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

                               The SfcrndardBearer
           Semi-Monthly, eorcept  Monthly in July and August                                                                                                                                           E D I T O R I A L S
                                                    P u b l i s h e d   B y
                      The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                           1131  Sigsbee  Street,  SE.
                                    EDITOR : - Rev. H. Hoeksema.
                                              .-                                                                                                                                                                                 .-  (?
Contribtiing Editors: - Rev. G. M. Ophoff, Rev. G.  VOY,  Rev.                                                                                                                                Different attempts have been made recently, and
R. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H.  .De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                          still are made, to accomplish a reunion between the
Rev. J. D. De  Jong, Rev. A. Petter, Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                                                           Synodicals and the Liberated Churches in the Nether-
Vermeer, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M. Grltters, Rev. J. A. Heys,                                                                                                                         lands.
Rev. W.  Hofman.
  Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                                                                  The first move in that direction was made by the
REV.  GE,RRIT  VOS,  Hudsonville,  Michigan.                                                                                                                                          Synodicals. Their synod appointed a committee for
  Communications relative to subscription should be addressed                                                                                                                         a colloquy with the Liberated, and they requested the
to MR. J. BOUWMAN, 1131 Sigsbee St., S.E., Grand Rapids 6,                                                                                                                            synod of the Liberated Churches to appoint a similar
Mich. Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the                                                                                                                              conxnittee  in order to see whether they cannot iron
above address and will  be published at a fee of $1.00 for each                                                                                                                                 `d
notice.                                                                                                                                                                               out tbeir differences and come to reconciliation and
                                (Subscription Price 92.50 per year)                                                                                                                   reunion between the two, separated groups. The synod
Entered as Second Class Mail at  Graud  Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                             of the Liberated Churches in  IGroningen  considered
                                                                                                                                                                                      the request and responded by granting it in principle.
                                                                                                                       "                                                              They stipulated, however, that their committee not
                                                                                                                                                                                      be-permitted to enter into a  dolloquy  at once, but have
                                                                                                                                                                                      to correspond with the delegates of the Synodicals in
                                              .:X 0 N T E N T S                                                                                                                       writing, in order to have whatever is said and trans-
                                                                                                                                                                                      acted in black and white and to prevent all possible
MEDITATION-                                                                                                                                                                           misunderstanding. The committee of the Liberated
      Groote Tevredenheid ,...................,......................................  es... 49                                                                                        Churches would like to start the correspondence by
                  Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                         asking the Synodicals' committee five questions, to be
                                                                                                                                                                                      answered by the latter with a categorical "yes" or "no",
EDITORIALS-                                                              .                                                                                                            and granting the Synodicals' committee the privilege
      Reunion? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  : . . . . 52
                 Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                      of following the same procedure with regard to the
                                                                                                                                                                                      committee of the Liberated Churches.
THE TRIPLE  KNOWLEDGE-                                                                                                                                                                         Thus far these attempts have not been successful,
           An Exposition Of The Heidelberg Catechism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
                  Rev. H. `Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                    clue to the fact that the Synodicals cannot see the benefit
                                                                                                                                                                                       of a-written correspondence of that nature, but insist
OUR DOCTRINE-                                                                                                                                                                          on conferring together and conducting a colloquy.
           The Names Of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58                            There appear to be some voices in the Liberated
                  Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                                                                     Churches (how many, and how strong they are, I know
THE DAY OF  SHADOWS-                                                                                                                                                                   not; they belong to the minority, at any rate) who are
      Sorrow And Indignation . . . . . . . . . ..f.............................................. 61                                                                                    strongly `in favor of reunion, and who are willing to
                  Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                    grant the request for a  collaquy  without the proposed,
                                                                                                                                                                                       preceding, written correspondence. The leader of these
STON'S  ZANGEN-                                                                                                                                                                        seems to be the Reverend B. (A. Bos, who, with the
           Israel's Liefdevolle Heiland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Reverend Van Dijken of ,Groningen,  was a leader of
                  Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                          the opposition at the Synod of Sneek-Utrecht, was
EN HIS FEA&                                                '                                                                                                                           strong for the Liberation at the time, and who now
           Training For Life's Calling (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . I..-.................,...,. I...67                                                                                  has evidently had'a change of heart and feels that the
                   Rev. J. A. Heys                                                                                                                                                     schism is sin. He wrote a pamphlet in which he pre-
FROM HOLY WRIT-                                                                                                                                                                        sents his view. of the matter and strongly urges both
           The Hand Of The Lord . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69                              sides of the  schism-, to do everything in their power to
               R e v .   C .   H,anko                                                                                                                                                       come to a reunion. This pamphlet I do not have in
                                                                    :.  ,
PERISCOPE-                                                                                                                                                                                  my `possession, but I do have the main conclusions
           Uniformity in Invitations to the                                                                                                                                            which the  Rev; Bos reaches, and some of them we
           "Second, Reformed Ecumenical Synod"? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .*.. 71                                                                                             propose to* discuss:                           l
                   Rev.  J.  Houwerzyl                                                                                                                                                         The first conclusion wants to issue a call to all
                                                                                                                                                                                            believers on both sides of the schism to lead in a  con-

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

fession  of sin before God and men and to exhort others ated Churches are certainly the offended party ; and
to follow heartily in such a confession.                    the Lord teaches us in Matt. 18  :15 : "Moreover, if thy
   Here the great question is, of course, who must brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his
make this confession, and, particularly, which sins fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee,
must be confessed. Who are here the guilty parties? thou hast gained thy brother."
Or does the Rev. Bos refer to a general, vague confes-         I certainly would not deny that also with the Liber-
sion on both sides, without any specific content's?         ated brethren there is blame. I know by experience
   It seems that the, Rev. E. I. F. Nawijn, editor of how difficult it is, when one is maltreated and finally
De  Baxuin, who discusses the propositions of Rev. Bos,     cast out by the Church, to keep the spirit of Him Who
is of the opinion that such a mutual confession ought was meek and lowly of heart. But the blame for the
to go in that direction, that~is, in the direction of such schism undoubtedly lies principally with the Synod-
a mutual, general confession, without stressing any icals. They brought their so-called, doctrinal differ-
particular sin, or putting any specific blame on either ences to the synod of 1936 without any official overture
of the parties. That is the impression, at least, we from consistory,  classis, or particular synod; They
receive from an editorial in De Bamin  of the 10th of forced the -issue in 1939 to 1944 at e time "when the
September, 1948.. He first complains that the Rev. Bos country was still in the throes of the terrible World
seems to think that most, if not all, of the blame for War II. And they turned a deaf ear to hundreds of
the schism is upon the Synodicals; and then he ex- petitions not to go ahead in this matter. `They barred
presses his own opinion as to the way a confession on Candidate H. J. Schilder from the pulpit in Noordeloos ;
both sides ought to be conducted and a reconciliation and no one who reads' his book, "Kerk `en Sede", can
accomplished, as follows : "And therefore, I am of escape the conclusion that he was barred without any
the opinion that we must approach the question of cause of justice. And they deposed Doctors Schilder
confession of sin in a different way, and I believe that and Greijdanus on the ground of articles 79 and 80 of
the Rev. Bos can also find himself in it, in this sense the Church Order,' although. they had committed no
of the word. The question of `guilt' must be discussed. other sin than that of opposing an hierarchical synod,
When a breach of friendship and love exists between who  lorded  it over the churches. And they deposed
me and a brother in the congregation, then I certainly numerous officebearers in the local churches, who
do not approach him in the week of preparation for again had committed no other sin than to refuse to
the Lord's Supper with the message, `I am right, and subject themselves under the yoke of synodical  bier-
you are wrong!`-and now we will confess our sin of archy.
unbrotherliness together ! ! Such a reconciliation sure-       It may be that a confession such as the editor of
ly will not be a success.                                   De Bazuin proposes will have the result that some of
   "But I believe that it must be conducted in this the' weaker Liberated brethren will be deceived and
way, and that is surely the underlying ground of the return to "the mother church."
whole brochure  of  Rev. Bos:  we  are  brethren; we           But it will surely not affect a true reconciliation.
believe in the same Christ; we belong together, accord-        Another of the propositions of the' Rev.  Bos would
ing to His commandment; let us not start now with issue a call to all believers on both sides of the schism
the question who is right, for we are of the opinion to cooperate in stopping immediately all attacks upon
indeed that we had to act as we did ; but let us com- each other, such as cannot stand the test of brotherly
mence in confessing our sin before God that we drifted love".' He refers in this proposition to James 3 :l-12.
so far apart; let it become a matter of guilt to us more       Commenting on this proposition, the Rev. Nawijn
and more that we are ,not one; and let the prayer be- writes :                               .     `_
come deeper and more serious for the operation of His          "I read, first of all, once again in that letter of
Spirit within us ; for when that Spirit works within us, James, hence, in the Word :of.God  : `If any man offend
we begin to be ever so small in ourselves ; then learned not in word, the same is a perfect man'. The refer-
professors and nice-preaching ministers and leading ence here is especially to the sin of the tongue, the
elders all become poor sinners, who feel themselves spoken word. Who of us (on both sides!) was perfect?
guilty of  #many shortcomings even in the most holy of No one. But at this point the author must have thought
their works.                                                particularly about the written words ; and while we
   "I am of the opinion that when the Spirit of God acknowledge our own faults, I am nevertheless of the
so works on. both sides of the schism, the desire will opinion that the author may sound forth this call very
certainly arise for a communal confession of sin,-in emphatically in his own circles. Why beat about the ~_
that way we can find one another again as brethren." bush? The terrible indictments, the hateful words                         _
   I do not believe that this is according to Scripture.    (amounting to calling of names, sometimes), the in-
Nor will it effect a proper and Scriptural reconciliation sults which during the last couple of years were written      . _
between the two groups. For in my opinion the Liber-        in the papers of those under Art. 31 lie at the door of


               54                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   *'

               our brethren of the other side ;-and they themselves of another, purgery, adultery, fornication, theft, acts
               will have to give account of them. But by these the of violence, habitual drunkeness brawling filthy lucre ;
L              chasm has been deepened. For that reason I wrote in in short, all sins and grossoffenses, as render the
               my first article that we have waited for a voice as perpetrators infamous before the world, and which in
               that of the Rev. BOS, that  .we have hoped for it. When, any private member of the church would be considered
               sol we said, will one have the courage again to call us worthy of excommunication."                  I
               brethren. For we knew but too well that there were               Now, does the Rev. Nawijn still complain about
               many, very many, (they were no editors of church the -fact that the Liberated do not call the Synodicals
               papers) who longed for the unity; but after the bro- brethren ?
               chure of Rev. Schelhaas appeared, as a little cloud              Are those that are considered heinous sinners, hav-
               like a man's hand, this much bigger cloud came. For ing committed a gross sin, which is a disgrace  ,to the
               this there is, in our churches,  rejoicing,,because  there church or worthy of punishment by the authorities,
               is in his word the expression of brotherly love, of which brethren, as long as they do not repent? IAre they not
               we never read. We can only hope and pray that this rather. heathen and publicans ?
               call may find response also in the church circle of the          How, then, is it possible that the Liberated, who are
               `Rev. Bos, that many of those under Art: 31 would like designated as. heathen and publicans, principally, by
               this very much is very evident;. and when I listen to         the Synodicals, can call the latter brethren?
               the tone of `the. church papers of our .own churches             Is it not perfectly clear that the Synodicals must
               which,I read, I can assure the Rev. Bos that he may first repent of their sins before they have the right to
               be satisfied on this score."                                  complain of the lack .of brotherliness with regard to
                     Now, I cannot but be surprised at the complaint the Liberated brethren?
               of the.Rev. Nawijn that the men under Art. 31.do  not            I would say, with Rev. Nawijn : let us not beat about
               call them brethren.          For who were they that first the bush.
          rtiused  to call those of the Liberated Churches breth-                                                                     11. H .
               r e n ? Were they not the Synodicals? Did they not                                  -           -
               cast them out of their churches on the ground of
               articles 79 and 80 of the Church Order? 0, I am well t
               aware of the fact that they did not mean to cast out          THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE
               so many of them as ultimately joined those that were
               expelled from their fellowship. But principally this
               should make no difference at all. Not only Candidate
               Schilder,-  Dr. Greydanus, and Dr. Scbilder,  and many        An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
               other officebearers, but also the thousands of the mem-                           Catechism                    -
               bers that follow them were expelled from the fellow-
               ship of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, on                               P A R T   T W O
               the basis of articles 79 and 80. of the Church Order !
               Does not the Rev. Nawijn' know the contents of those                            LORD'S  DAY- 25
               articles? Let me quote them.                                                             1 .
               Art. 79 reads as follows:                                             -    The Means Of Grace. (cont.)
                     `,"When ministers -of the divine Word,  elder; or
               deacons, have committed any  pubhc,  gross sin, which            In the third place, the word has the meaning that
               is a' disgrace to the church, or worthy of punishment lives most generally and vividly in the mind of the
               by the authorities, the elders and deacons shall im- church, the meaning, namely, of undeserved and for-
               mediately by preceding sentence of the consistory there- feited favor. Essentially this is the same signification
               of and of the nearest church, be suspended or expelled as the one we just called to your attention ; only, the
               from their office, but the ministers shall only be sus- free and undeserved character of it is now emphasized  *
               pended. Whether these shall be entirely deposed from and emphatically  _ revealed. Still the word has the
               office, shall, be subject to the judgment of the  classis,    meaning of friendly or gracious disposition,  the grac-
               with the advice of the delegates of the particular synod ious attitude of God toward His people. But. now the
               mentioned in article 11."                                     freedom and. sovereignty of this grace is emphasized
                     And `Art 80 reads :                            ".       by the state and condition of the subjects that receive
          .      : "Furthermore' among the gross sins, which are and experience this grace of God. Grace is always
               worthy of being punished with suspension or deposition free ; it'aIways  has its basis only in God. But the free-
               from office, these are the principle ones: false  doc- dom and -independence of this favorable disposition of
     .         trine or heresy,.  public schism, `public blasphemy,  sim- God is brought out  more'clearly  and vividly when the
               ony, faithless desertion of office or intrusion upon that recipient is himself .a sinner, who forfeited every claim


                                    T.HE.  STAN'D'-ARD   B E A R E R                                                55

to the favor of God and deserved in fact'only  His wrath has graciously inclined toward men, He blesses' them ;
and disfavor. Hence, the Word of God uses the term and the contents of that blessing is grace. Even as,
grace as standing opposed to `debt- or obligation,' op;      when He is  .displeased  and unfavorably inclined to men,
pose&also to work. When anything is out of works or He curses ;' and the result is misery .and death. Thus
according to work, it is not of, or according to grace ;     the word is very often employed in Scripture, as has
and vice versa. Thus we read in. Rom. 4: "Now to been.  said It is by grace that we are saved. Eph.
him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,        2:8. The apostle writes in I Cor.  15:lO: "By the
but of debt."    The wage-earner does not receive a grace of God I am that I am," evidently meaning that
token of the gracious disposition of his employer when the power of ,God's `grace has made him what he is.
he receives his wages. But we are being justified freely And in I Peter  1:13,  to quote no more,  .we read :
by His grace,. through the redemption that is in Christ ". . . .hope to the end for the grace that is to be
Jesus. Ram. 3  :24.    In our justification- we have a brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ ;"-
manifestation of the free, gracious, and friendly dispo-, which we understand as referring to all the blessings
sition of God to usward  in and through Jesus Christ of salvation that are showered upon the Church  in
as our Redeemer and Saviour. Hence : "If it is by Jesus Christ our Lord.
grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no            And thus it can be understood that the word grace
more `grace. But if it be of works, it is no more of in Scripture also has the meaning of thanks. When
grace: otherwise grace isno more work." Born. 11:6.          we read in our English Bible: "But God be thanked
We have redemption through the blood of Christ, the that ye were the servants of sin, but ,ye have obeyed
forgiveness of sins, not according to works, which from the heart that form of doctrine which was .de-
would be impossible, but according to  the.  riches of livered  unto you," the original has literally : "But grace
His grace. Eph. I :7. Grace, then, is such a friendly be to God. . .  ." Rom. 6  :I7. When the apostle ex-
disposition; such a favorable attitude of God toward claims in Rom.  7:25: "I thank God through Jesus
His people in Christ Jesus as makes it possible even for Christ our Lord," the Greek has : "Grace be to God. . ."
those that are entirely undeserving, yea, that have In the original of the well-known doxology of I Cor.
wholly forfeited His kindness and favor, to receive it.      15:5'7 we read: "Grace be to God,`Who  giveth us the
    Hence, in the fourth place, the-word grace  occurs victory. . .  ." And the-same expression may be found
very frequently in Scripture to denote that power of in many other passages : II Car..  2 :14 ; 9  :15 ; II-Tim.
God whereby the sinner is actually saved and delivered 1:3, etc. The meaning is most probably that grace is
from the bondage of sin and corruption, whereby he ascribed to God by those that are the objects of and
is regenerated and sanctified, and thus made pleasant have experienced the power of His grace, in order that
in the sight of God; as well as the implication of all       He may receive the praise.as  the God of all grace.
the spiritual .blessings  and virtues that are thus be-         Now, when we speak of means of grace, we -refer
stowed upon the objects of God's favor. Important in to grace in the fourth or subjective, sense of the, word.
this connection is the passage in I Peter 5 : 10, where It is through means that the Holy. Spirit works faith
the term grace is used in its all-comprehensive sense:       in our hearts, effects within us the grace of the Lord
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his Jesus Christ, and bestows upon us all the blessings of
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suf- salvation.
fered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,          These means are: the preaching of the Word of
settle you." God is the God of all grace. This implies, God  and,the  sacraments, namely, Holy Baptism and the
first of-all, that God is gracious in Himself, as we have    Lord's Supper.
already explained. He is the all-gracious God. In               Of these the .preaching  of the Word is the more
the second place, this means that He is the source and       important. This is evident, first of all, because the
author of all grace. Wherever you. may  find grace, it `preaching of the Word is indispensable. Without the
 is the grace of God. And thirdly, it implies that He is sacraments the Christion, if need be, can live ; but
the sole, the only author of grace. Apart from Him never, without the preaching of the Word. Without
there is no grace: He `works it, He bestows it  as  a the Word  of. God' he cannot come to a conscious faith
manifestation of His own gracefulness; In this sense in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has no knowledge of
the word occurs very frequently in Scripture. ,It has Him, and, therefore, cannot appropriate Him by a
this connotation in the apostoliti  benediction : `<Grace true and living faith. It is through the preaching. of
be to  you":; or: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Word that the Holy Spirit works faith in our
 be with you",-which can only mean that God in His hearts. Besides, the preaching of the Word is not only
grace; through Jesus Christ, may graciously work in the means whereby the Holy Spirit works faith within
and' upon the Church, may bestow the power of His            US,  but it is also the main means for the strengthening
grace upon believers and make them partakers of all and upbuilding and sustaining of our faith. The sacra-
the blessings of grace and salvation. For  when-God          ments are also used to strengthen our faith, but in a

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

different way from the Word of God: they are really also have a different, the very opposite,`effect  of grace
added to the Word. They obsignate and seal the prom- and salvation  inthe hearts of men. The Word is not
ise of God in the gospel. But it is chiefly through the only a savor of life unto life, but also a savor of death
Word that we increase in the knowledge and grace of        unto death: and what is true of the word is also true
our Lord Jesus Christ. Upon the Word, therefore, the of the sacraments. But,this does not alter the fact that
sacraments are dependent. Without it they are mean- both the preaching of the Word and the sacrements
ingless and have no content. This would not be true, are used by God as nueuns of grace, that is, as means to
of course, if the Roman Catholic view of the sacraments work faith and all the blessings of salvation in the
were correct: for according to the Romish Church the hearts of the elect, and that therefore the Church is
sacraments have power to work in themselves, even able to administer them and the individual believers,
without the preaching of the Word ; grace is not really can use them.
worked in the heart of the believers by the Holy Spirit        One more remark we must make, before we proceed
through the sacraments, but the latter are grace. Just to the consideration of the preaching of the Word as
as the theory of common grace proceeds, really, from a means of grace. In a sense we can say, of course,
the idea that things in themselves are grace, so the that all things are means of grace for the elect. In
Roman Catholic Church teaches that grace is in. the
                        .                                  the first place, it is plain, of course, that the simple
sacraments. Baptism, according to them,  ,works  re-' reading of the Bible can be used by the Holy Spirit on
generation; and in the Lord's Supper we really eat         one of the elect and to bring him to a living faith
and drink Christ with our physical mouth. In that in Christ. In the same way God may use the xonver-
ease we really do not need the preaching of the Word,      sation of believers among themselves or the Bible  dis-
but what we need is the Church and the priest, as the `cussion  in our societies as a means for edification and
dispenser of grace.          In distinction from them the for strengthening of the faith. But there is more.
reformers and the Protestants in general have  always" ,The Scriptures teach us : "And we know that all things
emphasized that the preaching of the Word is the main work together. for good to them that love God, to them +
means of grace, that it alone is really indispensable, who are the called according to his purpose." Rom.
and that the sacraments are dependent on it. And,           8:28.  When the Word of God here teaches us that
"therefore, not the sacraments, but the preaching of all things work together for good, the meaning is, of
the Word  _ should have the chief emphasis  .in our course, that they all work together unto the salvation
c h u r c h e s .                                           of the children of God ; and that is especially true of
      `Now,  we explained that means in general are ele- what we consider evil things in themselves  : the tempta-
ments taken from the world of our experience, elements tion of the devil and of the world and .of our flesh,
that are always employed by God for the same purpose the suffering of this present time in general, and, more
and end, and. which, for that very reason, we also are particularly, the suffermg for Christ's sake. That all
able to use, and by which we are bound. The same is these things are employed by the Holy Spirit unto the
true of -means of grace. The Bible is for us, of course, salvation of the elect and to cause believers to grow
the inspired Word of God ; it is the revelation of the      in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is very evident
God of our salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. But from the Word of God. So we read, for instance, in
this does not alter the fact that the Bible as such is a Rom. 5:2-4: "By whom also we. have access by faith
human book, manufactured of human material, written into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope
in human language, and adapted to our human under- of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in
 standing. The preacher of the Word is a man of like tribulations also : knowing that tribulation work&h
 passions even as we are, with the same human intellect, patience ; and patience, experience ; and experience,
 speaking to us in a human voice, and with human hope." And in James 1:2, 3: "My brethren, count it
speech. The water in baptism, the bread and wine in all. joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing
 the Lord's Supper, are elements from our world ; yet it this, that the trying of your faith ,worketh  patience."
pleases God, by the Holy Spirit, through all these means And, to, quote no more, in I Peter  1:6-9 we read:
to work grace in the hearts of His elect. . And because "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season,
He always works the same thing through these means,         if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temp-
that is, through the preaching of the Word and the          tations: That the trial of your faith, being much more
administration of the sacraments, He always makes           precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
the elect partakers of His grace, the church in which with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and
they are instituted can administer them, and the indi- glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having
vidual believer can also employ them and is bound to        not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not,
 their use. I emphasize here that God uses the means yet believing, ye rejoice  .wi*th  joy unspeakable and full
of grace, the preaching of the Word and the sacra- of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the  s,al-
ments, for the elect. It is true, of course, that they      vation  of your souls."                               ._
                                   .


