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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       t
                                 The Standard Bearer                                                                                                          `-`-- E D I T 0 R I A L S'
               Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August
                                                 P u b l i s h e d   B y
                        The Reformed Free Publishing  Association                                                                     "
                                            1131 Sigsbee Street,  S.E.                                                                                    Once More:
                                     EDITOR: - Rev.  EL Hoeksema.  '                                                                                          A Tendency To Individualism
Contributing Editors: - Rev., G. M. Ophoff, Rev. G.  VOY,  Rev.
R, Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. B.- Kok,
Rev.  3.  D.  De Jong, Rev. A.  Aetter,  Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                              In my brief article under "Correspondence" in our
Vermeer,  Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M.  Gritters, Rev. J. A. Heys,                                                                                            kst Standard Bearer I remarked that I was not sure
Rev. W.  Hofman.                                                                                                                                          whether I would reply to the criticism of the Reverend
      Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                          Cammenga in Coticordia. I wrote that, in my opinion,
     REV. GERRIT VOS, Hudsonville, Michigan.                                                                                                              it was probably not necessary, seeing that I stated my
      Communications relative to subscription should be addressed
to MR. J. BOUWMAN, 1131.  Sigsbee St., S.E., Grand Rapids 6,                                                                                              objections rather clearly. The main arguments I of-
Mich.            Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the                                                                                       fered especially in regard to the new system of cate-
above address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each                                                                                            chism lessons the Rev. Cammenga left rather severely
notice.                                                                                                                                                   alone. The only counter argument he offers is really
                                 (Subscription Price $2.50 per year)                                                                                      a quotation from Calvin; which, however, is not to the
Entered as Second Class Mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                   point at all. In the first place, it is a very partial
                                                                                                                                                          quotation, which certainly must be verified in the con-
                                                                                                                                                          text before it  can be of any value. And in the second
                                                                                                                                                          place, the system of catechism teaching which Calvin
                                                                                                                                                          proposes is so different from ours that it certainly
                                                    C O N T E N T S   .                                                                                   cannot serve as a model for us. That system was so
                                                                                                                                                          perfunctory that according to it a boy or girl of ten
MEDITATION-                                                                                                                                               years old was supposed to have all the main heads of
       Wacht  U Bij Verxadiging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97    doctrine in his head, and thus would be able "to present
                    Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                           himself (or herself) to the church to make profession
EDITORIALS-                                                                                                                                               of faith, would be questioned on each head and give
       Once More: A Tendency To Individualism . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100                                                 answers to each." It stands to reason that in such a
                    Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                      system there would be no room and no ti.me for any
                                                                                                                                                          thorough instruction in Biblical history. But with us
     THE TRIPLE  KNOWLEDGE-
       An Exposition Of The Heidelberg Catechism . . . . . . . . . *... . . . . . . . . . 103                                                             this is quite different. In the normal way of develop-
                    Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                      ment young people do not make confession of faith
                                                                                                                                                          until they are about eighteen years of age, which means
OUR  DOCTRINE-                                                                                                                                            that we can utilize about ten or twelve years for thor-
I      The Names Of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  406 ough catechetical  instruction. And that leaves plenty
                     Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                                      of room for instructioh  in Biblical history. Even the
THE DAY OF  SHADOWS-                                                                                                                                      quotation from Calvin, therefore, which the Rev. Cam-
       David's Message To The Men Of Jabesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110                                           menga offers as an argument in favor of his new sys-
                     Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                    tem of catechism teaching, is not to the point at all.
                                                                                                                                                          And, therefore, I repeat that he does not enter into my
     STO.N'S   ZANGEN-                                                                                                                                    arguments and objections to the new system.:
       Liefdevol, Schoon  Zwaar Getergd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . 113                          However, on reading again the article of the Rev.
                    Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                           Cammenga I noticed several elements in it that are well
     IN HIS FEAR-                                                                                                                .                        worthy of special attention. The Rev. Cammenga has
       Training For Life's Calling . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . ...' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115      a very fluent and ready pen. And that easily leaves
                     Rev. J. A. Heys                                                                                                                      an impression. But when one analyzes- the "&&tents
     FROM HOLY WRIT-                                                                                                                                      of what he writes, it soon becomes evident that `his
       The Hope of the Covenant Mother in the Old  Dispensation..ll'i                                                                                     arguments are neither weighty nor to the point and
                     Rev. C. Hank0                                                                                                                        correct. That this is true with regard to the quotation
                                                                                                                                                          from Calvin I have already shown. And I propose
     PERISCOPE-
       Home Mission News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 to weigh and analyze his other arguments in the rest
             Rev. W. Hofman                                                                                                                               of this article. And therefore, I am constrained- to
                                                                                                       .'                  ".                             serve the  Rev:eBaminenga  with a reply, hoping that in
                                                                                                                                                          the `meantime he will answer .my questions, which I


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R '                                        1 0 1

proposed to him in the last  Standard Bearer.                 I asked him  in the last  Standard &earer to reproduce
   And. then I -want to call attention in the. first place the letter which I wrote him concerning his last cate-
to the method with which the Rev.  Carrmienga tries to chism book.
bolster up his arguments, and which  is,-1 will not say :        But still worse it is when the Rev. Cammenga
unethical-; but at least: -incorrect. Writes he:  "50, makes use of personal conversations in his article, and
too, we welcome the criticism of The Standard Bearer'+        that, too, in such a way.that  the public must receive
editor, although in this case we must. say. that the          the impression that I really. dealt dishonestly with  hi.m.
criticism is rather tardy, and we also question the fact Writes he : "Now as to our last book, `Easy Steps in
whether: it is in place.? And about this tardiness of Doctrine', Rev. Hoeksema not only saw the entire book
my-reply and the question whether it is in place he months before' it went into print (which is true, H.H.) .
writes : "But we spoke of Rev. Hoeksema's being tardy         but he saw the undersigned work on the book when we
with this criticism, and this is true. The books in were together on church work for a few weeks, he even
question were sent to him by the undersigned for his          offered suggestions and criticism, but never once
personal. criticism long before they saw print. Con- breathed a word-. of what he now writes publicly."
cerning the first book, `Primer of Reformed Doctrine',        Now, how incorrect, not to say unethical, this mode
we received such a nice letter. We kept it as a souvenir of `argumentation is will be plain from the following.
for years. We were really proud to have such a compli- In the first place, I do not and cannot possibly recall
ment from Rev. Hoeksema. His only criticism was:              that any such conversation took place between me *and
If you are working on a catechism book to teach simple- the Rev. Cammenga, or that I ever saw him work on
doctrine you ought to make it more simple still. Now the book. Secondly, that therefore, although  I-do not
as to our last book, `Easy Steps In Doctrine', Rev.           want to assert t.hat the Rev. Cammenga is guilty of an
Hoeksema not only saw the entire book months before untruth on his part, I, for my part, don't believe it,
it- went into print, but he saw the undersigned work especially since I never believed that Biblical history
on the book when we were together on church work for shoulii  be entirely ignored. In the third place, even if
a few weeks, he even offered suggestions and criticism,       such a conversation took place, it is evident that the
but never once breathed a word of what he now writes Rev. Cammenga should reproduce literally what I said
publicly. Only this past August we wrote Rev:  Hoek-          and in its proper connection, together with the criti-
sema again if he could offer criticism on our last book cism and suggestions I offered, which, of course, is
(a mimeographed copy was sent in February) since we entirely impossible. And therefore, I cannot permit
thought we might have to print it due .to the many the Rev. Cammenga to quote my conversations with
requests, the answer was: .I appreciate your effort,          him in public and to leave the impression with his
but personally I do not see the need of such a book, we readers that I am two-faced and double-tongued. The
ought to teach doctrine with Biblical history."               only proof, therefore, that is valid, and which the Rev.
   Now, my first remark is that if the Rev. Cammenga Cammenga can use in this connection, is the last letter
wants to produce personal letters, which in itself is not     I wrote him on the book, "Easy Steps in Doctrine", and
always unethical, he should be careful to quote them I ask him to reproduce it and quote it literally.
literally, and not simply characterize and reproduce             All the more evident it is that I cannot permit the
their contents as he pleases. He writes: "Concerning Rev. Cammenga to produce either my personal letters
the first book, `Primer of Reformed Doctrine', we re-         or my personal conversations with him in his own
ceived such a nice letter we kept it as a souvenir for words, when we consider what he writes about my
years. We were really proud to have such a compli- criticism of the Consistory of Fuller Avenue. Writes
ment from Rev. Hoeksema. His only criticism was : he : "As far as criticizing the Consistory of Fuller Ave.
If you are working on a catechism book to teach simple        is concerned it is out of place unless the consistory
tioctrine you ought to make it more simple still." Now, was duly notified, and we trust  i5 has been, but even
in the%first  place, the reader must notice very carefully    this severe criticism is at this time unwise, the `new
that this argument is worthless with respect to the           system' could better have been given a test for the
new system of catechism teaching, because the "Primer period of one year". Now, in the first place, I assure
of Reformed Doctrine" did not replace the books on the Rev. Cammenga that my consistory `was not duly
Biblical history. But the point I want to bring out at        notified, as he seems to trust that it has been. I believe
present is that I cannot permit the Rev. Cammenga             that I can publicly criticize a public notice in the
to characterize the contents of my personal letters in bulletin without notifying the consistory. In the second
the way he does. If he wants to reproduce my letters place, my criticism was not in the form of a protest,
publicly, I insist that he quote them literally, instead but in the form of general and constructive advice.
of reproducing them in his own words. And, there-             In the third place, I do not believe that the proposed
:fore,  I am sorry that he didn't keep this letter as a new system of catechism lessons ever appeared on the
souvenir until the present clay. This is the reason why consistory as a body. In the fourth place, I did not


