witness for
 of God the Rock. Deut. 32 :4.                                           God. Even as Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked king of the
     The rocks that split and the earth that quaked when                 Old Testament. He must attest unto the great deed
 the Christ died tell the church `that they shall stand                  of `&lmighty God, when His Christ died.
 secure forever on tile rock of God.`s overfasting he.                          But I like to believe that this centurion is a repre-
      Oh, the blessings of a dying Christ !                              sentative of God's elect out of the great heathen world
                                                          D
                           :i:  $  :i:  :i:                              that wiil find all their joy in the dying Christ, but then
                                                                         tile Christ who rose again, and ii now sitting at the
      He bowed the head and.gave up the ghost !                     ,    right hand of .God !
      Presently loving hands  will'take Him down from                           ,O God! We thank Thee for this dying Christ, for
 the cross and lay Him in a grave.                   '                   His blood speaks~ good things, better. things than the
    But when His body is separated from His spirit,                      blood  ,jf  ,Abelf
  it spelled life for manjr bodies of the saints that w&e                         Good Friday is good, for it tells me that His death
  resurrected  and who appeared unto many after Christ's                 is my life for evermore !
resurPectioii.                                                                                                                             G.V.
      Another sign of the last day, and wrought for your                    .!            _'
  aI>d my comfort in the valley of the dead in whichewe                                                          I - - - - - . - -
  dwell here below:
      Oh yes, at the last day the graves of the saints . A  t  t  en  t  i  o  n , ,                                                  .
                                                                                                 . .
  shall be opened and they shall not only appear unto
  many, but they shall walk at liberty in the new @a&a- q                                       .MIN~STERS   CLASSIS  EAST
                                                               .
  dice of God forever and ever.                                                   The Minister's Conference will meet on `I'uesday,
      What beautiful contrast! When  Christ is' Fade                     April 6 at 9 :30 A.M. in the Fuller A% Church.
  ready. to fill the grave, the graves of His -saints are                                                              W. Hofman, Sec'y.
                     `,                                                                                                               a
         . . . ,*


 268.               .'                                                                                T,HE,                              STAND.ARD                               BEA'REa.                \

                              The Sfcrndayd Bearek
           Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August                                                                                                                      ED-ITORIALS'-
                                     Pnb1ishe.d   B                                              y                      .
                    The Reformed `Free Publishing Association
                                            1463  Apdmore St., S. E.                                                         '                                               The  Covenant  Controwirsy
                      E D I T O R : - Rev. H. Hoeksema.
Contributing Editors : - Rkv. G. M. Ophoff, Rev. G. Vos, Rev.                                                                                                                                     5.
R;  V,eldman, Rev. H.  Veldman,  Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                     With Whom Established.
Rev.`J.  D. De  Joi,g, Rev. A.  Better, Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                                          x
Vermeer, Rev.  G.' Lubbers,  :Rev. M.  Gritters, Rev. J. A. Heys,  '                                                                                                   According to our conception, the Covenant finds its
Rev: W.  Bofman.                                                                                                                                                   fullest reality in the Trilune God.
  Communications relative `to contents. should' be, addressed to
REV. GERRIT `VOS, Edgerton, Minnesota.                                                                                                                                 That. is our starting point when we think, confess
  Cbmmunications  relative to subscription should be addressed                                                                                                     and live the life of the covenant.
to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 1463 A&more St., S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                              Now comes the question: with whom is this cove-
Mich. Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the  nant   established?.
above-gddress  and. will be  publis&d at a fee of $1.00 for each
notice.                                                                                                                                                                `There are many answers to this question.
                             (Subsqiptibn Price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                        All confess that ,God manifested, revealed His cove-
Entered as  .Second  Class  Mail  at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                       nant, but the theologians travel various ways in ans-
                                                                                                                                   *                               wering `the above question.
                                                                                                                                                                       Some say: God establish& His covenant with men,
                                                                                                                                                                    others, with the elect, still others, with the elect in
                                                                                                                                                                    Christ ; while there are still others who. say : with the
                                                 CONTENTS                                                                                                          believers and their seed.. The latter answer is given to
MEDITA'!C;ON-                                                                                                                                                      the question by. the liberated brethren in' the Nether-
        T@ Dying Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l....................................  l......... 265                                            la.nds. .
               Rev. G. Vos                                                               I                                        .'                                   But there ar@. also neformed theologians who ans-
EDITORIALS-                                            *                        -                                                                                  wer the question by saying that God establishes His
        The (Covenant Controve&y  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . 268 covenant with Christ, and through Him as H&ad  of .the
               Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                         covenant w.ith thk elect church, and their seed.
                                                                                                                                                                       Among the latter there is again the distinction that
OUR DOCTRINE-                                                                                                                                                      some conceive of the covenant as, a--means to an end,
        Our Covenant God.,: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  276 while others view the covenant. as an end in itself.
               kev. H. Veldman                                                                                                                                     Dr. H. H. Kuyper conceives of the covenant as a means
THE DAY OF SHADOWS-                                                                                                                                                for the realization `of  electipn (Hamabdid) . Others
        David And His Men With Iiim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273                                             view the,covenant  as a way towards salvation.                -
      Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                But we.vieiv  the covenant as an end in'itself.
                                                                                                                                                                       We tried to show that the Covenant is a very' funda-
THROUGH, THE  AGES-                                                                                                                                                mentalcdoctrine.
        The F&formation Popes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :.........................................  277                                                                          Fundamental, for the Holy Scriptures
                                                                                                                                                                    show' that it is no less than the glorious Jife -of the ,
        Eating The Lord's Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Triune God. God is the Covenant God.
               Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                                                     J
                                                                                                                                                                       And it is His eternal goodpleasure to show, to re-
SIO,N'S  ZANGEN-                                                                                                                                                   veal, to manifest that glorious Covenant life.
        Eeuwige Goedertierenheid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
                                                                                                                       ._                                            It has become. customary to begin with Adam in
               R e v .   G .   V o s                                                                                                                               Paradise when developing the doctrine of the covenant.
                                                                                I                            :
IN HIS FEAR-'                                                                                                                                                      And such theologians  have called this phase of the
        False Doctrine And The Fear bf .The Lord.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282                                                                          covenant, the Covenant of Wodcs. It is not our inten-
               Rev.  J. A. Heys                                                                                                                                    tion to criticize -this nomenclature at this juncture.'
                                                                                                                                                                   Perhaps  we will have occasion to say something about
FROM HOLY  WRIT-                                                                                                                                                    that later in this series.                            - _
        mtalking  With God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
               Rev.  C. Hanko                                           -                                                         ,.                                   Some theologians, after haSing treated that phase
                                                                                                                                                                    of the covenant which erroneously is called "CoVehant
PERISCOPE-                                                                                                                                                         i of Works", proceed to the treatment of the `%ovenant
   South&n  Presbyterian Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287                                          of Grace, and gather the' material from Holy Writ in
              s Rev.  J.. Howerzyl                                                                                                                                  order to show that <God  establishes His covenant with
                                                                                                                                                                    the  belieyers,  of whom Abraham  .-is the  father, and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ~


                                    T H E   STANDAR,D  B E A R E R                                                  269

 their seed. Others, among whom, Dr. LA. Kuyper, first           Therefore, it seems to me as though the Liberated
 treat the phase of the covenant, called the "covenant theologians are correct in their stand when they say :
 of Nature", meaning with that term. the covenant `as         The covenant of grace is' established with men, with
 God established it with Noah, as recorded in Gen. 9.         believers and their seed, and certainly notwith Christ !. ,
    So there is the covenant of works, the covenant of Q And they say : where is the proof that the covenant is
 nature, which according to Dr. A. Kuyper Sr., is the established with Christ, and in and through Him .with .I
 manifestation of the "common grace" of God, and the the believers and their seed?
 covenant of grace.                      `                       And I would like to answer in all modesty: Here
    However, it is our conviction that Holy Scripture         `s the proof. In that wonderful passage of Col'ossians *
 teaches that basically there is but one manifestation of which I transcribed above. It has been said that it is
 the. Covenant of God; and that the above distinctions not correct to begin the doctrine of. the covenant in the
 merely teach. that there are various phases of the           miclclle  of  history, with Christ;  we should begin in
 one and only covenant.                                       Paradise, with `Adam, .or at least, with Abraham, etc.
    If we are to treat the covenant of ,God in its mani-      But I would aver that if we begin with Christ, we do
 festation, we would- start, not with Adam, not with not begin in the middle, but we start where we'ought                    ,
 Noah, nor with Abraham, but with Christ.                     to start, that is, in the very beginning. If we start
    Oh, I know that this has been criticized most severe- with ,Christ, developing the doctrine of the covenants,
 ly, but nevertheless, we believe that this method of         we do as God did, and in His name, for He has revealed
 appreciation of the covenant of God' is in harmony to us that `such is the proper procedure.
 with the Word of God.                                               You say: Adam was created first, and,we  begin
    Let us try to explain.                                    the doctrirmof  the covenants with him, for he is first,
    God certainly starts with Christ.                         Then Paul says:, No, but Jesus Christ is the  first-
    First, there is that profound passage of Colossians begotten of svery, creature !
 1:13-19. This passage is so fundamental to a correct.           You say: Abraham was before Christ ! How can
 understanding of the covenant of God, that I will quote      you begin the covenant of grace with Christ? Then.
 it verbatim : "Who hath delivered us from the power          Christ Himself shall supply the answer when He said:
 of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom         Before Abraham was, I am !
 of His dear Son : in Whom we have redemption through            Attend to the amazing way in which the great and
 His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the terrible God put things in order : Adam was 4000 years
 image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every crea- before Christ, but ,God says: Yet, my Son is the first-
 ture: for by Him were all things created, that are in        born of every creature !                         ,
 heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,           Or attend to this still greater truth : Abraham,.
 whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principali-        Jacob and Isaac rose from the dead spiritually, and
 ties, or powers : all things. w.ere  created by Him and Enoch and Elisha even rose from the dead physicaliy,
 for Him : and He is before all things,. and by Him all that is, they went to heaven with glorified, spiritual
 things consist, and He is the Head of the. body, the bodies, but God says : My Son, the Christ, is the first-
 church: who is the beginning, the. firstborn from the        born from the dead !
' dead ; that in all things He might have the preeminence.       Oh yes, this passage is of great import to-a correct
 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all ful-        understanding of the covenant of God. as manifested
 n e s s   d w e l l . "                                      unto man. Its very heart is that God's Son receives
    I presume that my readers know that the Liberated all the pree'minence!
 brethren deny that Christ is the head of the covenant.          In Creation? No, not Adam is created first. Christ
 They teach that He is the Surety, the Redeemer of the        is the fi"rstborn  of every creature. In recre'ation,?  No,
 Covenant, the .Christ, according to their theologians, `not the millions of saints of `the `Old Testament that
 is not the Head of the Covenant of grace.' ,God did not      were so many ages before Bethlehem (?) , but Christ,
 establish His covenant with Christ, so they, say, but        God's Son is the firstborn from the dead. He -must
 with Ab&ham,  Isaac and Jacob,' etc.                         have all the pradminqnce!
    And, if we read the Holy Scriptures with that bias,          `Oh yes, it does concern the covenant. Attend .to
 it `seems as though they are correct.. Nowhere do we this that it is God's plensuye  that in Him, in that Son,
 read.in so many words that God established His cove- in .that Christ, should all the fulness ,dzuell! . All that
nant of grace with Christ Jesus. While, on the, other <God  should reveal of Himself, the fulness of the God-
hand, we do read repeatedly that God esta,blished'His         head, the covenant jewels and covenant beauties in-
 Covenant with men, Abraham, `Isaac, .Jacob, Moses,           cluded, should dwell in the Christ.
 David; Solomon and in the New Testament the Apostle             We pointed out before that the covenant&-revealed
 Peter takes' over- the some' vocabulary`and says : for in-man in that he is created in. the image of God':
unto you is the promise and to your children, etc.            Well, here we read that Christ is  the. image of the