                                              I,
                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      517

   All these passages plainly.tea,ch  that all things, in the Scriptures, the Word of God, became the means of
a sense, are means of grace, and that God, especially grace par excellence. Even the sacraments were sub-
through tribulation and suffering, causes His people ordinated on the Word, and had no meaning or power
in the world to grow in the true .knomledge  of Jesus without that Word. But that Word was able, there-
Christ' and faith and hope and love,-.Even  as a young fore, to operate and did operate also without the insti-
oak, when it is tossed by severe storms, strikes' its tute of the Church. It is true that  (God entrusted the
roots deeper into the ground, so by the grace of God Word to His Church in order that it might be explained
tribulation and suffering have the effect that the be- by her, preached, and defended., But that Word is not
liever strikes his roots. of faith deeper into Christ and given to_ the Church in such a way that without .her
thus grows in grace.                                      it would have neither existence nor power. On the
   Yet, by means of grace something else is meant.        contrary, that Word is directed to all men ; it is of
  For without the preaching of the Word, by which value in all circumstances and for all ,spheres  of life.
believers are called and through which they receive And it derives its power and operation by no means
the knowledge of Christ, and without the sacraments, only from the fact that it is being preached by an
which are added to the Word of God as signs and seals official person in the gathering of believers. It oper-
of the promise, all these other and general means have ates also then when it is being read and studied in the
no meaning and no effect. And therefore we may say home, when it is being narrated by parents. or teachers,
that means of grace are very specifically those means when it is brought to the knowledge-of men no matter
which the Holy Spirit uses as they are officially insti- in what form. Everyone, who, and what, and-wherever
tuted in the Church to be administered by her and to he be, who accepts that Word in faith, is a partaker of
be received from  herand  through her and used by the God's promise, of grace in Christ and of the entire
individual believers.                                     blessing of salvation. He does not need to wait for a
   These means of grace are only two: the preaching Church, a minister, or for the sacrament. Whoever
of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. believes has eternal life."
                                I                            Now, it is perfectly true that the Word as a means
                ., d                                      of grace is not dependent on the Church, if by Church
                          2.                              is meant the Romish Church.. ,Nor is salvation depend-
           Preaching as a Means of Grace.                 ent on:a *Romish  priest. The Church is free to institute
                                                          its own offices. But that does not alter the fact that
   The first and chief means of grace is the preaching the means of grace are given to the Church. No Re-
of the Word.                                          : formed `man so belittles the institute of the Church `as
   (And here it should be emphasized at once that the to think or teach that he can partake of the  sacra-
Word of ,God must be preached: Then, and then only, ments, whether baptism or the Lord's Supper, without
as the Word that is preached it is a means of grace.      the institute of the Church in his own home or in any
Many there are who either deny or completely ignore gathering of believers. Nor `is the. preaching of the
this truth, and belittle the importance of, preaching. Word a means of grace apart from the institute of
They simply speak of the .Word'oi;.even  of the Bible as the Church.
the means of grace. So even `Dr.  H. Bavinck in his          It is true, of course, that the Church is founded
"Roeping en Wedergeboorte", pp.  lil, 112, writes (we on the Word of God, that the Word of God was first,
translate) : .                                            and not the Church. But it is evidently not true that
   "But out of this affinity of the. covenant of grace the Bible as we now have it was before the Church.
and the gospel, it follows in the second place that grace Long before there ever was a Bible, there was preach-
is not dependent, as presented by the Romish Church, ing of the Word of God. In fact, preabhing  was from
on the institute of the church or priest and sacrament. the very beginning of the world, as has been explained
The relation between -Scripture and the Church is  de:    in connection with Lord's Day VI, question and answer
fined `by the Protestants in an entirely different way 19 : "Whence knowest thou this? From the holy gospel,
than by the Roman Catholics. According to the latter, which God Himself first revealed in paradise; and
the Church precedes the Scriptures. The Church is afterwards published by the patriarchs and prophets,
not built on Holy Scripture, but Scripture proceeded and represented by the sacrifices and other ceremonies
out of the Church. The  ,Church,  therefore, for her of the  laws; and lastly, has fulfilled it by his  only-
being in existence does not need the :Scripture&ut the b e g o t t e n   S o n . "
Scriptures for their origin, collection, preservation,       How comparatively recent it is, however, that the
and explanation are in need of the Church. The Re- Bible as we now have it `existed not only, but was
formation, however, reversed this relation. She placed accessible to all. For many centuries the Church exist-
the Church on the foundation of the Scriptures and put ed without a written Word whatsoever. ,, For many
the latter far above the Church. Not the Church, .but more centuries only the  (Old Testament canon was

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

gradually written and finally completed. And again, than silver and gold." `The ,esteem in which we are
for centuries' afterward the Church waited for the held, the impression which our name leaves with our
completion and closing of the New Testament canon. fellow-men, is and should be for us a matter of great
And even then,' many more centuries elapsed before concern. It is and should be more valuable than silver
the Bible was accessible to every believer. This had and -gold. Let no man be able to speak evil of us.
to wait for the invention of the printing press in the       If they do speak evil of us may it be slanderous and
fifteenth century, for the general distribution of the       then for the cause of God and His Christ in the midst
Bible, and for the general education of the masses to        of the world. Criminals who have been apprehended
be able to read and write.                                   and taken into prison forfeit their names. They be-
       But always' the Church had the  commi&ion  to come mere numbers. They have lost their identity and
preach the gospel.                                           this is reflected in the loss of their names. As far as
       And always the preaching of the Word was a means
                               \                             Scripture is concerned, it is a matter of common know-
of. grace.                                                   ledge that names in Holy Writ have great significance.
                                                H. H.        They are expressions of the nature or being of any-
                                                             thing or of one of the attributes of that being.
                                                                This idea of a name is clearly taught throughout
                                                             the Word of God. `This appears, in the first place,
               OUR DOCTRINE                                  from the several names of God : the Almighty, the Holy
                                                             One, Jehovah, etc. These names simply have signifi-
                 The Names Of God                            cance.     Secondly, many human names in Scripture
                                                             have significance and also the reason is given why their
       One can hardly maintain that the treatment of the particular names have been given them, e.g., Eve  (Gen.
Names of God by Reformed theologians in the past has         3:20), Cain (Gen. 4:1), Seth (Gen.  5:29), Babel  (Gen.
been characterized by unanimity of opinion. Much dif- 11:9), Ishmael (Gen.  16 :ll), Esau and Jacob (Gen.
ference of opinion exists. The late Dr. Bavinck com- 25 :25), Moses (Ex. 2 :lO) , Jesus. (Matt. 1%). Third-
prehends everything under the concept "Name of God"          ly, either names are changed in Holy Writ or a sur-
{names and attributes, the Being and Trinity of God),        name is added when a person appears in another
and divided or treated this subject-material as follows :    capacity, e.g. : Abraham (Gen. 17 :5), Sarah (Gen. 17 :
Proper Names, Essential Names (God's  essenc+-God            15)) Israel (Gen.  32:28), Joshua (Numbers 13  :16),
als de Zijnde, God as Spirit, God as Light, God as the       Jedidiah (2 Sam. 12  :25), Marah  (Ruth  1:20), Peter
Holy One, God as Sovereign), Personal Names (the             (Mark 3 :16). Fourthly, of importance is the naming
Trinity).       The late Dr. A. Kuyper distinguishes be- of the animals. We read in Gen. 2:20 : "And Adam
tween the names and attributes of God, but does not gave names to all cattle, and to the fawl of the air,
confine himself strictly to this distinction., Discussing and to every beast of the field ; but for Adam there
the names of ,God he distinguishes between the essential was not found an helpmeet'for him." This implies,
names (,God as Spirit, God as Love, God as Light, God        on I the one hand, -that these animals had a name.
as Life), and  .proper  names- (El, Elohim, Yahweh,          They did not receive their names as such from Adam.
Shaddai,  Eljon, Adonai,  Sabaoth).  Others also dis-        The first man merely gave expression to the names
tinguish between the names and -attributes of God.           which they already possessed. These animals revealed
<Calvin has no distinction.                                  themselves according to their own peculiar nature.
  This difference of opinion among Reformed theo- And this manifestation was their real, actual name.
logians is easily understandable. Our names, we under- Moreover, Gen. 2  :2O also implies that these names of
stand, have little significance. They merely serve to the animals (their real, actual name) could be recog-
distinguish the one person from the other. In Serip-         nized by  &dam. The Lord caused these animals to
ture, however, a name has great significance. It is not pass before the head of the human race in review and
merely an idle sound. It expresses one's nature or           revealed unto him their true identity. And  finaQ,
being. God's Name, for example, is, His Self-Revelation.     the naming of the animals  iniplies that these true
One can easily understand, therefore, why Reformed names of the animals could be expressed by means of
theologians in the past vary in their treatment of this the human language. From all these Scriptural pas-
material and why "some comprehend everything under sages and for all these reasons it is evident that the
the concept : Name of ,God.                                  name has significance in Holy Writ.
              The Idea  Of  A Name  In Scripture.                      This  Idea  Of.  The Name Also Applies
       The importance of a name is also reflected among                           To The  LoFd.
us. We read in Prov. 22 :l : "A good name is rather to          That the Name (or Names) of *God has great signifi-
be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather cance is clear throughout the Word of God. We have


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          59

 already called attention to the fact that the Names the Absolute Reality. When He speaks He always
of God as such have meaning. He is the Almighty, speaks of Himself. In everything, in nature and in
the Holy One, Jehovah, Lord, the Most High, Father, grace (not viewing nature and grace dualistically, as
etc. This also appears from various texts. We read we have pointed out in a previous article-see October 1
in Prov.  18  :lO : "The name of the Lord is a strong issue of 1947)) in all the works  .of God's hands and in
tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."           Christ, all things direct us to the living, God. The
Other passages occur in Holy Writ, such as: "The heavens declare the glory of LGod and the firmament
Name of the Lord is our salvation" and: "In the Name sheweth His handiwork. Day unto day  uttereth  speech,
of the Lord is our help." From these passages and             and night unto night sheweth knowledge, and this
many others it is abundantly evident that the Name of speech and this knowledge are speech and knowledge
the Lord is more than  a-mere  idle sound. Surely, a          concerning the Lord. God is the alone blessed Good,
mere idle sound cannot be a strong tower, our salva- the Eternal, Infinite, Absolute Reality, Who created  L
tion and our help. Yet, this is exactly what the Scrip- the heavens and the earth, Who realizes His eternal
tures attribute to the "Name" of the Lord. Hence, covenant of grace, sovereignly, along the lines of elec-
the "Name" of the Lord is the living Lord Himself, tion and reprobation, and that only for the greatest
the revelation of Jehovah Who alone is God and  -Who          and highest glory of His Name. God does all things
rules forever and ever.                                       for His Name's sake. When He speaks He always
    Of basic importance, in our study of the Names of speaks of Himself. All Divine revelation is necessarily             j
God, is the truth: our knowledge of God is possible Self-revelation also in the sense that He is the Object
only in the light of God's Self-revelation. We must           of.`this revelation. Thirdly, Divine revelation implies
never confuse the knowledge of God with a compre-             a creature who is able, to receive this revelation. This
hension of the, Lord.      That the Lord is incompre- lies, in the nature of the case: Revelation also implies
hensible is everywhere. the teaching of Holy Writ.            that ,a person reveals Himself  ,to someone. To be sure,
"Canst  thou by searching find out, God?  canst  thou the Lord is eternally Self-revealed within Himself.
find out the Almighty unto  perfection?"+ob.   11:7; Eternally He knou?s  Himself as the infinitely blessed
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and His       God. Jesus, Christ, as the eternal Son, is the Word,
greatness is unsearchable"-Psalm 145 :3 ; "To whom is He not, the Self-expressed Image of the Father. The
then will `ye. liken God  : or what likeness will ye com-     eternally blessed Triune God  is. therefore eternally
pare unto Him?" Indeed, not as <God  as such but God revealed unto' Himself out of the Father in the Son,
as revealed is the-object of our knowledge. We see and through the Holy Spirit. However, God has also
and know the Lord, not as He is, but only in His              revealed Himself in all the works of His hands and in
revelation. Yet, although the Lord is incomprehensible,       Christ Jesus. And this creaturely revelation of the
we can know Him. This is clearly taught, e.g., in John Lord surely implies or demands a creature who is able
 17:3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know        to receive this revelatiom  And this creature is man.
Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou           Man, in distinction from all other earthly creatures,
hast sent." The knowledge of the Lord refers to that because of his peculiar creation, is able to receive this
activity of the &iild of God whereby he, with all his         speech of the Lord and recognize in creation the
heart and mind-and soul, is wrapped up in the "knowl-         Creator. He is able to know his God and serve Him
edge" of Jehovah, loves the Lord, would ever lose him- with all His heart and mind and soul and strength.
self in the greatness of Jehovah, in the greatness of            Only, although it is true that all knowledge of the
Jehovah exactly as the incomprehensibly glorious God.         Lord is based upon this revelation of God, not .this
    Hence, we can know God only because and insofar. revelation but God Himself is the object of our knowl-
as He has revealed Himself. Revelation implies three edge. Indeed the heavens declare the glory of God,
things. Firstly, the revelation of God is Self-revelation and the firmament sheweth His handiwork. Through-
in the sense that he is the Subject of this revelation.       out the Psalms we are exhorted to praise and bless
God must reveal Himself. All knowledge of the Lord and love the  Lord,  for  theLord is great and greatly
must come from the Lord. Never can we and never to be praised. This is eternal life, that we know God,
may we determine the essence or nature or identity the only true God, through Jesus Christ Whom He has
of God. We do not determine who or what He is. All            sent. His revelation is not the object of our worship
 knowledge of God must proceed from `Him and can and adoration. The creature is not the object of our
never originate in the heart or mind of man. Secondly,        praise ; we do not bow down before it and worship it.
 God's revelation is Self-revelation in the sense that        God's revelation of Himself is but a means to lead
God is the Object of this revelation. The Lord must
                                                 _- . ..-.    us unto Himself. And man, created in the image of
not only reveal Himself. But He must and always the Lord, is fully aware of this fact. He knows that
does reveal  Himself. God is always the content of His "for the invisible things of Him from the creation of
revelation. It can never be otherwise. He alone is            the world are clearly seen, being understood by the         ,.

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

           things that aremade,  even His eternal power and God- Ghurch of the living God must, therefore, seek her all
           head ; `so that they are without excuse." Man knows in Christ. She must not turn to anything or anyone
           that the creature is not the ,Creator,  that the things outside of Him. And the reason or ground for the
           are not to be identified with Him Who made them,             apostle's exhortation that we seek all things in Christ
          that above all things and infinitely distinguished from alone is expressed in the ninth verse: "For in Him
           them stands the' living Lord. Hence,.not  God% revela- dwelleth all the fulness of the ,Godhead bodily.`? Count-
           tion but the living God Himself is the Object. of *our       less are the interpretations of this particular Word of
           worship and adoration ; it is the living God Whom we ,God. According to some this particular Scripture
           adore ; Him we love and worship in the light of His          would teach us that the entire will of God has been
           Self-revelation, in all the works of His hands and revealed in Christ and that in that sense He is the
           particularly in the face of Jesus Christ and in His fulness of the Godhead bodiiy. We may say in passing
         H o l y   S c r i p t u r e s .                                that the words "of the Godhead" are understood by us
             Moreover, this revelation of the living God, parti-        in the subjective sense of the word. Paul does not
           cularly in Jesus Christ, is wholly adequate. This does mean to declare that Christ fills the .Godhead, but that
           not mean, we understand, that it is adequate in the the Godhead fills Him, and that in that sense He is
           L:nse that the finite can comprehend the Infinite the        the fulness of the Godhead bodily. To assert that the
           temporal the Eternal. However, is it necessary for passage merely means to teach that the entire will of
           the finite to comprehend the Infinite, the temporal the God  is, revealed in Christ clearly does not reckon with
           Eternal? Does the happiness of the creature depend the language of the apostle here when he states that _
           upon the possibility of his understanding the Creator? He is the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Another inter-
            In fact, is it not true that to understand and compre-      pretation of this text seeks its solution in the mystery
           hend the Creator is furtherest removed from the heart of Immanuel. This text, then, would convey the same
           and mind of the Christian ? This is eternal life, is it meaning as when we read in John 1 that the "Word
           not, that we know and love and- serve the living God dwelt among us".
           .exactly  as the living God Who Iiveth in an inaccessible       Our Lord Jesus Christ is the fulness of the Godhead
           ,light. it is and will forever remain the longing and        in the flesh because He is the Personal Son of God in
            desire of the Christian that  ,God remain God. The the flesh. He is the  Iiving'God Himself united in the
           `Christian desires that he remain the creature and that Person of the Son of our flesh and blood. This, then,
            the Lord remain the Creator, incomprehensibly great, so it is claimed, is the significance of the Word of God
            and that forever and ever. That the revelation of God of Col.  2:9. Against this statement of the truth as
            is adequate does not mean, therefore, that  finite man such we have, of course, no objection. That this, how-
            can understand and comprehend the living God. Nei- ever, is the teaching of Col.  2:9 is something else.
            ther does this constitute an essential requirement for Does this explanation do justice to the word "bodily"
            the supreme happiness and blessedness of the child          in this text? Would the truth of Christ's Personal
            of God.                                                     Divinity be expressed just as well .were we to read :
                  The revelation of God is wholly adequate from a "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead"?
            two-fold point of view. In the first place, the revela- The word "bodily"' surely modifies and further de-
            tion itself is wholly adequate and complete. This sure- scribes the words that "in Christ all the fulness of the
            ly applies to the Christ in Whom the living God pleases     Godhead dwells".' The apostle here is referring to our
            to reveal Himself. Christ Jesus, the Mediator and           Lord Jesus Christ, not from the viewpoint of His being
           : Head of His Church, is, according to the human the eternal Son of God, but as the Head and Mediator
            nature, the complete revelation of the living God.          of His Church; Of Christ, as that glorified Mediator
            This, we believe, is literally taught in Cal. 2  :9, and    of His own, it is said that all the fulness of the God-
            we quote: "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of  .the     head dwells in Him. This implies, in the first place,
            *Godhead bodily." The context of these words of the that He is Himself that fulness. In Him we behold a
            apostle Paul is clear. The apostle had already stated complete revelation of the fulness of the alone blessed
            in verse 3 of this chapter that all the treasures of        God, of all His virtues and blessedness. The highest
            wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ. In verse 6 creaturely reflection of the. living  Zord stands before
            the  church  of God is exhorted to "so walk in Him",        us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, secondly, Christ
            namely, "Rooted and built up in Him, and established is `that fulness also in the sense that, in living com-
            in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein     munion with Him and out of Him, we receive a fulness
            with thanksgiving." To this the apostle adds the warn- of salvation. The Church, too, in living communion
            nfng, in verse 8, that the congregation of the Lord with her Lord, becomes partaker of the Divine nature
            must beware lest any man spoil them through philo-           (2 Pet. I:$), receives, in a creaturely measure, the
            s,ophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after very life of  <God  Himself. And thus we understand
.  `.       the' rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. The      the admonition of the apostle in the immediate con-


                                      T H E S T;A N:D A R.D, iB`.E-A R E R                                                                  61

 text that we seek our `all alone in Christ' and -not in and  ,Jahweh  Tsebhaoth. In the New Testament the
 anything or anyone outside, of Him: '                         following names appear: Theos, Kurios, Pater,  Panto-
      In the second place, the revelation, of God in Christ krator;'   Despot&s,   Sabaoth.  (James 6  :4). To these
 Jesus is completely adequate because of the creature various  names,%he Lord willing, we will call attention
 to whom God is revealed. It. is fully adequate because in our following'article.                                      1
 it completely satisfies us, will fill us and render us                                                            H .   V e l d m a n .   .;
 eternally and supremely happy and blessed. It is a                 *  ~         "`L  `.         ,('
 revelation  perftitly  and completely adapted to us and                         -     -    -                 -
 we shall be completely'adapted to  ,it. `:
      This  :Revelation  of  ,God is His Name, or,  ,God's
 Name is His Self-revelation. Fact is, as' we have al-               THEDAY OF SHADOW3
 ready stated, the Lord  has'revealed  Himself in nature
 and  L in Christ. Also;. the Lord has created a creature-
 (man) who can receive this `revelation. Moreover, the                      Sorroww  And ,hdignation
 Lord has also interpreted for us' this Self-revelation                                                 ..                             1
 and expressed it in human words adapted to our under-            Let us once more examine that Amalekite's  -report
 standing, such a.s .the words :' God, Father, Jehovah, to  David:e;!Here.  follows his story in his own.-yirords.
 Most High, etc. The Name of God is, therefore, not "As! I'happened  by chance upon mount Gilboa, Behold,.
 merely an idle sound but a living reality, is the living SaulJeaned  upon his spear ; and, lo, the chariots and
 God Himself revealed ; yea, God's Name is His con- horsemen followed hard after him. And when he look-
 tinuous Self-revelation.; He always declares His Name; ed. behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And
 He does not merely speak His Name and it happens I. answered;`Here  am I. And he said unto me, Who art
 to be there ; He always speaks His Name :Qod's  revela- thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He
 tion of Himself is continuous-His work, in-nature and said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and
 in Christ, is continuously maintained- by the living slay me : for anguish is come upon me, because my life
 God.                                                          is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and,slew  him,
                                                               because I was sure that he could not live after that he
           The Classification *Of God's Names  I@hich          was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his
                          We Prefer. , .         .  :     .    head, and the bracelet `that was upon his arm, and
      %We prefer. to distinguish between God's proper .have brought them hither unto my lord."
 Names and His attributes.  It. is true that,' strictly           The report contains sentences that are not clear.
 speaking, everything can be grouped under the head- `This is true of the statement, "And Saul leaned upon
 ing: Names o'f God. Also His attributes, such as His his spear." It may mean that Saul was lying. on the
 .mercy,  truth, love, grace, goodness, independence,  im- ground,. "propping.his  weary, head with the nervously-
 `mutability, etc. are surely revelations unto us of the       clutched spear ;?' or it may be understood of the at-
 living God. Nevertheless we prefer to distinguish be- tempt to. kill himself; or also of his leaning on his
 tween' the Lord's proper Names and His attributes. spear (which was.fixed in the ground) in order to hold
 Thereby we can better dist.inguish  between those names himself up:iin.  a standing. -position. So, too, the state-
 which are attributes and the `proper names whi&h  we ment, "For anguish issome upon me. . ., ." This may
 use when we speak of the living  ,God or address Him. .be.understood  of a death-agony brought on by a self-
 We do not address the Lord as: Mercy, Grace, Love,            inflicted .wound, or of a purely mental anguish :arising
 Wisdom,  ,Power; etc., but as: God; Father, Almighty from the awareness of the nearness of the.:;&rehers,  or
 God, Most High, etc. And, these words have meaning even of a bodily cramp resulting.from,excitement  and
 only because they are expressions of and speak to ,us exertion. ,,4nd what may be the meaning of the clause,
 of the Revelation of God in all,the  works of Hishands        `.`after that he was fallen." It may be understood of
 and in our Lord Jesus Christ;              .            r:    Saul's fall to the ground or of the defeat of his army.
 .                                                               s But the main thrust of the report is clear. The
           The Various Names Of God  IwHoly   Wtit.            Amalekite affirms! that he slew Saul. But according
      Even as the glory of the Lord is revealed' unto          tohthe infallible account of the sacred writer Saul killed
  us and stands before us in Holy Writ in and through himself by falling on his sword. The man therefore
 a multitude of attributes, so also the Lord Himself lied to David. Doubtless, his whole report in the main
stands before us in the Scriptures as having many was an invention: But he did come in the possession
n.ames.       They all reveal, the  Zord unto us even as He of Saul's crown. And his report in,so far agreeswith
  "stands" in relation to all things and particularly to that of the sacred writer that it, too, affirms that Saul
 His people. In the Old Testament we.have'the  names:          requested a bystander to slay him. We therefore must
  El, Elohim, Eljon, Shaddai and  El-Shaddai;  Jahweh suppose the facts in the case to have been these. The