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single out my own consistory, but used the  announce-           member, appointed a committee of three to write such
ment:in  the bulletin as an illustration of what was done, books, and that committee fulfilled its, commission and
in more than one of our churches. I quote:  ."As an             printed a couple of thousand of catechism books. 3) But
illustration of what I mean 1 may point first of all to the Rev. Cammenga and his consistory ignores the
the new system of catechetical instruction that has decision of classis and goes its own way. And what
been introduced in some of our congregations. Thus              else is this than individualism?
I read in the bulletin of my own congregation: `For                But the Rev. Cammenga argues that even ethically
some classes the lesson material has been changed. We he has no obligation to heed the advice of the major
have planned to begin teaching doctrine at an earlier assemblies on this score. And his argument is twofold.
age.' It seems that our children will be taught the             The first is: "There is always a possibility that an-
Biblical history only during the ages of six to nine other system, besides that adopted by a given com-
years, while from the age of ten until the time that mittee, might eventually be necessary and prove more
they make confession of faith they will be taught noth- advantageous." To this we answer that of .course we
ing but doctrine." And finally, I deny the Rev. Cam- grant that th.ere is always a possibility, but in order. to
menga the right to'  characterize  my writing as severe         prove that it is ethically correct not to heed the advice
criticism of the consistory. By such language he may of the ,major assemblies, he must not talk. aboutpossi-
probably make an impression,  or  think that he makes           bilities but about actual facts. I deny that thenew
an-impression, upon my consistory ; but it certainly is system.  .of catechetical instruction is more beneficial
incorrect.    I neither criticized the consistory at all,       and advantageous than the old. On the contrary, I
nor was my criticism of the new system severe, but maintain that it is positively harmful ; and the grounds
proper and very upbuilding. And I challenge,the  Rev. for this opinion I have stated clearly in my former
Cammenga to point out from my article where my article, grounds, by the way, which the Rev.  Cam-
severe criticism, which was not in ,place,. of the con-         menga has not contradicted at all. His second argu-
s&tory. comes in. But if he so misrepresents my writ- ment is : "That one community differs vastly from an-
ing, how can I possibly allow him to reproduce my own other. What.may prove advantageous in the one may
personal letters and conversations in his own words.            prove unwise and unusable in another." Also this I
   Now, let me return for a moment to the tendency deny, on the basis that the same system of truth is
o-f individualism, which, in`my opinion, is illustrated by taught to children and young people that are of the
the introduction of this new system of catechism teach- same average intelligence. This argument is purely
ing.                                                            individualistic.    The Rev. Cammenga writes: "For
   The Rev. Cammenga contends that I must show, in              example,+ the book by Rev. Hoeksema, `Essentials of
order to prove my point, that the classis made teaching, Reformed Doctrine', has never proved successful in
from the books composed by the classical committee this community because its composition is often too
compulsory for all the churches. Writes he: "We con- complexed and the written work beyond the scope of
cede that a number of years ago our general classis t.he catechumen." This I consider an insult to the
appointed  a  committee to compose catechism books on average intelligence of the young people in the West.
Biblical history. But Rev. Hoeksema must prove that I deny that the "Essentials of Reformed Doctrine" is
the appointment of this committee by said  Classis  im- a book that is too complex for any average, intelligent
plied that all OLW churches ?~zu.st  aZu)ays use these books    catechumen of the ages sixteen to eighteen, or nineteen,
before he can charge those guilty of the `new system'           that have enjoyed regular and thorough catechetical
as `going their own way rather than working in unison           instruction from their childhood. And i challenge the
with the churches, and ignoring and forgetting the              Rev. Cammenga to prove it from quotations of the
decisions of the churches in general, reached in their book.            And, if the so-called blind questions are too
major assemblies'."     Now, this is not correct. We            difhcult for the average catechumen, so that he cannot
have no hierarchical system of church government, and answer them by himself, let the minister work with
this would be hierarchy indeed. Of course, in the ab- these questions and prepare mimeographed copies of
stract every consistory has the right to decide upon the answers. I assure you that I certaimy  will fruit-
its own material for catechetical instruction. But this fully instruct the average catechumen on the basis of
does not mean that a minister and his consistory is not the "Essentials of Reformed Doctrine."
guilty of individualism and of going his own way, when             To one more instance of individuahsm  in Rev. Cam-
he ignores the  c&vice  of the major assemblies. And menga's article I want to call attention. The Reverend
that is exactly what the Rev. Cammenga and the con- writes  : "And that is exactly the difference in cate-
&tory of Hull did. Notice: 1) The classis, and there- chism. Now it is possible that Rev. Hoeksema can
fore, also the consistory of Hull decided that there was teach doctrine very powerfully in Biblical history, that,
.great need of catechism books of our own for  the              then, is his peculiar talent, but there is another man
children. 2) The  classis, of which also Hull was a that can't do it, or does not believe that it is the best