  270                                     T H E .   STANDA.RD  B E A R E R

 invisible God. Also there we have a clear indication that. Lord .is further emphasized in a passage such ES, Heb.
 certainly the covenant is established preeminently with 9 :16-17. We read in this passage : "For where a testa-
 Christ, and only with you and me and all God's people,          ment is, there must also of necessity be the death. of
 through Him !                                                 the testator. For a testament is. of force after men
         We have mor on this, but we must halt here, and ' are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all. while the
 wait .for further jpace and issues.                             testator liveth." The word, translated "testament"
                                               ,G. Vos.          in this word of God is in the original the word "dia-
                                                                 theenee",  the word for covenant in the New Testament.
                          -          -                           The-, idea of a testament, we `understand, is wholly
                                                                 unconditional. A testament is an absolute declara-
                                                                 tion, knows of no conditions, is simply Lw'illed to us,
                                                                 sovereignly bestowed upon according to right. This is
               OUR  DOCTRINE                                     the accepted definition of a testament, something  willed-
                                                                 to us. This word is used in the translation of this text
                                                                 in Heb. 9, although the original wcrd is the word for
                                                                 covenant. It is clear from the context that the transld-
                  Our  Covenant  God
                                     -                           tion is correct, for we read of the death of the testator.
                 GM's Covenant, Unconclitionul.                  To enter into a detailed- discussion of this passage now
                                                                 is not necessary. One th:ng is clear: God's covenant
     We concluded our preceding article with the obser- with man is a testament, sovereignly willed to us by
 vation that the unilateral character of the covenant of         the Lord, and based upon the death of Christ, the Son
 God with manis emphasized by the position which our             of God.
 Lord Jesus Christ'occupies within the covenant. Our
 fellowship with the  Lor,d rests exclusively upon Christ's                 Gocl Realizes His Covetiad With& Us
 merits. Devastating in this connection is the answer                         Through The  Holy Spirit.
 of .our. Heidelberg ,Catechism  to question 12 in ~Lord's          That our spiritual entrance into the fellowship of
 Day V. In answer to-the question, "Since then, by               God is possible only through the Holy Spirit should
 the righteous judgment of God, we deserve- temporal be and is a self-evident fact. Of ourselves we cannot
 punishment, is there no way by which we may escape              enter into a living relationship of friendship with
 that punishment, and be again received into favor?",            Jehovah. We are darkness. We are dead. We are
we read  :. "God will have His justice; satisfied: and           not subject to the law of' God, neither indeed can be,
 therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either And, except. a man be born again, he cannot see the
 by ourselves, or by another." How impossible; in the kingdom of ,God-John -3 :3. God only can call us out
 light of this answer, is an offer of salvation to all (the      of that darkness into His' marvellous light and He
 First Point) ! There is no possibility of salvation for         alone can induct us into the blessed relationship of
 anyone except upon the basis.of the satisfaction of the         friendship with the-alone blessed God. And this, too,
 justice of God. IOur debt a$d guilt must be fully paid          is, unconditional, as we shall clearly see in th.e rest of
 before our return into the favour of God will be pos-           this article.
 sible. For -God, therefore, to offer His salvation to all
 men .would be a violation of this `principle unless we                              Scdpture  Speaks.
 accept the proposition that Christ died for all. But a                                                          ,
  Christ that died for all is a Christ that `did not die Romans 9:15-18.
 atoningly. A universal `Christ also died -for those who             We read in this' passage : "For He saith to Moses, I
 perish. And that He also died for those who perish will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
 indicates that His death was not atoning-otherwise have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So
 they would be saved. `Christ, however, died for our             then it is ,not of him that willeth, nor of him that run-
 sins. He merited salvation for us. ;Our entrance into neth, but of aGod that sheweth mercy. For the Scrip-
 the fellowship of the Lord rests exclusively upon His ture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose
 meritorious suffering and death. This fellowship . of .have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power. in
  God's people with the Lord, as far as its relation to          Thee, and that My name might be declared throughout
 the passion of Christ is concerned, is surely uncon- all the earth. Therefore hath He mercy on whom He
  ditional. The value of the cross is not dependent upon -will have mercy, and whom He will He harden&h."
  our faith; to the contrary, we believe-because Christ              An elaborate explanation of this passage is un-
 died for us.                                                    necessary. It speaks for itself; These are significant
  a `This conception of the cross of Christ and its all-         words, especially in support of the'contention that the
  important relation to our covenant-fellowship with the         covenant relationship between he Lord and His own


                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   p .                                      271

is unconditional. Firstly,' we are told that `salvation in our hearts. And this establishes our contention,
is not of man. We read, do-we  not, that "it is not of       namely, that our covenant. fellowship with Jehovah is
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth." Secondly,        unconditional, does not rest uppn anything we may do.
we are informed that this salvation is solely of God.
VtTe read: "But of God that sheweth mercy." More- John IO :24-30..
over, the Lord hath mercy on whom He would have ' We quote: "Then came the Jews round about Him,
mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth. In support and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to
of this thought the apostle refers to the example' of doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus
Pharaoh of the Old Dispensation. Pharaoh, we read,           answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the
this is, the wicked Pharaoh, was raised up by God that       works that I do, in My Father's name, they bear wit-
in him the Lord might shew His power and that His ness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of
name might be declared throughout all the`earth. It is       My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice,
clear from this particular Word of ,God that salvation       and I know them, and they follow Me : And I give unto
is wholly unconditional . We must notice that not our them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
will is first. God's mercy does not follow upon what         shall any man. pluck them out of -My hand. My Father,
we may do. It is, therefore, not conditioned by any-         Which gave them to Me, is greater. than all ; and no
thing in or of ourselves. Salvation is of God that           man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.
sheweth mercy and He h&h mercy on Whom He will               I and My Father are one."
have mercy. The Lord is first and His work is there-                The wicked Jews, who did not believe on the Ghrist,
fore unconditional.                                          would blame Jesus for their unbelief. They accused
                                                             Him of not speaking plainly, of not telling them that
John 1.4:17;                  !.  '
                                                             He was the Christ. This, they implied, was the reason
   We read: "Even the Spirit of truth  ; whom the for their refusal to acknowledge Him as the Christ,
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither as the Messiah. Jesus, however, now proceeds to show
knoweth Him : but ye know Him ; for He dwelleth with         them the real, the true reason for their hostility and
you, and shall be in you."                                   unbelief. And what is this reason? "But ye believe
   `The world, we read, cannot receive Him, the Spirit       not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you."
of truth. The viewpoint of this text is that of the          This particular word of God must not be corrupted.
world's receptivity.  IAnd notice that the world cannot      Jesus does not say that they are not of His sheep be-
(not : will not, although also this is true) receive the     cause they believe not. `Thus the Arminians would
Spirit.  T"he world, the wicked world, and therefore have us interpret the Scriptures. Gut, we read, they
man as he is by nature, cannot receive Him; cannot           do not believe because they are not of His sheep. And
go out to Him, cannot pray for Him, cannot desire in the subsequent verses the, Saviour very clearly iden-
T<im, can impossibly receive Him, acknowledge Him tifies these sheep.' They are the elect which have been
as the Spirit of truth. And the reason why this world        given Him of the Father. Notice also in this passage
cannot receive this Spirit is expressed in the text:         the unconditional character of our salvation. We are
`,`3ecause it  sceth  Hi.m  .not, neither. knoweth Him." or become Christ's sheep not because we believe or
7 he world does not see Him, does not have a spiritual       hear His voice, but we believe and hear His voice be-
e-7e for Hi,m, has no desire for Him, no interest in Him.    cause we are His sheep..        Election is therefore the
i`nd this is rooted in that fact that she does not know      cause of our faith and our believing  is'not the con-
1:im. She does not experience Him, does not know in          dition of `our` salvation ; likewise, reprobation is the
1,-r heart the operation of this Spirit. The world is        cause of unbelief and unbelief is not the cause of repro-
e&ranged  from the Spirit of truth and of Christ Jesus.      bation.
Ycnce, the world cannot receive Him. But the children
o" God can receive Him. Why? Because they opened             J o h n   12:37-40.
their heart to Him, because they believed in Him and         W e   q u o t e :    "But- though He had `done so many
accepted Him and agreed to permit His entrance into miracles before them,. -yet they believed not on Him :
tl~cir hearts? We know better. They can .receive  Him        That the- saying of Es,aias  the prophet might be ful-
bc cause,  as we read: "But ye know Him; for He dwell-       filled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our
.eth with you, and shall be in you." They knew Him,          report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been
exnerienced  Him, had fellowship with Him. Notice,           revealed? ,Therefore  they could not believe, because
plcase,  that they did not know Him because they had that Esaias said aga+in. He hath blinded their eyes,
received Him. Fact is, no man can of himself receive         and hardened their heart ; that they should not see with
this Holy Spirit of truth. But we read that "they their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be
car. receive Him, for they knew Him.`,' In other words       converted, and I should heal them."
o&- receiving of the Spirit follows upon His dwelling               Also in this passage the fundamental cause of the
                                                               I


                                                                                                                    I     ,
L

     2     7    2                     0  T H E  S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER

     unbelief of the ungodly. Jews is revealed unto us.          because of the blindness of their `heart. Who being
     We read that they ~coulcl not. believe because I.saiah,  the past feeling have given themselves over unto lascivious- ~
     prophet, had prophesied. concerning them, Hence, it         ness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. `But
     was impossible for them to believe. And the prophet         ye have not so `learned Christ; If so be that ye have
     had prophesied concerning their ubelief because the heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth
     Lord had revealed unto him that He would blind their        is in Jesus : That ye put ooff concerning the former
     eyes and harden their hearts. Notice also in this pas- conversation the old man, which is corrupt according
     sage that the work of the Lord is presented as preced-      to the deceitful lusts ; IAnd be renewed in the spirit of
     ing the unbelief of the wicked, that this work of the       your mind ; And that ye put on the new man, which
     Lord is the cause of their unbelief, and that therefore     after God is created in righteousness and true holi-
     it was impossible ,for them to .believe. IOf course, we ness."
     must maintain the responsibility of the sinner and the         A. detailed  dis&ssion of this rich passage is not
     fact that he is a moral-rational agent. But this must necessary in -this series of articles.' I would call at-
     never conflict with the sovereignty of Jehovah. And         tention to the following. In this passage we are ex-
     the language of the Christ in John 12:37-41 is'clear as     horted to walk snot as other Gentiles but to put off
     cr.ystal. The work of God is surely unconditional.          the old man and to put on the new man. Why? Be-
                                                                 cause we have learned Christ, have heard Him and
Ads 13:48.                                                       have been taught by Him. Hence, our calling to con-
          We read : "And when the Gentiles heard this, they duct ourselves as covenant children is not the con-
were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as            dition of God's fellowship. with us, but it is the fruit
many as were ordained to eternal life believed."                 of His' saving grace in our' hearts, of the ,fact that we
          Also this passage speaks for itself. The `Gentiles     have learned Christ, have heard Him and have been
     were--glad,  believed,  and% glorified the word of the      taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.
Lord. Why? Because they had been ordained to eter-                  `These passages can easily be multiplied. The same
     nal life. They were not elect because they believed.        thought occurs in Eph. 4,:25-32; 5 :l-8; Col. 3 :1,:12, 13.
But they believed because they had been elected. Sal; In the epistles of the -New Testament the church of
vation `does not rest upon a human condition, but it is .God is addressed by the inspired writers as "saints
     rooted in the eternal election of the Lord.                 in Christ Jesus, beloved in the Lord -Jesus Christ, elect
                                                                 according to the foreknowledge of God, etc." With,
     The Lawgiving. qeut. 5 :I-21.                               respect to Israel of the Old Dispensation the thought
          The ten commandments are preceded by this state- occurs repeatedly that they are a'separate people unto
ment : `"I am the L,ord  thy God, Which brought thee out the Lord because of the Lord's sovereign and elective
     of. the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." love and mercy. Read the following passages: Rom.
     The implication of these words is plain. The. ten com-      9 :13; Deut. 32:%iO; Dem. 4:37-40; Deut. 7 :7-8, et&
mandments, therefore, have been given to a delivered               Finally, I would call attention to one more  S&i&
     people. It is for this reason that the explanation `of ture truths. We are awar,e  of the abundance of mir-
     the ten commandments in  dur Heidelberg Catechism           acles in the gospels.    Were we ever struck by the
     appears .in the third part of the Catechism, after the      character of these various diseases? We do not read
discussion of our misery `and redemption. `Our being of headaches, toothache& etc. Christ always heals the,
`the people of God is not the condition of God's gracious        blind, the deaf, the dumb, ,the demon-possessed, the
     dealings with us; to the contrary, we have been de-         leprous, and He calls the dead to'life. In other words,
     livered and therefore it is our calling to conduct OLIN,. .His miracles are performed upon people who cannot
     selves as a people called out of darkness into theLord's    see, cannot hear, cannot speak, are dead. Is not this
     marvellous light.                                           remarkable? Miracles are signs.' B.ut these diseases,
                                                                 too, are signs.. They symbolize the power of sin. Man
     Ephesi0n.s      .&116-2.&l                                  as he is by nature cannot see or hear the things of the
          We quote : "From Whom the whole body fitly joined      Kingdom of ,God. He is. darkness and has no light-in
     together and compacted by that which every joint sup- him, is dead and devoid of all life, is spiritually dumb
     plieth, according to the effectual working in the-meas-     and cannot speak of or unto the glory of God. . He:&
     ure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto         leprous, wholly covered by and in the power of car-
     the edifying of itself in love. This Irsay therefore, and ruption and an outcast from the fellowship of the Lard..
     testify in the Lord; that ye henceforth walk not as         Hence, `how could the covenant relationship of friend-
     other Gentiles walk, in the :vanity of: their mind, Hav-    ship ever become. a reality in the life of the Christian
     ing the understanding darkened, being alienated from if it were, in any sense. of the word; dependent upon
     the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,      anything he would be required to do. God's, covermnt


                i                     ..`THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          273  '