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

Amalekite happened along in time to witness the suicide slain anyhow. Saul was not his own. He might as
of Saul and his armour-bearer. But this, of course, is little request others to slay him as he might take his
not certain. The man may have arrived sometime life by his own hand. And that he  .would have been
later after the storm of the battle had subsided, yet slain anyhow could give the Amalekite no right to
before the  Phi&tines  came to strip the slain. Re- destroy him.                i
moving the crown and the bracelet from Saul's corpse,        Was the man an Israelite combatant fighting on
and storing them among his equipment, he imagined the side of God's people ? Or was he perhaps a. Philis-
that a wonderful opportunity presented itself to him tine combatant fighting on the side of the uncircum-
for capitalizing on Saul's fall and death. By placing cised? The text seems to -indicate that he was neither.
that crown in David's hand, he could prove to him For to David's question, Who art thou," he replies that
that Saul was really dead. And he could say too that he is the -son of an ,Amalekite  stranger, that is, of an
he was the one who delivered the stroke that ended Amalekite who had settled in Israel. Being an Amale-
Saul's life. David would be grateful and reward the kite, he belonged to a doomed race. For the Amalekites
man for opening to him the way to the throne: Such were under the ban of God. He could not have belong-
were the man's anticipations. But he still was appre- ed, therefore, to the class of circumcised strangers in-
hensive, it seems. Would David not charge him with corporated through their circumcision into the common-
murder and have him put to death in punishment of wealth of Israel. It is best to suppose, therefore, that
his deed? That ,he thought, would not happen if he he was just a cursed Amalekite, who after the battle
told David that Saul, being in anguish, had begged to had hastened to the field of conflict to take part in
be slain, and that the reason he had yielded to Saul's the stripping of the slain.
request was that he saw that the king could not live,      The Amalekite's story horrifies and disgusts David.
after his fall, in other words, that he would die any- Twice the Lord had delivered Saul into his hand.
way. The man was confident, it seems, that, hearing Twice he had spared Saul's life, exclaiming, "A curse
his story, David would judge that he had done no evil be to me from Jehovah, should I do this to my master.`!
but rather that he had performed a good work-deserv- He had understood that slaying Saul, he would have
ing of reward. He would even rend his garment and committed a great sin and would have lost his God-
put earth upon his, head that David might perceive given right to the throne. Yet this Amalekite reports
that he felt as bad about Saul's death and the defeat of that he has destroyed Saul, and he imagines that David
God's people as any Israelite. All goes to show that is the kind of man who would allow himself to be
he was an Amalekite indeed and that he judged David served by such violence. David's duty is clear . He
according to his own standard.                           must order the man to be put to death, which he does.
      It was -a wicked deed that the man pretended to    Calling one of the young men, he orders him to go near
have committed.      According to his story, he had and fall upon the culprit. "And he smote him that he
stretched forth his hand and destroyed Saul upon died". The man's mouth has testified against him,
whose head had been poured the sacred oil. As was "saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed." The man's
explained in a previous article, the action with the oil blood is upon his own head, whether he actually had
was symbolical. It signified a doing of God whereby slain Saul or not. And it would have been just as right
He had appointed and called Saul to the office of for David to order the man put to death, had he re-
theocratic king and by His Spirit had qualified him ported that he had been fighting on the side of the
for a time for the duties of that office, but without    Philistines against Israel and that Saul therefore was
implanting in him the life of regeneration. Thus.Saul simply one of several victims found by his sword. For
was the anointed of the Lord indeed even to the very the Philistines had not the right to slay a single Israel-
last moment of his life, yet not in the sense that after ite. Their making war upon God's people was a great
his rejection he still was Israel's rightfd theocratic sin. Their being used by the Lord to chastise His
king, but only in the sense that it was the Lord who by people did not lessen their guilt.
special revelation had appointed him to the kingship       ' There is the question whether David really desired
and had seated him upon Israel's theocratic throne. the throne. He did, certainly, but not from carnal
This was the Lord's doing, not man's. Saul as man ambition, as did Saul, but for the Lord's sake, in love
and king therefore was not man's, not this miserable of God and His cause and His people and as realizing
Amalekite's ; he was solely the Lord's. This Amalekite, that the salvation of the church was bound up with his
therefore, in slaying Saul, and in slaying him with accession to the throne in Israel. The view of some
malicious intent, is a murderer, and a murderer of the Moderns, therefore, must be rejected, the view, namely,
deepest dye. For he took the life of one who in the that David's ordering the Amalekite slain was hypo-
eminent sense was the anointed of the Lord. Needless     critical, that the indignation of which that doing was
to say, that Saul had requested to be slain, does not the expression was feigned. David was simply putting
lessen the man's guilt, nor that Saul would have been on an act. And, so it is held, his reason was his want-


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               63

ing to make a good impression, his desiring to- in-                   For their was cast away the shield of the
gratiate himself with the  ,followers  of Saul. But if                    heroes.
David's indignation at the crime of the Amalekite was                 The shield of Saul, unanointed with oil.
feigned, he was not really indignant, and then sin was                From the blood of the slain,
so far from being an object of abhorence  to him that                 From the fat of heroes,
the most shocking expression of it left him cold. But                 The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
were this true, David was not a believer, not a saint                 And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
as to the heart of his disposition+ Then truly in order-              ,Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleas-
ing the Amalekite slain he was seeking self and not                       ant, in their lives and in their death
God ; then God was not in all his thoughts, and his sole                  they, were not divided.
aim was to promote his cause in Israel, were he that                  They were swifter than eagles !
kind of a man. But according to the Lord's own testi-                 They were stronger than lions !
mony, David was a man according to God's own heart,             .     Ye daughters of Israel weep for Saul,
implying that he was a man of true goodness seeking                   Who clothed you with scarlet and with de-
God and not himself also in sentencing the  SAmalekite                    lights, and put ornaments of gold upon
to die and in executing that sentence. David's indigna-                   your apparel.
tion, therefore, was not feigned. It was real. It was                 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the
spiritual. As to its essence,' it was hatred of sin and                   battle !
love of righteousness, of God.                                        0 Jonathan, thou wast slain on thine heigh'ts.
   As to David's wanting to make a good impression,                   I am distressed for thee, my brother Jona-
wanting to do the thing pleasing to the righteous in                      than. v
Israel, that certainly was his duty and calling. But                  .Very pleasant hast thou been unto, me,
his motive must be right. All the works of a man,                     Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the
even his best works, are glittering sins in the sight of                  love of woman.              a
God if the motive.`is  sinful. The sole question is then              How are the mighty fallen,
whether David's wanting to make a good impression,                    And the weapons .of war perished !
whether his wanting to do his duty, was the love of
God in him translated into sanctified action. And we                 The text ascribes the authorship of the song' to
have God's own word for it that such was the case.            David by the statement, "And lamented David this,
                                                              lamentation." This testimony is corroborated by the
   What must be said of David's indignation, must be content of the eligy. In whose mouth but in that of
said of the grief with which his heart was heavy on           David fits this song? David laments his eligy over  "
account of- the doleful events reported to him by the         Saul and Jonathan as  repr,esentative,  certainly ,of the
Amalekite. That grief, too, was genuine and spiritual. entire host of defeated and fallen heroes in this most
As to its essence it was love of IGod and his people.         recent war.       Heading `the song is the parenthetical
To this grief he gives expression first through sym- statement, "Also he bade them teach the children of
bolical acts and, second through a lamentation over Judah the bow: behold it is written in the book of
Saul and Jonathan. Having heard the story of the Jashar." This rendering, according to which the word
Amalekite, "David took hold on his clothes, and rent "bow" is understood as the title-lamentationof the
them ; and likewise all the men that were with him. bow-offers the fewest difficulties. The whole eligy
And they mourned and wept and fasted until even,              is an expression of a grief-David's grief-that arose
for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people from the consideration that the weapons of war to
of the Lord, and for the house of Israel ; because they which belonged the bow had perished. David ordered
were fallen by the sword."                                    the song taught the children of Israel as a permanent.
   The lamentation as literally translated reads as memorial of the doleful events over which he laments.
follows :                                                     He also gave command that it be written in the Book
     "The glory of Israel on thy heights is slain!            of Jashar, that is, the Book of the Upright. This book,
     How are the heroes fallen !                              already in existence for centuries, was a collection of
     Tell it not in Gath,                                     songs on the remarkable events, the marvelous works
     Publish it not in the streets of Askelon.                of God, thus the wonders, of the Israelitish history,
     Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,,          together with the celebration of the mighty men, the
     Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised'               , heroes, whose names were connected with these events.
             t r i u m p h .                                         David's "Lamentation of the Bow" is an ode that
     Ye mountains of Gilboa, be neither due nor               elicited praise from all commentators. And the praise
             rain on you,                                     has been profuse. Notice has been taken of what is              _
     Nor fields of offerings ;                                termed the "exquisite beauty" of the song, its "oneness


64                                             T H E STAN-DA,RD.   B E A R E R

and wonderful'variety," the "artistic skill with which
its successive thoughts are introduced," the "passionate -`SION'S _ ZANGEN
tenderness of the thoughts themselves;!r:  the `beauty
and life, the deep and faithful  love&hat  fills  itslines."                              .,,      :     .
                                                                                          .a-
Yet it is held even by some conservatives that the song                                   , Israel's  Liefdevoile   Heiland
is non-religious.        "It. is to be observed," says Toy                                   ,i
(in Lang's .commentary)  1" that the divine name does                                                                       (Psalm 105 ; Slot)
not occur in the song, nor `does it contain anytheocratic
or religious thought. There is no reference to Jehovah's                                           In dez,e psalm zingt  ,men  van de groote liefde die
wrath, no prayer for Jehovah's intercession, no expres- Jeh,ovah bewees  aan Israel, het volk van God,
sion of resignation to the divine will. Whatever David                                      We  waren  toegekomen tot  aan het vers waar sprake.
may have thought of these things, he  -here says noth- is van. de, haat van -Egypte;:  God had' hun- hart `omge-.
ing about them. The eligy, therefore, though noble keerd zoodat zij Zijn~_$o&. :haatten  en listiglijk met,
in feeling, is not religious; it is a national song, as the Zijne knechten  handelden.:   ;.r,r   l  x
title seems to indicate. . . .a gem of ancient poetry,                                            .Nu gaan we-verder.                               1.  -*  *?,..   .
not only pleasing as poetry, but instructive in the light                                          `fHij:zond  MozesZijnen knecht;  en Aaron dien Hij
that it throws on the personages and events .of the verkoren. had." :                                                                 I,     9.           _:             '
time." -                                                                                 8  Iets verder zullen we  ,lezen van het gehoorzamen
        But if the song is not religious-truly religious                                 dier  mannen,  het hooren en  doen  van des Heeren
both in the objective and subjective sense, how can it                                   Woord.
be a thing of nobility and beauty? If  itis not religious                                          Maar als we de plaatsen opslaau waar dit verhaald
it concentrates, not on the things above. but on the                                     wordt in het boek Exodus, dan `bemerken we, dat de
things on earth, and in these things it: ends. If it is Heere zwijgt aangaande het weigeren van Mazes om
not religious, it takes its rise not in sanctified emotion op Gods bevel naar Egypte te gaan. Het schijnt we1
but in David's sinful flesh. Thus,if.it is not religious alsof de schrik van een veertig jaren geleden  hem nog
it differs not essentially from such a song as  Lamech's                                 in de.leden zat. . .
"Ode to the Sword" of Genesis 4. Imagine a man like                                      `, t Evenwel,  de Heere hield  aan,.ook  bekrachtigde Hij
David making that kind of- poetry and ordering it Zi jn , knecht  ,om. te gehoorzamen. En weldra zien we
taught to all the children of Judah.' David's song is as Mozes,,:op  reis  naar  .Egypte.   Straks voegt de Heere
little non-religious as the `Lamentations of Jeremiah. Aaron tot Mazes,  en de broeders staan klaar om des
It is `just as religious as the Lamentations. It belongs, Heeren  Woo&l  te'  doen onder de goddelooze  Egypte-
does- this  .Ode,  to the same species of inspired poetry naren `die het volk ,van ,God nu: al voor honderde jaren
of the Bible as do the Lamentations.                                   ., "              geknecht,   hadden.                     ~
                                                G. M. Ophoff.                                      Dat werk word. door Gqd verder gekarakteriseerd
                                                                                         als `volgt : "zij -deden  onder hen de bevelen Zijner tee-
                                                                                         kenen, en wonderwerken in bet land van Cham.",
                                                                                                   De plagen zijn "bevelen  Zijner teekenen", en obk:
                                                                                         "wonderwerken". Zij  zijndat beiden.                                                 "...
                 50TH  WEDDING ANNIVERSARY                                                         Een  teeken  is,  i&s zichtbaars, hetwelk gebruikt
                                                                                         wordt om iets, dat op. zichzelf onzichtbaar is, in het
        On Novmber 4, 1948,  the"Loid willing, our beloved parents,                      zicht,bare   t e   o@nbaren.                  Zooals een vlag van een
                MR. and MRS. GERRIT GRITTER SR.                                          land,                b,v.     '
                                                                                                   Welnu, de &z&f plagen onder de Egyptenaren zijn
`hope to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.                                       evenzooyele  teekenen van God. Zij zullen iets in het
        We are thankful to our covenant God for His care bestowed                        zichthare afbeelden  van%erschrikkelijke  onzichtbare
upon them in the past, and pray that He may continue `to bless                           dingen.              In dit geval: de groote verbolgenheid des
them in the future.                                                                      Heeren. 0;  God,.is  kwaad geweest en is het nog op
                       Their grateful children:                                          dit volk, hetwelk Zijne.  kinderen  zoo vreeselijk  ge-
                                Mr. and Mrs. Ray De Meester                              plaagd had. En het had zoo ontzettend lang geduurd.
                                `Mr. .and Mrs. Joe Geelhoed- .I                          Voor honderde'  jaren   hebben& geplaagd, gemarteld,
                                Mr. tidid'MB.  George GrBt%?                        .    gehoond  bet arme volk van God. En God had het al
                                Mr. and..M+s.  atit  G?ibter.&.  , . . ..`i              gezien. De tijd. is gekomen, dat Hij .het zal zoeken en.
  I.                                             Arthur              . .                 thuisbrengen op het schuldige hoofd .van Egypte.
                                                 Joe                                               Vreeselijk is het te vallen in de handen  van den
                                                 9 grand-children.  .+  :                levenden God !
Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                " . . . .                   Daar zullen de volgende bladzijden ..van gewagenf,


    _.                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         67

                                                                   would be a slap in His face,  and indeed throughout
                   I N IH:S F E  k-R                               this book man does exactly that. Let me quote a few
                                                                   passages to give you an idea of'what the world's child-
                                                                   ren are taught in this widely used book, published by.
          Training For Life's Calling (2)                          one of the largest publishers of school books in the
                                                                   United States. Tracing the origin of the Hebrews,
  Training In Thi History Class.                                   this is what is stated of them:
          In the last issue we presented certain principles ac-       "The Hebrews started with many of primitive man's
  cording to which the subject of history should be taught ideas about the supernatural world, but from time to
  in  the`Christian  schools.  .Briefly  they were: (1) His- time certain exceptional members of the group intro-
  tory is the study and observation of God's eternal plan duced new ideas and practices. Abraham himself made
  and purposes in regard to the earth's peoples. (2) This a beginning by giving up human sacrifice. Moses told
plan God has `made known to us. It is principally to his people what the ten fundamental rules of conduct
  bring His Church into the final glory of. His perfected were, as given. him by Jehovah, their tribal god (the
  kingdom. (3) In it all God reveals Himself to us, and underscoring is mine. J.A.H.) who said he was a `jeal-
  therefore. in history we ought to contemplate the infinite ous God, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the child-
  greatness. of. God .and to worship Him, not men or ren unto the third and fourth generation.' This idea
  countries. We .refer  you to the former issue `of the of Jehovah held for over four hundred years ; then it
  Standard Bearer for a more detailed statement of these began to occur to some exceptional men, whom we call
  principles. Let us now consider this interesting sub- prophets, that it was ridiculous to think of their deity
  ject of history which is taught in all the schools of our as being meaner than many of the people around them.
  land and requires a special treatment in the Christian If men  m their dealings with others could give a square
  school.                                                          deal, surely God could and would do as well. So, bit
          We might begin by emphasizing the remark.above by bit, a higher conception of him appeared." A little
  that this subject must be treated differently in the later we come across this paragraph, "Then, about 750
  Christian school. There the teacher. is. giving instruc- B.C., came an astonishing revolution, a complete,break
  tion to the man of aGod,  the royal priesthood of God's with the past, when the self-appointed (underscoring
  children. The children of the world live only for this again is mine) wandering teacher named Amos taught
  world. They live in the present and cannot see another to those who would listen, a new view as to what was
  and better. world prepared and realized by God in really important in religion and what was not. God,  '
  Christ. Spiritually they are blind, for they are spirit- he said, did not care about ceremonies, but only about
  ually dead. No special training need be given them,              what men did to each other. No  .religion was real
  and no special training can be of any spiritual value to unless it was social; that is to say, unless it brought
  them.       According to their own slogan, "Let us eat, about better relations between men, as well as between
  drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.?' With such God and men. As Jesus was to say later,' `By their
  a philosophy and outlook upon life, past present and fruits ye shall know them.' So th& is one thing that
  future, no principles founded on God's Word are need- th.ese. prophets mean t? our IVestern  world". (Under-
  ed or wanted. Z he past and present can by them only scoring of this last phrase is also mine.)
  be considered from the viewpoint of what it teaches us              Let us also present this piece of blasphemy which
  in the way of making possible more eating, drinking appears in the paragraph following that which we
  and * merriment in the future before history brushes quoted above. "`An&her achievement of the prophets
  us aside and another generation arises to continue from IAmos on was that they made a start at driving
  where we left off on this quest for pleasure.                    fear and magic out of the world, though these were a ~
          This is clearly to be seen in a history book which long time in going. There was no magic in their teach-
  we have at hand. Its very title speaks volumes. This ing ; yet only fifty years before Amos, other prophets-
  book on world history is significantly entitled, "Man's like Elijah and Elisha-had told about oil cruses that
  Great Adventure". And inside is inserted a dedication always stayed full, iron that floated, and that sort of
  of the book which reads thus,                                    thing". Is there freedom of religion if our God and
                   "Written for young America,                     belief in Him has to be treated so shamefully and His
                    To help him get his stride                     works spoken of so irreverently? Or is it a freedom
              as he enters upon the great adventure,               of irreligion? Your chiEd is not taught these things in
                      And inscribed to G.C.P.                      .schools of the world, is he? Life surely is not a great
                  b Who shared in the adventure                    adventure. Life is serious! And it is not  i%,n's ad-
                Joyously, valiantly, and kindly."                  venture either. It is the work of the Almighty *God.
          That surely should not be our approach to the works      It is not man's attempt to get somewhere. It is God
 .of the Infinite, Almighty and Sovereign God. To do so working out His counsel with the goal eternally deter-


      68                                    T H E   .S'TANDARD B E A R E R

      mined and every step of the way with all its details             It follows then that when these children are in-
      planned in infinite wisdom. Webster has this to say structed in the subject of history, when they are in-
      of an adventure : "A bold undertaking in which hazards structed in regard to .a11 that which has taken place
      are to be met and the issue hangs upon unforeseen on this earth from creation onward, they .must see it
      events." * To call life such an adventure is indeed to all as God's work. That is fundamental. If they do
      deny the wisdom, the sovereignty, yea the very exist- not see history, the appearance of man on this planet,
      ence of the living God. To call life a great adventure the. rise and fall of nations, the appearance of men
      rules out the very idea of a life's calling, that is, a call- who lead people and nations into new channels, etc. etc.
     ing before God. At the very best such a view demands as God's work, they do not see history. If they simply
      a utilitarian training `for the few brief years that a see men and nations but not the Almighty God Who
      man remains on this earth and that for man's sake, for created them and brought them into being and leads
      the good of the whole human race which has set out on them according to His eternal counsel, they see very
      this adventure. To use the words of this history book,        little, and the little they see is of no' ethical value to
      training in the subject of history serves .the purpose them.          No `unbelieving historian really understands
      of helping the-.-child  get his stride as he enters upon history, and his title, historian, is a gross misnomer.
      this great adventure. Then, as we already stated, no          For he ignores the most fundamental facts of history.
      principles based upon God's Word are needed or He discounts the one Being Who is behind all that
      wanted.                                                       takes place in heaven and on earth. A historian who
            The child of God, however, must be trained for the `would attempt to write a history of the United States
      future life. He is not trained for a life that continues and would consistently and completely ignore the
      for but three score years and ten. Here already in            father of our Country, George Washington, would
      infancy he is regenerated, as a rule at least, *and he surely be classed as a man wholly unqualified to teach
      ha& in him a life that is eternal. He is God's royal          American history. Even more so are those so-called
      priesthood. He is citizen of God's eternal kingdom. historians, who ignore The Creator and Sovereign
.     His calling as such a citizen when presently that king-. Ruler of- all things in Whose hand is the heart of
      dom shall have fully come and he is in the Holy City kings, unqualified to teach history to the royal priest-
      is one and the same as the calling he has right now. hood of God. They refuse to recognize God, and surely
      He is called in this life by God (I Peter 2:9) to be His they cannot train your child to see God in all the
      royal priesthood in order that he may show forth God's events that belong to the history, of this world or of
      praises. He is formed by God (Isaiah 42:21) to show any one nation.. No  historian,+who  relegates  IGod to
      forth these praises eternally but also in this life. God the position of being a "tribal. god" of the Hebrews
      by the power of His Spirit has given His Word (II Tim.        understands the history of Israel. Nor does he or can
      3:16,  17) to thoroughly furnish man to every good he understand then the history of Egypt, of Babylon;
      work in this life already. He has that Word in this           who served Israel, or any other nation. He can philoso-
      life that he may begin to be prepared and equipped for phise about events, but he has closed his eyes to that
      that calling of life to glorify his Creator in all that he    which would help him understand them.            He may
      does. That is why he is called a royal priesthood.            train the child to watch the chisel, but meanwhile he
      God has subjected the things of this earth to him. He also trains him to disregard the Sculptor and the fin-
      has made him as king of creation. And He has done             ished product. The finished product, as briefly stated
      so that man as His priest might dedicate and consecrate in these principles is, the final glory of God's perfected
      it all in service to Him. Through man as king and             kingdom to which all events in history are subservient;
      priest of creation all the irrational creatures and the The worldly historian wouid have you watch the chisel
      inanimate things must be to the praise and glory of and then look at the mass of chips on the floor to dis-
      God's name. That briefly is the life's calling of man. cover what cute and pleasing shapes they "happen" to
      Otherwise stated it is to love the Lord his God with all      form. He is concerned only with the chisel (the men
      his soul, with all his mind, with all his heart and with and nations God uses) `and the chips but not the fin-
      all his strength. That is not his calling in some -far i s h e d   p r o d u c t .
      distant day when he is placed in the Holy City. That             Our approach surely should be not to teach-church
      is his calling today. It is his eternal calling. And          history, but yet to train the child to understand world
      when a covenant child is trained and instructed that history in the light of the fact that it all takes place
      fact must ever be borne in mind. In that light no un- because God is seeking that perfected glory of His
      believer may ever be trusted to train your child, the         Church. And in the history class we must bear in
      man of God, the royal priesthood and citizen of the mind that we are dealing with those who are citizens
      kingdom of heaven. And the instructor of these child- of that kingdom as well as being temporary citizens,
      ren in the Christian school has a tremendous responsi- of an earthly kingdom.
      bility but also a blessed work to perform.                                       (to be continued)        J. A. Heys.