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           Lo3

system, well and good, maybe this particular man has I
a gift that Rev. Hoeksema may not have, and that is               THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE
tc make doctrine live for children."' This whole argu-
ment is completely individualistic, and I deny it entire-
ly. A minister must certainly be able to teach Biblical
history to little children as well as to the older children,    An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
whether he likes it or no. And in the meantime he
must also be able to inculcate. the first principles of                             Catechism
doctrine into the children, according to their capacity.                                                              .
If the Rev. Cammenga feels that he is not able to teach                               PART TWO
Biblical history in the proper way, and if he does not                             LORD'S  D,AY  25
see the rich significance of such instruction, it points
tcj weakness in his own education. Perhaps in former                                        2.
years we did not lay enough stress upon teaching Bibli-
cal history in our own theological school. Our instruc-                Preaching As A Means Of Grace. (cont.)
tion was chiefly dogmatical and exegetical. But the
Rev. Cammenga could certainly have made up for this                But how is a preacher sent?
lack of training by giving himself to a serious study              And how can one be sure that Christ has commis-
of Biblical history, and my own notes on New Testa-             sioned him to preach  th,e gospel of peace?
ment history have since been completed. At any rate,               With respect to the apostles this question can easily
it is incorrect to say that one is more inclined to teach be answered.. Their very name expresses that they
doctrine and another to teach Biblical history, and that were sent. And they received their calling and com-
e$ch one can do as he likes. That is individualism mission through Christ directly and in person. The chief
indeed.                                                         distinguishing mark of an apostle was even that he
    In closing, it may not be superfluous to make the' was directly and immediately called by the Lord. This
remark that in my article on "A Tendency to Indi- is strongly. emphasized especially by the apostle Paul,
vidualism" I did not make the contrast or the antithesis        as, for instance, in Gal. 1  :l : "Paul, an apostle, not of
between teaching Biblical history and teaching doc- men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God
trine, but rather between teaching doctrine in the way          the Father who raised him. from the dead." `Surely,
of Biblical history and systematic instruction in doc- the apostles were sent. They received their commis-
trine. And when the Rev. Cammenga suggests that it sion to preach from Christ's own lips. They had the
would have been better to give his new system a test promise of the Spirit; Christ put His own Word in
for at least one year, I answer him that our own system them; and He sent them whithersoever He would, the
has been tested for years and years and that it has Spirit leading them and sometimes preventing them
certainly proved successful. We do not need a new from going to one place and directing them to another.
system at all. And therefore, I conclude by quoting And therefore, with respect to the sending  ,of the
once more from my own article, namely, that the child-          apostles-there is no  difheulty. They had their com-
ren "during the ten years of proposed doctrinal in-             mission directly from the  .Lord.
struction will find so much repetition of the same
things that in the end they will get weary of that in-             But how about him that serves. in the ministry  oil
struction. And in the second place, that by the new the divine Word today, whether he labor in the heathen
system we make little dead intellectualists and  dogma-         world or in a local church? And the answer is that
ticians rather than believers that live from the Bible          also the preacher today is sent by Christ..  ",Of course,
as the living Word of God."                                     this sending of the preacher is no longer direct and
                                                 H. H.          immediate as with the apostles. , It is. well for anyone
                                                                who desires to serve the Lord in the ministry to under-
                                                                stand this. A mere abiding desire to become a preacher,
                                                                even though this desire gradually develop into a con-
                         NOTICE                                 viction that one is called by the Lord, is not  sufficient.
                                                                It happens occasionally that a man with such an inward
    We have a number of orders for binding Volume 23            desire and conviction attempts in different ways to
of the Standard Bearer. Anyone desiring to have this enter into the ministry and become a preacher, and, if
Volume or any other Volume bound, please notify he fails to find a place and receive a call in the regular
Mr. John Bouwman,  1131 Sigsbee St., S. E., Grand               way, still insists that he is called, merely on the ground
Rapids 6, Michigan, immediately, and return your df that inward desire and conviction. This is a mis-
copies of the Standard Bearer.                                  take. And if a man act upon that mistake `and try
                          The Board of the R. F. P. A.          to arrange a place for himself as a preacher, as is

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

frequently done in such cases, he sins, and he surely        and teachers. Eph. 4:ll. And he gave these "for the
will never be a preacher. For a preacher must be             perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
sent, and Christ sends no man directly, either by an         for the edifying of the body of Christ." Eph. 3 :X2.
immediate and special revelation or by creating in           It is therefore through the ministry'that  the Church
one's heart the conviction that he is called.                carries out the commission she has received to preach
       Nevertheless, the sending of a preacher is  .just as the gospel. Not the person of the minister has the
real and peremptory as it was with the apostles, though      commission to preach, but the Church has. And she
the way of sending is now different. We must re-             fulfills her task through the ministry. Hence, only
member, in the first place, that Christ gave to His          they whom the Church separates unto this ministry
Church in the world the commission to preach. He did can properly feel that they are sent by Christ. And
so when He was about to be taken up into heaven in           therefore, it is this calling by the ,Church that is the
the well-known words: "Go ye into all the world and          all-important factor in the determination of one's being
preach the gospel to every creature." To be sure,            sent by Christ to preach the gospel. Only when a man
directly He was addressing the apostles when He spoke is so called by the Church to stand in the position of
these words. But, as has often been pointed out, and the instituted ministry, and when in that position he
rightly so, this commission to preach the gospel cannot      strictly adheres in all he delivers to the Word of God as
possibly be limited to the persons of the apostles, but      revealed in the Scriptures, can he rightfully claim that
was given to them as representatives of the New  Testa- he is a preacher. For how shall they preach except
ment Church in the world and must needs be extended          they be sent?
to the Church, even unto the end of the world. This             This preaching, then, in that very specific sense
is evident from the fact that the apostle personally         of the word, is meant when we say that the Word is a
could not fulfill the task of preaching the gospel in all means of grace.
the world. Nor can the promise which the Lord adds
to this injunction be limited to the lifetime of the            That this is true is very plain from the question we
apostles : "And lo, I am with you even unto the end have already quoted from Rom. 10 :14 : "And how shall
of the world." Therefore, not the apostles only are they believe in him whom they have not heard?"
commissioned here to preach the gospel ; neither can it         The preaching of the Word is indispensable to faith
be said that this commission is given to believers indi-     in Christ.
vidually, for the apostles surely are the representatives       This does not mean that I wish to minimize the
of the Church ; but to the Church of the New Testa-          value of all the means of instruction in the truth which
ment in the world the Lord addresses the command:            we possess today. Least of all would I underrate the
"Preach the gospel." The Church is "the pillar and great significance of Bible reading and Bible study
ground of the truth." To the Church the Lord entrust- in the home, `by individual believers, or by societies.
ed His Word. That Church must keep the Word, re-             We certainly believe the perspicuity of Holy Scrip-
-ceive  it, interpret it; confess it. And that Church in     ture.    And we believe that all believers have the
the world must preach the gospel. She has the com-           unction of the Holy One. Yet all these means cannot
mission authoritatively to speak the  Word:of  Christ.       and may never' be separated from the work of Christ
And the promise of the Spirit that will lead her into        through the Church as an institute, especially through
all the truth was fulfilled in her. It is well that also the ministry of the .Word. Suppose there had been no
this be emphasized in our own day: Not the individual ministry, no official preaching of the Word through all
believer, apart from the Church of Christ in the world ;     the ages of the new dispensation: where would be our
not all kinds of groups of believers, societies, boards,     Bibles, translated in every language ? Where tvould
sects, movements, are the pillars and ground of the          be our confessions, in which the truth is preserved
truth and have the commission to preach the Word.            from generation to generation? Where would be*your
And whatever in influence for good such groups ex- fathers and mothers to instruct you in the truth from
traneous from the Church may appear to have, we              childhood? They would not be at all. You can see for
should never forget that their existence and labor and yourself what becomes  of the man and woman, of the
separation from the Church is disobedience, and the          family that separate themselves from the Church,
ultimate effect of their work can only be detrimental        proudly ignoring the Word of God that it is impossible
to the cause of the truth.                                   to hear without a preacher, and claiming that they can
       The Church only has the commission to preach.         just as well hear Christ by reading their Bibles at
       Nor is it  di%cult  to see that this commission to    home. It does not take long before they have weaned
preach the Word of Christ must be fulfilled by the           away from the truth, and are lost in the world.
Church as institute, and therefore, through its minis- `. Therefore, the official preaching by the Church is
try. Christ gave to His Church some apostles, and            of central importance.
some prophets, and some evangelists, and  some pastors           It is just as true today and for the Church of Christ