 with man is monopleuric  and unilateral throughout,          Churih of God surrender one square inch of territory,
 from the beginning even unto the end.                        give the enemy a single opportunity to make an inroad
       Consequently, Our Calling unto Faith and               into the Church of God. For `this reason the use of
      Holiness is not the Condition but the Fruit             terms is highly significant. If we use a term which
                                                              is ambiguous and permits more than one interpretation
       of  God's  l?stabGshnaent   of  His  Covenarzt         the result will invariably be that the wrong interpre-
                         With us.                             tation will be adopted in $he course of time..
    Such is the presentation of our Baptism Form. We            . Hence, let us be clear, concise, definite, succinct.
 read : "`Thirdly. Whereas in all covenants there are in our speaking. Let us leave no doubt as to our con-
 contained two parts :. therefore are we by ,God through ception of the truth of the Holy Scriptures. If we
 baptism, admonished of, and obliged unto new obedi- mean with the use of the word "condition" that man is
 ence, namely, that we cleave to this one God, Father, a moral-rational being and that he must be active in
 Son, and Holy Ghost; that we trust in Him, and love          the things of God's covenant because it is God ,Who
 Him with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our works in him both to will and to do, let us express our-
 mind,' and with all our strength ; that we forsake the       selves in that manner. Let us discard the use of the
 world,.crucify our old%nature,  and walk in a new and word "conditional". And let  us speak of God's un-
 holy life."                                                  conditional covenant and on? calling within that cove-
    That this is presented here as the fruit of the work      nant, not as a condition upon which God's fellowship
 of God is evident from the second part of the Baptism may possibly rest, but as the fruit of the irresistible
 Form. There we are told of the work of the Father            operation, of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus within
_ and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Because the our hearts and lives.
 Father hath made an eternal covenant of grace with                                                      H. Veldman.
 us, .and'the  Son hath washed us in His blood, and the
 Holy Spirit sanctifies us, we. must walk in newness of                              --                   `
 life.To be sure, we may speak of covenant obligations.
 We are called unto faith and hope and love. We must                     THE,DAY   OF  SHADOWS
 fight the good fight of faith, etc. However, these are
 not conditions upon which God's covenant with us de-
 pends. A condition is a prerequisite, a set of terms            David -And His Men With. Hiti
 presented as, the ground for something else (Webster) .
 Conditions of the .covenant must necessarily be regard-          As we saw, as provided with arms and bread, David
 ed as outside the covenant; Faith,' hope, love, etc.,        flees to Gath. He hopes to find safety and rest with
ca.nnot be viewed as outside the covenant, but they           the heathen in the way of their concluding that he has
 themselves belong to the covenant, constitute the es-        abandoned his subjection to Saul and deserted into a
 sence of the covenant; are, therefore, as `also Prof.        foreign country. His wish does not materialize. The
 Berkhof  deciares,  within the covenant. Our calling,        Philistines  recognize. him as the slayer of their Goliath.
 therefore, unto a new' and holy life is not the condition    They recollect the song of triumph in which David had
 of the co.venant, but the fruit of the operation of God      been honored above Saul. They conclude that he came
 within our hearts and therefore the fruit of the cove- to them' with evil intent and thus as loyal to his own
 nant of the Lord with us.                                    master and people. The superscription of Psalm 57
                                                              reveais that it is as a captive that they lead him to
                       Conclusion.                            Achish for permanent imprisonment or even destruc-
    The use` of- terms is highly significant. The prim- tion perhaps.' David's danger is great. In his extrem-
 ary question is. not  i How do we interpret various          ity he feigns madness; while from his heart rises the
 terms? -A question of greater importance is : How can prayer that the Lord be merciful unto him (Psalm 57).
 they be interpreted?. Vague, indefinite,  .ambiguous         Hearkening. unto the voice of his supplication, the
terms exceedingly dangerous. The reason is apparent. Lord delivers him from the consequences of his un-
 The Church of God must fight to preserve the truth           belief.     Achish actually believes him mad, and is
once delivered to the saints. The history of the Church afraid of him. These are his words to his servants,
of ,God throughout the ages testifies to this fact. The "Have I need of mad'men, that ye have brought this
forces of heresy -and the lie are always ready to creep       one to rave against me (instead of, that ye have
into the Church and work havoc with the Cause of brought this fellow to play the mad man in my pre-
the  Ltord. Hence, the people of the living God must          sence"). In their pagan- awe of madness, they .dare
ever be on the alert against these destructive forces, llot harm him, now ; and- they-f eel relieved- at his depart-
as they operate within and without. Never must the            ing from their midst. The Lord has again come to


 274                                  TBE  STANDARD  B E A R E R

 the rescue of His servant. With the experience sancti- David was in hiding in the cave. ,On a day he express-
 fied .to his heart, his resolution to put his trust in `God    ed the longing that someone would give. him to drink
 takes on new strength. This is his prayer, "What time of the water of Bethlehem, where was stationed a
I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise garrison of Philistines. Hearing of his desire, three
 his word, in God will I put my trust; I will not fear          of his men-they. were three of thirty captains who
 what flesh can do to me." (Psalm 56).                          had only recently joined his band-broke through the
        Ten miles to the east of Gath runs the "valley of host of the" Philistines, and returned to him with water
 `the terebinth, the theatre of David's victorious com-         drawn out of the well. of Bethlehem. Deeply moved
' bat with the giant. To the south are hills, indentated by this demonstration of the love of these men to him,
 by caves, some of them of large dimensions. The city David declined to drink of the water;  <he poured it
 of Adullum is situated here ; and the caves are known out before the-Lord, as he said, "My God forbid it me;
 by that name. Hence, eaves of Adullum they are call-- that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of
 ed. Departing from Gath, David escapes to the largest these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for
 of them.' Psalm 57, according to its superscription- with their lives they brought it, I Chronicles 11:15-19.
it reads, "To the chief musician....of David, when he           Of another-Abishai, the  .brother of Joab-it is re-
 fled from Saul in the cave"L-reveals his feelings also lated that he lifted up his spear against three hundred
at this time.  ",Be merciful unto me, 10 God", `is the and slew them, I Chronicles  11:20. The Chronicler
 prayer that rises from his soul, "be merciful unto me ;        credits Benaiah, the son ,of Jehoida with several such
 for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy        acts., He- slew two  lionlike men of Moab. Also he
 wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities            went down and slew .a lion in a pit on a snowy day.
 be overpast. I will cry unto God most high ; unto' God         He-slew an Egyptian; the man was of great stature,
 that performeth all things for me. He shall send from his hight- being five cubits. Going down to him as  -
 heaven and save me from the reproach of him that               armed with nothing more formidable than a staff,
 would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy Benaiah plucked. the spear, the size of which was that
and his truth. My soul is among lions ; and I lie .even         of a weaver`s beam, out of the adversary's hand, and
 among them that are set on fire ; even the sons of men,* with it he slew him, I Chronicles  11:22, 23. During
 whose teeth are `spea.rs and arrows, and their tongue a the last year of Saul's reign, David and his men with
 sharp sword," and the closing verse, "Be thou exalted,         their families dwelt in Ziklag, a city that lay in the
 .C God, above the heavens: let thy, glory b.e above all territory of  the,,Philistines.  During this time many
 the earth."                                                    more came to "him.    They were "among the mighty
    Adullum is but a few hours journey .from Bethle- men, helpers of the  war". They were armed with
 hem, where dwell David's father, mother, and brothers. bows, and were skilled with both the right and left
 Fearing the wrath of Saul, and with reason,, they go hanQ in hurling stones and shooting arrows. All these
 to David to share with him his hiding-place there in were Benjamites, thus of Saul's own brethren, I Chron..
 the cave. There are still others who cast in their lot         12.1, 2.    Many Gadites separated  themseives unto
 with the fugitive. Every one that is in distress, and David during his brief stay in the land of Moab,
every one that has a creditor, and every one that is            whither he had fled  .with his father, mother, and
 bitter of soul, gather themselves unto him. Doubtless          brothers, shortly after his escape from Gath. They
 there is connection between the plight and state of            "were men of war fit for the battle, that could handle
 heart and mind of these persons and Saul's misrgovern-         shield `and buckler, whose faces were like the faces
 ment. Saul is  a. menace. As moved by hatred, he               of lions, and were as. swift as the roe on the moun-
 persecutes the righteous in Israel, chief of whom is tains." They came in the first month, when the Jordan,
 David. And the curse of God, operative through the             that they had to swim, was overflowing its banks.  '
 Philistines, stalks the land.                                  Pressing on,' they put .to flight the enemy-in all likeli-
    As to David, he is no longer a lone fugitive but the        hood Philistines{pillaging  the valleys east and west.
 captain of a band ; it is a military organization ; and        I Chronicles  12:8-15.  During this same time many
 its power grows on account of the brave men that con-          of Benjamin and Judah came to David. Going out
 tongue to swell its ranks. The book of the Chronicles, before them, he addressed to them these words, `"If ye
 in addition to listing the names of several of these           come peaceably unto me to help me, my- heart shall            -
 braves, relates their deeds of valor. There was E.leazar       be one with you: but if ye come to betray me to mine
 the son of Dodo, who already was with David in Pas-            enemies ,seeing their is no wrong in mine hands, the
 dammim, the scene of his combat with the Philistine            God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it." Under
 `Goliath. "Ihe.two of them gave battle to a company the inspiration ,of the Spirit, their chief, Amassai, re-
 of Philistines that had taken possession of a field of         plied, "Thine .are we David, and on thy side, thou son
 barley. The Lord saved them by a great delivera&e,             of Jesse: peace, peace, be unto thee, and peace be thine
 I Chronicles-11 : 13, 14. The following took place while       helpers; for thy God helpeth thee," David received


                                     T H E    S T A N D A R D   E E A R E R                                        275

 them, atid made them captains of bands, I Chrdnicles on the move in the determination to avoid a clash be-
12 :16-19. So, during all that period of persecution,         tween his band atid S&`s troops. There is the ques-
  there came to David "day by day to help him, until it tion whether it would have been permissible for David
was  a great host, like the host of God" (I Chronicles        to fight in self-defence,  had he been trapped. We n@`ed
  12 :22). This last statement warrants the conclusion not go to speculating what David would have been
  that even before Saul's death, David's band had grown permitted to do in such an emergency. He m&t earn-
  into a military force that numbered several thousands.      estly address himself to the task of avoiding being
     The aboye-cited  `data is enlightening in mor,e than trapped. He did so ; and the Lord worked for him.
  one respect. It shows firstly that without any illegiti- Tne result was that every attempt on the part of Saul
  mate effort on David's part, the prophecy of Samuel to get the fugitive in his hands ended in failure.              d
  was coming to pass.     The kingdom was being rent' . As was stated, among those that came to David in
  from Saul indeed and was being given to a neighbor the cave are his father's house. The company includes
  better than he. The number of Israelites whose hearts       his aged father and .mother,  his brethren and their
  were turned by the Lord to David was steadily in- wives and children certainly. The presence of these
  creasing. But what it also shews,  does this data, "is      people in the cave gives rise to a problem. Sooner .
  that from the point of view of `nature, the times were      or later Saul, too, will cbme to David, seeking his life.
  perilous.' The southern half of Canaan, principally That will call for a swift flight on the part of all.
  the territory of Judah, was being crossed by bands of       But aged people and small children move slowly. It
  Philistines, bent on plunder. And the throne in Israel is imperative, therefore, that David remove his father
  was occupied by a man-king Saul-deposed and and mother to a safe? place of retreat. Where will he
  forsaken of God, and, as  trqubled by an evil spirit take them? IAt the moment he can think of but one
  from the abyss, wholly given over to.th&  vile ambition     place, namely, the land of Moab across the Jordan. At
  of destroying a righteous man-the son of  Jesse-            this time there were no open hostilities between Israel
  Israel's only hope. Such being the state of affairs, &nd Moab. The way was short. -They were descend-
  it could  .only be that the land was filled with "dis-      ants of Ruth, and Ruth was a Moabit;ess. Mindful of
  tressed", and `"bitter of soul". `Th@y were the just i"n    their descent, the king of Moab will be friendly. In
  Israel who put their trust in God.  They perceived          this: confidence, it must be, David goes to Mispah,
  that the Lord had sworn truth to David ; and they Moab. Eetakiizg  himself to the king, he states his ,
  came `to him in large numbers "to help him" (such is        request, `"Let my father and my mother, I pray thee,
  the expression used) not against Saul but against           come forth, and be with you, till I know what God
  the Philistines. For the Lord" was ndt forgetful of will do with me." The request is granted. According-
  His people. Finally, what in addition the above-cited ly, David brings them before Moab's king: "and they
  data makes plain is. that soon after his escape from        dwelt with, him all the while that David was in the
`Gath David had under him a small army of brave hold." `The expression "in the hold" has reference to,
  men. The natural inference is that on this account the "mountain-height", where David and his men' en-
  he no long& has  anything. to fear from Saul. The trench themselves. Probably this `height is Mizpeh.
 ~ king is aware that he no longer deals with a lone          For, as the name indicates, IVIizpeh, the "out$ook" is
  fugitive, but with a band every member of which will the mountain height of Moab. So has David, as driven
  fight  for  tp.eir beloved leader to the death. He will     bjr fear of Saul, bnce more departed from the "land of
  perceive, will Saul, that he can lay hold on David only the living", and cast himself, his men and his father's
  ,by walking over the dead bodies of his supporters. It house, upon the mercy of a heathen king. His dding
  will occur to him that, if he persists- in persecuting displeases the Lord. The reasons are obvious. David's
  `the son of Jesse, he runs the risk of starting a civil movement proceeds from inordinate fear of Saul and
  war.  So it would seem. The fact of the matter is,          accordingly from a lack of faith in God, his  ever-
  however, that Saul does persist in' persecuting D&id, `present Helper. The Lord has delivered hini out of
  and that, in consequence `thereof, the son of Jesse con- every trouble ; yet, he now abides under the wing of
  iinues  und%r the necessity of leading the `life of a       a pagan  mbnarch. Besides, the Lord has  w&k for
 fugitive. And the reason is  obirious. He- may not him to do in Canaan. The  Philistities overrun the
  allow his band to help him- against Saul. His calling land ; they plunder God's people ; they-must be repulsed.
  is to put up with Saul atid patiently endure his wrath.     it may be supposed that the tidings of D.avid's removal
  The Lord will remove Saul `through the agency of the        reach Naioth, the place of residence of Samuel's school
  Philistines. For David m&t be exercised in patknee.         of prophets. On,e of their number is Gad, afterwards
  He must be taught to abide the Lord's tip&; w$it up& David's "seer" and spiritual counsellor  (2 Gamuel 24 :
  God  ; `and  make the Almighty his  ,expectation.  And 11-19, etc.). Him the Lord commissions either directly
  fearing God, he learns these lessons `in- God's school of or through Samuel to go to David and say to Him,
  afflic$&n.  And accordingly. we  se&' him  cbntinually "Abide not in the hold; depart and get thee into the
      $$qc
       :,-                                           -_