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                      68

                                                              organ, producing a masterpiece of beauty.and  harmony&
               FROM HOLY WRIT                                 This again is but a small, insignificant;:creaturel.y  re-
                                                              flection of the skill of the eternal  Architect,.the,  Maker
                                                              of heaven and `earth, both the old and, the- new,.  :`,,'
              The Hand Of The Lord                               Psalm 8 :3, "When I consider the heavens, .i;he work
                                                                 of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars,. which  ,Thou
   We read repeatedly in Scripture of "the hand of               hast ordained. . . .                  ,,----  .,,..'   :  .,,,
the Lord". This is, of course, a figurative expression           Psalm 95 :4-7, "In His, hand are the deep places
like God's eyes, God's mouth, or His face. Comparing             of the earth : the strength,, of the' `hills' is' His `also.
the various passages in which the expression is found,           The sea is His, and He made it f and II&hands
we soon discover that it is both varied and rich in sig-         formed the dry land.  ,O come,  let<us  worship%&
nificance.                                                       bow down : let us kneel before the, cord `our &lakerr
A Symbol  of  Power.                                             For He is our *God ; and we are the people,of  :His
   The hand is first of all a symbol of power. To man            pasture, and the sheep of- His hand,`:                                         :'  ,
                                                                                                                     .,
in paradise God gave a hand to enable him to carry out in the Palm  of  His  H&d.                                                              *  :  1
his appointed task as image bearer. No, that hand was                                   ei.
not formed originally for menial labor, but for assum-           This last  passage'ftiom  Psalm 95 is also  s&n&ant
ing the position of a king. It was shaped to hold a because it pictures before us the hand of our God  `ex-
scepter. For man was created as king in this earthly iended  with palm uplifted, bearing all  ~Hjs handiwork
creation, a viceroy under God, to devote all things in before His face. The deep places of the earth,, lie  in
praise to his God.      His hand speaks of power and the palm of His hand. The creatures of the earth ,e.ven
                                                                                                                           ,.*.
authority.                                                    eat from His hand.                      : .  :                     `.       i
   Thus the Lord's hand is powerful. It is almighty,             Psalm 104 27, 28, "These wait. all upon. Thee ; that
as only God's hand can be. He holds the scepter as               Thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
sovereign over heaven and earth, for all power belongs           That Thou givest them they  gsther: Thou ppenest
solely to Him.                                                   Thine hand, they are filled  with,good."   ,
   Ps. 89 :ll, 13, "The heavens are Thine, the earth             That knowledge of being in the hand of:.the  Lord
   also is Thine : as for the world and the fulness there-    is too wonderful for us as often as we pause to con-
   of, Thou hast founded them. . . Thou hast a mighty sider it. For:                                           8.           :
   arm: strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right                Psalm 139  :7-10, "Whither shall I go  `.fr,om Thy
   hand."                                                        Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy, presence?
   .Only the Lord can give riches and honor, power               If I ascend up to heaven, Thou art there :`if `I make
and might to whomsoever He will.                                 my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. Tf I take
   I Chron. 29:11,  12, "Thine, 0 Lord, is the great-            the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter-
   ness, and the power, and the `glory, and the victory,         most parts of the sea ; even there shall Thy hand
   and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and            lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.`?
   in the earth is Thine ; Thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord,         Prov. 21:1, "The king's heart is in the..hand: of the
   and Thou art exalted as head over all. Both riches            Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth  it wither-
   and honor come from Thee, and Thou reignest over              soever  .He will."
   all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and                In the palm of His. hand lies God's church, chosen
   in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give of the Lord and precious. before  Him., He. has chosen
,, strength unto all."                                        her unto Himself as His peculiar heritage ,from among
   Therefore He gave His law unto Israel and His all the nations of the earth. He has purchased her
commandments to Jacob as a permanent ordinance, with His own blood on the cross, so that her righteous-
engraven  in tables of stone by the finger of His hand.       ness shall shine forth as the sun at noontime. He has
                                                              formed her as a  most'costly  treasure. Her name is so
The Hand of- the Eternal Architect.                           wonderful that only the mouth of the Lord Can name it.
   Man's hand  is  marvellously  made. It is perfectly And the kings of the earth will see her glory., She
designed to serve the purpose for which it was created. shall reign with Christ, and God will be glorified in'her.
Think of the hand of the sculptor, who with keen pre-            Isaiah  62:3, "Thou shalt be a crown `of `glory in
cision cuts into the marble, making an object of lasting         the hand of the Lord, and a royal' diadem in the
beauty. Or consider the hand of a doctor, whose steady           hand of thy God."                                                 .:           .a,,
fingers control the course of the knife through delicate                                                                    .,
tissue with an uncanny accuracy. Or even the hand Mighty in Judgment.                                ,.  "
                                                                                                       ,,..                                        i
of a musician as it glides over the keyboard of an               For her salvation the Lord sends HisL judgments

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

upon the earth. With a mighty hand He pours out the                  Exodus  13:3, "And Moses said unto the people,
cup of His indignation.                                              Remember this day, in which ye came out from
      Psalm 75 :8, "For in the hand of the Lord there is             Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength
      a cup, and the wine is red ; it is full of mixture ; and       of hand the Lord brought you out from this place."
      He poureth out the same : but the dregs thereof,               Exodus 15 :17, "Thou shalt bring them in ,and plant
      all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out,              them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the
      and drink them."                                               place, 0 Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to
                                                                     dwell in, in the Sanctuary, 0 Lord, which Thy
      His hand is lifted up against the wicked, to push              hands have established."
them away from before His face in hot displeasure.
Or that hand may even reach out to strike blow upon                  Therefore the Lord also stands with outstretched
blow, as was the case when the Lord sent His plagues hands, ready to receive His own unto Himself. Just
upon Egypt. Ex. 3  :20. `Thus, Isaiah speaks of the               as the father goes out to meet the prodigal son with
judgments of the Lord upon unfaithful Israel. They outstretched arms, eager to take him into His bosom,
follow one upon the other, because the people remain              so the Lord also is ready to receive those who come to
rebellious, even in the face of judgments. The prophet Him in true sorrow of heart and sincere repentance.
repeats after each announcement of ,judgment,'  "For How could it be otherwise? For God loves His people
His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretch- with an eternal love in `Christ. He has atoned for all
ed out still." Is. 5 :25, 9 :12, 1'7, 21. Like the hand- their sins by the death of His Son, on the cross. And
writing on the wall in the palace of Babylon, God is His love seeks them out, even in their .sins. For He
inscribing upon all the history of this present world draws them with an almighty, irresistible calling,
by the signs of the times, sent by His mighty hand, whereby they are transformed out of darkness into
"Mene,  mene, tekel upharsin." It is a fearful thing His marvellous light. He makes them conscious of sin
to fall into the hands of the living God for He is a con- and guilt, so that they flee to Him as their only refuge.
suming fire. Heb. 10 :31, 12 :29.                                 He is the good Shepherd Who knows His sheep and is
      Even His people experience the sore chastisement known of them. His sheep hear His voice and they
of His hand. Before their consciousness His hand is follow Him. Thus God always reveals Himself in the
turned against them also.                                         Scriptures. `The <Gospel is the glad tidings for those
                                                                  who have learned to know the joyful sound. It draws
      Job 19 :21, "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me,          us to the Father, Who is ready to receive us, even while
      0 ye my friends, for the hand of the-Lord hath we confess, "Father, I have sinned against heaven
      touched me."                                                and against Thee, and am not worthy to be called Thy
      A single touch, but one blow is sufficient to fill our son. Make me but a lowly slave in Thy house."
lives with anguish.                                                  God also manifested Himself as such overagainst
      Psalm 39:9,  19, "I was dumb, I opened not my rebellious Israel in the old dispensation. Always He
      mouth, because Thou didst it. Remove Thy stroke declared that He is the merciful Father, Who is ready
      away from me: I am consumed by the blow of to receive His sons, even His wayward sons unto Him-
      Thine hand."                                                self, when they come in sincere repentance. This is
      Yet after committing the sin of numbering the not an offer of salvation, promiscuously offered to all,
people contrary to the implicit command of God, David but is a very definite testimony of God's unfailing love
would rather commit himself and his people into the to His people. Thereby carnal Israel was exposed in
hands of the Lord than to be given over to the enemy all the rebellion of their sinful hearts, so that they
for a season.                                                     stand forever without excuse. Thereby it always be-
                                                                  comes ,evident that the wicked refuse to repent, and
      2 Sam. 24:14,  "And David said unto Gad, I am in even become the more hardened in their sins. This is
      a great strait : Let us fall into the hand oft the          the very evident significance of Isaiah 62 :2 when com-
      Lord ; for His mercies are great : and let me not pared with Romans  10.
      fall into the hand of man."                                    Isaiah 16:2, "I have spread out My hands all the
Strong to Save.                                                      day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a
                                                                     way that was not good, after their own thoughts."
      The Lord is merciful, strong to save. His mighty               Romans  10:20,  21, "But Isaias is very bold, and
hand is stretched out to His people in love. Israel's                saith, I was found of them that sought Me not; I
deliverance from the house of bondage was but a type                 was made manifest unto them that asked not after
of theapower  whereby the Lord always delivers His                   Me. But to Israel He saith, All day long I have
people from sin and death and takes them unto Him-                   stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and
self to dwell with Him forever.                                      gainsaying people."


                                            T H E   STANDAR D   B E A R E R                                                71

          With a strong hand the Lord fulfills all His prom-
       ises to His people in Christ. These promises cannot                         P E R I S C O P E
       fail, nor are they contingent upon any willingness on
       our part. The Lord caries out all that He has spoken:
           I Kings 8  :l5, "And he (Solomon)- said, *Blessed be Gnifo+-mity  in Invitations to the
          the Lord God of Israel, whichspakewith His mouth "Second Reformed Ecumenica,l Synod" ?
           unto David my father, and hath with His hand                 From De  Wachter  of October 12, 1948 we translate
          fulfilled it."                                             the following :
           Sometimes it would seem to us as if the Lord's hand          "Now we are looking forward to the meeting of the
       were too short, that He is not able to reach out far          Second Reformed Ecumenical Synod in Amsterdam in
       enough to grant us all that we desire. Israel in the 1949. As we know, the First Reformed Ecumenical
       wilderness complained that they were tired of manna !Synod met in Grand Rapids in August of 1946.
       and desired meat. But when the Lord assured them                 "Concerning this anticipated Synod we read the
       of an abundance of meat, it sounded so unbelievable following in  "Eenigheid  des G.eZoofs":              .
       that even Moses did not think that the Lord could sup-
       ply so much meat for such a great company. There-                "Since the end of the war plans have been attempt-
       fore the Lord rebuked him by saying,                          ed for a Reformed Ecumenical Synod. Already in 1946
                                                                     an official meeting was held (in Grand Rapids, U.S.A.)
           Numbers  11:23, "Is the Lord's hand waxed short? between delegates from "The Christian Reformed
           Thou shalt see now whether My word shall come Church of America", "Die Gereformeerde Kerken in
I         to pass."                                                  Suid-Afrika" and "De Gereformeerde Kerken in Neder-
           Again in Isaiah, the prophet warns the people that land". Invited will be all Reformed Churches of the
       the reason why God does not save them from their world. They are described more specifically as those
       enemies is not because He is not-able. But their sins are churches which "are faithful to their Reformed con-
       the cause that He withholds His hands from saving fession and exercise discipline over the word, the ad-
       theni.                                                        ministration of the sacraments and the life of the con-
           Isaiah 59 :l, 2, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not gregation."
           shortened, that it cannot save ; neither is His ear        Thus far the quotation from "Eenigheid des  Ge-
           heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have loofs" after which the article continues and again we
           separated between you and your God, and your translate :
           sins have hid His face from you, that He will not            "Which churches are these?
           hear.                                                        "Each of the three churches that already have
           The Lord is always strong to save. Therefore His contacted one another must judge this for themselves
        people-are safe in His care. As a mother steadies her in their own sector of the world.
       toddling child as it learns to walk, so the Lord firmly          "Netherlands must decide who shall be invited from
       holys  our hand and gives us grace to cling to Him.           Europe and the Indies.
           Psalm 73:&l, "Nevertheless I am continually with             `<Already invited besides the Gereformeerde Kerken
           Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand."              are the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken and the
                                                                     Gereformeerde Kerken (Article  31)  . Correspondence
           His mighty hand makes us strong against all our with church groups in other countries is still in pro-
     I foes.                                                         cess. We rejoice in these plans and eagerly await the
           Gen. 49 24, "But his (Joseph's) bow abode in actual realization of the Synod of 1949. . . .
           strength, and the arms of his hands ,.were  made             "One question is burning on my lips.
           strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob:              `What about the Hervormde Kerk?
           (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel.) Y'       "Must they in 1949 be placed in the camp of those
           IJnder  the shadow of His hand (His palm shielding who are doctrinally indifferent (gezet in de hoek van
       us) we may securely abide forever.                            de leervrijheid) ?
                                                                        "There they have been since 1816.
           Isaiah  51:16,   `$And `I have put My  .words in thy          "But will they still be there in this following year?
           mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of              "A way must be found to feel out the Hervormde
           Mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay Kerk in the hope. . . .
           the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion,             "Therefore we may not and cannot ignore the  Her-
           Thou art My people."                                      vormde Kerk next year. Without the cooperation, of
                                                                     the Reformed'groups in the Hervormde Kerk this Ecu-
                                                 C. Hanko.           menical Synod will, to say the least, be onesided.


                                      T H E '   ST.ANDARD   B E A R E R

    "Here, therefore, is a plea that also the Hervormde who were deposed by that. same Christian Reformed
Kerk in Netherlands be invited.                              Church. Added to this is the fact-  that both in the
   ."Here, in our circles, were voices that expressed        Netherlands and here the two groups to be judged
the wish that also the Reformed Church in America be maintain that the mother church is, in that which led
invited. But upon advice of a committee our Synod to their deposition, heretical and hierarchical. The
did not send them an invitation to attend.                   one .is invited and the other is not+  and both rejoice
   "Churches are expected that "Confess and maintain over the one invitation while both are silent'over the
the Reformed Faith."                                         refusal.
   We were indeed surprised to learn from this article          If the invitation to the Liberated Churches is indeed
that the Gereformeerde Kerken of Netherlands had a fact (and I have no. reason to doubt it) it is all the
also invited the  4Gereformeerde  Kerken (Art. 31) to more strange in view of the fact that the "First Re-
attend the next Ecumenical Synod.                            formed Ecumenical Synod" considered the situation
   And yet a strange impression is left upon one by ir the Netherlands and virtually condemned the Liber-
reading of this invitation,as well as the rest of the        ated and upheld the Synodical factions in the old coun-
above article. What a strange situation ! On the try. However this may be it certainly becomes evident;
one hand a plea for the inclusion' of the Hervormde whatever the motives may have been both in America
Kerk and yet well satisfied at the exclusion of the          and Netherlands, that the Gereformeerde Kerken used
Reformed Church in America. On the one hand an a different and more honest standard in determining
expression of pleasure at the invitation to the Gerefor- `upon an invitation to the  ,Gereformeerde  Kerken (Art.
meerde  ,Kerken  (Art.  31), ("We rejoice  .in these, plans 31) .while the Christian Reformed Church departed
                                                             from the Synodically established standard-"those that
. . . .") and an evident agreement  witli the exclusion
of the Protestant Reformed Churches (they are not confess and maintain the Reformed Faith"-choosing
                                                             instead to use the arbitrary and rather  haughty.stan-
even mentioned  in. the article).                            dard of "attitude over-against the Christian Reformed
   Nor must we forget that from.a formal point of            Church".
view there is the most striking similarity in the two
cases. On the one hand the Gereformeerde Kerken in              Incidentally in this is also seen the fallacy of leav-
Netherlands were called upon to determine whether            ing to the individual churches the decision determin-
an invitation should be extended to the Hervormde            ing who shall receive an invitation to attend.
Kerken,' a church group from' which they were banish-           And we cannot help repeating once again: No uni-
ed because of their protests against the doctrinal  posi-    formity in invitations ! But then there will be no
*ion of the Hervormde Kerk. So also  the.Christian           uniformity in the meeting---and. . .  ."this Ecumenical
Reformed Church was called upon to determine whether Synod will, to say the least, be onesided".
the Reformed Church from which they withdrew be-
cause of their lax position should receive an invitation. ChuTch Membership in the Nethertunds,~               .
The situation ,from  a formal viewpoint was the same-
and yet-when both are excluded a plea goes-up from              From The Banner of October `8, we take over the
within the Christian Reformed Church that the Her-           following :
vormde Kerk also be invited ! Perhaps it is true that           "While the eyes of so many in the Christian world
distance lends enchantment. Will we perhaps hear             were centered upon Amsterdam this summer, Ecu-
the plea from the Gereformeerde Kerken that the              menical Press Service took occasion to give some
Reformed Church of America be- invited?          .           figures on church membership in the Dutch nation.
   And the same is true from a formal point of view From its report we learn that the Netherlands Re-
when considering the decisions regarding the Gerefor- formed Church and the Roman Catholic Church in
meerde Kerken (Art.. 31) and the Protestant Reformed the Netherlands together include over 88 percent of
Churches. Once again the Gereformeerde Kerken were the total church membership in the country, with a
called upon to judge whether an invitation `should be membership of 3,000,OOO  each. The Reformed Churches
sent to that church group which was  the:outgrowth  of are next in order of size, with 600,000. The Christian
the recent developments in the Netherlands.,, Added Reformed Church and the Lutheran Brotherhood follow
to this is the `fact that formally the Gereformeerde         with 50,000 each. The Remonstrants number 30,000,
Kerken (Art. 31) are composed of or at least headed the Mennonites 40,000, and the  ,Old Catholics 10,000.
by those who have been deposed by the Synod of the           Baptists and Free  Evangelicals  complete the list with
Gereformeerde Kerken. And formally the same is 8,000 and 7,000 respectively. By a narrow margin
true ,in-: America. The Christian Reformed Churches the Reformed people constitute a majority of the Chris-
must ,judge  whether an invitation should be sent to tian population of the Netherlands,"
the Protestant Reformed .Churches, headed by those                                               .L  J'. Howerzyl.


                                                                                                                                 !





                                                                                                                   -lll_
VOLUME XXV                        November 15, 1948 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                                  NUMBER 4
                                                                 feed on the Word of God ,will live forever.
         MEDITAT  16.N                                               And against that tendency, in the midst of this
                                                                 danger to lust after the things of this world in Babylon,
                                                                 the Lord God comes and calls `His people to the fountain
                                                                 of living waters : Come unto Me and drink of the water
          Called To The Waters .                                 cf life freely.
                                                                     This psalm has an historical application first of all.
            "Ro, every one that thirst&h, come ye  to the            Ho, every one of my people Israel that suffer in the
          waters, and he that hath no money, come ye buy and     Babylonian captivity, and that are thirsty for Me and
          eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money        for My covenant blessings, come ye unto the Fount
          and without price."             .                      of living'waters, and drink to your heart's content!
                                               -Isaiah 55 :l.        It is first of all the Gospel call of the Old Testament.
   The viewpoint of the prophet is very peculiar.                                        I *  *  *
    Isaiah lived in a time of prosperity of a certain                But there is a far wider application of these beauti-
kind.                                                            ful words of Isaiah.
    It is somewhat like the prosperity which we have                 You see that at once when you remember how Jesus
now. There is peace, of a kind. And a great plenty.              would often employ the same figure in His sermons
    And so it was during most of the time Isaiah pro- among the people of God during His sojourn on earth.
phesied in Judah.                                                Take, for example, the occasion when He said on the
   But the first chapter of his prophecy tells us that great day of the feast : "If any man thirst, let him eome
there was a terrible condition spiritually. They had unto Me and drink !"
become a very sinful nation. With their mouth they                   Or think of the sermon He preached to the Samari-
praised God, but they kept their heart very far from tan woman at the well of Jacob:  ". . . . whosoever
Him.                                                             drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
   And their-sin had followed the one upon the other,            thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall' be in
until they had to be punished as a nation, and sent into `him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
the Babylonian captivity.                                           Or when Jesus spoke to John after His glorification :
   And that bondage, which was very cruel to the real            "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
child of God, was terrible. Hear them sing in the that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
psalms that were made during that bondage: By `come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of
Babel's streams we sat and wept. . . .                           life freely."
   But that sadness of God's people was not the worst               Oh yes, the call to the waters in Isaiah is of equal
which they would experience in Babylon. There was                force today, after so many years. In fact, it is of
the danger that they would lust after Bayblon's plenty, greater force since his day and age, for since then
and forget their peculiar calling in the world, namely, Jesus our Lord has' come, and has given an even deeper
to turn, .to always turn to their Lord and their God,            content to the concept of water.
and to ask Him for His precious Word and grace, so                  Today, and every  d&y the Lord God calls from the
that they might live, and live forever. For a man heavens and says to His people : Come ye to the waters
doth not live by bread alone. If he has no more than and drink !
the earthly things, he will die and doth  die' every                                     *  *  *  *
moment he exists upon this earth. But only those that               The speech of water and of thirst is very clear.

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

      Thirst is symbolism for a great, for an extreme His covenant, and the result is that they thirsted still
want and need.                                                more. Then they drank more of the things of the
          That this is so does not become as clear to us in world and of sin and they thirsted still more, and this
lands where there is water and to spare at all times. shall go on, and on, and on.
We do say: I am thirsty, but we do not really know               -And the end is in hell where they will thirst forever.
what we say. We do not know the `real meaning of C father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip his
physical thirst.                                              finger in water and come here to relieve me of my
      That is different in the land where this text was       thirst!. For I suffer in this flame. We have heard
written. The Israelite knew of desert heat and desert the words of Jesus in the story of the rich man and
thirst. And that is the real picture in the text. At-         Lazarus.
tend to psalm 42: As the hart panteth after the water            There is a great shortage, and absolute famine of
brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, 0 God!                 water in hell. -'
  With us, in our complex and rich civilization, it is           But our text speaks of an entirely different kind of
entirely different. When we note that we would relish thirst. Certainly you will agree that there must be
some water, we simply turn on the faucet and drink.           correspondence between the thirst and the water. If a
And the result is that none of us is every really thirsty.    man is really thirsty, and then I mean the natural
      But think of the traveller  in Death Valley in Cali- thirst for natural, created water, and if anyone offers
fornia, who has walked for miles in a desert heat of          water to him, you may be sure that he is going. to
125 degrees or more, without water. It has happened drink.
that men dropped dead of thirst after only a few hours           Now then, if the world, and every one in the world
of that desert heat. All the moisture of their body           is really thirsty for God, they would also drink when
dried up in those few agonizing hours of intense suf- the refreshing and healing waters of God and of His
fering of thirst.                                             Christ are placed within their reach. In that case they
      Imagine a man in such extremes, his throat and would never reject the Gospel.
mouth and lips are cracked with heat and thirst: he              Ho, every one that thirsteth !
staggers as he falls. And then he hears the cry: Come            Yes, it is addressed to "everyone", but know surely
ye to the waters and drink ! And he rushes to the             that a very particular sort of people are meant here.
fountain of living waters and drinks and drinks from          They are those that are in harmony with the waters.
the life-giving waters.                                       They thirst,for  the waters of life, whatever they are.
      That is the picture which we must see.                  . And they are made thirsty because of the operation
                        *  * * *                              of the love of God through the Holy Ghost in their
                                                              hearts. The Lord has made them taste Himself. And
      But who are so thirsty?                                 since then they say: "And nought can satisfy!" Or
      Everyone, is the answer of the church today. Every they say with David : I thirst for God !
one is thirsty for God and for His blessings. And                They are called and they only are called.
when Jesus stands with His hands and arms outspread,             Come ye to the waters! It is the call to God's
and says : Come ye unto Me and drink ! He means people that have learned to know that they must have
every one that comes within the audience of His voice.        the living God and His communion if they are to be
      But that is not true, and for a very evident reason.    happy for time and for eternity.
And here it is: there is no correspondence between the                               * *  1  +
thirst of the world and the water of the Fountain which.
God has opened at Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness.             What are the waters?
(Zach. 13 :I).                                                   Judging from Isaiah  44:3  it is the Holy Ghost and
      Oh, I agree that the whole world is thirsty. That       His blessings.
is very evident to anyone that knows the world. They             According to Psalm 42 it is to appear before God
are in great thirst for the things of this present life, and to see His face.
They thirst for man and for humanity and for the                 Reading John 7:37 to 39 we would say it is the re-
things of this time, for sin and for uncleanness, and         ceiving of the Spirit of Christ.
every sort of abomination.                                       But Matthew 5  :6 speaks of thirsting for righteous-
      And the more they drink of those things the more ness, and that seems to be the idea in this passage too,
they thirst.                                                  for in the preceding chapter, in fact in the last clause
      A very terrible process has been set in motion since of the last verse of that chapter, immediately preced-
man fell away from God. Refusing to drink of the ing our present text, we read: "and their righteous-
real Fountain of water, they turned under the instiga- ness is of Me, saith the Lord. And in verse 14 we
tion of t.he devil to the world and to its riches and they read : "In righteousness shalt thou be established." And
would drink them instead of the things of God and             with regard to the last Scripture, we must remember