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         105

as it was for the time of the apostles that the preach-       faith through the preaching of the gospel, Who con-
ing of the Word is the main means of grace.                   firms the implanted power of faith through the sacra-
                                                              ment of baptism, and Who strengthens conscious faith
                                                              by the sacrament of the Lord's Supper." It seems to
                            3.                                us, however, that although this invention is rather
                                                              ingenious, the explanation is rather far-fetched. And
               Regeneration Immediate.                        it is more than questionable whether this distinction
   Thus far we discussed the idea of means of grace,. was before the minds of the authors of the Heidelberg
the meaning and the various connotations of the term Catechism.
grace. in Scripture, and the significance of the preach- *       Nevertheless, it is the question whether the Cate-
ing of the Word as a means of grace.                          chism must be explained as meaning that the whole of
   The question now is: is all grace, as it is applied        faith, the faculty and the power of faith as well as
to the elect and wrought in their hearts, mediate? conscious belief in Christ, and, therefore, regeneration
That is, does the Holy Spirit always work through the         included, is wrought by the Holy Spirit through the
means of the preaching of the Word and of the sacra- preaching of the Word ; or whether the  ,Catechism
ments, or is the very first beginning of this marvellous refers to conscious faith only. Briefly, therefore, we
work an immediate work of the Holy Spirit ?                   can put the question this way : is regeneration mediate
   The Heidelberg Catechism does not decide this ques- or immediate?
tion. In question and answer sixty-five it simply in-            About this question there has been and still is much
quires into the origin of saving faith: "Since then we difference of opinion in the Reformed `Churches. On
are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by the one hand, there are those who insist that all grace
faith only, whence doth this faith proceed? "From the as it is applied to the sinner by the Holy Spirit, includ-
Holy Ghost, who works faith in our hearts by the              ing regeneration, is mediate: the Holy Spirit always
preaching of the gospel, and confirms it by the use works through the means of the preaching of the
of the sacraments." The question is, of course, in what gospel. These present the soteriological order of the
sense must faith'in this question and answer be under- various steps in the application of salvation to the
stood. Does the Catechism here refer to the power of heart of the elect as beginning with the calling. The
faith, or, as it is sometimes called, faculty of faith,       preaching of the Word, according to them, is neces-
as it is implanted in the hearts of the elect in  &e          sarily first. On the other hand, there are those who
moment of regeneration and as it also may be present strongly oppose this view and who insist that regenera-
in the hearts of little children? Or does the Catechism tion is first, and, immediate. This controversy is still
have in mind the act of conscious faith?                      very much alive in the churches of the Netherlands.
   The answer 01 Dr. Kuyper is that the Heidelberg               It seems to us, however, that this difference of
Catechism refers to both the power of faith and active opinion can be reduced to a minimum. All Reformed
belief. He reasons as follows : "If we say that what is theologians certainly emphasize that the sinner by
meant is only the conscious and active faith, then one nature is completely dead in sin and misery, that he is
gets stuck with the sacraments: for in that case the so blind that he cannot see the things of the kingdom
sacrament of holy baptism cannot possibly strengthen of God, that by nature he is so deaf that he cannot
such a faith, considering that the Catechism defends spiritually hear and understand the truth of the gospel,
infant baptism, for the evident reason that such an and that his heart is so filled with enmity against God
active and conscious faith cannot yet be present in a and His Christ that he will never come and embrace
little child that is just born. And on the other hand,        the Christ of the Scriptures. Hence, they one and all
if we say that by faith is meant not the conscious, but       oppose the doctrine of the Arminians, which present
the unconscious faith, not the faith that already active- the work of regeneration as if it were a matter of
ly revealed itself, but the implanted power of faith, moral persuasion, affected by the external preaching
then it cannot be applied to what is said of the preach- of the,gospel.  All emphasize that regeneration is wholly
ing of the gospel. For it stand to reason- that children a work of the Holy Spirit; powerful and efficacious, it
that were just born neither hear nor understand the           is wholly effected  w,ithout  the will of man. Hence,
proclamation of the gospel." Hence, Dr. Kuyper draws they all must admit that logically regeneration is a
the conclusion that the Heidelberg Catechism in ques- work of the Holy Spirit that precedes all other work
tion and answer sixty-five refers to both, the power or of grace: The opening of the eyes to see, of the ears to
faculty of faith as well as to conscious belief in Christ.    hear, and the implanting of the seed of the new life in
And he would paraphrase the question and answer the heart of the elect. Whether, therefore, we main-
somewhat as follows : "Whence does this faith proceed? tain that regeneration takes place through the preach-
From the Holy Spirit, Who implants in us the power            ing of the'gospel or not, it is certain that all Reformed
of faith in regeneration and brings it to conscious           theologians, unless they want to swing over to the


  lw5                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 Arminian camp, must admit that in a certain sense elude, but requires the use of means, by which God of
 regeneration is always immediate, for it logically al- His infinite mercy and goodness hath chosen to exert
 ways precedes every other work of grace in the heart         His influence, so also the beforementioned supernatural
 of the sinner.                                               operation of God, by  which  we are regenerated, in no
         This is plain from the description of the work of wise excludes, or subverts the use of the gospel, which
 regeneration by the Holy Spirit, as we have it in the        the most wise God has ordained to be the seed of re-
  Canons III, IV, 11, ff.: "But when God accomplishes generation, and food of the soul. Wherefore as the
 His good pleasure in the elect, or works in them true apostles, and teachers who succeeded them, piously in-
  conversion, he not only causes the gospel to be extern- structed the people concerning this grace of God, to
 ally preached to them, and powerfully illuminates their' His glory, and the abasement of all pride, and in the
 minds by His Holy Spirit, that they may rightly meantime, however, neglected not to keep them by the
 understand and discern the things of the Spirit of sacred precepts of the gospel in the exercise of the'
  God ; but by the efficacy of the same regenerating Word, sacraments and discipline ; so even to this day,
 Spirit, pervades the inmost recesses of the man ; he         be it far from either instructors or instructed to pre-
 opens the closed, and softens the hardened heart, and sume to tempt- God in the church by separating what
 circumcises that which was uncircumcised, infuses he of his good pleasure hath most intimately joined to-
 new qualities into the will, which- though heretofore gether. For grace is conferred by  means'of admoni-
 dead, he quickens ; from being evil, disobedient, and tions;  *and the more readily we perform our duty, the
 refractory, he renders it good, obedient, and-pliable; more eminently usually is this blessing of God workirig
 actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree, it       in us, and the mire directly is his work advanced ; to
 may bring forth the fruits of good actions."'                whom alone all the glory both of means, and of their
         In article 12 we read: "And this is the regeneration saving fruit and efficacy &forever due. Amen."
 so highly celebrated in Scripture, and denominated a                                                      H. H.
new creation: a resurrection from the dead, a making
 alive, which God works in us without our aid. But
 this is in no wise affected merely by the external
 preaching of the gospel,' by moral suasion, or such a
 mode of operation, that after God has performed his                    OUR DOCTRINE
 part, it still remains in the power of man to be regen-
 erated or not, to be converted, or to continue uncon-
 verted; but it is evidently a supernatural work, most                    The Names Of God
 powerful, and at the same time most delightful, aston-
 ishing, mysterious, and ineffable ; not inferior in effi-
 cacy to creation, or the resurrection from the dead, as                      The Attributes  Of  God.
                                                                                        ,- . .
 the Scripture inspired by the author of this work de-           We have already called attention, in our two pre-
 clares ; so that all in whose heart God works in this vious articles, to the great difference of opinion among
 marvellous manner, are certainly, infallibly, and ef- Reformed theologians with respect to their treatment
 fectually regenerated, and do actually believe.-Where-       of,the  Names of God. The late Dr. Bavinck, we noted,
 upon the will thus renewed, is not only actuated and comprehends everything, including the attributes of
 izfluenced by God, but in consequence of this influence, God, under the one concept, "Name of God", and speaks
 becomes itself active. . Wherefore also, man is himself of : Proper Names, Ess'ential  Names, Personal Names.
 rightly said to believe and repent, by virtue of that        Calvin has no distinction. The late Dr. -4. Kuyper dis-
 grace received."                                             tinguishes between names and attributes, but does not
         Nor do the Canons teach that regeneration, which confine himself strictly to this distinction. He dis-
 is called a new creation and compared to the resurrec- tinguishes between the essential names of God and His
 tion from the dead, which God works without our aid proper names. This vast difference of opinion is
 and which is not effected merely by the external preach- understandable. The concept, "Name", in Scripture,
 ing of the gospel, is wrought in us through the means        is of great importance. Indeed, God's Name is His
 of the preaching of the Word. Indeed, this marvellous Self-Revelation, is the living God revealed. It, there-
 regeneration, when once it is effected and accomplished fore, need not surprise us that the attempt has been
 in the heart of the sinner, does not exclude, but requires made to comprehend everything under the concept:
 the use of means. Yet this does not imply that regen- Name of God. It is surely true that the essential as
 eration is mediate and is accomplished through the well as the proper names `of God, and also His attri-
 preaching of the gospel. This is plain from article 17: butes, reveal the living God' unto us. For reasons
 "As  the almighty operation of God, whereby he  pro-         siated in our previous articles we'prefer to distinguish
 longs and supports this our natural life, does not ex- between the Proper-Names of God and His attributes.