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

      land of Judah." In obedience to the divine direction,         against him ! What foolishness ! For. how contrary
      he  `*went into the for,est of Hereth within the boun-        to their own best interest ! And besides, what .amazing
      -daries of Judah.                                             ingratitude ! He had laden them.PVith  benefits. From
         The scene now shifts to Gibeah, the home, of Saul.         the son of Jesse they will receive no benefits. He has
      The king is seated under the tamarack tree in Ramah,          done thkm only good. They in return do him evil
      on the lieigth. His spear, the symbol of royal power,         only. The shame of it! Reigned there ever a  ,king
      is in his hand. Standing about him are his servants thus' abusec&,by his favorites? And there is no one
      of, the court, all the- officers of state. Plainly a royal who feels sorry for him'. All  have abandoned`him in
      court is being held. For the king has heard that . their hearts.  What a sad state of affairs!  Such are
      David "was discovered and the men that were `with the thoughts of Saul's heart coming to the surface in
      him". Hearing, .Saul's ,heart was moved. David now his address to the brethren. We must be on our guard -
      has `men with him, who knows how many. That is_ a against adding to these exclamatory expressions.`sen-
      new development. The son of Jesse is set. At  any             tences such as these: How wickedly ye do, 0 Eenja-
      time now the blow may fall that will hurl him  atid           mites! IIow ye do sin against God! God is' not in all
     `his house from the throne. $ueh are the imaginings \ Saul's thoughts. In addressing his brethren he begins
      of Saul's heart/as is evident from his address. to his        and ends in self.        He has not the will to bring  in
     servants. The king  iS terrified. He deems it not un- :God ; nor the moral courage. For, walking, as he does,
      likely, yea, he is persuaded, that in their hearts the in rebellion against God, and determined to persecute
      whole- people, including his fellow tribemen, has for- to the death a just man, he stands condemned by &is (
      saken him to a man, and is attached to Jesse's son.           oT?in. conscience. His sole striving is to win them back
      All men, including the offictirs  of state, conspire against by appealing to their selfishness and playing on their
      him.    Even Jonathan has  made a  league with the sympathies. Also, he would shame them into remain-
      son of Jesse for Saul's overthrow. But supposing that ing loyal to him by holding forth their supposed dis-
     the condition of affairs -were actually as Sati imagines loyalty and treason against  the. background of the
      them to be, what could he do? He could do nothing             generous  treatment that he has all along  `tifforded
      ,exoept  bewail his lot in the hearing of his servants,       them.  Like every sinner, graceless person, he h.as
      play on their sympathies, and castigate them for their        been loving them, as thinking that they loved him ;
      disloyalty and th.eir treason.    And this precisely -is he has been doing them well in the expectation that
      what he now does.                                             they would do him  tvell in return. How ~ his wrath
         "Hear, ye Eenjamites", are his first words to them, burns against his `servants ! He flings into their teeth
      his captains of thousands; and captains of hundreds. the cruelest, most outrageous and malicious chgrges.
      It is Eenjan?ites whom he addresses, and Eenjamites           He -accuses them of conspiring  against him on the
      alone. For he has surrounded himself only with -his           imaginary ground that they all  along  tier; well ac-
     9felldw-tribesmen,  and not also with them of another quainted with Jonathan's treachery bdt failed to warn .
      tribe. His mode .of government has been  particulir           h i m ,   S a u l .
      and particularistic in the extyeme.       Let these Eenja-        There is,`of course, not a word of truth in all that
      mites consider what he has done for them, brethren of. Saul says. No one  cqnspires against him! no one  *
      his  owi tribe. With the spoils of war he has laden           seeks his- life. .No one has actually renounced him as '
      them. He made as many tribunes and centurians as their king, least of all David, The whole nation is as
      was necessary in order that each of them might haves loyal to him as at any time in the past. While Saul
      such an office. So he puts to them the question, "Will        sits in his house, nursing imaginary grievances, curs-
      the son of `Jesse give every one of you fields and vine-      ing in his heart the son' of Jesse, and welcoming the
      yards, and make you all captains of thousands, and hour: when he will get him ih his hands that he may
      captains of hundreds ; that all df you have conspired be slain, this son fights for Saul his battles; he fight
      against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my         Philistines. All the fears by which Saul is being tor-
      son hath made a league with the  sdn of Jesse,  apd mented are purely imaginary: God is punishing Saul.
      there. is none of you that is sorry for me,, or sheweth       His soul is being troubled by the evil spirit from God.
      unto me that' my son hath stirred up my servants              For Saul will not r,epent  ; he will not h&ble himself
     against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"                   under God's hand. He hardens His heart as sovereign-.
         "Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields        ly hardened by God. For God wills to destroy him.
      and vineyards. . . .? They know better, he means to               The servants of Saul, hearing .themselves  thus ac-
      say.  The Ton of Jesse will favor his own tribesmen,          cused; stand speechless all. but one, and that one Doeg
      the men of Judah.  And  tp think now that they for- the Edomite, the offspring of the reprobated Esau,
      sake him, their, royal benefactor, and attach them- and thus a s&orn enemy of God's people, despite the
      selves to Jesse's son! To think now that they all to          fact that only a ,little while ago we found him in Nob
      B man-they,. the brethren of his own tribe-conspire           detained before the Lord. Eut'his heart is f$ from
I                                        .,                                                                           ,r"


                                   .THE  S T A N D A R D             E E.A. R E R                                    277

 God. He arrays himself on the side of Saul and strikes L
 at God's Christ, who  starids before him in David.              .'  THRtiUbH  THE  AGES
 "Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set
over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of
 .Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
 And he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him                     The Reformation Popes
 victuals, and gave him the sword  of Gdliath the Philis-        Lee X was the last of the Renaissance popes. The
 t i n e . "                                                  Roman pontiffs with whom we will deal next are those
     The priest has supplied the famished and harrassed that occupied the pontifical throne during the, period
 fugitive with arms and food. Accqrding  to Doeg, he          of the Protestant Reformation on the Continent of
 inquired of the L'ord for him, too. The priest should not Europe, 15,l7-1648. They are known as the Reforma-
 have done that. He should -have sent David on `his tion popes of whom ther,e were eighteen in all. Several
I way empty-handed. Better still, he should have k;ad         of  them were obscure men, who reigned  but a few
 him pit in bonds ancl delivered him fettered  and bound years. From the point of view of their ability to make
 to Saul, that he' mfght be slain. For Saul is right. good their claims to world domonion, they were nonenti-
 David is a rebel. He purposes tb capture the throne ties, as compared with. their predecessors of the early
 in -Israel. Accordingly he seeks  the king's life. He        Middle Ages. Thei: limitations in this pespect  has ari
 -lie-s in wait for him this moment. Every Israelite and      explanation. As, a result of the `rise of new national
 above  a!1 the highpriest- should be co-operating:  wihh     powers, 1450;150?, the hold of the papacy on much of
 (Saul to rid the earth of David. But so far is the priest continental Europe had been broken.. fi,             -
 from standing  by the king in this crisis, that he helped
 ihe, fugitiye to escape.    And the conduct of Saul's           France had fr,eed herself from the domination of.
 officers of state is just as shameful. They failed to        the popes. Prior to 1350 France, like all the contries
 acquailit the king with Jonathan's  `-treachery. What of Europe, was divided into a ndmber pf. states ruled
 base ingratitude ! They have no heart. There is but          by nobles. The king of France had little power outside
 one right-minded man' among them. And that man is of his private. domain. The separate history of France
_  ooeg,  the Edomite. When he hears Saul wail,  "and began with the treaty of Verdun, 843. According to the
 there is none of you that. is sorry for me," he can eon-, terms of this treaty, Charles, the grandson of Charles.
 tain himself no longer. He opens his mouth to tell the the Great, received that part of the Western empire
 king about the suiposed treachery of the priest. `Doeg that lies west of the  Rho&., That today is France.
 is an E.domite indeed ; he is a son of perdi-tion.,  He,     Charles in his generations ruled France till  987. In
 makes all Saul's charges against David his own, tliough      this year a new dynasty came to power, the founder of
 in his heart he must know, as well as Saul knowi in which was Hugh <Cape& Duke of Francis. The kings
 his! heart, that the king's charges are baseless, so that    of this royal family wer,e known as ,Capetians. There
 it is a just man at whom he strikes. And what may were fourteen of them in all. Their united reigns
 be motivating Doeg? His lust of gain. The  oppoi=            la.sted till l328. They differed. little from their dukes,
 tunity presents itself to him for posing as the only except that they bore a more  digni,fied title-that of
 loyal servant that S&u1 has? Finding him to be such king. `The red1 kings of France were the dukes. They
a servant, how the king will delight in him ! What            reigned su'preme; each in his own domain.
 honor and dignity' will be done to him at the king's            The Ctipetian dynasty was followed by the Ho&e
 command !                                                    of Valois, that continued in power till 1589. It was
     The doom of this wicked man and his house is set         during the reign of this dynasty that the Hundred-Year
 forth i-n Psalm 52,' "Why boasteth thou thyself in           war was fought (1338-1453). The. parties to this
 mischief, 0 mighty man? . .  : .thy tongue deviseth          struggle were England and France. The chief cause
 mischiefs,  like a' sharp razor; working deceitfully.        of this wa.r was the clash of material interests between
 Thou love&  evil more than good, lying rather than to th.ese two countries. They  kere rivals in trade.  Ee-
. speak righteousness. Thou hatest all devouring words,       sides, the king of England laid claim to the French
 0 thou deceitful tongue. `God shall likewise destroy. crown. The effect of `the Hundred  Years war on
 thee forever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee        FTance was  the complete ruin of the nobility. The
 out of thine dwelling place, `and root thee out of the       king was now a real .power,  and national conscience
 land of the living." The land of the living was Canaan had awakened. France had become a great monarchy
 -God's country-the heaven of the church of the Old and a great nation. The great feudal lords had been
 Dispensation.    Here Doeg had fixed himself down.           destroyed, and their fiefs united to the royal domain.
 But God will pluck him up out of this land and he will       Charles VHI (died 1498) invaded Italy intent on con-
 be  cast by the Almighty into everlasting desolation. quering the kingdoms of the two Sicilies. His enter-
                                   .  G; M.  lophoff.         prise is.rioteworthy  because it marks the beginning of


278,                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   EjEARER-

a.Pong series of military cam.paigns carried on by the .years l&er this university h&d seven thousand students.
French in Italy.                                               The  .principal study was  the.Scriptures.
   The Valois kings of the 16th century were Louis XII,           Contrary  to, the desire of the papacy, the joint
Frances I, Henry II, Frances II,  ,Charles IX,  and            sovereigns brought .the' "iqquisition  in Spain entirely
Henry III, the last of the Valois kings, who died in           under their control. In their hands it became a fear-
1589. Louis. XII .and: Francis- I w.ere -strong and able ful instrument for the depression  of heresy and dis-
kings but at the same time unscrupulous arid unprin-           sent, and for the breaking of the independence of the
cipled.      The two of them withdrew the church in nobles. By the cotifiscation  of their property the trea-
France from under the jurisdiction of the papacy. and          sury of the crown was replenished.
brought her under the complete~dominion  of t&e crown.          _ Thus at the beginning of the joint careers of- the
Plready as early as 1437 great strides had been made           %~formation popes", which coincided with the com-
in this direction by the adoption of the "`pragmatic mencement of the Reformation, Spain,  tgo, had an
sanction". As to Francis I, he demanded and received independent  church-a church freed frbm  the over-
from the pope the following rights: the right to con- lordship of the papacy with the papal abus.es corrected.
trol the appointment, of bishops; the right to control Nevertheless, the church remained thoroughly Roman
the clerical courts ; and the right to tax the clergy in in .doctrine  and practice and fiercely intoler@ of any
`the interest of the' crown. Thus tl~e pope's power in and all departures- from Roman Catholic theology.
France virtually came to an end. For he of the two-            As to the revival of learning and study of the Scrip-
king and pope-who  co.ntrolled  the appointment of tures; it was only temporal. The hierarchy, as a
bishops, reigned.                                              system of church government was, of `course, retained,
        England.    The same condition prevailed in Eng-       and with it the pope as rthe spirifiual  head of the church.
-!and.     Here as in France the church was  und,er   the      What the crown had tak&n over was the actual govern;
dominion of the crown.                                         ment of the  ?hureh.   so in France and in England.
        Spain. The beginning of Spain. In the eighth           The real  objectio& of the crowns of Europe to the
century .Spain was overrun by the Turks. `There were papacy was its interference in the internal political
Christian chiefs who refused to submit to the invaders.        affairs of their respective realms. The bishops reigned
They fled to the north-west  corner of Spain and sue- like temporal lords in their respedive domains which
cessfully defended it  ; besides, by pushing back the ,were immense. The church had developed into a world-
invaders they recaptured .much of the conquered terri- .ly state with the pope ai its overlord. It was with a
tory. On the territory thus recovered small Christian view- to bringing under their jurisdiction these do-
states were formed. Included were Castile and Aragon. -mains, bishoprics and arch-bishoprics-ecclesiasticnl
In 1469. the prince of Aragon was Ferdinand and the            state&that the crowns of Europe insisted on the right
princess of Castile was Isabelle. The two married;             of controlling the appointment of bishops. In France
and. their states were united. -By their combined ef- and Spain, as has been explained, the crown and the
forts, the Moors, or Turks were expelled from Spain.           pope agreed that the &own should have this right;
The.struggle  lasted ten years. The last Moorish strong- but thereby the pope really abdicated in these- coun-
hold to be redutied was Granada. The fall of this state        tries in hi;; cap'acity of a temporal ruler and also of
marked the end of 800 years of Mohammedan dominion spiritual  rul,er, `rightly considered. What real spiritual
in Spain. .The two monarchs extended their  juris-             power could the pope any  longer exercise with the
dietion over the two kingdoms of the Sicilies; and from        crown controlling the appointment& of all the higher
that time on their influence predominated throughout           ecclesiastics.? In `England no such agreement as the
all Italy. - They now took over the control of  the one just specified was reached between the pope and
church in Spain. ISixtus IV ceded them the right to the crown. Henry VIII simply declared the reign of
nominate the bishops and all higher .ecclesiastics,  con-      the pope ii1 England .ended  and thereupon took over.
try01 tlie church courts and. tax  the clergy for the          And the matter was settled.          -
benefit of the state. ,And he agr,eed moreover not to             Germmy.   At the time of the commencement of
publish any papal bulls in Spain without the consent the reign of the reformation popes, Germany, unlike
of the crown.         Henceforth `the  importauk   pssts in    England, France, and Spain, was still divided into
the church were filled with men of strict morality             separate states ruled by nobles or petty  kings. The
and disciplinary zeal devoted to' royal interests. The         supreme ruler in ,Germany  was the emperor; but he
chief among them was Ximenes de Cisneros. As sup- had no power beyond his bwn hereditary lands. Thus
ported by the king and the queen, he rid Spain of un-          Germany  lackecl unity. The nobles  sp&t their time
worthy clergy and monks.  Ptirceiving the need  o'f            engaging one `another in war and plundering one an-
education, he founded the university of  Alcala de             other's `domains. The decisions of  the  .;courts  of the
Henares. Here he gathered learned men, among them              emperor could not be enforded  and the taxes that he
four professors in Greek and Hebrew. Twenty-five               levied could not be collected. There was a "Reichtag" ;