                                          THE  ST'ANDARD   &EAREI~

that it is the summing up of all the glories of salvation God-provoking titles : "Heaven can wait!", but they
that shall be given to  ,God's people.                       will have nothing of the wine of Jesus.
    And then comes tnis invitation to come to God and           They hate the milk of the word  of Christ's right-
to drink of the waters He will give theti.                   eousness. They prefer the crookedness and the  crimi?
   What are the waters?                                      of their natural estate, and they wallow in it.
   I think that we must combine all the ideas which             But the real' church of Christ is built up and re-
we found in various Scriptures.                              freshed, exalted  and'fed by the water of life,  the  wine
   The water of the Fountain of life is the righteous- of the heavenly Kingdom and the milk of the Word. ~
ness of the Lord Jesus Christ which is ours by faith,           The thirsty have come and they drink!                      :
and which faith is wrought in our hearts through the            Hallelujah !
Holy Ghost. And to have that faith and the righteous-                                      * *  *  *
ness of God, is the blessing of the Lord.                       But what is-the  price?
 That is the water of life.
    And that is the water for which we thirst.                  Nothing.              -
   And that is the `water which we drink from time              In the store of God you may, no, you must come
to time.                                                     with nothing, and then you may "buy"  i Wondrous
                                                             grace.
    And they satisfy, oh how they satisfy!                      What does it mean? Why does Isaiah and Christ
                       *  *  9  *                            emphasize that we must buy without  mol;ley,  and  ta&,e
    Note that the figure of water is enriched by the freely of the water of life?                             I
mention of wine and milk.                                       This is the meaning: you must. come with the
    Together they constitute all that we really need.        humble confession on your lips and in your heart: I
    By nature we are dead, fallen into the -depth of         have nothing,, 0 Lord! I am dreadfully poor. But I
degradation, and vain with the vanity of emptiness and love Thee, and I long for the dainties which Thou hast
idleness.                                                    prepared in Jesus Christ. But I have no right to them,
    But the Gospel brings us quickening, exaltation and and I have nothing in order to pay for them. I come
nourishment.                                                 here to buy the righteousness of Christ without money
    For such- is the speech of water, wine and milk.         and without price, for I am tired of laying out money
                                                             for that which is not bread and my labor for that which
    Water is the quickening and refreshing power of          satisfieth not. I want Christ Jesus the Lord !
God's righteousness in Jesus Christ the Lord. Right-          . And that is the way it is. The Gospel and all its
eousness is that state and condition where all our life,     blessings are bestowed on us free, gratis,.  ,without
in thought and word and action is done from the purest       money and without price.
motive of love and according to the only standard of             From that point of view the Gospel is a work of'
goodness. And that standard is God. That is right- indescribable grace and goodness of God.                                     i 7.` :
eousness. And that is the quickening gift which is               But do not draw the mistaken conclusion that these
symbolized here as water. You thirst for righteous- goods are therefore without worth, just because we get
ness and you are filled.                                     them gratis, free, without money !
    Wine is the symbol of exaltation.                            For nothing is farther from the truth.
    It points to the exaltation with which we are crown-         The water of life is very expensive. My mind is
ed through the work of Christ. He does not restore us        in a whirl when I think of its infinite worth.
to the state which is called the original state of right-        Jesus paid the price. And the price is Hfs life .
eousness, but to the much higher state of the glory of which ebbed away in His heart's blood. The water of
the Lord in heavenly places. And that is symbolized in life is paid for, every drop is paid for. And the price
the wine which exalteth the heart of man.                    is really nothing less than the death of the Son of ,God.
    Milk is the picture of feeding and nourishment.          God bought these waters for you with His own blood.
The righteousness of Christ fills. Read Matthew  5:6.            From that point of view the Gospel is a Divine act
There we read that if you hunger after the righteous-        of strictest justice.
ness of Christ, you shall be filled. It is the element           And together they are the adorable wisdom of God.
here that feeds us unto eternal life.                        He that glorieth,  let him glory in the Lord !
    Now offer (but it is nonsense!) this water, wine             He produced the living waters ! And that is the
and milk to the world, or to the worldly, nominal, un- Lord our righteousness !
regenerated people that gather with God's people in              He produced the thirst! And that is my longeing
church. And what is the result?                              heart !
    They hate the water that makes man good.                     And drinking I receive a well of water springing up
    They hate the very idea of glorification to heavenly into everlasting life!
places. They sing and they joke and they have their                                                                G. vosi  -ZT-
                                                                  *.-..  1  _               1  +I .  ..&`I

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

                                  The Standard Bearer
            Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August                                                                                                                                          E D I T O R I A L S
                                                      P u b l i s h e d   B y
                       The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                                1131 Sigsbee Street, S.E.                                                                                                                                      Reunion?
                                       EDITOR:  - Rev. H. Hoeksema.
Contributing Editors: - Rev. G. M. Ophoff, Rev. G. Vos, Rev.                                                                                                                                                        II,
R. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                                   The fourth proposition of the Rev. Bos in re pos-
Rev. 3. D. De Jong, Rev. A. Petter, Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.
Vermeer,  Rev.  6. Lubbers, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. J. A. Heys,                                                                                                                            sible reunion between the Liberated Churches and the
Rev. W.  Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                          Synodicals reads as follows:
  Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                                                                 "To take care that with every consistory a motion
REV. GERRIT VOS, Hudsonville,  Michigan.                                                                                                                                                  is made pending declaring one's readiness to reunion
  Communications relative to subscription should be addressed                                                                                                                             of all that, according to the Word of God, belongs to-
to MR. J. BOUWMAN, 1131 Sigsbee St., S.E., Grand Rapids 6,
Mich. Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the                                                                                                                                  gether under the sole kingship of Jesus Christ, in com-
above address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each                                                                                                                            plete stringency to the Word and on the basis of the
notice.                                                                                                                                                                                   Three Forms of Unity and those only, with mutual
                                  (Subscription Price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                                     recognition of the offices."
Entered as Second Glass Mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                      This is probably the most important point of the
                                                                                                                                                                                          five, and also the most impossible of realization. On
                                                                                                                                                                                          this point the whole attempt to reunite will undoubtedly
                                                                                                                                                                                          suffer shipwreck.
                                                                                                                                                                                             It is easy, indeed, to cause a schism in the churches ;
                                                          C O N T E N T S                                                                                                                 but it is extremely difficult to heal the breach once it
                                                                                                                                                                                          is caused. One cannot set the clock of history back..
MEDITATION-                                                                                                                                                                               Mistory was made in the years 1936 to 194f$, and dur-
       Called to the Waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . `73 ing that history several mistakes were made. It was a
                   Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                            mistake that the synod of 1936, without any overtures
                                                                                                                                                                                          from consistory, classis, or particular synod, took up
EDITORIALS-                                                                                                                                                                               the question of "differences of opinion",  "meenings-
           Reunion (II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
       Correspondence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 geschillen", and accentuated them until they became
                   Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                       real doctrinal differences. It was a mistake that the
                                                                                                                                                                                          same synod appointed a committee in order to discuss
THE TRIPLE  KNOWLEDGE-                                                                                                                                                                    these differences of opinion and to report to synod.
           Expo.sition  of the Heidelberg Catechism . . . . . . ..." . . . ..*........... 78                                                                                              of 1939. It was a mistake that the Synod of Sneek-
                   Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                       Utrecht at a time of stress and war, when many voices
OUR DOCTRINE-                                                                                                                                                                             in the churches could not be heard because of their
           The Names of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  82 papers being suspended by the Nazis, and in spite of
                   Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                                                                        many requests to the contrary, nevertheless  : officially
                                                                                                                                                                                          acted upon these differences of opinion.        It was a
THE DAY OF  SHADOWS-                                                                                                                                                                      serious mistake that the same synod made their doc-
           The Song of The Bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 trinal decisions binding, especially the one that con-
           David's Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............ 89                       cerned: the covenant of grace; and that they `decided
                   Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                      that no one was allowed to teach anything -in the
STON'S  ZANGEN-                                                                                                                                                                           churches contrary to those decisions. It was another
           Liefdevol, Schoon Zwaar Getergd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90                                                             very serious mistake that on the basis of these decisions
                    Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                           further steps were taken to suspend and depose two
                                                                                                                                                                                          professors of the theological school, to bar a candidate
IN HIS FEAR---                                                                                                                                                                            for the ministry from the pulpit to which he had re-
           Training For Life's Calling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 ceived a call, and to depose many officebearers from
                    Rev. J. A.  Heya                                                                                                                                                      the local churches. This last was probably the most
FROM HOLY WRIT-                                                                                                                                                                           serious error of all, but it was simply the end of the
            Beholding God's Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 way which the synod of 1936 began to walk.
                    Rev. G. Hanko                                                                                                                                                            Thus, finally, the schism was caused, not so much
                                                                                                                                                                                          because of serious doctrinal differences as because the
                                                                                                                                                                                          churches refused to take the yoke of hierarchy on their


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              77

neck and submit to binding decisions, that were not *when  we consider the question in the abstract. Con-
binding. according to the Word of God and the Con- `&etely  considered it is quite different. The history of
fessions.                                            i  "    1936 to 1946 simply makes it impossible that such a
   And now it seems easy to say : we belong together ; proposition for reunion would be acceptable to the
we ought to undo what was done. It may be easy to Synodicals.               Already several voices are heard even
assume the'  attitude expressed in the slogan:.Yet us now that give a very plain refusal and negative answer
forgive and forget. And on that basis it ought to be to the call issued by the Rev. Bos. Even Rev. Nawijn,
easy to come to a reunion.                                   who otherwise is earnestly desiring to establish the
   But virtually this is impossible.                         reunion, has several objections to this proposition of
   Of course, in the abstract it is entirely possible the Rev. Bos. Even if the Synodicals would accept
that either or .both parties make a clean slate and con-     the proposed basis, the dithculties  and problems would
fess their sins and come to a reunion and reconciliation. not be solved, according to him. Writes he: "When we
But in actual fact this is not as easy as it might seem.     limit ourselves, first of all, to this one point, I see quite
And the fourth `proposition of the Rev. Bos, as is even a few difficulties, regardless of the question whether
now already evident from the reaction against it, plain- such a decision will have proper results. 0, indeed, the
ly proves how unlikely it is that a reunion will ever be Word of God and the Three Forms of Unity are our
accomplished.                                                basis ; but does that mean that we are ready by taking
   Let us analyze this proposition.                          such a step? Do you not then open the door for a new
   The Rev. Bos proposes that a motion with a view controversy among brethren, such as raged in 1893 to
to reunion will be made pending with, every consistory,      1905 ?" And other Synodicals meet this proposition
liberated and synodical.  The question may .be asked of the Rev. Bos with a determined negative answer.
here, first of all ; what right does the Rev. Bos have          The last element in the proposition of the Rev. Bos
to make such a proposition within his own churches? will no doubt meet with no less serious objections from
The question concerning reunion was made pending both sides than the former. He proposes a reunion
with the Synod of the Reformed Churches (art. 31) ; between the two groups "with mutual recognition of
and,. therefore, even if it could be done otherwise, it      the offices." Also, this would be quite conceivable in
certainly cannot be dealt  <with locally now. Deputies       the. abstract, `that, is, if one could  ordy. disregard the
have been appointed `by synod, and they were limited history of the past few years. But this is, of course,
by the condition that they first correspond in writing impossible, especially in view of the fact that several
with the Synodicals' deputies. Rev. `Bos, however, in officebearers have been deposed from office on the
this fourth point proposes evidently to ignore the synod basis of Arts. 79 and 80. How is it possible that  con-
and to ignore their appointed deputies, in order, to sistories of the Synodicals now can simply recognize
make the question of reunion a problem for the local officebearers that have been deposed from office be-
consistories. And this is not only improper, but it is       cause they have committed  3 gross sin? Does not the
also dangerous: for in this way Rev. Bos creates a           proposition of the Rev. Bos tacitly assume that the
division within the ranks of his own churches.               Synodicals were wrong and that they will admit their  s
    But this is by no means the worst difficulty.            wrong, not only in as far as the material judgment
    Notice that the Rev. Bos proposes in this fourth upon the deposed officcbearers was concerned, but also
point to recognize nothing but the Word of God and           in as far as they pursued an hierarchical method and
the Three Forms of Unity as the basis for reunion. He principal of Church Polity? This is the plain implica-
makes his meaning very plain when he adds: "and tion and the tacit assumption on the part of the Synod-
those only", That is, only the Three Forms of Unity          icals as proposed by the Rev. Bos in this final point.
shall be recognized as the basis for reunion. This im- Now it is plain that local consistories certainly cannot
plies, evidently, that the Synodicals will recant their assume this standpoint apart from the major assem-
own decisions of 1942 and 1946, and, what is more,           blies. But it is equally certain that the major assem-
set aside the Conclusions-of Utrecht of 1905. Thus the blies; that the synod of the Synodicals will never accept
Rev. Bos virtually invites the Synodicals to reunite such a proposition or proceed from such a tacit assump-
with them on their own basis, that is, on the basis          tion. And even if it would proceed from such an as-
adopted by the Reformed Churches under art. 31.              sumption and be willing on their part to recognize
Now, in the abstract such a basis must be considered the officebearers in the Liberated Churches, the latter
perfectly sufficient and proper, of, course. It is simply certainly would not be satisfied with such a silent ad-
the basis of the Word of God and the Reformed Con-           mission of guilt but  wouId insist on a confession of sin
fessions, and whatever is more than these certainly and an official reinstatement of the deposed office-
cannot be considered Reformed. If a reunion, there- bearers.
fore, be established, it certainly must be on the basis          And so one sees how difficult, if not impossible, it is
proposed by the Rev. Bos. This is true, however, only to heal the breach in a proper way.


 7%                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

       I predict that the whole attempt at reunion will". ,
                                                                  -4
 be a failure.                                                            THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE
       And to my mind the cause of the failure lies with
 the deputies ad hoc of the Synodicals, who will not
 commit themselves to a written correspondence before
 they start the colloquy, and who refuse to answer the                  An  iExpositi6n Of The Heidelberg
 five questions which the deputies of the Liberated                                         Catechism
 Churches propose to put to them.
       And the contents of these questions can very easily                                   ` P A R T   T W O
 be surmised.
                                                     H. H.                                 LORD'S DAY 25
                                                                                                    2.
                                                                               Preaching As A `Means Of Grace. (cont.)
                     Correspondence                                        What is true preaching in the Biblical sense of the
                                                                        word? And what is a preacher?
 Rev. A. Cammenga,                                                         We find the great importance of preaching as well
 Dear Brother,                                                          as of the preacher expressed in Rom.  10~14,  15:  `<How
                                                                        then shall they call on him in whom they have not
       Your interesting article in reply to my "A Tendency believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom
 To Individualism" I read. I say "interesting" exactly they have not heard? and how shall they hear without
 because your article strongly corroborates my main                     a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they
 contention.                                                            be sent?"
       I do not know as yet whether I should go into a                     It is evident that in these words the importance of
 rebuttal.      Perhaps it is not necessary, since I think the preacher and his mission are emphasized. And it
 that I stated my objections rather clearly. But for                    is well that we, too, emphasize these, especially in our
my information I would like to have an answer to a day. Our age is characterized by gross ignorance in.
few questions.                                                          regard to fundamental questions ; and the nature and
       1. Where is that quotation from Calvin to be found?              importance of preaching is very little understood. To-
 J would like to check up on it.                                        day everybody preaches, except those, perhaps, whose
                                                                        specific calling it is. Many that call themselves minia-
       2. Will you please publish the letter I wrote to you             ters of the Divine Word have become unfaithful to
 in August last in full? I would like to have our read- their calling, and devote themselves to lecturing on
 ers be in a position to check up on that letter.                       sundry subjects `rather than to the preaching of the
       3. What exactly do you mean in this connection                   Word of God. On the other hand, there are in our
' by the statement: "We must not always lean on one day not a few that pretend to preach while they have
 and the same' staff, neither look in just one direc- no mission and that utterly disregard the truth ex-
 tion ?"                                                                pressed with emphasis in the words of our text, in the
                              With brotherly regards,                   question: "How shall they preach except they be sent?
                                            H. Hoeksema.                Not only men, but women and children preach. So-
                                                                        cieties, institutes, and other groups that exist and oper-
                                                                        ate apart from the church prepare and send out preach-
                                                                        ers; and one of the chief purposes many of these
                                                                        preachers seem to have in view is to draw a crowd,
                                                                        and to this end they are frequently employed by some
                         IN MEMORIAM                                    churches, when the fountains of sensationalism in the
       The `Young People's Society  of  the Second Protestant Re-       local preacher run dry, to create that temporary stir
formed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan hereby wishes  to               of religious emotions which is called a revival. These
 express its sincere and Christian sympathy to the Van Solkema          preachers advertise themselves in the local papers ;
 family in the death of their wife and mother                           they announce the strangest topics as to the theme of
                  MRS. RALPH  VAN  SOLmMA                               their sermons ; they sometimes offer a more enter-
                                                                        taining show than the theaters ; they accompany their
       May the God of all grace comfort and sustain the bereaved        philippics by the wildest gesticulations; they even per-
 in their sorrow.                                                       form acrobatic stunts that are worthy of a circus ;
                            The Young People's Society,                 they one and all hawk the Christ, as if He were the
                                      Kay Bourns, Secretary.            cheapest article on the market. And the fruit of their


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            79.

labors is a wave of sensationalism that passes over you cannot believe in Christ unless you have heard Him
as quickly as it is aroused. And when many people speak to you, unless you have heard His Word ad-
speak of a "nice sermon", they mean not at all a sermon dressed to you. This is exactly the meaning of the
that served as a vehicle to bring the Word of God to text : "How shall they believe in him whom they have
them and that is a means of grace to them, but one          not heard?"
that for approximately forty minutes could entertain           And this is quite in harmony with other parts of
them and play on their emotions.                            Scripture. The Lord says in John 5  94 : "Verily, verily,
   Hence, it is not at all superfluous to ask the ques-     I say unto you, He that  heareth my word, and believeth
tion: what is a preacher, and what is a preacher in on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
the Biblical sense of the word?                             not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death
   And then I would first of all give the following defi- unto life." And in the twenty-fifth verse of the same
nition. Preaching is the authoritative proclamation chapter we read: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The
of the gospel by the Church in the service of the Word      hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear
of God through Christ. In this definition we call at- the voice of the Son of <God: and they that hear shall
tention to the following four elements: first, that live." Of His sheep, whom the Father hath given Him,
preaching is authoritative proclamation ; the preacher the Lord says in John 10 :3 : "To him the porter open-
must be sent. Secondly, that it is proclamation of the eth ; and the sheep hear his voice : and he calleth his-
gospel, that is, the whole Word. of God as it is revealed own sheep by name, and leadeth them out." And in
in Christ. Thirdly, that it is by the Church, for only verse 4 of the same chapter: "And when he putteth
the Church is able to send the preacher. And fourthly, forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
that it is in the service of the Word of God through        sheep follow him : for they know his voice." And
Christ, for only Christ through the :Spirit can make        again in verse 2'i : "My sheep hear my voice, and I
preaching of the Word powerful and efficacious as a know them, and they follow me."
means of grace.                                                 The word of man is not sufficient to serve as a basis
   Let us begin by considering the last element of          for that certain knowledge whereby I know that all my
the definition, for that is indeed most important and sins are forgiven me, and that for that perfect confi-
fundamental in the preaching of the Word. Through dence whereby I rely in life and death on my faithful
the preaching it pleases God through Christ, the exalted    Yaviour Jesus Christ. How shall they believe in Him
Lord, the Chief Prophet of God, Who alone gathers His       Whom they have not heard? We must hear "the word
Church, to speak to His people unto salvation. This         of God, (which) is quick, and powerful, and sharper
is rather plainly expressed in the text already quoted      than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divid-
from Romans 10  :14,15  ; only I must call your attention ing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and.
to an apparently small and insignificant mistake in marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
the translation as we find it in the King James Version of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not
that was corrected in the Revised Version. In the           manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and
former you read: "How shall they believe in him of          opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to
whom they have not heard?" while the latter renders:        do." Heb. 4  :12, 13. But how shall they hear this
"How shall they believe in him whom they have not           Word unless they hear it from Him, unless they hear
heard ?"    The former evidently misunderstood the          the voice of Christ? And how shall they hear this .
genitive of the relative pronoun that appears in the Word without the preacher? This is the point of the
Greek, overlooking that the genitive in Greek is the        text in Rom.  10:14,  15. Anyone can tell you about
direct object of the verb "have heard". The proper          Jesus and about His Word and work, about the cross
translation, therefore, is not "of whom", but "whom"        and the atonement, about the resurrection and justifica-
they have not heard." And you will understand that tion. And to do this, to be witnesses of Christ, is cer-
the difference is important : when you hear of someone, tainly our calling; the Christian must be a witness for
he is not present; you do not hear his own voice but        Christ in the world, must confess His Name, must
the voice of someone else who tells you something about     extol His Name and tell all about Him. But this does
him. But when you hear someone, you hear his own not make anyone a preacher, for a preacher is not a
voice ; he is present with you ; he is addressing you. `person who' merely speaks concerning Christ, but one
Thus the difference in the translation is evidently quite through whom it pleases Christ Himself to speak, to
significant, though it concerns only one little word.       cause His own voi&e to be heard by His people. The
In the one case the text really asserts in question form thing that matters in .any sermon is whether we hear
that it is impossible to believe in Him unless we have      the voice of Jesus say: "Come unto me and rest";
heard about Him ; and this is, of course, quite true,       whether we hear Him  say: "Repent and believe";
but it does not convey the full meaning of the text.        whether His voice resounds in our deepest soul: "Your
In the other case, however, the text teaches us that        sins are forgiven, and I give unto you eternal life."