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           107

    In the light of the foregoing, it need not surprise formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise."
us that, when confronted with' the treatment of the Quite obviously, therefore, the Scriptural expressions
attributes of the Lord by Reformed theologians, we are are richer in meaning than the words "attributes" or
confronted by and encounter the same wide difference "eigenschappen"; these words tell us that God's "attri-
of opinion. To this we will presently call attention. butes, eigenschappen" are perfections, are wonderful,
Also this wide difference of opinion is understandable. are glorious, are beautiful, are indeed worthy of all
Any attempt to classify the attributes of God, to ar- our adoration.             Their manifestation is indeed the
range the virtues of the Most High, must ever be in-          Divine purpose of all things.
complete, defective. This is simply due to the fact that         And yet we continue to use the word "attribute".
God is one, the God of infinite simplicity, Who cannot This is due to the fact that its place in Dogmatics, the
be divided or classified.                                     systematic knowledge of the truth, has been establish-
           The term "Attributes" As  S,uch.                   ed. It is very hard to break a tradition of long stand-
                                                              ing. It is as  Common  to speak of the "attributes" of
   The concept "Attributes of God", is called in the          God as it is to speak of, Christ's states of humiliation
Holland : Eigenschappen Gods. Neither term, attribute and exaltation. The very mention of the word "attri-
or "eigenschap", is happily chosen. This is due, in the utes" reminds us ,instantly  of the perfections or won-
first place, to the fact that neither term is very expres-    ders of virtues or praises or beauties, etc.; of the living
sive. The word "attribute" is defined as a property or        God. For this reason we retain the term "attributes",
quality ascribed to a person. As such it is used in con- if only we bear in mind that this term refers to all the
nection with the attributes of God. The word "eigen-          glorious perfections of the living God.
schap"  refers literally to something which belongs to
or is peculiarly characteristic of a person. Both words             The Knowledge Of The Attributes Of God
are merely formal, do not say anything, do not declare,
e.g., what kind of property or quality is attributed to                To Be Determined By  TheLScriptures.
God, or what is peculiarly characteristic of the living          Attempts have been made in the past to reason
God.                                                          from the known to the Unknown to attain unto know-
    Secondly, neither term is Scriptural. The Word of ledge of the Creator. The line or course of reasoning
God does not speak of "attributes" or "eigenschap-            has proceeded from the creature to the Creator. Some
p e n " .                                                     have applied what is called the Rule or Law of Caus-
    Thirdly, Scripture uses words which are infinitely ality. According to this rule they have concluded from
richer in thought than these terms which are most             the creature to the Creator, from the law of cause
commonly used and to which we have become ac-                 and effect round about them to the Supreme Cause of
customed. The Word of God, e.g., speaks of His "won-          all things (this reasoning reminds us of the Cosmo-
ders" in Ps. 105  :2 : "Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto       logical proof which is adduced in support of the  exist-
Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works." In the               erlce of God), from the observation of the government
Holland we read: "Zingt Hem ; spreekt aandachtelijk in this world to the idea of a God Who rules over all.
van al Zijne wonderen." The Holland version speaks lit- Others have applied what is known as the Rule or
erally of "wonderen" or wonders. The original Hebrew Negation. Doing so, we remove from our idea of God
uses a word here which emphasizes the thought that `all the imperfections of the creature, and determine
something is separated, distinguished, and that it is in who and what is by contrasting Him with the creature.
that sense wonderful, great, extraordinary, which God, then, is what the creature is not. The Lord is,
stands alone and is worthy of all admiration. In Psalm therefore, incomprehensible, eternal, infinite, indepen-
27:4 we read of His "praise" or "heerlijkheid" : "One         dent, changeable, composed of various parts, compre-
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ;    hensible. The rule of negation leads us unto know-
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days        ledge of God by contrasting Him with the creature.
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to          .-4nd finally another rule which has been applied to
enquire in His temple." In 1 Peter  2:9 we read of attain unto knowledge of the living God is known as
"praises" or "virtues", "deugden" : "But ye are a the Rule of Eminence, Following this law, we ascribe
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,        unto the Lord the most eminent perfections which we
a peculiar people  ; that ye should show forth the praises    discern in the creature. We, then, proceed from the
of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His           assumption that what we find in man, the effect, must
marvellous light." The virtues of- the living God are also apply to the Lord, the Cause. We assume, then,
the Divine perfections of the Lord whereby Scripture that the Lord created the creature, made man in His
ascribes unto him the ability or power or energy to           image, reflected Himself, therefore, in man. Hence it
be what He is, the alone living God. And the word             must follow that whatever perfections we find or dis-
"praise" occurs in Is. 4321: "This people have I              cern in the creature must necessari.ly  exist perfectly