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE-R                                              279

it exerted little influence, however; and it could exer-      ings and for those whose sins therefore the passover
cise little power. The condition of the peasantry was         lamb shed its blood. It tells us that it is not true that
bad. Unlike in other countries, they were bound to            Christ ,extinguished  by His suffering and death on the
the soil of the landowners ; and they were shamefully rcoss every  man's guilt and thus merited for every
exploited. On a whole the German national life was in ' man indiscriminately the right to possess the fruits ,
a disorganized state. But conditions were better in the of Christ's death despite the fact that only some men
larger .German territories-in Austria, Saxony, Bran- a.re saved, namely, such men who consent to accept
denburg, Bavaria, and Hesse.  .Here  life was much the Christ and His salvation that God is-supposed to
more orderly; for here the rulers had the effairs of          be offering--offering to all men. ,Christ died only for
their respectiv.e  domains much better in &and. They His people. Accordiligly, it was only unto the jusiifica-
cbntrolled the election of bishops, and taxed the clergy, tion of this people-the elect of God-that Christ was
so that in these territories the pope had little to say.      raised. IAnd so it was only this people that were set
                                        G. M. Ophoff.         with him in heaven and blessed with all spiritual bless-
                                                              ing.  .So the Scriptures do teach. `"But God", writes
                                                              thi apostle, `"who is rich in mercy, for his great love
                                                              wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin,
                                                              quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
                                                              saved) and hath raised ~1s up together, arid made ?s sit
                                                              together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in
                                                              the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches _
   We, turn to the bdok of .Exodus, the 12th chapter,         of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus
the 7th verse and. the last clause thereof,. and read,        Christ." Eph.  2:4. That he might shew the exceeding
`"Wh,erein they shall eat it," namely, the passover-lamb.     riches of his grace toward us, that is, that he might
We last left the people of Israel with the blood of the realize in us the fruits 6f Christ's atonement in the
slain  la&b struck on the two side-posts and on the way of our faith, His gift in us, thus in the way of our'
upper door-posts of the houses wherein  they are. And         eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Now who does
the Lord, seeing .the blood,' passes them by, that is, this pronoun us iti the statement, "that he miglit shew
He does not  d,estro$  .them  with Egypt's first born, the exceeding riches of his grace toward us," include?
representative of the entire Egyptian nation- does According to the apostle .this pronoun includes  or&
not destroy His people but spares them to enter with such. men who were quickened &th Christ, raised ,up
them .into. the rest of ,Canaan ; the' reason being that with Him and made to sit together with Him in heaven-
the blood of Christ, being a blood that i-Ie shed in pay- ly places some nineteen hulndred years ago now, made
ment of the guilt of the sins of His people, in payment. to sit with him in heavenly pIaces from the point of
of their moral debt, fully covers,`oblite&tes.this  debt;     view of .right, He being the head' of His people,- and
in the same sense that a poor man's money is fully they His body. So it is plain that only such men eat
covered,. that is, cancelled, by then check of .a generous    the passove?  for whose sins Christ died, and who thus .
friend ordering the banker to pay money -equivalent.  to      have `the right to eat Him, the Christ, truly eat Him,
that debt.                                                    and in the way of their eating Him., be nsurished  unto
   But'~we  must.now  take notice .of the fact that the       lifee everlasting by Him, their' true` bread. And such
people of Israel had not only to cover themselves with men do truly eat the Passover. For God does not offer
the shed  .blood of the lamb-the  passover  lamb-but His passover  to them and agree to save them and to
that in ad&on the Lord also. commanded them to eat nourish them on the condition that they-eat His pass-
of its flesh. "And they shall eat the flesh?. Thus- over, nay, but He efficaciously commands them to eat
while .t'le Lord in that. terrible night passes through His  passover,  and by this command He continually                  .
the land of Egypt, smiting Egypt's.firstbo.rn,  but pass- genders in. them a true .hnnger for His passover  ; and
ing "eve-r His people with the shed blood of the .lamb        therefore they do eat His flesh and drink His blood,
upon-them, the families of Israel eat the flesh of the a,nd thereby give evidence that they have His life in
lamb in their dwellings. Thus the  lamb. is not only themselves abiding. For the,passover-lamb is food not
their redemption (symbolically) bui their-bread  of life for the spiritually dead but for such men who live in
                                       ~"     T.     -
as well.                                                      Christ.
  I Btit let us take notice firstly of' this, namely, that       The passover  then is food for &e people of Israel
it iS not-a matter bf indifference to the Lord by Virliom     and for \this people only, thus. not for the stranger, not
th6  Ijas~oV&lamb  is eaten. The  conimand  td  &af;`tk;_e    for the un.circumcised,  not fdr Pharaoh and .the Egyp-
~a&&e?&mb  comes only to the people of Israel, thus tians. This is literally stated in the text. We  rEac1,
to  the same people who are commanded to strike the           "`This is the ordinance of the Passover: there shall no
blood of ihe lamb upon the door-po$ts  of their dwell- stranger eat thereof; a foreigner and an hired servant


 280                                   THE STANDARD                          .BEARER                     -     :      '

shall not eat thereof," Exodus 12 :43, 45.                     .             Gelijk het gras is ons kortstondig Ieven,
        The Lord commands the children of Israel; His own                    Gelijk een bloem, die, op het veld ver-
 covenant people, to eat the Passover, and this people                                beven,
indeed, this people as to all its families, .and these
                                               ,.                            We1 sierlijk pronkt, maar Bracht'loos  is
families as to every one of their members, the parents                             e n   t e e r ; .
and all their chi.ldren, the young child as well as the .                    Wanneer  de wind  zich over `t veld laat'
child fully matured. The- text speaks plainly here.                                   h o o r e n ,
Said the Lord to Moses, `%peak unto the congregation                         Dan  knakt haar steel, haar  schoo&eid
of `Israel, saying, in the. tenth day of the month they                               gaat verloren ;
shall- take to t.hem every man a `lamb, that is, every _                     &Ien kent en vindt haar standplaats zelfs
father of a family, shall take to him a lamb. . . .                                   niet meer !. .'
a lamb for a house." And if the household be too little
for the lamb, let him and  hii  neighbour next to his                   Tech moesten we daar elk oogenblik van' door-
house take according to the number of the souls ; every             drongen zijn. De waarheid van dit vers- dringt zich
man according to his .eating shall make your count for              aan .ons op elk uur van ons leven. Afgedacht van de
the lamb". Mark you, "according to the numb& -of zbnde en den, dood die in onze leden  woont, is dit waar.
souls, every man, according to his eating. . . ." The               Dat zit vast aan onze ijdelheid,  en dan bedoel ik dit
langrage indicates that at least the first passover  was woord in haar beteekenis van den ademtocht, want dat
eaten by every member of the family, ,young  and old.               is het oorspronkelijke woord':' Abel.- Laat ons slechts
No one was excluded except peihaps the infant child                 66n voorbeeld  mogen noemen: onze adem die in onze
on its mother's breast. It was a heinous sin in;&rael               neusgaten is! Neemt Hij  onzen  adem weg: wij  ster-
not to eat the Passover. The one guilty of this sin, ven. Dat was ook  waar van Adam in den staat der
had to' be cut off from the congregation of the. Lord.              yechtheid.  ' Ook hij, uit dit oogpunt bezien, was ijdel-
For such a one `broke the covenant. If the Lord's'Sup- heid.                 In mijn jeugd hoorde ik vaak oude  mannen
per took the place of the Passover, and it did, then. the `bidden, en dan bezigden zij vaak deze uitdrbkking :
refusal fo eat the Lord's Supper is likewise a .heinous             Heere ! wij `zijn zoo stijl afhankelijk van U !
son. . It is the breaking of the coven&t of God.                        En zdo is het.
                                                          `
                      (to be continued)                                 En daar is de zonde en de. dood bijgekomen.
                                                                        ,Dat  bracht groote broosheid en bouwvalligheid.
                                           ,G.  M .   Ophoff.  - We sterven elken dag.' Reeds v66r onze geboorte zijn
                                                                    we aan `t sterven. _ En we. zijn 266 dwaas, dat`tie op
                                                                    alle  manier  daaraan meehelpen.  he eeuwigheid zal
                                                                    opetibaren,  dat we zelfs meegeliolpen  hebben aan ons
                                                                    sloopen.,           c
            SION"S                     ZANGEE.N.                        Onze dagen zijn als gras ; we. bloeien eenige oogen-
                                                                    blikken als eene bloem des velds.
                                                     I                  We  hebben ze elk voorjaar gezien. Het beloofde
         Eeuwige  Go&hxtierenheid                                   veel. Doch daar komt'een verder getuigenis van <God-
                                                                    delijke wijsheid.            Luistert :  -"aIs de  wilid daarover
                 (Psalm 103 ; Vierde Dee])                          gegaan is, zoo is zij niet meer, en hare plaats kent
   De laatste klank die onze  aanda@ht hield,  medi-                haar niet me& !"
teerende  over dezen  zang, was de overstelpende  lieflijk-            .O, die winden, die he&e verzengende w&den. Wait
heid Gods die ons  toeriep,  dat Hij  zveet  wat-  mnaksel          daar  gaat. het  ov6r in den tekst, Het is maar geen
wij  zijn! Hij gedenkt er  aan, dat wij slechts stof ~koelte. die verfrissching  aanbrengt.  Deze psalm is
zijn. En die gedachte wordt verder uitgewerkt in de geschreven in -bet ,Oostersche  land, waar men in den
volgende verzen. En op dien achtergrond van `s men-                 zanier van ,die verbrandknd heete .winden kende die
schen  broosheid,  hooren we, in lieflijke  klanken,  het vtinuit de woestijnen, kwamen en he! groene blad en
gezang van des Heer& goedertierenheid.                              bloem en gewas verzengden.
   "De dagen des menschen zijn als het gras, gelijk                    En zoo gaat het ook iti ons leven.                   -
eeli. bloem des velds, alz66 bloeit hij !"                             ~Oqs bestaan bier beneden doorloopt een slodpings-
   Vernederend, maar waar,                                          prdces. We.  zuchten;  kretinen;   hoesteti,  en  &h?&en'
   20 mensch, Uwe dagen,zijn ais gras !                             wat jaren; de -,e&n meer, de ander` minder; en het alles
   -Er zijn dagen, dat we er met een schok aan herin- eindigt in de-rocheling des doods; als w@ den laatsteti
nerd worden,  dagen wanneer men onze lievelingen weg- adem  uitblazen. Van  binnen  u,it werkt en krioelt het
draagt naar het graf. God's  volk vergadert dan in van "Wilde dieren" ; van buiten af komen Gods legers
de bedehuizen, en men zing-t:                                       van strijdbare helden;die 011s aangrijpen, folterefi,  en