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

      Christ is tZLe office-bearer in God's house. He must    views under the pretext of his being a V.D.M., a minis-
 build the house, not we. The task to gather His people ter of the Word of God, he is a deceiver, too: for a
 is committed to Him ; it is, and remains, His ; never can    preacher has nothing else than the Word of Christ to
 it become ours. Even though it pleases Him to gather         bring; and although this Word of Christ may throw
 His flock and to build His Church through the instru-        light upon the calling of a Christian with respect to
 mentality of men so that they become co-workers with social and political life, a mere lecture on social and
 Kim, the work still remains His. All that is merely          political topics is no preaching.
 our work, not the work of Christ, shall be burnt : "And         Moreover, it must be remembered that a preacher
 I, when I shall be lifted up, shall draw all unto me."       must bring the. Word of Christ concerting  Himself :
 And when it pleases the Lord Jesus Christ to gather Jesus Christ as the revelation of the God of our salva-
 His flock, to cause His voice to be heard, so that His tion,-that is the central theme of all preaching. Hence,
 sheep hear it and follow Him,-when it pleases Him the apostle speaks in the latter part of verse 15 of
 to do this through a man, then you have a preaCher           Romans 10 of the preacher that brings the gospel of
 and in no other instance. It is in the consciousness of peace, the glad tidings of good things. It is the gospel
 being such a preacher that the apostle could write in        of God concerning His *Son ; the Word of faith ; the
 II Cor.  5:20: "Now then we are ambassadors for Word that God through Christ has blotted out the
 Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray handwriting of sin that was against us, has reconciled
 you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." That        us unto Himself, has justified us in Christ; the glad
 is preaching.                                                tidings of such good things as the forgiveness of sins,
      It follows, with respect to the contents of the mes-    the adoption unto children and heirs, the deliverance
 sage which a preacher brings to the Church or which by almighty grace from the bonds of sin and the do-
 he brings to any audience in the heathen world, that minion of death, regeneration, sanctification, the hope
 it may never be anything else than the Word of Christ.       of eternal life and glory,-it is that Word of Christ
 For the Lord will not speak through anything but His which the preacher must bring. He may preach that
 own Word. He gave His own Word correctly to the Word of Christ from different angles, in many.differ-
 apostles, as Paul declares in II Cor. 5 :19 : "And hath ent ways, with application to different phases and
 committed unto. us (posited in us, according to the          spheres of life; he may cause the light of that Word
 original) the word of reconciliation." It was in this of Christ concerning HimseIf  as the God of our salva-
 way that Christ made preachers out of. the apostles:         tion to shine upon the Christian's calling and attitude
 He put His own word in them. Just as when an am- in and over against peace and war, prosperity and
 bassador from one government to another delivers a adversity, sickness and health, fruitful and barren
 message he takes the word of his government along,           years, life and death, the home and society, Church
' so Christ gave His Word to the apostles ; and this same     and state; in fact, he must preach the whole counsel
 Word of Christ is committed unto the Church in the           of God. But always it must be the Word of God in
 Holy Scriptures. And preaching as to its contents is         Christ concerning Himself, `the glad tidings of good
 strictly limited to the Word of Christ in the Bible.         things, which he preaches.
 The preacher has nothing of his own to deliver, strictly        This already implies that the word of the preacher
 nothing. Whenever he delivers a message of his own, must be authoritative. Preaching is authoritative pro-
 apart from the, Word of Christ, he ceases to be a            clamation of the gospel. The word for preaching in
 preacher. If an ambassador to a foreign government the New Testament really means "to speak as a herald".
 has a definite commission and a definite message from The preacher must bring his message, nothing more ;
 his own government to deliver, and after having de-          and he must deliver it in the name of Christ and with
 livered it begins to express his own views and opinions authority. He must clearly leave the impression that
 on the matter in question, he cannot do the latter in his    the audience is under obligation to hear and to do the
 capacity as ambassador.       The same is true of the        Word that is preached, that they and he together must
 preacher. In the measure that he goes outside of the bow before that Word just because it is the authori-
 Word of God, he ceases to .be a preacher. This may           tative Word of Christ. He must not say: "Now, listen;
 be applied to modern social and political preaching:         this is my opinion, and I will show you why", nor must
 many preachers today use the pulpit to express their he beg his audience: "Will you not please agree with
 views on various social, economic, and political ques- me and accept what I say?" He must say: `Thus saith
 tions. When you listen to one of these men, you are the Lord !" For a preacher is an ambassador, and as
 perhaps hearing a well worked out lecture on the sub- such he must speak. No' false show of humility nor
 ject under discussion ; perhaps,-and this is more often fear of men may keep him from addressing his audience
 the case,-the attempt is very amateurish; you may with authority, provided he brings the Word of Christ
 agree or disagree with the speaker; but the man was          and nothing else. Pride and conceit it would be indeed,
 not a preacher. And if he offered his social or political    were he to bring his own word, the philosophy of


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        81

men, with a note of authority. Man's word has no              or preach the gospel of peace in the heathen world. In
power, neither has it any authority. Conceit, too, it this strict sense of the word all preachers are mission-
is if the preacher does not include himself in his mes- aries: they must be sent. And this is emphasized in
sage: for he also is a sinful man. But if he stands in the words of Rom. 10:14,  15, for the apostle writes:
the consciousness of his calling, and if he brings the "And how shall they preach except they be sent?" The
 Word of Christ, it is only a matter of humble and fear- sending is indispensable to the preaching. Without
less obedience if he brings his message with authority. the former the latter is impossible. One may witness
The fruit of preaching,-and it is,well that the minis- for Christ; one may have an answer to anyone that
ter of the Word remembers this,-depends solely on asks him a reason for the hope that is in him ; one
 Christ, who speaks through the sermon. No preacher may confess his faith ; one can tell others all about
 must ever leave the impression in his preaching that Christ. But one cannot preach unless he be sent. Such
 it really depends on his efforts, on his ability to move is the plain implication of the question which the
 the audience to tears or to make them tremble with apostle asks. .And this indispensable requisite of the
 fear and damnation, whether souls shall be won for sending is easily understood, if we only bear in mind
 Christ or not. I consider what is known as the "altar that preaching is the  authoritative  deliverance of the
 call" in our country as a great evil. It is delivered        Word of Christ, the gospel of peace, the glad tidings
 when the sermon is finished, when the preacher can of good things ; the vehicle upon which it pleases Christ
 break loose from his text; it is a strong and prolonged to carry His own Word to His people. You can have
 play upon the emotions, often accompanied by a soft two men that virtually, say the same thing, while yet
 strain of music and a few appropriate hymns ; always tluere is a wide difference between the word of the one
 it consists of presenting Jesus as a poor beggar, Who and of the other as far as its power and authority and
 would fain save a few souls if they would only come          significance is concerned. Suppose, if I may use that
to Him before it is too late. Always it consists of  hawk-    illustration of an ambassador once more, that there are
 :ng Jesus in its worst form. This travesty on true two men in Washington that know that our government
 preaching always impressed me as a burlesque cari- determined upon a declaration of war upon another
 cature of the preaching of the apostles. Will He Who country. Suppose, for the sake of the illustration, that
 declared : `,No  man can come unto me, except the Father both these men have their information from the presi-
 draw him"; and: "All that the Father giveth unto me dent, so that they are equally well informed. Suppose,
 shall come unto me" speak and cause his voice to be further, that one of these men is officially appointed to
 heard through such a travesty on preaching, through bring in person or write or telegraph this declaration
 such burlesque presentations of Himself? God forbid ! of war to the government of the country upon which
 I do not hesitate to say that this is no preaching.          war is declared: And suppose that also this other
 There are several examples of preaching in the Holy person, that was equally well informed about the de-
 Scriptures.     The prophets of the old dispensation claration of war, makes a trip to the government of
 preached.      Christ  Himself  delivered His discourses that  foreign country and arrives there and spreads the
 when He sojourned among us.. The apostles went into news, even informs the government about the declara-
 all the world and preached the gospel to every creature. tion of war, before the ambassador arrives to deliver
 But in vain does one look for any indication in all their the official declaration. Then, of course, the message
 preaching that they hawked the Saviour and played of the unofficial informant has no power beyond mere
 upon the emotions of men as is done. in the modern information. Only the official word, by the officially
 altar call. And therefore, a preacher may apply all appointed ambassador, weighs. The former spoke the
 his God-given powers and talents to the preparation truth, but his word had no authority, did not actually
 and delivery of his message. In fact, he should, for         change the state of things, for the simple reason that
 the Word that he preaches is worthy of his very best. he was not sent. Thus it is also with the preacher:
 But he must be fully conscious of the fact that the fruit he is one that brings the authorifative Word of Christ;
 of his preaching is the work, not of himself, but of he must be very definitely sent. How shall they preach
 Christ. And it must become clearly evident in the very except they be sent?
 farm of his  preachi:lg  that he expects none of self,
                                        &                        Our fathers always made a distinction between
 but all from Him.                                            speaking an edifying word from the Scriptures and
     Finally, we must still call attention to the fact that official preaching. The former may be done by any
 the  preszher  must be sent, and that, therefore, strictly Christian; but for the latter one must be sent. And to
 speaking it is only the Church that is authorized to be sent imriies,  first of all, that one has received the
 preach.                                                      official commission from Christ to preach, to speak
     It is very evident that it is essential that a preacher His Word, the gospel of peace; to proclaim the glad
 be sent. This is true of all preachers, whether they tidings of salvation. It implies, in the second place.
 proclaim the Word of God in the established Church,          the promise that Christ will be with that preacher,


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empower him by His Spirit to preach, and that He will `God".        It is generally accepted that this name is
surely speak His own irresistible Word through the derived from a word which may mean: to be first, to
ministry of the one that is sent. And it means, in the be lord, or: strength, to be mighty. El is, therefore,
third place, that it is Christ also Who sends, not only the strong, the mighty One. This name appears often
whomsoever He will, but also wheresoever it pleases in Holy Writ. We quote but two passages in which
Him, as the Canons of Dordt have it in II, 5: "More- this idea of the mighty `God is clearly expressed. In
over, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever Numbers  12:13, where Moses intercedes before the
believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have Lord in behalf of the, leprosy stricken Miriam, we read :
everlasting life. This promise, together with the com- "And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now,
mand to repent and believe, ought to be declared and 0 God (Mighty ,One) , I beseech thee". And in Num-
published to all nations, and to all persons promiscu- bers 23 :22 we read : "God brought them out of Egypt;
ously without distinction, to whom God out of His go& He hath as it were the strength of an unicorn." The
pleasure sends the gospel."                                implication of this latter text is plain. It is the mighty
      For this reason we emphasize that preaching is       God Who brought Israel out of Egypt; in fact, it is
properly the work of the Church alone.                    stated that He has the strength of an unicorn. That
                                              H. H.        God is the Strong One surely receives the emphasis
                                                          here.
                                                              The name "Elohim", too, is translated "God" in the
                                                          Scriptures. We immediately recognize the name "El"
                                                           in this name. Hence, also this  n$me expresses the
             OUR DOCTRINE                                  idea of strength and of great power. Only, Elohim
                                                          emphasizes this idea of strength and power from the
                                                          viewpoint of the impression which it makes upon the
               The Names Of God                           creature. Elohim is, therefore, the mighty God Who
                                                          impresses us with His majesty and power and is the
                                                          Being Who must be feared and served and honoured.
      As stated in our previous article, we prefer the
distinction between the proper names of  #God and His         Elohim, as far as its form is concerned, is plural ;
attributes. The Name of the Lord, we remarked, is literally translated, it reads: Gods. As one might ex-
not merely an idle sound, a human word, but a living pect, various interpretations have been given of the
reality, the revelation of the living God, or, the living name "Elohim". Modern criticism, of course, has also
God as He continuously reveals Himself, His continu- used this word to undermine the authenticity and
ous Self-revelation. The names of the Lord which we truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures. These modern
use, such as : God, Almighty, Jehovah, etc., have mean- critics regard it as a remnant of earlier polytheism.
ing only because they are expressions of and speak to Heathendom is polytheistic, believes in many gods.
us of God as He revealed Himself (and continuously This conception of many gods also characterized, it is
reveals Himself) in all the works of His han& and in said, the early writers of Holy Writ. Hence, the
our Lord Jesus Christ. That we prefer the distinction form "Elohim" is to be ascribed to this early poly-
between the Lord's proper names and His attributes theistic conception.             This interpretation of Elohim,
is due to the fact that we can thereby better distinguish we understand, is impossible in itself. The Word of
between those names which are attributes and the God is the inspired, infallible revelation of the living
proper names which we use when we speak of the liv- God from the beginning to the end. "All Scripture",
ing God or address  Bim. We do not address the Lord we read in 2 Tim. 3 :16, "is given by inspiration of
as: Mercy, Grace, Love, Wisdom, etc., but as: God, God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
Father, Almighty God, Most High, etc.                      correction, for instruction in righteousness".        The
      In this article we will call attention to the several Word of  *God,  the whole Word of God, speaks to us
names of the Lord as they appear in Holy Writ. In with undeniable authority, is therefore profitable also
the Old Testament we have the names: El, Elohim, for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteous-
Adonai, Shaddai and El-Shaddai, Jahweh and Jahweh ness, exactly because it is in its entirety the Word of
Tsebhaoth. And in the New Testament the following the living God and therefore bears the seal of Divine
names appear : Theos, Kurios, Pater, Pantokrator,  Des- authority. Moreover, the polytheistic conception of
potees, Babaoth.                                           Elohim is to be rejected in the light of the striking
                                                          fact, that later investigations have disclosed that, out-
         The Names of God in the Old Testament.           side of Israel, this name was later in use to designate
                                                           the one and only God.
EL and Elohim.                                                Another interpretation of Elohim which must be
      The Hebrew word "El" is the original word for rejected is what is called:  Pluralis  Majestatis. Digni-


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         83

 taries, in their correspondence, often speak of them- when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord
 selves in the plural. Kings and rulers often refer to appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Al-
 themselves in the plural, as "we". Thus some would mighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect."
 interpret the plural form of Elohim. However, that bhaddai or El-Shaddai appears repeatedly in Holy
 the Lord speaks of Himself as "we" does not find any Writ in connection with the Old Testament patriarchs :
 support in Holy Writ. Isaiah 43 strikingly illustrates Gen.  28:3,   35:11,   43:14,  43:3,   4995, Ex.  6:3, Num.
 this. I have already called I attention in a previous 24:4. This name also appears in the book of Job, in
 article to the repeated use of the personal pronoun "I" a few psalms and in certain prophecies. That the
 in this chapter. One cannot read this beautiful chap- name, Shaddai or ElShaddai, is used as a proper name
 ter and not be impressed by this fact. "Fear not : for is evident from its use in the book of Job.
 I have redeemed thee, I have called thee. . . . I will be        Shaddai or El-Shaddai designates the Lord as the
 with thee. . . . for I am the Lord. . . . I gave Egypt Almighty One. That God is the Almighty One signifies
 for thy ransom, etc. The idea, therefore, of. a Pluralis      that He is the alone mighty God. The Lord is not
 Majestatis is foreign to the Scriptures.                      merely the mightiest. We must not conceive of His
    The meaning of Elohim, as far as its plural form is power in a relative sense of the word. He is not com-
 concerned, is clear, we believe. hit is to be regarded as paratively mightier or superlatively mightiest. We
 intensive, and indicates a fulness of power. Elsewhere must not conceive of the development of His kingdom
 in the Old Testament this intensive idea is expressed and the realization of His covenant as a struggle be-
 in the form of a repetition, as, e.g., in Isaiah 6 where tween the Lord and the powers of darkness in which
 we read: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord. The twice              struggle the Lord will ultimately gain the victory.
 repeated "Holy" emphasizes the holiness of the Lord. God is the Almighty, the alone-mighty One. It is true
 Thus we must also understand the plural "Elohim". that a struggle is being waged throughout the ages
. The singular "God" is repeated, as it were, to empha- between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of
 size that the God of heaven and earth is full of majesty light, between the serpent and the seed of the woman.
 and power, is God alone, and, therefore worthy to be `I'he powers of darkness oppose the Lord in His revelu-
 served and feared.                                            tion even as He is revealed in His Church and in the
                                                               Christ. However, even in this struggle the Lord is
 Eljon.  (Most  High)                                          the alone-mighty One. All power and strength is of
    This name of God, which appears often in the book the Lord, also the power and strength of the devil and
 of Daniel, we may read in the following passages:             all his host.    God knows no opposition. The Lord
 "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread never  struggles  to realize His kingdom and covenant.
 and wine: and he was the priest of the most high The devil and all his host must not be regarded as evil
 God"--Gen. 14 : 18 ; "He hath said, which heard the forces who "en joy" ' their existence apart from the
 words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most Lord. The Lord does not merely realize His purposes
 high, which saw the visions of the Almighty, falling in spite of them but also through them. They are His
 into a trance, but having his eyes open."-Numbers instruments, as far as the Lord's power is concerned.
 24 : 16 ; "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ;    He uses them unto the realization of His eternal and
 I will be like the most high.`"-Isaiah 14 : 14.               blessed Kingdom. In God they, too, move and live and
    The name "Eljon" designates God as the Trans- have their being, Without Him they can do nothing.
 cendental, the highly exalted ,God.  That the Lord is the And although this does not relieve them of their re-
 transcendental God does not merely imply that He is sponsibility (which must be strictly maintained), we
 above us in the local sense oft the word, as if He is in nevertheless believe that the devils cannot even move
 the heavens whereas we are upon the earth. Even the without His will, and that He also uses them  unto the
 heaven of heavens, we are told in Holy Writ, cannot eternal realization of His counsel. *God's purpose alone
 contain the Lord. The Lord is transcendental in the           is realized and His will alone is done. The Lord, there-
 absolute sense of the word.       He is essentially the fore; is not only the Faithful One Who is willing to
 Transcendental One, infinitely and eternally and there- save, but He is also the Almighty One Who is always
 fore absolutely exalted above us, is the  Whollyether,        able to have.    His is the sum total of all might and
 the one and only God, the ,Creator  who alone lives in power, and He does all His good pleasure and will
 an inaccessible light. As such He is absolutely exalted maintain His covenant and cause, not only in spite of
 above every creature, and is therefore also exalted all the powers of sin and darkness but also through all
 above the gods of the heathens, which gods, of course, the forces of darkness and hell.
 are no gods.                                                  Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts).
 Shaddai and El-Shaddai (The Almighty).                           The name "Sabaoth" is a pluralis, a plural noun,
    This name appears, e.g., in Genesis 17 :I : "And as is the name, Elohim. This appears from the word

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

     "hosts".    Some would interpret the word "hosts" as
i                                                                 passage reads: "And God spake unto Moses, and said
     applying to the armies of Israel. This, however, is unto him, I am the Lord: And I appeared unto Abra-
     extremely unlikely. In the first place, the army of ham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of ,God
     Israel is regularly indicated by the singular. And, Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not
     secondly, a passage such as 2 Kings 19 :31 seems to mili- known to them." The meaning of this passage certain-
     tate against this view. In this passage we read: "For ly -cannot be that the name JEH,OVAH  as such was not
     out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they known to the patriarchs. This is evident, e.g., from
     that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord          the following passages, where the name "Lord" in the
     of hosts shall do this." In this passage the Word of translation is JEHOVAH in the original : "And Abram
     God speaks of a remnant, not armies therefore, that          said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand
     shall go forth out of Jerusalem. It is generally agreed unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of
     that the Word "hosts" refers primarily to the angels, heaven and earth"-Gen.  14:22; "And He said unto
     although the word also appears to designate the stars. him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of `Ur of the
     The name of the Lord of Hosts appears repeatedly in Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it."-Gen.
     connection with the angels: 1 Sam. 4 :4; 2 Sam. 6 :2,        15:7; "And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the
     Isaiah 37 :16 ; Hosea 12 :5, 6 ; Ps. 80 : 2, 5 ; Ps. 89 : 6-9. God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou
     Besides, the angels are repeatedly described as an host shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of
     which surrounds the throne of God : Gen. 28 :12, 13 ;        the Canaanites, among whom I  dwell.",Gen.   24:3.
     Gen. 32:2; 1 Kings 22:19; Job 1:6; Ps. 68 :18; 89 :8;        In addition to these passages we can also refer to the
     103  :21; 148  :2; Isaiah  6:2.    The  <Lord is called in following: Gen. 28 :13, 16 ; 15 :28 ; 32 :9. It  is clear
     Scripture the Lord of Hosts undoubtedly to designate from all these passages that the name JEHOVAH as
     Him as the Lord of glory, full of glory and majesty,         such must surely have been known to the patriarchs.
     surrounded by His angelic hosts, to Whom. all things The meaning of Ex. 6:3 is undoubtedly that historic-,
     are subject, the angels and the stars and all that moves,    ally the significance of this name had not as yet ap-
     breathes, and has being. This name, therefore, ex- peared upon the foreground. As the Almighty God
     presses solemnly the royal glory of the Lord, refers to the Lord had appeared unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
     Him as the only mighty King, full of majesty and But now the people of Israel was suffering affliction
     glory..                                                      in the land of Egypt. The oppression was extremely
                                                                  heavy and Israel's position in that land of bondage ap-
     Adonai (Lord) .                                              peared to be hopeless. Would the Lord remember His
           This name is derived from a word which means to covenant, His word which He had spoken to Abraham,
     judge, to rule, and therefore designates God as the Isaac, and to Jacob? The bush which burned without
     Almighty Ruler, Judge of heaven and earth. This being consumed is not a symbol of Israel in the land of
     name appears, e.g., in Gen. 18  :27: "And Abraham Egypt but of the Lord. This is evident from the entire
     answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon incident. It is the Lord Who addresses the Mediator
     me to speak unto the Lord (Adonai) , which am but of the Old Testament out of that bush. And the Lord
     dust and ashes." And in the preceding verse these declares to the man of God that His name is Jehovah,
     words occur : "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do THE I AM THAT I AM, the unchangeable God. Hence,
     right ?"    God is Adonai because He is the Absolute that bush which burns but is not consumed is obviousIy
     Ruler and Judge over all, to Whom all are subject and        a symbol of the Lord ,God.  As that bush is not con-
     whom all must obey.                                          sumed although burning, so that Lord, too, burns with
                                                                  zeal and love for His own and is not consumed. It is
     Jahweh (Jehovah).                                            this unchangeable aspect of the Lord God which now
           It is essentially in the name "Jehovah" that God       appears historically upon the foreground; the Lord
     reveals Himself in all the glory and beauty of His will reveal  unto.,His people that He has not forgotten
     covenant relationship to His people. The Jews had them or His .word unto their fathers, but will reveal
     a superstitious dread of this name and, in reading the Himself unto them presently in all His faithfulness and
     Scriptures, would substitute either Adonai or Elohim unchangeableness.
     for it. The name, Jahweh or Jehovah, means literally,           JEHOVAH is the unchangeable covenant God. He
     "I Am That I Am" or "I Shall Be What I Shall be",            is THE I AM THAT I AM. Hence, He is the  un-
     and it is also thus explained by the Lord Himself in changea,ble  God, first of all, in Himself. The Lord
     Ex.  3:14: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT Himself is THE I AM. He is the I AM, the Rock in
     I AM : and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the child- distinction from the creature. We cannot say of our-
     ren of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."                  selves: We are, but: We became. We do not owe our
      ,Of interest, in the first place, in connection with existence to ourselves. We do not exist of ourselves.
     this name, Jehovah, is the passage of Ex. 6 :2-3. This       We have our being, live, and move in the Lord.