   108                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D B E A R E R
   and eternally in the living God. This is, therefore,         have him be. History abundantly verifies this. The
   known as the Rule or Eminence.                               heathens, once having rejected the living God (origin-
      Proceeding along these same lines, namely, the at- ally, as at the time of Cain, e.g., these "heathens'! did
   tempt to attain unto the knowledge of  ,God by reasoning not bow the knee before gods of wood and stone), made
   from the known to the Unknown, others have attempt- themselves gods after the dictates and desires of their
   ed to attain such knowledge of the Lord either empiric- own heart. And the modern church world of our day
   ally or pragmatically. Empirical knowledge of God is is full of this knowledge of a god which exists as man
   knowledge of the Lord which is based upon our experi- would have him be. Man, then, does not exist for the
   ence. We, e.g., experience in our lives the need of a God. sake of and unto the glory of the living God ; on the
   We are dependent and needy creatures, who cannot help contrary, "God" exists for man and in behalf of the
   or support ourselves, and are strictly dependent upon improvement and betterment of this present evil world.
  another.. This is a fact which can hardly be denied. This "God", however, does not exist, except in the heart
   We are dependent upon the sunshine and the rain and and mind of the natural man.
  cannot control either. We stand helpless over against            Moreover, apart from the fact that man cannot of
  the devastating forces of "nature" round about us,            himself attain unto the knowledge of the true God,
  such as the high winds and the lightning and are un- it is also a fact that there is no complete knowledge of
  able to control and shackle these powers. We cannot           the Lord apart from the Holy Scriptures. There is
  combat successfully the powers of disease and death, apart from the Scriptures no knowledge of the Lord
  are helpless in the midst of these forces of corruption       as the God of our salvation. Indeed, it is true  that
  and destruction. The need and desperate plight of the works of God's hands reveal unto us God's power,
  the creature is undeniably a universal phenomenon.            wisdom, and eternal Godhead. It is also true that
   From this universal law men have drawn the con-              Christ and the eternal and heavenly kingdom of our
  clusion that the Lord must be the all- and Self-sufficient    God is revealed or portrayed symbolically in all the
   Creator. We feel the need of such a mighty and all- things round about us. However, these symbols round
  sufficient Creator; hence, such an all-sufficient Creator about us we understand only in the light of the Word
  must therefore exist. Viewed logically, however, does of God. And apart from the Scriptures, the Lord is
   not this argument destroy itself? If the creature be         revealed unto us and before us as a  ,God of wrath and
  needy and dependent, why, then, can I not conclude            righteous indignation. Death and vanity is the  all-
  that also the Lord of that creature must be needy and important language of the creature and the works of
   dependent?                                                   God's hands. Hence, I again ask: What would be the
      Pragmatic knowledge of God is knowledge of the            invariable result if the knowledge of the Lord depended
  Lord which is based upon our observation of what upon our ability to attain unto that knowledge? To
  He does, His works. Pragmatic knowledge of things ask this question is to answer it. In the first place,
   or persons is knowledge based on our observation of we would never attain unto the knowledge of the Lord
  what they do. Hence, we observe the Lord in all His as the God of our salvation. God is revealed as that
  works round about us and conclude therefrom the iden- God of our salvation in Christ Jesus, and He has been
  tity of the Lord. God acts as He is. His works are,           revealed in the Scriptures. And it is only in the light
  therefore, a revelation of Himself. Consequently, we of the Word that we understand the speech of the
   can attain unto the knowledge of the Lord by observing works of God's hands as a mighty  s.ymbolism  of the
   Him in all the works of His hands.                           heavenly and eternal kingdom of God in Christ Jesus.
      These methods of attaining unto knowledge of God And, secondly, the natural man would surely corrupt
  err in that they do not proceed from the Word of -God.        the revelation of the Lord in harmony with the dark-
_ They ignore the Self-Revelation of God in the Holy ness and foolishness of his evil heart.
   Scriptures. They certainly ascribe too much ability             We may safely conclude, therefore, that we cannot
  to man to rise to the knowledge of the Most, High.            and do not determine who and what God is. Know-
  What will invariably be the result if the knowledge of ledge of the Lord does not proceed from us unto God
   God depends upon the creature's ability or effort to but from God unto us.  We  do not ascend unto the
  attain unto or determine that knowledge? Man is of knowledge of the Lord, but the Lord has condescended
  himself a hater of the Lord and of his neighbor. He to make Himself known unto us. The line does not
  loves himself and seeks exclusively the things which run from us to God but from the living Lord to us.
  are below. Man is a liar, has turned his back upon Knowledge of God is based upon Self-Revelation, the
  the living God, and will most certainly corrupt and Lord's revelation of Himself.
  distort and falsify the knowledge of the Lord. He will
  change the glory of the uncorruptible  God into the cor-        Various  Classification*r   Of  The Attributes  Of God.
  ruption and shame of the corruptible creature. He will           Some have classified the attributes of God as essen-
  make a god to suit himself, will make a god as he would       tial or natural, and ethical attributes of the Lord. The


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       109

 essential or natural attributes of God are all those by nothing whatsoever without itself). This `also in-
 which pertain merely to His existence as an infinite cludes Immutability. Hodge also speaks of the-Lord's
 and rational Spirit. They are, e.g., His Self-existence, Natural Attributes. With this distinction he refers
 simplicity, infinity, etc. The Lord's moral or ethical to the fact that God is an infinite Spirit, Self-existent,
 attributes are all those which pertain or belong to Him Eternal, Immense, Simple, Free of will, Intelligent,
 as a moral Being. Among the. latter can be classified Powerful. A third classification of Hodge is that of
 such virtues as His truth, goodness, mercy, holiness,       the Lord's Moral Attributes. God, then, is a Spirit
 righteousness, etc. The objection to this classification infinitely  righteous, good,  tw,e, faithful,  etc. And,
 is that all the attributes of the Lord are necessarily finally the late professor of Princeton speaks of. the
 natural or essential. and ethical. The so-called essen- consummate glory of all the Divine perfections, the
 tial virtues of God are necessarily ethical, spiritual,     beauty of God's Holiness. The undersigned is also of
 and His so-called moral attributes are necessarily es- the opinion that the virtue of God's  holiness  occupies
 sential or natural.    God is holiness, righteousness,      a unique place among the perfections of God. Which
goodness, truth, mercy. God is His attributes and for perfection of God is more prominently mentioned .in
 this reason all His virtues are, of course, essential.      Holy Writ?
    Another classification of God's attributes is that          The late Dr. Bavinck discusses the attributes' of
of absolute and relative. The former belong to the           God under the concept: God's Essential Names; b.~t
essence of God as considered in itself and the latter        distinguishes the latter as incommunicable and com-
view the Divine attributes of the Lord `as : self-exist- municable attributes. And he has the following dis-
ence, immensity, eternity, whereas the latter class tinction : Incommunicable (Asceitas,  Infinitas;  Im-
would include : . omnipresence, omniscience, etc. This mutabilitas, Unitas-Independency, Infinity, Immuta-
division of the Divine perfections, however, seems to bility, Unity ;  ,Communicable   (:God as Spirit, God  ad
prooceed  on the assumption that we can have some            Light, God as the Holy One, God as Sovereign).
knowledge of God as He is in Himself, entirely apart            The late Dr. G. Vos distinguishes between Incom-
from the relation in which He stands to the creature.        municable and Communicable attributes of God and
 Yet, is such knowledge of the Lord possible? Are not does not hesitate to call this distinction the best.
all the perfections of the Lord relative, so that we have       John Calvin, the great Reformer of  Qneva, has no
knowledge of the Lord only because of the relation d i s t i n c t i o n .
in which He stands to the creature. Yet, is such know-          The late Dr. A. Kuyper proceeds from the image of
ledge of the Lord possible? Are not all the perfections God as the Principle of Division, and distinguishes be-
of the Lord relative, so that we have knowledge of the tween the virtues of God "per anti-thesis and -per
Lord only because of the relation wherein He stands          syn-thesin".
to us and .has revealed Himself unto us?          ,  -                Incommunicable  -4nd Communicable.
    A third classification of the Divine attributes  is
that of affirmative and negative. An affirmative                The classification, Incommunicable and  Co-mmuni;
attribute of God is one which expresses a positive per- cable, is practically the same as the division of the late
fection of the Divine essence. The Lord's omni-              Dr. A. Kuyper. His "virtues per anti-thesin" defines
presence and omnipotence are, e.g., classified as af- the attributes of God as in contrast with the image of
firmative attributes. The latter, on the other hand,         God in man. These are : Eternity, Omnipresence, Sim-
express an attitude which denies all defect or limitation plicity, Unity, Infinity, Immutability, Immensity, and
to *God. Among the latter we may include virtues such Sovereignty. And his  `virtues per syn-thesin" view
as : immutability, infinitude, incomprehensibility, etc.     the attributes of  ,God from the viewpoint of their
We may lodge the same objection against this classifica- agreement with the iniage. They are the Divine. vir-
tion as against that of the Lord's absolute and relative tues of Intellect, Will, and Power.
attributes. Are not all the attributes of the Lord af-          We, too, follow the distinction: Incommunicable
firmative and positive? Is not the Lord all His vir- and Communicable Attributes. On the one hand, it
tues? And does this not imply that He is, affirmatively cannot be denied that every classification  mustrneces+
and positively, all His perfections and attributes?          sarily be imperfect and defective. Secondly, thi.s,,d.i-
    A fourth division of God's attributes is that which vision proceeds from the Scriptural idea of the image
has been submitted by Hodge (late professor of System- of God in man. It can surely not be denied that this
atic Theology in the Theological Seminary of Princeton, idea of the image of God in man is Scriptural. The
New Jersey). He first of all mentions those- attributes      Word of God mentions it literally. Thirdly, this classi-
which equally qualify all the rest. All the virtues of       cation has been most commonly adopted in.the system-
the Lord are characterized by Infinitude (that which atic knowledge of the living God, Dogmatics.
has no bounds), Absoluteness (that" which is deter-             The division, incommunicable and communicable
mined, either in its being, or modes of being  or action,    attributes, should be clearly understood. We define