                                      *HE  sr.ANpfum   BEARER                                                          28;

  uiteindelijk neerleggen in o.ns stervende blaed. Boven-          Als ge hier moede zoudt  worden,   %at zult ge
  dien moeten we altijd op onze hoede zijn tegenover de         dal;  doen met psalm 136  wa&r het hoofdthema van
  elementen  Gods, die ons o,ok al niet genegen zijn.           dezen. psalm zes-en-twintig  malen herhaald wordt ?
      0, het schijnt niet zoo te wezkn: ziet den jongeling      Slaat dien psalm eens op, en ge zult U verbazen. Er
  in zijn kracht, zijn blozende jonkheid, zijn machtig( ?)      zit ook een wondere les in. Wan'rmeer we het niet ver-.
 stresien.    Hij belacht alles wat zich tegen hem verheft. wachten, luideli -de verzen : dat Zijne goedertierenheid
  Hebt geduld ; wacht nog wat. De heete storhen komen tot in'der eeuwigheid  is. Dat zeggen die-verzen 66k als
 ,en ze zullen het hem leeren,  d+ ook hij broos en bouw-       er een goddelooze koning vermorield w6rdt  ! Ook staat
  vallig is.  Wacht  n'og  wat,  jaren en  ,komt dan terug. bet altijd daar in redengevend  verband.   be  dingen
  Ziet ge dien kuchenden, strompelenden, vooroverge-            gebeuren  altbos zoo  en  zbd,  wccnt Zijne  goedertieren-
 `bogen,  ouden stakkerd  daa?? Hij  .kan  amper meer heid is tot in der eeuwigheid.
  loopen. ,O`ja, ik verzeker het`U, het is dezelfde jonge          Neen, we zullen diet moede worden,  als de HEERE
  man, die den eersten prijs behaalde bij de wedrennen., Zich herhaalt. En dan ook om deze reden: het is de
  De wind van God  ,heeft zijn  wefk bijna klaar. Nog hemel daarboven bij God! Hebt  ge er  we1 eens op
  een paar dagen en we gaan hem oiider de zoden`leg-            gelet, dat de vier dieren in het gezicht op Patmos geen
  gen.                                                          rust hebben, dug en nncht in hun zeggen van: Heilig,
      En  dan;                                                  Heilig, Heilig, is de Heere God !?. De Hemel is dit :
      Zijn vroegeri!  plaats di.e hij wat jarep mocht  vullen al maar voortdurend roept  <God  van Zijn troon hoe
  kent hem niet meer.                                           heerlijk,  goed en rechtmatig  Hij is in al iijn  doen!
      Ik denk hier aan sommigen die mij vooruit gegaan          Efi ons roepen  is de echo van Zijn lieflijke stem.
  zijn. Met moei'te roep ik hun gelaatstrekken voor mijn           Hij is goedertieren van eeuwigheid en tot in eeuwig-
  geheugen wakker., Hij verdween als een Steen in het heid.
  water, en het water sloot zich over hem toe.                     Wie zou moede worden  als de-liefhebber van zijn
    ,' Vernederend? Ja, maar waar.                              &el hem vertelde, dat hij altijd hem had liefgehad?
      Leer ons .alz66 onze dagen tellen,  Heerk, opdat wij         Welnu, als God U bemint, dan beminde -Hij U' van
  een wijs hart mogen bekomen.                                  eeuwigheid  en tot in der  eeuwigheid.   Soms  zingen
      Neeq  `we,schreien  er niet om. Het is wel. ,God is       we er van; en dan klinkt het wonder&loon. Hij heeft
 het die ons sloopt, doet zuchten, verderft, uitteert, en       gedacht  aan Zijn genade ! En we getuigen ,ook van de
  neerlegt in het graf. Het is altemaal het roepen  Gods,       gedachten van &ede die God had, heeft, en aliijd hebT
  door de eeuwen been : Kinderen  der menschen ! Keert          ben zal voor Zijn zeer bemind volk.
 weder tot het stof waaruit ge genomen zijt! En, het-              Zijn goedertierenheid.      Ik  wensch  het nog eens
  zij gewilliglijk of niet : we allen gehoorzamen, en ster-     te herhalen: het  beteekent,  dat de  HEERG U  goed
  ven.                                                          wil  -doen, en  goed wil zijn.  Alles in God wordt door
      .En dit,alles is de achtergrond van een schoon tafe-      Hemzelf  ggdrongen  met alle Goddelijke energie, om .U
  reel, van een bekoorlijk gezicht. Tegenovel:  onze .broos-    goed te  doen en te zijn. Legt ons dan neer op het
  heid en bouvlvalligheid  zal de Heere iets van Zich laten krank- en ziek- qi doodbed,  en we zullen ziligen. Het
`zien  aan U. Ik schrijf het over: "Maar de  goeder-            do+ we1 zeer, maar we weten, dat ook die smartelijke
  tierenheid des  Hl%REN is van  eeuwi.gheid  en  .t&t          weg Gods goedertierenheid is. Denkt hier aan LisLzarus.
  eeuwigheid over degenen die Hem vreezen, en Zijne             0 ja, het ddet pijn om neergesmeten te worden,  dag in,
  gerechtigheid aan kindskinderen;  san degeneti  die Zijn      dag.uit, bij den poort des rijken. In de verte, bedompt,
  verbond houden, en die aan Zijne bevelen denken' om hbo? ik het gerei  en'het  gezang  van dien rijke.  Doch
  die te doen."                                   -.            ik benijd hem niet, en ik beklaag mijzelf ook niet. Ik
      Er zijn menscheti die zich stooten .aan eeq leeraar wacht op God. ,Straks zendt Hij Zijn engelen om niij
  die nog al eens "in  herhaling'! valt. Ik  denk, dat  ze      voorzichtig op te nemen en omhoog te  dragen, al
soms we1 eens gelijk hebben. Maar God doet het ook.             hooger, totdat ik aankom, waar  &Iles  zal trillen van
  Wordt ge het niet moede om in dezen psalm steeds              genot, van het ervaren van .Zijn goedertierenheid.
  maar .weer te hooren van "Zijn goedertierenheid"? We             Voor wien is dit groote goed?
 zullen ons echter wachten om'van Gods herhaling moede             Vqor die Zijn Verbond  houden', voor die Hem
  te worden. Ik stem toe, dat wij, leerareh,  U s?ms ver-       vreezen,  voor  `-die  &an Zijn  bevelen  denken om die te
  moeien met onze herhaling. Ik denk, dat ik weet waar-         doen.
  om. Bij ons is de herhaling-de eentoonigheid des doods.          Zijn Verbond is de betrekking van vriendschap en
  Maar als God Zich herhaalt' zijn het de voortgestuivde        van Goddelijke liefde,  die in' den aanvang geschonken
 trfilingen van Zijn verbondsleven, die in Zijn Woord wordt in de wedekgeboorte,  die in het bewustzijn treedt
  al maar rollen en golven en zich voortbewegen gelijk in de trekking naar boven, die gesmaakt wordt door
  de lieflijke trillingen der `muziek, wanneer het thema het geloof en de levende hope.
  al maar weerkeerde en  i2w ziel streelde.                        Nu zijn er menschen die dat Verbond houden; Dit


 2 8 2                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER

 woord houderz komt van een stag die beteekent stijf,              Bedoelde Paulus zichzelf daar alleen mede?
 rechtop en vast te staan, zooals iemand die de pacht              Sloot hij op zijn hdogst daarbij in zijn mede-aposte-
 houdt. De gedachte in dit verband  is dan ook tamelijk         leii en evangelisten ?
 duidelijk.     Het beteekent, .dat die menschen bij het           Ge weet het better. Het sloot en sluit in allen die
Verbond Gods de waclit h&den.  Net Verbond is hun gegrepen zijii ten eeuwigen leven.
 alles. Het is  erniee  als wanneer men  eenOschat  be-            Maar waarom'de vermaning en al dit geschrijf er
 waart. Men omhelst dat V&bond, die relatie ; men over ?.
 werpt zich erofi, en men sterft liever, dan dat men die           Paulus zal  U.  66k daar een  anttioord op geven:
 betrekking met Zijn God  ~011 verliezen. Denkt hier Ik wil dat gij daarin mker overvloedig wordt!
 a&n de martelaars van vervlogen eeuwen. Zij zijn                  De Heere wil, dat we meer en meer bewust zouden
 i;l den dood gegaan, doch toen ge hun stem haast niet worden  van de trillingen,  de herhalingen van Zijn on-
 meer kondet hooren, omdat die &em versmoord werd uitsprekelijk lieflijke goedertierenheid !
 in den rook, toen hadden zij het Verbond nog vast. Zij            Zij werd gekristalliseerd in het Aangezicht van
 wilden liever in die verbondsbetr&king  sterven, dan           God.
 voor een poosje de genieting der zonde te hebben, doch            En dat is Jezus Christus, onze Heere.
 z o n d e r   G o d .                                             Fiet dan sterk op Jezus!
     Zoo bezien, kunt ge erin komen, dat dit volk God'                                                      G. Vos.
 vreest, en  aan Zijn  bevelen  denken  om die te  doen.
 Zij zijn de vrucht, van de verbondsbetrekking. En die
 vrucht is `er altijd. Dwaalt  niet, en  derikt niet, dat
 iemand die wedergeboren en bekeerd is, die vrucht                           IN  HE3  @EAR
 niet zou hebben. Dat kan niet want het zaad. Gods ,zit
 in  ,Hem verborgen., En dat zaad uit  zich. Net mag
 zwak zijn ; soms ook kwijnen ; ik stem het toe; maar               F&se  Doctrine  and  The  Fear  '
 het blijft in  ,hem en het  ,dpet  zich  gelden.    Soms in
 jubelend geluk, en soms in klaaglijk  weeneil.  *Maar                            Of  The  Lord
 het blijft: Goddank,, het blijft. Want God kan  Zich Mut~~allzJ Exclusive. (continued).
 niet verloochenen. Heere ! als ik omringd door tegen-
,  speed,   beiwijken moet, schenkt Gij mij leven! Zingt           That, as we stated in our closing remark last time,
 ge dat niet? Bezwijkt mijn vleesch en mijn hart, zoo the fear of the Lord never  prod&es  false doctrines
 is God de Rotssteen mijns  harten `en mijn deel in ought to be self-evident. It is the lack of filial rever-,
 eeuwigheid.                                                    ence and fear that produces the lie. The child. who
     Denken  aan Zijne geboden  om die te  doen?  Och           loves his father will never speak evil of him. The
 arme ! Wanneer denken  die gelukkige Tensehen. er &ild who loves his father will not deny him the honor
 niet  aan? Dat is immers hun l&en? Bij deze dingen             and respect that. is due unto him. Neither will the
 leeft men ! get is hun Zeven om God te verbinden met elect child of God as he lives in the fear. of the Lord
 al wat bun overkomt. IVeer of minder, maar het wordt invent and produce doctrines which deny Him the
b i j   allen  getronden. ,En dat beginsel wordt verscherpt     honor and glory due His matchless name.
 door de prediking des Woords en het werk van den               . Let us pause just a moment to assure ourselves of
 Heiligen Geest van Christus die nimmermeer van, hen            the fact that all false doctrines do deny God His
 wijkt. We hebben tech Jezus' eigen woord tot bewijs? honor and glory. Inventing and promoting false doc-
 Hij zal bij U blijven tot in alle eeuwigheid!                  trines are not  niinor  things. There is no harmless,
     Gelukkig volk !                                            innocent false doctripe.  God has revealed Himself to
    De goedertierenheid des HEEREN  Heereti is over us in His Word. He has expressed Himself very defi-
 hen en in hen .van eeuwigheid en tot in der eeuwig-            `nitely and `accurately so that, we might know Him.
 heid.                                                          And all the ddctrines -contained in the Scriptures deal
    Ze denken  aan Zijn bevelen om die te doen.                 with God.. In His Word He has revealed to us the
    Mag ik daar nog wat ran 8 zeggen ?                          ,things that we mu& know concerning Him. Whether
    Ik. heb dit op het oog : wat is het hart van die beve-      we are dealing with the doctrine of man, of <Christ,  of
 leq? Jezus zal het U zeggen : de hoofdsom van al Zijn salvation, of the church or of the last things, we are
 geboden is dit: den Heere Uwen God liefhebben en always <dealing with the doctrine of God; Thus virhen
 Uwen naaste %als Uzelven: En dat , moet met al ons             we -deal with  the  creation of  mati and of the earth
 hart, verstand, ziel, gemoeh en al de krachten.                upon which he was placed, we are dealing with God's
    Welnu, mijn vriend, onze hoop beschaamt niet; om- work, and if we then say ,of that work df God that it
 dat de liefde Gods in onze harten nitgestort is door den did not take place in six days but in six periods of  ..
 Heiligen  #Gee& die ons is gegeven. Ram. 5 :5.                 time, we are touching the doctrine of  (God Himself.