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   i                                       85

Secondly, we become also in the sense that we are doctrine be not blasphemed. . . . If a man therefore
daily subject to change. We are ever becoming. But purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto
the Lord is the I AM. He possesses eternally the origin      honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's  (des-
of His eternal and infinite existence within Himself. potees) use, and prepared unto every good work."
IJence, He never increases or decreases, inasmuch as            Finally, a common name in the New Testament is
He is eternally the Fount of infinite and eternal "Father". This name aIso appears in the Qld Testa-
perfection.    This also explains why the Lord is in ment, and it is therefore hardly true that it is confined
Himself the unchangeable God. And for this reason to the New Testament, in the following texts,, e.g. :
He is also the unchangeable God in His relation to His Deut. 32 :6; Ps. 193 :13 ; Isaiah 63 :16; 64:8; Jeremiah
people. Having loved His own from before the founda- 3 :4, 19; 31:9 ; and Malachi 1:6 ; 2 :lO. Besides, Israel
tion of the world, He loves them with an everlasting is called the son of God in the following passages:
and unchangeable love. Yea, a mother can forget her Ex. 4 :22; `Deut. 14 :l ; 32:19; Isaiah 1:2; Jeremiah
sucking child, but the Lord can never forget His own. 31:20; Hosea 1 :lO; 11-l. In the Old Testament this
He would surely remember the word which He spake             name expresses the special, theocratic relation in which
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob  ,and redeem His people the Lord stands to Israel; in a wonderful way He had
out of the Egyptian house of bondage. And through- brought that people forth out of Abraham. The funda-
out the ages the Lord will ever remember His covenant mental idea of "Father" is not that of love but that of
and save His people unto the uttermost until they all generation, bringing forth ; and in a wonderful way
shall stand before Him without spot and without the Lord had been a Father to His people and had
wrinkle.                                                     brought them forth out of the house'of bondage, yea,
                                                             out of Abraham, and had led them into the land of
      The Names  Of God In The New Testament.                Canaan. In the New Testament, however, in which
    The New Testament name for El and Elohim is              God's covenant relation to His own in Christ is, of
Theos  (God). This name, of course, is very common course, more clearly revealed, the name expresses the
in the New Testament and need no further elucidation.        relation in which the covenant God stands to His
Eljon is translated by "Hupsistos Theos" (Most Hi& people, His children whom He loved from before the
God) as in Mark 5 :7, Luke 1:32,35,76  ; 8 :2P. We rea 2 foundation of the world, redeemed in Christ, and will
in Mark 5:7: "And cried with a loud voice, and said, save unto the uttermost when He shall tabernacle with
What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the them in the new heavens and upon the new earth.
Most High God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou                                                     H. Veldman.
torment me not." The idea of "Most High" is  alsc
expressed by the expression: "en tois houranois" (in
the heavens).
    The name "Adonai" is translated "Kurios (Lord) "
and also by Despotees and Pantokrator. The name
"Kurios" appears very frequently in the New Testa-
ment and is also frequently used with respect to the
Christ. Christ is our Lord because He bought us with
His own precious blood and made us His very own,                       The Song OF The Bow
Who commands us and Whom we must obey, and also
because He is responsible for our welfare and will pro-         We now must have regard to David's lamentation
tect and defend us to the uttermost. The name, "Panto-       over Saul and Jonathan. If we are to understand this
krator" occurs in 2 Cor. 6 :18, Rev. 1:8; 4 :8; 11:17;       eligy ,our approach to it must be right. Certainly the
15:3; 16  :7,  14. To quote merely the first of these        Song is truly religious both in the objective and sub-
passages, 2 Cor. 6 : 18 : "And will be a Father unto you,    jective sense. For it is the expression of a grief that
and ye shall be My sons, and daughters, saith the Lord as to its essence is love of God and His people ; and over
Almighty." The name, Pantokrator, means literally this people as the Israel of God it is lamented, is this
the Almighty, to which we have already called atten- song. This is proved by the statement occurring at
tion in connection with the Old Testament El-Shaddai. verse 12 that David (and his men) "wept and mourned
The name "Adonai" is also translated in the New Testa- and fasted until even. . . . for the people of the Lord
ment by the word "Despotees", and the implication and for the house of Israel."
of this name is clear in the following passages : 1 Tim.        As to the first lament, "The glory, 0 Israel, on thy
6:l; 2 Tim.  2:21; Titus  2:9; 1 Pet.  2:18. We quote        heights is slain," it forms the superscription to the
the first two passages: "Let as many servants as are whole song. What is now to be understood by "the
under the yoke count their own masters (despotees)           glory" ? The answer in contained in Deut. 28, a chap-
worthy of all ` honour, that the name of God. and His        ter that lists the blessings for obedience and the curses


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 for disobedience. If the people of Israel hearken unto people and that, accordingly, they had broken His cove-
 the voice of the Lord their ,God  to do all His command- nant by their abominations.
 ments, the Lord will set them on high above all nations         In the light of these observations it is not difficult
 of the earth, and the Lord will bestow upon them an          to perceive the reasons back of David's grief. Israel's
 earthy abundance including eary earthy good. He will glory was slain. The mighty were fallen. They had
 make them plenteous in goods, in the fruit of  t,.heir       fled before the Philistines and  fallen  down slain. Should
 body, in the fruit of their cattle, and in the fruit of not David weep? Those mighty in their military
 their ground. He will open to them his good treasure,        achievements were Israel's glory. For they were the
 the heavens to give rain to their land in his season.        signs of Israel's obedience and of the Lord's favor and
 The Lord will cause their enemies  th:xr.  rise up  agaimt thus in their fall just as certainly the signs of Israel's
 them to be smitten before their face: they shall come        apostacy and of the Lord's fierce indignation envelop-
 cut tigainst  them one way, and flee before'tbem  seven ing the nation through the triumph of the Philistines
 ways (verse 7). They shall chase their enemies and over the nation's mighty. How the uncircumcised re-
 they shall fall before them by the sword. One maI:, of joiced in their vain imagining that with the help of
 them shall chase a thousand (Jos. 23 :10) ; and five their idol-Dagon-they had triumphed over Israel's
 of them shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of them mighty God. How they mocked and blasphemed as the
 sllall put ten thousand to flight. For the Lord  ~vi11       treatment they afforded the corpses of Saul and his
 fight for them (Lev.  23:8). He will raise them up sons testified. From the heart of what true Israelite
 and endue them with courage and will lay their dread would not the consideration of such happenings wring
 upon the hearts of the enemy.                                the cry,
       What then is Israel's glory? That earthly abund-
 ance, that success of arms, and those mighty men of                 "How are the mighty fallen !
 war putting ten thousand of the adversary to flight.                     Tell it not in Gath,
 For that abundance and suctiess  in arms formed the                      Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
 evidence to the heathen that the people of Israel were                   Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
 called by the name of the Lord (Deut. 8  :lO) and that,                  Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised
. accordingly, they hearkened unto the Lord. (That was                     t r i u m p h .
 true then. For it was the dispensation of shadows.              It was the Lord whom they made the butt of their
 Today the glory of the church is the spiritual abund- derisions. It was Israel over whom they gloried. Yet
 ance that is her's in Christ; it is her mighty  men-         it would be a serious mistake to suppose that David's
 every true believer-fighting God's warfare as armed          grief was the sorrow of dispair, a kind of bitterness
 with the weapons of the spirit and overcoming by their of spirit rising from the thought in his soul that the
 faith the world. And this is now also the sole evidence      Hebrews' catastrophic defeat in their recent war with
 of God's love of His people-not earthly riches and           the Philistines was `the commencement of a permanent
 worldly success of which they have little or nothing,        bondage, as if the Lord had cast off His people. This
 but that spiritual abundance and that victory-a vic- certainly, could not be true. The Philistines triumph
 tory that is their's in Christ and toward which they over the Hebrews was of the Lord. He had sover-
 fight) .                                                     eignly willed it, His purpose being to reveal the riches
       On the other hand, when the people of Israel went      of His love over His people by delivering them from
 aside from the Lord's words to go after other gods,          the dominion of the adversary and leading them
 they were overtaken by the Lord's curses. Cursed were through their apostacy, defeat, and bondage to the
 they in the city and in the field. Cursed were their glory that characterized the reign of Solomon, himself
 baskets and their store, the fruit of their land and  the    the typical king of glory. In pursuance of this pur-
 increase of their kine, and the flocks of their sheep.       pose, the Lord took David from the sheepcote, even
 Disobedient, they were cursed in all that they set their from following the sheep, anointed him ruler over
 hand to. They were smitten with all manner of di-            Israel, set him upon His holy hill of Zion, and gave him
 seases and likewise their land. The heaven over their for his inheritance not only the Philistines but all the
 head was brass and the earth under their feet iron.          heathen nations that dwelt inside Israel's ideal bound-
 For the Lord sent no rain. They were smitten before aries. Nations they were who all along had been rag-
 their enemies. Going out one way against them, they ing  and imagining a vain thing. Their kings and
 fled seven ways before them. That was Israel's ig-           rulers had continually set themselves and taken counsel
 nominy, shame, namely those curses coming upon them together against the Lord and His people Israel and
 in times of apostacy, those droughts, diseases and mili-     His anointed, saying, "Let us break their bands asun-
 tary reverses and mighty ones fallen in battle. In           der, and cast their cords from us." But God in heaven
1 their totality they formed, did those calamities, the       had laughed. Once on the throne, David, with the
 q$ence  that the Lord's anger burned against His              Lord's help, broke them all with a rod of iron. And

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

they became tributary .to Israel, Ps. 2.     (David and of it! The disgrace of it for Israel and Israel's God !
the events that pivoted on him form the typical basis How the heathen would rejoice and mock! Cursed
of this psalm, which on this account is a wonderful therefore be ye, 0 mountains of  Gilboa. For your
prophecy of Christ's exaltation at the right hand of fields were the scene of the sad happening. The
God and His actual triumph over all his enemies).           Ehilistines were included in the curse. For they were
   The fact of the matter, then, is that Israel's apos-     the real offenders and not  ,Gilboa's  mountains. David's
trcy, defeat, and bondage were God's own means to a cursing  Gilboa's  mountains only serves to bring out
glorious end-Israel's deliverance and exaltation to the terribleness of the event and the depth of  David"s
the praise of Jehovah, Israel's redeemer-God Those grief and the enormity of the  offence  of the-uncircum-
calamities, therefore, were curses indeed but curses cised. But God will ease Himself upon them. For,
changed by the Lord into blessings for His people, so though as murderers of God's people and defilers of
that David could say as he must be held to have said        His heritage they served God's counsel and came forth
in his grief, "Hitherto the Lord hast holpen us." Why from the store of His providence and were therefore
then was David-grieved? Why did he weep? Because the lash in God's hand for the chastisement of His
of the character of God's means. Apostacy,  sin, the people, they were none-the-less responsible.
mighty in Israel fallen and slain, the heathen blasphem-       In his grief David's mind reverts to the time when
ing aGod, the Lord's heritage spoiled. and defamed by Saul and Jonathan together with all the mighty ones
the uncircumcised are terrible phenomena. The fact were still the glory of Israel in their miraculous mili-
of their being subservient to an  alwise, almighty, and tary achievements. Then the facts were these,
sovereign counsel; of their coming forth from the
womb of a sovereign providence as agents of God                    "From the blood of the slain,
through which He works in achieving His purpose with                From the fat of the mighty,
His people do not make them less terrible. These                    The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
things are enemies.       They will be destroyed when               And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
they will have served their usefulness in God's scheme         The military prowess of <Saul before his rejection
of things. Thus the day of the Lord's vengeance for was well known. He had fought against his enemies
the mockers of God and the spoilers of His people on every side. And no matter where he had turned
will come without fail. God is grieved in His heart himself, he vexed his enemies. And how the Lord had
on account of them. His ban is upon them.                   worked for Jonathan in his daring exploint against the
   David understands and believes and the lament to Philistine garrison at Michmash  (1 Sam. 14). Truly,
which he next gives utterance shows that he believes,       in those days these heroes were successful in every
                                                            military undertaking, however hopeless from the point
       "Ye mountains of Gilboa, be neither dew nor          of view of nature. For the Lord fought for them.
        rain upon you,                                      How as viewed against the background of the glory
        Nor fields of first-fruits."                        of those better days Israel's recent defeat stands out
   We listen here to words of .cursing. Let Gilboa's        in all its horror and shame! But Israel deserved that
fertile mountains by the lack of that which makes stroke. For Saul disobeyed the Lord's command. He
them green and fresh be changed into a desert and a had trodden the paths of wickedness, of selfwill  and
waste, a region of death. Such is his prayer. And rebellion to the end. And the people were held co-
its reason?,                                                responsible. For they had walked with him in those
                                                            forbidden paths.
       "For there was cast away the shield of the
        mighty ones,                                           But Jonathan, too, was numbered with the slain,-
        `The shield of Saul not anointed with oil",         Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant. Why did he
        that is, as though he had not been anoint-          have to die, perish with the disobedient?
        ed with oil.                                             : "Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the
   This doubtless is the correct rendering and not,                 pleasant, in their lives and in their death
"For there was defiled the shield of the mighty, the                were not separated".
shield of Saul, not anointed," namely, Saul's shield.        + This is the answer. With eyes enlightened by a
The Hebrew verb, Ga-al, which this class of com- living faith, Jonathan had clearly perceived that David
mentators render "defile", does not have this latter was destined to rule over Israel in Saul's stead. For
meaning neither in the Kal nor in the Niphal  in which who could do the works that David was doing, as an
it here appears. Cast away is the correct rendering. officer in Saul's army, except the Lord be with him.
The shield of Saul, too, was cast away by himself He had slain the Philistine Goliath for one. What an
in his flight as though he had not by God's anointing demonstration of implicit trust in the Lord that had
been elevated to the theocratic throne. The shame been. The day following the two were thrown into


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     each other's presence in Saul's house.         Laying his late, "Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in
.    eyes on David, Jonathan's soul was knit with the               their lives. . .  ." Thus making David ascribe loveli-
     soul of David, and he loved him as his own soul, 1 Sam.        ness also to Saul, they wax eloquent in their descrip-
     18  :l. The two made a covenant that  selfsame  day.           tions of David's generous heart. So Blaikie (in The
     It meant that Jonathan waived his claims to his father's       Expositor's Bible), "The death, and especially the
     throne and embraced David as his lord and as the               sudden death, of a relative or friend," he writes, "has
     saviour of Israel. And what a friend in need Jonathan          usually a remarkable effect on the tender heart, and
     had proved to be ! - How he had comforted and encour-          especially in the case of the young. It blots out all
     aged David in his moments of dispair. How he had               remembrance of little injuries done by the departed;
     availed himself of every opportunity to cooperate with it fills one with regret for any unkind words one may
     David.,ini.  bringing to nought Saul's attempts to rid have spoken, or any unkind deeds one may ever have
     the earth of him. Well might David say of him, "Jona- done to him. It makes one very forgiving. But it
     than, the lovely and the pleasant," and utter over him must have been a far more generous heart than the
     the lament,                                                    common that could so soon rid itself of every bitter
                                                                    feeling toward Saul-that could blot out, in one great
                "Jonathan is slain upon thy heights !               act of forgiveness, the. remembrance of I many long
                 I am distressed for thee, my brother               years of injustice, oppression, and toil, and leave .no
                 Jonathan :                                         feelings but those of kindness, admiration and respect,
                 Thou wast very kind to me:                         called forth by the contemplation of what was favor-
                 More wonderful than the love of women              able in Saul's character. How beautiful does the spirit
                 was thy love to me !"                              of forgiveness appear in such a light !"
           The love of the latter was natural and marital ; that       That David was a man of true Christian generosity,
     of Jonathan, spiritual and therefore as translated into bearing no grudge but inclined to forgive and actually
     sanctified action surpassing the love of women indeed.         forgiving the penitent, no one, loving God's people, .
     Jonathan and David were one by a common faith in will want to deny. He was that kind of a man. But
     Christ.      But the friend of spiritual loveliness had        on this very account he was not the man to attribute
     perished.      He, too, had fallen down slain. Had he          loveliness to a wicked one in  a  public lamentation, even
     quitted Saul's court and presence and attached him-            setting him forth as  the  lovely. Nor was David the
     self to David in the wilderness, he would have escaped         man to forgive such who are unforgiven of God. And
     that death. As it was he had abided with his father            such a one was Saul ; he had perished in his sins.
     in spite of the fact that the evil spirit in Saul had             That the attributes "lovely", and "pleasant" must
     burned in hot anger also against him on account of             be applied only to Jonathan is indicated by the context.
     his loyalty to David of which Saul had been well aware.        In the second  strophe  (Verses 25 and 26) David is
     On this account he was now numbered with the slain.            occupied with the loveliness of Jonathan alone which
     Vnited with Saul in life ; united with him in death was        he in passing only mentions in the first  strophe  (verse
     Jonathan. The lament is not to be regarded as criti- 23).
     cism but as a statement of fact and a word of praise for          It is not true nobility of spirit that David attributes
     Jonathan's filial love. And David might speak this             to Saul but only strength and courage and eagle-like
     word, there having been no clash between Jonathan's swiftness and agility. So again in verse 23.
     loyalty to Saul and his loyalty to David. He abided
     with Saul in the firm belief, certainly, that he followed             "Lighter than eagles were they ;
     the line of duty. And who will want to maintain that                   stronger than lions."
     he was mistaken in his belief? David had been just                 Successful in war before his rejection, Saul had
     as loyal to Saul, despite the king's designs upon his          bestowed upon the women costly clothing and adorn-
     life.                                                          ment, brought along in the spoil of war. Hence, David's
           "Saul and Jonathan were, lovely in their lives  a;nd     appeal to the women in Israel,
     in their death they were not divided." So reads this                  "Ye  daughtbrs  of Israel, weep over Saul,
     line in our English versions of the Bible and in the                   Who clothed you in purple and with
     Commentaries. But it is a wrong  tfanslation.  The                     delight;
     correct rendering is, "Saul and Jonathan, the lovely                   Who put a golden ornament upon your
     and the pleasant, in life and in death they were not                   `apparel  !".
     divided."       The. article  the  is found in the original
     and the comma is in place after the word "pleasant"                This appeal to the women would be grossly material-
     and not after the word "life". The two attributes              istic were it not that the victorious Saul returning
     "lovely", and "pleasant", apply only to Jonathan. But          from battle as laden with the spoil of the enemy was
     the commentators apply them to Saul as well and trans-         indicative of the Lord's favor toward His people and


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       89

  on this account Israel's glory. Also this appeal rises          But there were others in Judah and in the nation at
  from sanctified emotion. It is for the loss of these `large, men like Nabal, whom the Lord had slain, un-
  material things as tokens of God's love of the true         principled, vicious men, haters of God and His people,
  Israel that the women -shall weep.                          always on the alert for occasions to vilify God's serv-
     The third  strophe  again sounds the key-note of the ants. Under what dark clouds of suspicion were they
  whole (verse 27), and in it the Ode ends,                   not bringing David? Perhaps they accused him of
         "0 how are the mighty fallen,                        treason and on the ground of that charge advocated
          The instruments of war perished !"                  that he be not readmitted in that he had forfeited his
                                        G.  M. Ophoff.        right to citizenship in God's country. Perhaps they
                                                              accused him of having furnished the Phil&tines  with
                                                              a road map of northern Canaan and of having given
                                                              valuabIe assistance to the adversary in other respects
                   David's Return                             and were therefore holding him jointly responsible for
                                                              Israel's defeat in the last war with the uncircumcised.
     At the time of the expiration of the events narrated Apd,the  sad part of it wa,s  that by his affiliations with
  in chap. 1 and in 1 Sam., David and his company still       Achish and especially by his accompanying Achish's
  dwelt in Keilah, a city that was located in Philistine      army to the plain of Esdraelon  he had laid the fqunda-
  territory and that had been given him  ris a permanent tions of such vile slanders. And who could shame the
  abode by Achish, king of Gad, to whom he had fled  to       slandering tongues into keeping silence by proving that
_ elude Saul, who sought his life. But Saul was now he had no intention of unsheating his sword against
  dead, and the logical move for David was to remove to his own brethren in the faith. The mfrongness and the
  his own land and rejoin his people, that the promise of folly of that flight. He was resolved that hen&forth
  the kingdom might be fulfilled to him. David's mind he would do nothing without first learning God's will.
  turned to the tribe of Judah. In anyone of the cities Accordingly, he inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up to
  of this tribe he would be welcome to take up his abode.     the cities of Judah?" The Lord gives answer, "Go up."
  This was his confidence. Judah was his own tribe.           But he had need of a more detailed knowledge of God's
  `There he had long found a refuge. Only recentlp he will. So he put this question to the Lord, "Whither
  had done the tribe a great service by routing an Amale&     shall I go up?" Again the Lord returned answer,
  kite horde that had been raiding and plundering its         "Unto Hebron."
  southern border.  Besjdes, the northern part of the            The city of Hebron was situated in a valley (Gen.
  land was held by the Philistines.                           37  :14)  in the most mountainous part of Judah about
     But how were the people taking his alliance with eighteen miles to the south of Jerusalem. It was so
  Achish and his following him to the battle? To all ancient that it is said to have been built seven years
  appearance all that had stood in the way of his taking before Zoan in Egypt (Num. 13  :22).  It was one of
  up arms against his own brethren was the jealousy the principle places'in Judah and a priestly city (Josh.
  and the distrust of the Philistine lords. Had that doing 1% :lO ; 21 :ll) . The place abounded in venerable asso-
  shaken the confidence of his people in him? His own         ciations. Abraham had often pitched his tent under its
  tribesmen would be least likely to show themselves re- spreading oaks and among its hills Isaac had meditated
  sentful. The right-minded among them would think at eventide. There Sarah had died by Abraham ; and
  no evil. Thejr had seen with their own eyes what an         there he had purchased from the sons of Heth the
  effort it had cost him to prevent himself from falling sepulchre of Machpelah, where first Sarah's body, then
  icto Saul's hands while he was keeping himself to his       his own, then that of Isaac were laid/to  rest. There
  own country. They knew that it was only by a miracle Joseph had brought up the body of Jacob, laying %t be-
  that he had escaped the wrath of the king against whom side the bones of Leah. There the twelve spies when
  he was not allowed to defend himself by force of arms. they went up to search the land had halted. In the
  That in his desperation he had finally fled the land and    division of the land it had been allotted to Caleb. The
  sought peace and quiet with Achish was sinful of him selection of this place by the Lord must have raised
  to be sure. But he knew he had done wrong. The Lord the faith of David. It was like a promise that the God
  had made this plain to him by the calamity that had         of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob would be the God of
  overtaken his defenceless  company in Keilah during his David and that his career as king would prepare the
  absence. And He had confessed his sin. And the Lord way for the mercies in the prospect of which they re-
  had forgiven him and likewise God's people. Certainly,      joiced.
  they did not believe that he would have turned against          In accordance with the will and direction of God
his own country in that battle. Not one among God's           David went thither with his whole company. Mention
  people, it may be assumed, could conceive of him doing is made of his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and
  such a thing.                                               Abigail Nabal's  wife, his men that were with him, every

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

man with his household. "And they dwelt in the cities heid gaat boven  allen  tijd uit, kan met den tijd niet
of Hebron".                                                    vergeleken worden. En wij zijn zoo zeer creaturen  en
      At that time the Lord gave him another token of tijd-kinderen, dat het moeilijk is om ons een  voorstel-
His favor and goodness. No sooner had he settled in            ling te vormen van de eeuwigheid.
Hebron than the men of Judah came and there they                  Hoe zou het ook anders. De eeuwigheid is een
anninted him king over Judah. Judah was the. prin- deugd van Cod, en als zoodanig is God de Eeuwige,
ciple tribe. God had dealt graciously with his servant.        want God  is Zijn deugden. Hij  is liefde, goedheid,
Could there be among his psalms one that voices his            almacht, enz. En zoo is Hij ook de Eeuwige. En wij
hearts response to these tokens of the Lord's favor            begrijpen het niet!
toward him. Internal evidence points to the hundred               Maar dit weten we wel: zoo oud als God is, en zoo
and first Psalm.                         G. M. Ophoff.         lang als God zal zijn, zoo oud en zoo lang is Zijn
                                                               goedertierenheid over Zijn volk. En dat wetende, gaat
                                                               Israel aan `t zingen  : Hallelujah !
                                                                  De zanger van dit lied heeft dezelfde moeite die wij
                                                               hebben  in dit eerste vers. Is het daarom, dat hij zegt:
           S I O N ' S   Z A N G E N                           "Wie zal de mogendheden des Heeren uitspreken, al
                                                               Z i jnen lof verkondigen  ?"
                                                                  Hier hebt ge een van die soort vragen, die het ant-
Liefdevol, Schoon Zwaar Gebergd woord in zich verbergen. Het antwoord is: Niemand.
                                                               Er is niemand die al de mogendheden van God, den
                  (Psalm 106; Eerste Deel)                     Deere, kan uitspreken, of al Zijn lof verkondigen.
                                                               Stelt het U voor : tot in alle eeuwigheid zullen de schare
      In dezen psalm wordt bezongen het aanbiddelijke van Gods uitverkoren volk zingen in den nieuwen hemel
heilsfeit, dat God Zijn volk bemint,  niettegenstaande
hunne zonde en ongerechtigheden.                               en de nieuwe aarde, en die nieuwe schepping zal steeds
                                      We zullen daar keer      ruischen van de  Hallelujah's.
op keer van hooren. Hij wordt verbitterd door hunne                                                    Hoe zou er dan een
                                                               mensch zijn die al die  heerlijkheid  zou uitspreken.
zonden; Hij wordt zeer grimmig; Hij wordt menigmaal
tot toorn verwekt; maar het einde is tech, dat Hij de             Zijn mogendheden zijn Zijn wondere  daden  die Hij
zonde vergeeft, blijft zegenen, en het einde is Halle- gewrocht heeft, nog we&t, en eeuwiglijk werken zal.
lujah !    Hij is de liefdevolle Heiland,  schoon zwaar        Het is Zijn mogendheid, dat Hij het  heelal uit het niet
getergd. Dat is het hoofdthema van dezen psalm.                riep. Wie zal dat wondere werk der schepping eventjes
      HALLELUJAH!                                              uitspreken?                       .
      Dat is het begin.                                           Het is Zijn mogendheid om die wondere schepping
      Maar het is ook het einde van dezen psalm.               te onderhouden door het Woord Zijner kracht in de
      En de vertaling volgt : Looft  den Heere, want Hij       voorzienigheid.    Dat gebeurt op ditzelfde oogenblik
is  goed, want Zijne goedertierenheid is in  eeuwig-           tcrwijl ik schrijf. Wie zal het verhalen?
heid.                                                             En het grootste werk Zijner mogenheid is we1 het
      Gij looft  den Heere als gij Zijn deugden ziet, uit-     roepen van leven uit de dooden: het werk der verleven-
spreekt, roemt en er van zingt  in Uw leven. Dat is diging, vernieuwing, verheerlijking, verhooging aller
het loven van God.                                             dingen in Christus  Jezus. Daar weten wij nu meer van
      En de drangreden is "want Hij is goed, want Zijn dan de zanger van dit lied in die vroege eeuw. Want
godertierenheid is in eeuwigheid."                             de mogendheid des Heeren hebben we zien schitteren
      Hij is  goed.                                            in de opstanding van Jezus  uit de dooden. En wie zal
      Wat wil dat zeggen?                                      de schittering van dat Goddelijke werk ooit uitspre-
      ,God is het Inbegrip van  alle deugd, heerlijkheid en ken ?
schoonheid. En Hij is de Eenigste die  goed is, en                We zijn begonnen Zijn lof te verkondigen, en dat is
buiten Hem is er geen goedheid. Hij is dan ook de goed. Xndien wij niet spraken, zoo zouden de steenen
Goede voor Zijn creaturen. Als zoodanig hebben onze van den weg hun mond  openen.                        Want  "God is zoo
vaderen  Hem de overvloeiende Fontein geheeten van goed !
alle goeden.                                                       Wij zullen voortgaan Zijn lof te verkondigen, want
      Indien ge Hem nu liefhebt, moogt ge gaarne zingen        God laat niet varen de werken Zijner handen. Die lof
van Zijn goedheid. En zoo komt het, dat Gods volk van God gaat voort van geslachte tot geslachte.
de Hallelujah's zing-t.                                            Maar niemand kan  al Zijn lof verkondigen. Dat
      En Zijn goedertierenheid is tot in eeuwigheid.           kan het gansche Koninkrijk niet; dat zou ook een
      De  *eeuwigheid  is lang, zeer lang. Zij strekt  zich    eeuwigheid nemen, en ook dan zouden we nooit al Zijn
uit tot in alle eeuwen, is van alle eeuwen, en ook dan         lof verkondigen. Want er is niemand, en er zal nooit
hebben we nog niet genoeg gezegd. Want de eeuwig-              iemand zijn, die de diepten God doorspeuren kan. Al-