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

the incommunicable attributes of God.. as those attri- to these tokens of the Lord's mercy? As was said,
butes which can be ascribed to the Lord alone. And          internal evidence points to the hundred and first psalm.
we define the communicable attributes of God as those       Its sentences of praise and thanksgiving and the vows
virtues of the Lord whereof we `have a creaturely re- contained in it are such as could be expected to rise
flection in the creature. However, this division can from the heart of David at this juncture. He stood on
be fairly easily understood if we only distinguish pro-     the threshold of his career of theocratic king. The
perly. Fundamentally and strictly, all the virtues of psalm reads,
the Lord are incommunicable. God, we know and con-               "I will sing of mercy and judgment :
fess, is His virtues. It lies, therefore, in the very            Unto thee, 0 Lord, will I sing.
nature of the case that all the perfections are in-              I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.
communicable, cannot and are not imparted to the                 0 when wilt thou come unto me?
creature. To assert this would imply the identification          I will walk within my house
of -the living God with the creature. Just as the Lord           With a perfect heart.
cannot impart Himself to the creature, so also He                I will set no wicked thing
cannot impart His perfections to that creature. God              Before my eyes:
is and remains God. ,God is wise, good, righteous, etc.,         I hate the work of them that turn aside ;
in an absolute and wholly unique sense of the word.              It shall not cleave to me.
When; therefore, we define the communicable attri-               A froward heart shall depart from me :
butes of God as those Divine perfections whereof we              I will not know a wicked person.             "
find a reflection in the creature, we must ever. bear            Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor,
in.mind that the creature merely  reflects these virtues         Him will I cut off:
and that in a definitely creaturely  measure. Bearing            Him that hath a high look and a proud heart
this in mind we repeat: God's incommunicable attri-              will not I suffer.
butes are to be ascribed only to the Lord, whereas the           Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the
communicable perfections are reflected in His people.            land that they may dwell with me:
God alone is independent, simple, one, infinite, im-             He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall
mutable. The creature can also be wise, good, merci-             minister unto me.
ful, righteous, etc., but according to the measure of            He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within
the creature. God is good, wise, righteous, merciful,            my house ;
etc., as God; we, through the grace of God can also              He that speaketh falsehood shall not be estab-
be  .good,  wise, merciful, but strictly as creatures.           lished before mine eyes.
                                         H. Veldman.             Morning by  ,morning  will I destroy all the
                                                                 wicked of the land ;
                                                                 To cut off all the workers of iniquity from
                                                                 the city of the Lord."
  THl3 DAY OF SHADOWS                                           If the expression "city of God" indicates  JerusaZem
                                                            -and doubtless it does-the psalm was written after
                                                            the capture and dedication of that city. Yet the senti-
       David's Message To The Men                           ments of which the psalm is the expression must have
                                                            already begun reverberating in David's soul at the
                      Of Jabesh                             time of his accession to the throne in Hebron. There
                                                            is no reason why Hebron may not have been called
       As was said, at the time of the expiration of the    "the city of God" at the time.
events narrated in chapter 1 and in I Samuel 31, David          The text in II Samuel 2 continues, "And they told
and his company were still dwelling in Keilah, a city David, saying, The men of Jabesh-Gilead are they that
in Philistia, given him of Achish to whom he had fled buried Saul." Whether David's informants were these
to `escape Saul's wrath. Saul being now dead, David same men of Judah or some others, the text does not
returned to his own people, to his tribesmen in Judah.      make clear. David at once dispatched a message to
En. accordance with the directions of God, for which the men of Jabesh to the following effect, "Blessed be
he had prayed, he settled with his company in Hebron, ye of the Lord that ye have showed this kindness unto
a place in the most mountainous district of Judah and your Lord, to Saul, and have buried him." They had
abounding in venerable associations. No sooner was shown this kindness unto Saul as  their  lord, implying
he. returned than the men of Judah came and there that despite his rejection, Saul had continued to obtain
they anointed him king over Judah. So did the Lord tc the nation the relation of king. This is plainly the
deal graciously with His servant. Could there be view to which David had been holding all along. Twice
among the psalms one that voices his heart's response        the Lord delivered Saul into his hand. To David's men


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             111

it was the certain indication that Saul must be slain. say to these men, to the righteous among them, "Blessed
But David was not of that conviction. "Destroy him be ye of the Lord, that ye have  shewed  kindness unto
not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the your lord, to Saul, and have buried him."              *
Lord's anointed, and be guiltless. . . . A curse be            It is plain, how we are to understand  .Samuel's
upon me should I stretch forth my hand against the words to Saul, "Therefore the Lord hath rejected thee
Lord's anointed." Such had been his reaction on both from being king over Israel." A distinction  must'%&
cccasions. In his eyes Saul was still the Lord's anoint- drawn between Saul's rejection as consisting: in his
ed, Israel's king and lord. And so he was actually.         being forsaken of the Spirit that had been qualifying
It must not be supposed that David was in error. The him for the duties of his office, and the rejection of
rule was still Saul's.                                      God according to which Saul was removed from off+&
   Yet there can be no doubt as to whether the Lord         hurled from the throne. The former took  place,alm&t
had rejected Saul from  being  kinq over His people.        on the day that the seer pronounced sentence %ver
Samuel had spoken plainly, "For thou hast rejected Saul. The latter became an accomplished fact through
the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee       Saul's suicide in Israel's war with the Philistines.. In
from being king over Israel." Accordingly, Samuel the meantime the righteous in Israel had to honor
broke with Saul that very day. God's Spirit departed Saul as king for the Lord's sake, and patiently endure
from him; and the word of the Lord came to him no his mal-administrations.
more. Shortly thereafter David was anointed. But               There was more to David's message to the men of
we should not fail to take notice of the following:         Jabesh. Said he to them, "And now the Lord shew
Samuel did not make known to the people that the kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite
Lord had rejected Saul. Nor did he in the name of you this kindness, because ye have done this `thing."
God forbid Saul authority over Israel by demanding The original text here reads, "And I also `will do you
that he immediately step down from his throne. Or,          this  good.  . .  ." The meaning of these words evidently
what would have amounted to the same thing, *Samuel         is, "As the servant and follower of the Lord, I, too,
did not release the people of their oath of allegiance will show thee kindness and truth."             The Hebrew
as Saul's subjects. The meaning of these acts of omis- Chesedt,  which the translators rendered kindness, is
sion on God's part is clear. Though forsaken of the rich in' meaning. It is holy desire, ardour, zeal, kind-
Spirit and in this respect rejected of God at once,         ness, love, mercy and pity all in one. The men-of
Saul's appointment to the office of theocratic king Jabesh and all Israel especially the northern tribes,
remained binding on the nation the rest of his days,        had great need of the Lord's showing them mercy.
and the people on this account continued under the          For the days were exceptionally evil. The Philistines
necessity of honoring and obeying him as their lord         had set as their goal nothing short of the conquest of
and kihg, as the anointed of the Lord. David, there- the entire land of Canaan. And their victory over Saul
fore, would have been cursed indeed shouId  he have and his host had brought them astonishing success in
stretched forth his hand against Saul. Truly, then,         that direction.    By that military achievement they
despite his ungodliness and misrule, his self-will and had extended their jurisdiction over the whole of the
rebellions in which he walked to the end of his days, west-Jordan land with the exception of Judah. They
and by which he was gathering for himself and his could now join hands over the Jordan with their old
people treasures of wrath unto the day of wrath, Saul allies, the Ammonites. (The narrative is against the
remained Israel's king nevertheless; and he had to          conjecture that Judah, too, was tributary to the Philis-
be received and honored as such the rest of his days.       tines and that David was their vassal-king during his
And the righteous in Israel did so  for God's sake.         residence in Hebron. The lords of the Philistines had
Humbling themselves under God's hand in the aware- plainly shown that they distrusted David. And the
ness that the nation deserved that kind of king on  ac-     men of Judah had anointed him king of their own ac-
c:mnt of its abominations, they continued honoring cord).                                                       I
Saul as their lord in their deep regard not of Saul as         As studied in connection with the nation's plight,
such but of Saul in his capacity of the Lord's anointed.    David's message to the men of Jabesh takes' on mean-
Thus they honored him for God's sake as constrain-          ing. The Philistines must be ejected from God's  coun:
ed by God's love of them as shed abroad in their try. May the Lord show His people this mercy. May
hearts. How they continued  tc revere Saul to the end       Rc deliver them from the, cruel dominion of the adver-
on that account! They spared his life, when they had        sary and crown them with glory that the nations of
opportunity to slay him. They lamented over him the earth may again see that they are called by the
when he was fallen and slain. Taking down his de- name of the Lord. And may He sanctify these evi-
capitated corpse from the wall of their conquered city, dences of His favor toward them to their hearts so
they gave it a burial such as became their king. This that they may know and believe that they are loved
was the work of the men of Jabesh. Well might David and forgiven of Him and that He is their God. And