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D             BsEARER                                        283
                                                                   *
                 "
 Our stand in tiis apparently unimportant matter will wisdom, holiness, sovereignty and justice. He is afraid
 determine whether we are willing to give God the honor to deny any of God's virtues.
 and glory due His name or whether we are going to               Scripture has something definite to say about these
 drag Him dOwn to the level ,of `our human, reasoning things..  IScripture  declares that false doctrines are
 and place Him befdre the bar of a scientific discovery       the result of man's pride according to which he, refus-
 which entirely overlooks that important question as          ing to listen to God and in' fear to bow before Him, in-
 to the nature of things before the flood, of which man       vents hi.s own mental image of God. False doctrines
 has no record at all. Our view of the entrance of sin are mental images of God. There is a text in Collosians
 into the world vitally touches the doctrine of the sover-    2 which is interesting in ?he light of what we are dis-
 eignty and holiness of God. We need go no fuSther.           cussing. In our King James versions the 18th verse
 It is evident that our views on ball these things deter-     reads, "Let no man be&vile you of your reward in a
 mine our belief in regard to God. It follpws then that voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intrud-
 our doctrines and teachings always deny God the glory        ing into thdse things which he hath not seen, vainly
 and honor due His name or else confess it and show           puffed up by his `fleshly mind." It is plain here that
 true  -reSerence  and fear before  .Him. If we do not        Paul is dealing with false doctrine. What we  wrote
 listen carefully to what He says of His works, `we are .above is also plain from tb.e text, namely, that false
 in that measure going to deny His glory and honor            doctrines deny God the glory and honor due His name.*
 when we begin to lay down a doctrine in regard to            These false teachers in this instance of Collosians ,2
 t.hat work. But in the measure that we do fear Him,          ascribe some of the glory of God to the angels, urging
 in the measure that we have a deep respect for Him           Lhe worship of angels alongside of God. .But the things
 in love, we will be very-careful of what we say atid         we wish to have you note in this te%t now is the fact
 teach concerning Him. Love is the inner principle of these these false doctrines are the result of man's
 the Law, and the Law teaches us that we shall `not           refusal in tlie fear of the Lord to listen to Him and of
 make unto 6urselves graven images of Him.                    his proud invention of his own dictrines  and concep-
     Let (s establish that fact first. All false doctrines t.ions of God. This' is not at once plain in the text
 are the result of man's attempt to decide for himself        because-it is improperly translated in our King James
 the truth about God.  All false doctrines are man's          version-at least. It is plain even as the text stands in
 decisions as to what he thipks ,God ought to be. They        our King James version that this false doctrine is
 are all refusals` to let God declare and reveal to 77s       produced in sinful .pride. Note the expression, `"vainly
the tru$h concerning Himself. The motives behind this         puffed up by his fleshly mind." The small word %ot"
-.refusal are various. Abbut'this $ve will speak a little     shou.ld really be left out of the text according to the
 later. But Pet us now bear in mind that false doctrines      greatc.1.  number of reliable reading of this  EpisL!`e  iI.1
 are man's idea arrived at apart from God's revelation        the  .&&al,  besides the fact that its inclusion  iuio
 of Himself. This is true even when these false doc- the ;t:xl is far easier to explain as the work of a copyist
 trines appeal to various passages of Scripture. For          than its exclusion is. `The te.xt then should read, "Let
 then these pa&ages are taken out of their context and        no man  beguil,e you of  your  re-&rd in a voluntary
 made to declare a thing which God does not state.            hm,lility  and  worshipping of angels,. intruding into
 On the other hand, he who fears the Lord will never          tho:;e  t.hings which he has seen, vainly puffed -up by
 deal. so dishonestly with God's Word. He will respect his  lieshly mind." You  sef3 at once  1;hat it  wes  the
 .,Godys  Word. He will listen to God `and not try to dic- vain pride of their fleshly mind that caused ihem. to
 tate to God. In false ddotrines  man tries to stipulate      see, +.?at is, to invent these false doctrines ticording
 and to tell God that in order  to be love, He must love ,to L;Zich they advocate worshipping of angel%
\ all men head fir head, and that if He does not do this,        The text suggests to us the false doctrine of Mari-
 then He is cruel. False doctrines flow forth from that       olatry of the Roman Catholic Church. Paul does not
 pride  of man's heart according to which he thinks that      have this in mind, but what he stites'here is surely
 he may speak of himself about God. He refuses to             of direct application to that heresy. `Did the `fear of
 listen to what God says, or if He listens, he rejects part the Lord move Rome to invent such an `unscripktiral
,of what God declares, and presents God after the pat-        doctrine as that of the worship and  indispensability
 tern of I& own evil, carnally minded thoughts and de-        of Mary for our salvatibn ? Where does one fitid it in
 sires.                                                       God's Word. Where is that child-like reverence and
     He who fears the Lord falls down before God in           bowing before God in such a false doctrine? Behold
 reverence. He is eager to-listen to God. He is desirous the glory of God and of His Christ attributed to Mary
 of God receiving all the honor and glory due His name.       alid in that measure denied  <God! Paul in the text
 Re iyho $@ars the Lord'is afraid to. say anything about      quoted explains the appearance of that false doctrine.
 God which would in any way or to any degree present          Moved by a proud, fleshly mind they in their own
 him in a wrdng light and wol71d in any way deny His          Lhoughts saw this doctrine as be&g of advantage for

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

        them. God's glory, His fear did not concern Rome in FALSE DOCTRINE BECAUSE HE  `;rS' DESIROU:S
        the production of this lie. This doctrine did not come ,OF PLEASING GOD. The fear of the Lord has never
        from God's mind but from the- sinful mind of proud produced a false doctrine yet, and it never will. False
        man.                                                        doctrines are invented because man desires to please
           `What is true here of the Roman Catholic heresy of the flesh. Bear in mind that man accepted false doc-
        Mariolatry is true of all false doctrines. It is true of tiine in Paradise because he wanted to satisfy the
        Arminianism in all its forms, and it is true therefore      lust of his flesh, and you will understand that he has
        also of the, pernicious theory of Common Grade which        developed in the lie and produced various false doc-
        at its root is simply Arminian. The false doctrine that trines just exactly because by nature he can only con-
        Christ died for all men head for head, that all men tinue `in that way to the satisfaction of his flesh. `He -
        have a chance to be saved, that God sincerely .offers       does not begin to accept pure doctrine until God instills
        salvation to all who hear the gqspel is not. attained       His fear in him. -And as he lives in ,that fear, he will
        by a, humble request of God that He show us the truth.      seek the truth, defend, promote and propogate it.
        For God will immediately answer in `His Word that                                                                           J. A. Heys.
        even .before  he was born or had done good or evil Esau
       was hated by Him, that the preaching of the word is
       -foolishness to those that perish and a savour of death                 CHRISTIAN  SCHOlOL ,  TEACHERB
        unto death. as well as of life unto life. The fear of                                   P L E A S E   N O T E !
       the Lord will prompt one to say, "Yea Lord, so it is.
       Thine be the glory and honor." The lack of the fear               The Hope Protestant, Reformed *Christian School is
       of' the `Lord will prompt one to disregard what God          in need of a teacher for the lower grades for the season
       says and with his own mind dream up things and teach         beginning in September. If you are able to serve us in
       them as the doctrine of God's Word. False doctrines          this. capacity, please give -this notice -your earnest and
      are not simply or ever merely the result of misunder-         prayerful consideration taking into account the prin-
,      standing God's Word. In the way of misunderstand- ciples which we* as Protestant. Reformed people are
       ing false doctrines do creep into the church: But there      called upon and privileged to 8 maintain. Write, call,
       is always even behin'd that- misunderstanding the de- or visit' Mr. J. Lanning, 1268 Wilson Ave., S. W.,
       light in th,e lie or else the refusal to study the matter R.F.D. No. 5, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Phone 64-7391.
       further. And both of these spring forth from a lack                     6
       of the fear of- the Lord. He who fears the Lord.finds                                                                                    \
                                                                                          I
       no delight in the. lie and is..ever desirous of knowing                                        IN MEMORIAM
       Cod'as fully as he possibly can.                 _                On February 25, 1948, it pleased the  Lord, to take from
           What is even worse, and that is historically so often    our family circle, unto Himself, our dear husband, father, and
       the reason for the appearance of false doctrines is          grandfather,
       bitterness, jealousy and greed. That very often plays                                          DIRK  MONSMA
       an important part in the appearance of new doctrinal         at the age of 57 years.
       views. As in 1924 when three expressions  were con-              Our comfort is the testimony  he. gave during his life that
       cocted to facilitate the expulsion of men who were he belonged to his Saviour, Jesus Christ, whom we believe'doeth
       confessed. to be Reformed, so it has happened fre-           all things. well.
       quently. It is the-apostle Peter who prophesied such                                                         Mrs.:D. Monema  and Dwight
     things. In his second Epistle, the second chapter, he                                                          Mr. .and Mrs. L. Mulder
       warns the church of false prophets who would come in                                                         Mr. and Mrs. 0. Vanden  Berg
     ' the .iuture .-bringing in damnable heresies so that they                                  d                  Mr. and Mrs. A. Heemstra                    I
       deny that the Lord has purchased them. Peter gives                                                    Mr. and  i&s.  -A.  Bierema                             ~
       the motive for the invention of these ,damnable heresies     G r a n d   R a p i d s ,   Mich.                   and 8 grandchildren.
       as covetousness `in the third verse. He makes a, very
       striking expression in this verse which shows us the                               ._
     `, true character of all false- doctrines. He states that                                        iN MEMORI-AM                     -             . .
     through covetousness they make m.erchancltie  of those              The- Ladies Aid Society of the First' Protestant Reformed  '
       who follow them. Need it be stated that such false           Church, Grand Rapids,  Mich.,  mourns :the loss of one of  `her
       doctrines which `man invents because of covetousness m e m b e r s ,                           _ . _.-             -;,.;,                     -.
       and jealousy cannot and are not the product of the fear                      .  1:.  _         M R S .            `G:  Z W A K   '
       of the Lord? The fear of the Lord never leads one in         and hereby `expreslses  its-sympathy with the husband and child- '
       that direction.                   d                          ren. May the Lord in whom we trust sustain them in this hour
          We like to close with this remark that NaO QNE            of bereavement.                      1  M r s .   J.-Vander   Wal,  P i e s .   .'
       HAS EVER YET OR EVER WILL INVENT- A                                 * .                                i      Mrs.C.     Lamse,  Sec'y,.            '


                                .    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .                                        285.

                                                              cool of day." This is significant, for now God is walk-
                 `FROM  HOLY AVRIT                            ing alone. Adam and Eve are hiding from befor,e  His
                                                              face. They dread His coming, because they have brok-
                                                              en their relation of friendship with, God by entering
                 Walking  With  -God                          into a friendly alliance with the serpent. That cove-
                                                              nant communion in which they walked together and
                                                              spoke together  ,,in mutual friendship is destroyed.
     Scripture says of Enoch that he walked with God.         And as far as man is concerned, he is neither able nor
 "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuse-           willing to restore that relation. It is broken forever.
 lah t!:rcc hundred years, and begat sons and daugh-' But God Himself promises to restore His covenant
 ters. . . . .And Enoch walked with God and he was ,fellowship  with them in Christ, by a. declaration of
`not;  for God took him." Gen. 5  :22, 24. That is by war, cresting enmity between the prince of darkness
 far tbe most unique biography that' you can find any-        and all his host on the one side and God's elect cove-
 where in the annals of history or in the Scriptures. nant people in Christ on the other.
 Whatever else Enoch may have done during the three              As a result, Enoch and Noah, the seed of the woman, 1
 hundred and sixty-five years of his life upon the with God. Later <God assures His chosen Israel, "And
 earth, or whatever cherished memories he may have            I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall
 left behind,  the o&standing feature of his life that not abhor y.ou. And I will walk among you, and will
 governed them all was,. that he walked with God.             be your God,, and ye shall be My people." Lev. 26 :11, 12.
     This is aluc said of Noah as a reason why he alone       This promise is also given to the Israel .of God in the
 found grace in the eyes of the- Lord, to be spared with      new dispensation, "For ye' are the- temple of the living
 his family by the waters of the. flood. "Noah was a          God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and z0alh
 just man, ncrfect .:n his generations ; Noah walked with
                                                        ,     i~z them; and I will be their God and they shall be My
 God". Gen.  6:!3.                                            people." This same  .promise is finally realized in
     Otherwise this expression. is not very freely used       heaven, according to Rev. 3 :4, "Thou hast a few names
 in Scripture. We do often read of walking before             even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments ;
 the face of God, or of walking after God, or following       and they shall  vati?  with Me in white;  for they are
 after Him, or even of walking in God's statutes and worthy."  `.  '
 judgments. But the expression "walking with God"
           `.                                                 . This walking with God implies a living faith,
 is a unique description of the intimate fellowship and       humble-obedience, a devoted love, an implicit trust and
 friendship between God and His covenant people.              constant prayer.
     That is the meaning of the expression. It is evi-            Faith is the bond that- unites us to Christ and to
 dent, that this cannot possibly refer to a physical, out-    God. By that living bond of faith a relation of friend-
 -*ard walk with God.       That would be impossible. ship is established between God and His restored image:
 Whatever physical association there may have been bearer.                "Can two  ,walk together; except they be
 between God and Adam in paradise was destroyed               a g r e e d . " A m o s   3:3.
 by the fall. God did establish a new relation of frierid-        You can be sure that anyone who walks with God
 ship between Himself and His people-  in ,Christ,  but does not regard Him as an ,emergency measure,. some-
 this is not a physical contact. How can an earthly           one to be called in conveniently when we are no longer
 mortal, who is bound to time and place, walk about           able to take care of ourselves. !That man's religion is _
 with the omnipresent, infinite and sovereign God, Who not 6 conventional side-issue, but fills his whole life.
 is a Spirit. Moreover, no one can actually see God (God' had first place in Enoch's life. God was'his God
 alive, So- that physical association is at once imposl       and his sovereign Lord, before' Whom he humbly bowed
 sible;                                        .              to ask, Lord, what `wilt Thou have me do?
     But it does ref,er to a spiritual relation' between          How else can a mere earthly creature ever possibly        -
God and His saints, an inner association and com- walk/with  God?  He?must be deeply conscious of  his-
 munion through the. Spirit. Walking, in this case,           own emptiness and insignificance.        Compared with
 means going about, associating, living in fellowship         God he is but an insignificant speck `of. clay, less than
 and mutual friendship. .It is the fruit of God's grace       nothing and vanity. For God is God, the almighty,
 in the hearts of His. people whereby they know that          omnipresent, sovereign God, in Whom we live and
 He is their ,God and they *are His `people. They count move and have our being. And we are His creation,.
 it their highest good that they are privileged to fulfill    His handiwork, existing each moment by. His power
 their "part" in His covenant by walking with Him.            that sustains us. The Most High God is worthy to be
     That was originally `Adam's blessedness in the state     praised.    For even as all things are of Him  -and
 of righteousness. Gen. 3 :8 states, "And they heard          through Him, so He has also prepared all things unto
 the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the       Himself, to show forth His praises. He `has even