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

nen, opdat ik mij verblijde met de blijdschap Uws
volks, opdat ik mij beroeme met Uw erfdeel."                               I N   H I S   F E A R   .
      Ziet ge wel, dat die,man niet zelfzuchtig was? 0 ja,
hij zegt : Denk tech aan mij. En dat klinkt zelfzuchtig,
doch we  moeten verder lezen. Let er op, dat in dit                  Training For Life's, Calling
laatste, vers het verband  tusschen hem en Gods volk
schoo,p gelegd is.                                             T*raining  Zn the History  Cluss. (continued)
      Hij wil zien het goede van Gods uitverkorenen.              When we stated in the last installment of this de-
      Vandaag haat men om te spreken, te getuigen en partment that the child should be trained in the history
te belijden de onuitsprekelijk zalige waarheid van de class to see all things as God's work whereby `He ful-
uitverkiezing. Men  haat die waarheid. 0 neen, men fills His counsel, we mean that single historical events
zegt het niet zoo, maar zoo is het tech wel. Bewijs?           as well as the complete picture history gives us must
Men werpt uit die deze waarheid  willen belijden. be used to impress the child with and lead him in the
Denkt aan het verschrikkelijke Kalamazoo! `Onze vade-          contemplation of the infinite greatness of God and thus
rcn noemden het leerstuk van de verkiezing het hart train him to worship this infinitely great God.
der kerk. Maar dat hart klopt allang  niet meer, ge-              (Our attention has meanwhile been called to an
lijk te voren. In de eeuwen die men den bloeitijd'der error in the last paragraph of the principles we sub-
Gereformeerde theologie  noemt,  beleed men om strijd mitted according to which history ought to be taught.
die waarheid, maar vandaag schaamt men zich voor The phrase "not to worship" which appears in the
die waarheid. En van de verwerping moet men, indien third line of this last paragraph of the October 15
mogelijk, nog minder hebben.                                   issue should be deleted. The sentence then reads,
      Ik kan het ook  we1 begrijpen. De leer van de ver-       Hence then as Calvin also says, the final purpose of
kiezing is de doodsteek voor den trots der menschen;           looking into history must be to lead us to contemplate,
die hun eigen heil  willen verkiezen.                          not the achievements of man, but the infinite great-
      Maar de uitverkorenen, indien levende uit het  be- ness of God ; and to worship, not men of countries,
wustzijn van hunne verkiezing, willen hun eigen heil but to worship our' God):
niet verkiezen, maar dat volk rust in den verkiezenden            It is fundamental therefore that the covenant child
God.                                                           be taught, from the beginning, the beginning of his-
      Hij wil het goede van Gods uitverkorenen volk aan- tory. There is not a history book written by an un-
schouwen.                                                      believer, there is not a class in history that is taught
      Wat is het?                                              by an unbeliever that begins at the beginning of his-
      Het is dit : dat wij den beelde des Zoons Gods mogen tory. The hand of God in making this earth, His work
ontvangen. Dat we op Jezus mogen gaan lijken. Dat              of placing man on that finished earth are ignored by
we als Jezus mogen spreken, handelen, wandelen. Dat the unbeliever and denied as being historical fact.
is het goede voor Gods volk. En dat wil deze man Both the beginning of history and the end of history
zien.  _                                                       are denied by the unbeliever, and yet he thinks that
      En dan zal hij  zich ook verblijden met dat volk.        he,can  properly interpret what happens in between.
Ware vreugde wocdt alleen genoten in den weg der In the Christian school, and there only, for all religious
heiligmaking. Zondigt, en ge  zult lijden. Heiligt U education is forbidden in the public schools by  federa!
door de genade Gods, en ge zult blijdschap smaken.             iaw, is a real course in history taught. A history
      En dan gaat men  aan `t  roemen.   `Opdat ik mij         course that begins in the beginning, that begins with
beroemen met Uw erfdeel.                                       Genesis 1 :l should be taught to the covenant child
      En die roem sprak hij al uit in het eerste vers:         to train him for life's-calling. So accurate and detailed
Hallelujah ! Looft den Heere !                                 is the history course taught in the Christian school
      Stelt het U voor, dat Gods volk van onzen  dag z&5 that, in distinction from the children of the world,
wandelde als deze man. Wat zou dat schoon  en beer- your child knows about the first human beings who
lijk zijn.                                                     dwelled on this earth and, he can even tell you the
      Ik heb zooeven  gezegd, dat .een ieder van Gods volk names of these individuals. Pick up any history book
gerechtigheid  doet. Uit kracht van het nieuwe leven,          written by an unbeliever, listen in to any history class,
dat zichzelf nooit kan verloochenen.                           dealing with the first ages of history, being taught
      Maar dat is slechts zoo in beginsel. En het is duide-    by an- unbeliever and you will have to go a long way
lijk, dat dit beginsel bij  velen  vandaag zeer klein is.      before any name of an individual is mentioned. You
      De verzen vier en vijf zijn een heerlijk gebed. Dat will read or hear of cave men but not of individual
wij ze dan bidden. Want als wij ze bidden, dan  zal cavemen, of Egyptians and Chinese perhaps too, but
God ook hooren. Zijn naam is' Hoorder der gebeden.             not of individual `Egyptians or Chinese. YOU will find
                                               G. Vos.         the writer or teacher dealing with generalities and


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      93

  nothing more. We have at hand two such history                   Into `detail we cannot go. We mentioned the above
  books which are alike in their generalities and denial because these historical facts are denied by the world.
  of the beginning of history which bear out the above But you may follow the line of history and time and
  statements.    The one-this book, Man's Great Ad- time again there will be special places to point out
  venture-does not mention any name of an individual that this too is God's work. The idea of chance must
  till on the 89th page it speaks of King Menes of Egypt be ruled out. The idea that a- thing very fortunately
  who is presented as having lived about the year  3500         or unfortunately just happened to go this way or that
  B.C. That is a wrong date, we know. He must have              way must be avoided. That this king dies just before
  lived after the flood and therefore following the chron- he is able to establish  his world-wide empire, that
  ology of Scripture must have lived much later. All the son of this king `is a weak, vice-driven soul out
  that lies between Paradise and creation and the reign of whose hands the kingdom slips, that the winter was
  of King Menes is silently passed over as unknown. exceptionally severe so that the enemy was exhausted
  The other history book even gives expression to this and stopped in its bloody conquest and such similar
  unbelief when it begins by speaking of "the hazy dawn- things must not be lightly passed over as just happen-
  ing of history".                  '                           ing that way. God has an eternal plan, and that plan
      But the point we wish to make is that the very            is a very detailed one. According to it ALL things
  inception of history must be shown to the covenant            great and small occur. Never for a minute let the child
  child as God's work. His instruction and training in lose sight of the fact that God is infinitely GREAT.
  the history class must not clash with what he is taught Always teach him that God is INFINITELY great.
  in catechism and at home; And there surely is a cry- No incident in history however large. or small limits
  ing need for a Christian history text book that starts His greatness. The devil, the antichrist, the enemies
. from the beginning, shows the child that God created of the Church do not even. temporarily curb or limit
  time, brought man on this earth and by His providence His greatness. He is above them all, and all their deeds
  leads all things to the end He had in mind when He are due to the fact that He is fulfilling His counsel.
  started man down the corridor of history. Then the            The hearts of kings are in his hand, Proverbs 21 :l.
  child can be trained for his life's calling on this earth He makes peace and creates evil, Isaiah `45 :7. He gave
  while he passes with his fellowmen, believer and un- Nebuchadnezzar hi; kingdom, Daniel 5  :18. He gives
  believer, through time till presently he enters the eter- the book with the seven seals to Christ at His ascen-
  nal kingdom of which he is now already a citizen.             sion. This book contains that phase of God's counsel
     Further when the unbeliever .presents Egypt and which deals with the things which must shortly come
  Mesopotamia as cradles of civilization, the Christian to pass from the time of Christ's ascension-another
  school teacher can go a step further and show how historical event the world denies and ignores though
  God drove man out of the plain of Shinar, made him            the moment `He left this earth belongs to the-history
  scatter into these valleys and regions and how He con- of this earth-until the end of time. That the horses
  fused their speech and brought about the various races of war, of pestilence and of death run through the
  and people we now know. And where the unbeliever earth is His work as well as that the white horse of
  teaches his child  .that it was a struggle continuing for the victory of the Gospel runs when four of the seals
  thousands of years before man advanced from primi- on that book are opened. That the Antichrist and
  tive and barbarous conditions to civilization, the Chris- Gog and Magog come is God's work. And every inci-
  tian school teacher can and should point out that man dent of history is due to the fact that the infinitely
  came  upon  this earth from the hand of God as a wise God is fulfilling His counsel.
  creature created in His image, a creature who could              How then shall history be taught to our covenant
  name the animals for God, a creature that reflected youth? It shall be taught so that, as the  printiiples
  the glory, the wisdom and the holiness of God. Taking we submitted present it, the child sees God's power,
  only these three things, the beginning of all things His wisdom, His goodness, His justice, His mercy and
  as God's work, the creation of man as king of all His truth. Show him what men have done, what na-
  creatures and as God's image bearer and the origin of tions accomplished, but by all means show Him that
  the races as God's work at the tower of Babel, you            God is the Lord. Talk about men, speak of nations,
  can indeed lead the child in the contemplation of the but be sure that you end with the Lord because you
  INFINITE greatness of God. Properly presented yourself have begun with the Lord and seen all things
  these historical facts, for such they are, belonging to as a believer.
  this history of this earth, the child will indeed see that       Therefore those things which the world calls calami-
  he cannot measure the greatness of ,God. He will then ties and says no more about them should likewise be
  receive the proper impression of the God he is called presented as God's judgments upon the world. Shall
  to serve in this life. Indeed the history class can train the last two world wars simply be presented from the
  him for his life's calling.                                   viewpoint of those leaders in Germany or even England

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

and America who played such important parts in these
oppossing nations? Are we then doing justice to such                       FROM HOLY WRIT
tremendous upheavals?       Are we not to see and trace
the steady departure of nations from the fear of the
Lord and God's answer to these things? How else                           Beholding God's Face  *
will we prepare our children's minds for the judgments
of God which shall shortly come to pass? How else                As for me. . . . I shall behold Thy face.
shall we teach them that the fear of the Lord is the             Simple, yet infinitely reassuring is the expression
beginning of wisdom? How else shall we teach them cf the hope of the believer. Reassuring in life, as we
that God is just and sovereign?                               wend our earthly pilgrimage through the midst of this
      And as we already remarked not only the single          present world with all its sufferings and trials; but
historical event but even the over all picture of history also at death, when we finally arrive at our journey's
is to be used to impress upon the mind of the child the       end.
infinite greatness of God. History is involved for man.          "As for me, I will.behold Thy face in righteousness':
There is a settlement of men in the valley of the I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."
Euphrates, a settlement about the Nile in Egypt, a Psalm 17 : 15.
settement over in Asia and one in China with a record            Thereby we confidently affirm that we have no
of history that perhaps goes farther back than any            part with the world of wickedness that surrounds us
other nation can produce outside the Word of God.             on every hand. Gratefully we acknowledge that God
There are nations that are practically dormant  for           has set us apart, made us distinctly different from
thousands of years contributing little or nothing to sinful men.
the general trend of things. But suddenly they awake.            They have their portion here below. Their God is
and as the worldly historian would say, "they change their belly. They set their hearts on earthly treasures,
the whole course of history for ages to come". But            all of which they must leave behind at death for the
the covenant child should be shown that God brought           generation that follows. "Dust to dust, the mortal
those nations there and that at His appointed t;me            dies, both the foolish `and the wise. . . . Death shall
they take their place to do that which He eternally de- end his fleeting day, he shall carry naught away."
creed, so that at ,God's time a Menes, a Hammurabi,              Their end is destruction, utter disillusionment and
a Caesar, an `Alexander, a Hitler, and a Stalin are           despair.
born while certain conditions are prevalent in their             "But as for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteous-
own  1an.d or in a neighbouring kingdom. History is ness !"
inv,$ved,  and certain events apparently occur without
rhyme and reason. But they must not be presented  ~3,                                 `lb     *     *     *
for they are not without rhyme and reason, and the
child should always, though he cannot and even we                Blessed hope.
cannot see the need of the thing or event, be impressed          For God's face is His Self-revelation in Jesus Christ.
with the infinite greatness of God Who planned all               Also among men we know and recognize one an-
these involved and intricate things and executes it all other by our facial features and expressions. Our
exactly as decreed in justice, wisdom and power. As           character, but also our inner thoughts and feelings are
Rev. Gritters states in these principles, "As the Church written upon our faces. Therefore the face of a de-
preaches Him and the Scriptures teach Him, He must parted dear one lingers long in our memories. Fondly
become the God of the school-room through the in-             we recollect the distinctive features, the expressions
struction given in this important subject of history."        of love and joy, friendship and ,fellowship,  even sorrow
If God is not in your class-room it is not a Christian' and sympathy.
school. A neutral (so-called) school leaves Him out              Thus God reveals His face to us in Jesus Christ.
of the picture, it is an atheistic school.                    As yet we see His face but dimly in the mirror of His
      We had intended in this issue also to add two more      Word, for we are still of the earth earthy, so that our
suggestions as to the proper approach to the teaching         eye is fit only to see earthly things. Yet in the mirror
of the subject of history, but this will have to wait.        of the Scriptures, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we
Thus far we stated that the child must be able to see his- behold the Triune God, father, Son and Holy *Ghost,
tory as  ,God's work, and we have somewhat in detail ex-      Who is Jehovah, the almighty, sovereign, unchangeable,
plained what we meant by this. To this can be added covenant God. We see Him in all His endless per-
that he must also see history as God sees it. And he must fections as the only true. God, all-sufllcient, eternal,
see in as far as possible God's purpose with historical       (*) This sermonette was delivered in approximately this form
events. These things we hope to discuss in a following        at the funeral of Mr. G. Pastoor. Upon the request of the rda-
issue.               (to be continued)         J. A. Heys.    tives,  we take @e liberty to publish it in this department.


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     96

omnipresent, righteous, holy, full of knowledge, in-         son or daughter. And at the  -end of the way, they
finitely wise, almighty in power, unfathomably good, both die. When death gathers its forces together
the Fountain of love and grace. In fact, His face is against them, they are cast into its throes and breathe
turned toward us in love and grace, mercy and com- their last. All earthly contact is broken; all human
passion.                                                     ttes are severed.
   Now we still behold in a mirror darkly, but what we          Yet, what a difference! The wicked pass from
see floods our souls with the blessed hope that we shall     death into death, unto eternal desolation. While the
see Him face to face.                                        hope of the righteous is: I shall awaken.
   And that eternally without any dread.
   Surely God's face is terrible, even a consuming fire,        The cause for that difference must be sought al-
when it is turned in wrath against the wicked. Israel ready in this life. By nature we are all alike, born
felt something of this at Sinai, for they fled in terror     in trespasses and sins. Yet the righteous have been
even at the sound of His mighty voice. The wicked            renewed according to their inward man. Although
in hell grind their teeth in horror at His very presence.    they are still in this flesh, they have become new
For the Lord is holy and just to duly recompense every creatures. In principle old things have already passed
man according to his evil works. Also Christ exper-          away, and all has become new. For the regenerated .
ienced this in bitter. anguish of soul while God's face sinner possesses the resurrection-life of Christ within
was turned against Him because of our sins in the his heart, which is the beginning of the' heavenly life
consuming darkness of the cross.                             already in this present time. Therefore he lives by
   But we shall behold His face with gladness. For faith, and not by sight. He opposes the sin that wars
we shall behold Him in righteousness.                        in his members. And he professes the blessed hope of
   Not with our own righteousness shall we appear the life to come. Living in this body he expresses the
before Him, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.        desire to be delivered from this present body of sin
   Although we ourselves are worthy of condemnation, and to be with Christ, which is far better.
we shall stand in His presence. as altogether sinless,          For him death is swallowed up in victory. As a
perfectly righteous, as if we had never transgressed         sleeper arouses from his sleep, bestirs -himself and
any of His commandments. Nay; He will smile His              awakens to consciousness, so the righteous man awak-
approval upon us as those who have perfectly fulfilled ens as he passes through death's door. He closes his
all righteousness and merited eternal life. He will eyes here, only to open them in glory. The natural
declare us worthy to be sons  ,and daughters in His fades from view, the spiritual opens before his wonder-
house, even the heirs of His glory.                          ing . gaze. The weary night of sin and death is past,
   He will look upon us with that love whereby He the morning of the eternal day has dawned. The in-
loved us in Christ from eternity. ,His countenance will ward man, which is renewed in Christ as a new  *
shine on us in favor. His smile will fill our souls with creature, is now fully delivered from the outward
all the blessings of infinite salvation.                     man of sin, to be with the Lord forever.
   We shall see His face ; we shall stand in His pre-           That amazing change the Psalmist expresses by
sence ; we shall ,delight  in His fellowship ; we shall saying, "I shall awake in Thy likeness."
be filled with His blessedness.                                 This cannot possibly refer to the final change,
   In that assurance we say to Him' even now, "I shall when the body will be raised in incorruption to be
behold Thy face in righteousness."                           conformed to the likeness of the glorious body of
   Blessed hope in life and at death.                        Christ. Also that change lies within the scope of
                                                             the expectation of the believer, and will be realized
                                                             at the end of time, when Christ shaI1 return with the
                                                             clouds of the heavens. For the trumpet will sound,
   As for me. . . .                                          and we shall all be changed, even in the twinkling of
   I shall undergo a glorious transformation.                an eye. But already before this  final change, im-
   For I shall awake!                                        mediately at death, we shall pass through death into
   We cannot fail to ask, "what makes all the differ-        life, to awaken in the likeness of our God.
ence between the sinner who dies in utter despair and           For this likeness must refer to God. We shall be
the believer who passes on to that blessed hope?"            like Him, bearing a ereaturely  reflection of His glory
   Apparently they are very much alike in this life as His sons and daughters in His house. This is the
and in death. They both live their earthly life in the hope expressed by the apostle John, when he says,
flesh.  They see and hear, speak and act, live and           "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed
work in much the same manner, as far as their earthly        on us, that we should be called the sons of God.
existence  is concerned. In this life they are someone's . . . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
husband or wife, father or mother, brother or sister,        doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know


  96                                         l'H%  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 that when it does appear, we shall be like Him, for we            heavenly kingdom, and therefore a pilgrim and strang-
 shall see Him as He is." ( 1 John 3  :l, 2).                      er upon the earth, with an unsatiable yearning within
        Then we shall bear the perfect likeness of our             him for his heavenly home.
 heavenly Father, in as far as is ever possible for a                 And therefore with an eye of faith he looks to the
 mere creature to bear that likeness. We shall be sons hope to come. In life, in sorrows and bereavements,
 in the full and complete sense of the word. For then in pain and in suffering ; but also at death, as he passes
 we shall be fully fit to dwell in His house, to stand in iilto the valley of the shadow of death, he has this hope :
 His presence, to behold His face, to delight in His               Soon I shall be satisfied. For I shall behold His face in
 fellowship, and to enjoy the blessedness of His covenant          righteousness.
 life forever !                                                               When 1 in righteousness at last
        "I shall see Thee and dwell with Thee face to                                Thy glorious face shall see,
 face".                                                                       When all the weary night is past,
        When I awake. . . .                                                          And I awake with Thee,
                            :il *  *  :iC                                     To view the glories that abide,            m
                                                                                     Then, then 1 shall be satisfied.
        As for me. . . .                                                                                          C. Hanko.
        I shall then be satisfied.
        Not as if this is the final glory and full perfection
 of the saints. More must still follow.
        For one thing, the bodies of the believers, which
 are now laid away in the graves, must still be raised.                              "READ IT THROUGH"
 Those who have passed on before us are in heaven
 without their glorified bodies. How they exist, see,                        "I supposed I knew my Bible,                y
 hear, speak and sing without their bodies, God has                          Reading piecemeal, hit or miss,
 not deemed necessary to reveal to us. But they await                        Now a bit of John or Matthew,
 with eagerness the day when they will return with                           Now a snatch of Genesis ;                         1
 Christ to receive their resurrection bodies.
   Moreover, they are waiting for all the rest of the                        "Certain chapters of Isaiah,
 saints who must still be joined with them before the                        Certain Psalms (the twenty-third),
 throne. ..Their  glory is not complete until the whole                      Twelfth of Romans, first of Proverbs,
 church has been delivered from tribulation to be per-                       Yes, I thought I knew the Word.
* fected  in the presence of Christ and of ,God. Therefore
 Revelation speaks of the souls under the altar that do                      "But I found a thorough reading,
 not cease to cry, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true,                         Was a different thing to do,
 dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them                            And the way was unfamiliar,
 that dwell on the earth?" And they are told to wait a                       When I read the Bible through.
 little while.
        Furthermore, they are also awaiting the new heavens                  "You who like to play at Bible,
 and the new earth, the new creation in which right-                         Dip and dabble here and there,
 eousness will dwell forever, and. they will lay their                       Just before you kneel aweary,
 crowns before the throne of Him, Who lives and reigns                       And yawn out a hurried prayer;
 forever and ever.
        Yet the life immediately after death is `the fulfill-                "You who treat the Crown of Writing
 ment of all the longing that fills the heart of the be-                     As you treat no other book-
 liever during his earthly pilgrimage.                                       Just a paragraph disjointed,
        Here he must still bear the sufferings of the flesh,                 Just a crude, impatient look-
 pains, sorrows and losses. He must even suffer for
 righteousness sake. But there all tears will be wiped                       "Try a worthier procedure,
 from his eyes.                                                              Try a broad and steady view,-
         Here he still fights the battle of faith against all                You will kneel in very rapture,
 the powers of darkness  that wage war against him,                          When you read the Bible through."
 even in his sinful flesh. There he will wear the victor's                                by Amos R. Wells,
 crown forever.                                                                           Southern Presbyterian Journal.
        But above all, here he is still in the body, and there-
 fore lives apart from the Lord. He is a citizen of the                                                           J. Howerzyl.