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

       called His people unto Himself, not that they should           God says to Israel, `$And if ye will not  h.earken unto
       live unto themselves, but that they should live unto           Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I will walk con-
       Him in worship, fear and obedience.                            trary unto you also in fury; and I, even `I,' will chastise
              That service must be la willing service in love. Our    you seven times for  -your  sins:" Lev. 26  :27, 28. If
       relation to God is not that of a wage-servant. Nor Israel walks,away from the Lord to seek other gods or
       may we regard it our duty for duty's sake, since God           the pleasures of sin, God will walk in the opposite
       demands love from the heart. No man can walk with direction away from her. A breech will be established
       God without a  d,eep conviction of sin and guilt. Be- that only grows wider as Israel departs farther from
       cause of our sins we are unworthy and unfit'to enter           the Lord. The Holy Spirit can have no fellowship with
       into the presence of `Him Who is spotlessly holy. We           sin, so that He withdraws Himself in sore displeasure,
       deserve only to be banished from His. presence for-            causmg us to experience His disapproval until we are
       ever. But God Himself has removed our guilty stain brought back in repentance. Therefore Micah admon-
       through the perfect sacrifice of His Son upon the cross.       ishes  Isra.el, saying, "He hath  shewed thee, 0  ,man,
       He takes us unto Himself, makes us like unto Him:in            what is good ; and what cloth the Lord require of thee,
       the true knowledge, righteousness and holiness of but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to ?,va& humbly
       Christ, Who is our complete salvation. In holy awe with thy God?" Micah 6 :8.
       His saints worship Him as their `God and Father, Who              Enoch walked with God in the midst of an evil
       calls them out of darkness into His marvellous  light. generation. And so did Noah: It was the time before
              Such love \manifests itself in implicit trust. Have the Floe-d, when a rapid degeneration was hastening
       you never noticed how confidently a child will walk l-he world toward judgment. Cain's city exalted itself
      next to his father, no matter how strange, the way may against God and His church as a kingdom of anti-
       be, how dark the night, or how many dangers may christ. Wickedness abounded everywhere, persecution
       threaten? Asaph expresses exactly'that in the seventy-         ran rampant. As almost a lone witness of his God
       third Psalm. When he had ventured a step alone with-           EnoCh testified, "Behold,  the. Lord  cometh with ten
       out his God, his feet had well-nigh slipped. He was thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all,
       ready to question the wisdom of the Most High, and             and to convince. all that are ungodly among them of
       allow the doubt to take root whether God was actually          all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly com-
     ~ good to Israel. He almost mistook the prosperity of            mitted, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly
       the wicked as a token of -God's favor, and the adversity sinners have spoken against him.? Jude 15, 16. Noah,
       of the righteous as a sign that God had forsaken them.         likewise, was a preacher of righteousness, boldly defy-
       Until he went into the sanctuary, where he met his             ing and condemning the world. Every hammer blow
       God, and soon his problem was dissolved., He learned was a witness that he believed in his God, Who is
       to hold to God's hand, walked confidently at His side.         holy and `righteous and a consun?ing fir.e against all the
       In child-like trust he confessed, "Nevertheless, I am workers of iniquity. The fact that they were friends
       continually with Thee ; Thou hast holden me by my              of God made them enemies of the world. Should they
       right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel,              not hate those who hate their God? And though they
.      and afterward receive me to glory." Ps. 73 :23, 24.            were' hated by the world, they had the testimony of
              Such confidence, Asaph teaches us, is possible only     God that they .were  pleasing to Him. Hebrews 11:5-7.
     ' by abiding in the sanctuary in constant prayer. Walk-          They walked with God as a.friend with a friend. And
       ing together implies talking together, revealing the           God Itook  Enoch unto Himself in heaven. While Noah
       thoughts and secrets of. the heart to one another. He was delivered from. an evil world by the waters of. the
       who walks with God knows Him `as his friends. He flood. For ,God is a rewarder of those who diligently
       draws near to Him as to the overflowing Fountain               seek Him. He takes them into .His glory and clothes
       of life and blessedness. He -delights  in His presence,        them with garments of righteousness in Christ, that
       seeks His face, pours out his heart to Him, and makes          they may enjoy His fellowship forever. God is faith-
       all his needs known in prayer and supplication withy ful.' His covenant never fails. Blessed is that people
       thanksgiving. He prays without ceasing, in devotion whose God is Jehovah.
       and fear, for from his heart arises the confession,                                                      C.  H a n k o .
.-               Whom have I, Lord, in heaven `but Thee, -,
                      To Whom my thoughts aspire?
                 And having Thee, on earth is nought,'                                    GLAsSIS  EAST             '
                      That I can yet desire.                          will meet' in regular session-`.Wednesday, April. 7 at
                                                                      9:00 A. M., in the First-Protestant Reformed- Church
              But that life of fellowship with God requires, a of Holland, Michigan. Consistories please report on
       spiritual separation from the world of sin and evil. th,e overture from Creston.
       Friendship with God precludes enmity with the world.                                               D. Jonker, S. C.

                                                                                 :
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                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                287
                                                                                                                     b
                                                                  "If ye `continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples
               "  PERISCOPE                                       indeed." We have taken this affirmation of our Lord
                                                                  seriously. . . .
                                                                     "The members of this committee <are therefore con-
 N.  I?. .  .: .                                                  tinuators of the Christian tradition and the notable
     Once again we welcome the Rev. James Howerzyl                achievements of their progenitors.        This committee
 of Oskaloosa, Iowa, as guest-contributor to this column.         is opposed to the discontinuation pf the church we love
 The Rev. Howerzyl has agreed to contribute to this               and serve.     (By union with: the Northern Presbyter- _
 rubric `while the regular writer .will keep our readers          ians-J.H.).         It refuses to permit our church to be
 informed of our Home Mission activity and related                liquidated. Although it has been vilified and slandered
 topics.                                                          by the group.within our Church which is disconcentcd
                                                  w.  F.          with the idea of OLU contiwuatiori, any intelligent per-
                         -                                        son knows that this is.,not a radical committee or a
                                                                  devisive  group. As the name suggests, it stands for
     Interesting and instructive to. us are the problems          loyalty'to our church. It cheerfully approves the Con-
 faced by various  tither  denominations in our  lar:tl.          fession of our Faith and our constitution in its entirety.
 Thus also those faced in the Presbyterian Church in- It is willing to make a definite effort to conserve al!
 the United States (more commonly known as the for which our Church stands, regardless of the sacri-
 Southern Presbyterian Church)  ' which had its origin            G,ce involved. This committee is not willing to see
 in 1861, when the Presbyterian Church in America these things we love dissipated or j.eopardized.
 of which all were members demanded an oath of al-                   "We have never assumed an extreme or fanatical
 legiance to the, United States of America as a con-              p.osition. The things for which we stand are. the same
 dition' of membership. This the southern branch of things for which Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Thornwell,
 the church correctly .rsfused  to do and since then has          and Palmer have stood.
 existed as a separate denomination. We quote from a                 "We pledge ourselves to go forward and onward
 few articles taken from recent numbers of "The Sozcth-           in the course of action which we. beli,eve  to have the
`em Presbytekn  Jowmal"~ a semi-monthly magazine approval of our Lord, and refuse to turn aside because
 published by certain men in this denomination who                of the stultiloquence of those who would delight to see
 are opposing continued membership in the Federal our church lose its autonomy."                                /
 Council of the Churches of Christ in America and                    We comment:
 other liberal tender&es,  but who have especially band-             Although we cannot agree with all that has been
 ed together to prevent the reunion of their denomina-            written in the Jow&aZ with regard to this controversy
 tion with the more modern and lax `Northern Presby-              and the- life of the Southern Presbyterian Churches,
 terian Church.                                                   nevertheless, it is our conviction that in this matter
     We quote from an editorial 16How the Continuing overagainst the Federal Council and the reunion with
 Committee got its Name." "About four years ago a the Northern Presbyterian Churches the group repre-
 group of Southern Presbyterians' became acutely con-             s'ented  by the Jownal has surely taken the better stand
 scious of the serious crisis which threatened the exist- and we would encourage them in this, but suggest at
 ence of the Presbyterian Church; U. S. They met at the same time that they consistently carry out the
 Montreat for earnest prayer and appropriate action.              struggle also against the false doctrine present within
 In this meeting an important committee was born. It the Southern Presbyterian Churches. In this particular
 was dedicated to the preservation of the Presbyterian case our reading has convinced us that continuing is
 Church, U. S., and the conservation of its  pricel.ess           not sufficient but that far from uniting with the North-
 h e r i t a g e .                                                ern Churches the Southern Churches should themselves
     "It was necessary to give a name to thiscommittee, be the subject of a Reformation.
charged with the solemn responsibility of insuring the               From our own denominational experience how well
 continuation of our Church.         -A number of names           do w,e know the tactics which are also. in evidence in
 wer,e suggested, but many felt that it should be. called         the current struggle in  the. Southern Presbyterian
 the Continuing Committee. We realized at the begin-              Church. We quote from an editorial : "We do not fear
 ning that this might not be .the best name possible,             a frank discussion on Current Issues". "In the morn-
 but it. was the best we could think of at the time to ex- ing's mail we received several letters from ,Southern
 press our major objective. The name has at least one             Presbyterians in a synod where there has been very
 thing in its favor. It is a Biblical term. Many times little discussion from the conservative .viewpoint upon
 we are exhorted in the New Testament to continue in              the controversial issues now before our Church. One
 the verities. of ou.r precious faith. ,- Our motto has been :    minister states, `I am very much distressed as there


                                         ,                     __.
 zss                                                                                                         _
                                     :THEfr.I&RANXDARD  .BEARER
                                                                       .-
 is an oiposition to a frank discussion .in~o& Church.         able to everyone. "Get the Record". (And here fol-
 No one has been permitted here to take up the, con-           lows a long list of Federal Council publications with
 seFvative  side of thi matters now before o.ur/Aseembly.' ,the pertinent  `&e&ions  d&lined).
! `Another writes : `The matters now before our Assembly         We Comment: This willingness to face the facts
 are'not being discussc,d in a public way in our Synod.        Qnd conduct an open discussion, on the part of those
 The only, dischssion we hear is limited .to private c6n- who  oppose-,the   m&nbership  in the Federal Council
 versations.' Another affirms: `When the time came to          and El-eunion  with the Northern Church, we applaud as
 take the vote on the Federal Council'issue all discus-        much tis we `deplore the secretive. tactics of their op-
y sion was banned even though qany Elders .stated that ponents.                                                   .
 they did not know anything about tlie subject upon               And finally, although once more we cannot agree
 which %hey were called to vote. : There is an obvious with much that  is'wribten by these men-1  beiieve a
 fear against open discussion. I observe a n,@rvousness        charge Of Arminianism could be supported from their
 h&e for fear that the  conserm&tiTie  side might  get a       writings-yet in the particular  .sphere in which they
 hearing.' An Elder observes, `I  gr,eatly  `fear that         find themselves we cannot but admire the emphasis
pastors  are trying to shelter their  ipeople  and keep        and tr&d of their writings and hope they may con-
 them in ignorance about the real issues.'                     tinue in this way. We quote from an  ar$icle:  ."It is
        "Such an attitude is both  tinChristian and un-        GocZ who worketh in you."
 democratic. For a  lit$lk over three hundred  year.s             "And the greatest need bf the. A&eric$n Church is
 English speaking people have felt that open and frank         the realiiation of this `great and gracious fact. We have
 discussi,on iS beneficial and in interest of the Truth.       become so wrapped up in man's doing that tie have
It has been  &he considered judgment of  cogpetent             forgotten  the working  of  the might  of  His strength.
 thinkers *hat `discussion on controversial `matters is        We are assuming that American faith can stand in
 the right and just thing to do. It is the willingqess to the wisdom of man rather, than in the power of God.
 let different points OF view speak for themselves in          We are so ,busy with the diversities of `our workings
 an atmosphere which is characterized by an apprecia-          and the gifts and graces of leaaers that we pass b'y the
 tion of the `Truth that we earnestly advocate. . ..- ."       blessed truth that in, these different activities it is the
        Our Comment: From the viewpoint of openqess of         name God who worketh in all.' . . . .
 c$scussion we surely appreciate the  s,entiments ex-             `I. . . . Would -that we might all ponder these
 pressed above. Surely a full and free  discussion~`is         weighty words of Ruskin: `I believe that the root of
 not only imperitave  but is above all the only ethical almost every schism and heresy from which the ,Chris-
 way to arrive at a full understanding of any given tian Church has ever suffered, has been the effort of
 matter: This same willingness to .discuss we- find in man to ear& rather than to receive His salvation; and
 an a&le entitled `;Loyaltjr" from which we s,h@ quote that the reason that- preaching is commonly so  in-
 a few line;: "Were I a preach& or an elder m'r;o can- effectual is, that it calls on men oftener.  to  woik for
 not wholeheartedly subscribe to the doctritie, govern:        God,  thati to behold God working for them.'
 ment, and objectives  of. my  den?minatiog,  loyalty to          "Even the smaller children ought to come to the
. iny -religious convictions would obligate me to take a       Church believing that God does sdmething there for
 wa!k over to some denomination to `which I could be           them. . .  ."
 l o y a l .                                                      With this we believe every&e can agree and this
   "Were I a preacher or an  eld,er  who believes that         emphasis-is surely not out of place, also for us, lest we
 the  Sduthern Presbyterian Church should  work, for           fall into the same error.
 political objectives, boy&y to my Church's constitution          In this same cdnnection  w.e quote from "The'Pres-
 would obligate me to renounce that belief br take a byterian Guardian" 6f February 10, 1948: "Southern
 walk over to sonie denomilnation  to which I%ould be          Majority for Federal Council. The vote which, is `being_
 loyal. _                                     I                taken in Presbyteries  .of  -the  .Southern   Pr'esbyterian
        "Southern Presbyterian Church government do& Church -concerning  continued affiliation with the Fed-
 not permit poZiiticaZ objective?. Therefore the Southern eral  .Council, seems  d.efinitely.  to have gone-in favor
Presbyterian Church cannot be constitutionally loyal of that body. Fifty-one `presbyteries .(which are  ap-
 to the Federal Council of Churches, which is the "Po- -@oximately equivalent to our Cla&es-J.H.) have ap-
 litical Action Committee" for  twenty;five denomina- proved continued affiliation. This is more than `a
 tions, including the (Southern Presbyterian Church.           majority of the  presbfieries   of. the church. Sixteen
        "That the number one objective of the Federal          presbyteries have opposed the continued affiliation."
 Council of Churches is "Pblitical", therefore -not spirit-       We shall continue to keel, our-readers informed of
 ual, "Socialistic" and therefore un-American, is clearly ths progress of- this struggle.
 set forth in,its own published records which are`ava?l-                        ,                       J. Howerzyl.