                                                            *
     I12                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

may He show them truth, keep covenant trust with them from the Phi&tines  by continual wars; and ac-
them according to His promise. And that the  `Lord                cordingly does the preposition over (al) indicate. the
will do without fail. He will save His people for His             regions (Ephraim and Benjamin) over which the
came's sake and for David's sake to whom He swore                 Philistines had not been able to extend their authority?
truth. And David, too, will do them this good instru-
     ,.                                                           It is doubtful whether the change of prepositions has
mentally as the Lord's anointed and with God fighting that significance. For it would mean that the Philis-
for them. "Therefore now," so he continues in his tines pursued the fleeing Israelites across the Jordan
rruzssage to them, "let your hands be strengthened and and established their supremacy in the whole of the
be ye valiant" `in the confidence', he means to say,              cast-Jordan land. But this is too unlikely. It is in
`that the victory is ours in the Lord'." "For," so he             conflict with the notice that Abner carried Ishbosheth
concludes, "your master Saul is dead, and also the over to Nahanaim and that he there made him king.
house of, Judah have anointed me king over them,"                 This city was situate in Gilead ; it lay on the border be-
meaning to say that they need not remain  kingless  in tween the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
that he is their king for the choosing.                               Ishboseth was forty years old when he began to
            In addressing himself to the task of establishing     reign over Israel. Two years he reigned, says the text.
     his throne over all Israel David took no recourse to         As to David, the notice is to the effect that the time he
     violence in dealing with his brethren. For he mado was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven
God his expectation as he had been doing all along.               years and six months.      Now Ishbosheth's elevation
     Accordingly, the means which he employed in gather- to the throne and David's anointment over Judah hap-
     ing -them under his wing was `a benediction envoked          pened at the same time (chap. 2 3; 5, 9) ; and Ishbo-
over the men of Jabesh and over his brethren in the               sheth occupied the throne as long as David was king
aorth country. He was blessed therefore; with the over Judah which, as we have seen, was seven years
meek in.Israei  he inherited the kingdom.                         and a half. Yet at verse 10 the text states that Ishbo-
            (One has reasons to wonder whether the critics sheth reigned but two years. The apparent discrepancy
themselves know what they mean by statements such is obvious. But Abner could not make Ishbosheth king
as the following, "There can be ho doubt that David               over all Israel until after he had cleared of Philistines
     was moved by considerations of policy as well as by tire districts mentioned in verse 9. It may be supposed
     more disinterested motives in sending this message and that the conquering process took five and a half years.
     offering this prayer for the men of Jabesh-Gilead.           This is the explanation of some. Its weakness is that
,Indeed, in the close of his message he invites them to           the narrative makes no mention of wars with the
declare for him, and follow the example  of' the men of           Philistines carried on by Abner during these years.
     Judah, who have made him king."  What are  "con- The sequel reveals that the Philistines were not  grad:
,siderations  of polity" in contradistinctioh  to "disinter- ually expelled by Abner. This was a task the accom-
     ested motives" but selfishness, sinful egotism, con-         paniment of which had to wait until the establishment
siderations that aim at the advancement of one's own of David's throne in all Israel. But the conclusion is
     cause by means fair or foul? Must David be held unescapable that Abner did make the attempt. But his
,guilty  of such carnality here? Could not his wanting measure of success must have been too small to allow
them to declare for him stem from the love of God and             us to suppose that after three years and a half Ishbo-
     His cause just as well as any other work? It could sheth was reigning  in fact over all Israel, and that
and it did. But this, of course, is not a denying thaf            this is the reason the sacred narrative limits his reign
he was a sinful man.)                                             to two years.
;           However, David's overture of peace to his brethren      Others take the passage from "but the house of
,in the north countries was ill-received. It was  ill- Judah. . . ." to the end of verse 11 as a parenthesis
received by Abner, the son of Ner, captain of. Saul's and thus render : and when he-Ishbosheth-had reign-
routed and dispersed host that with Abner and Ishbo- ed two years (only the house of Judah followed David,
sheth had fled over the Jordan to escape the sword of and the time that David was king in Hebron over the
the Philistines. Taking Ishbosheth, he brought him house of Judah was seven years and six months),
over to Mahanaim ; and made him king for Gilead, then went Abner. . . . and the servants of Ishbosheth
and for the Ashurites, and for Jezreel and over Benja- out from Mahanaim to  Gibeon. But this does violence
min, and over all Israel with the exception of Judah.             to the syntax and therefore does not commend it-
This was Abner's reply to David's benediction.                    self.
            We must not fail to take notice of the change of          There is still a third solution. It may not have
propositions, three times "for" (Hebrew, el) and three been until the forth year of David's reign in Hebron
times "over" (al). Does the preposition "for" indicate that Abner brought Ishbosheth over to Mahanaim, and
those regions over which Abner had gradually to'ex-               that he reigned simply as a vassal of the Philistines
tend Ishbosheth's authority, being obliged to wrest over all Israel.                                     G. M. Ophoff.


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     115

God had die hand genomen en weggerukt van den
strot van Israel, en Hij had op Zijn beurt die vijanden                 I N   H I S   F E A R  `,
benauwd met een doodelijke benauwing.
   God is recht in al Zijn weg en werk.
   Maar Hij doet haastiglijk recht voor Zijn teederlijk
beminde volk, dat  in benauwdheid schreeuwt tot Hem.             Training For Life's Calling j. . !
   En dat  hadden zij gedaan. Zij  hadden tot God                                                                     .:
geroepen van eeuw tot eeuw.                                Training  in  the History  Class.   (conti&ed)  h
   En Zijn goedertierenheid was geopenbaard in de             In the closing paragraph of the iast installmen~,`o?
verlossingen bi j de Schelfzee.                            this department we made the remark that in the history
   "en de  wateren  overdekten hunne wederpartijders,      class the covenant child must also be taught  fo  see'
niet  &n van hen bleef er over."                           historical events as God sees them. `By this we meari
   Dat moet ontzettend geweest zijn! Daar gaat de that he must be trained to be able to judge events `+a=c"
bloem van Egypte's strijdbare helden  de Sehelfzee in.     cording to the judgment of ,God. These events ' mu&
In de verte zien we de achtertocht van Israel's leger. be analyzed for him according to the ethical,' moral
Ik hoor die Egyptenaren zeggen: Als zij het kunnen,        standards whereby God judges them. And in `this:
kunnen wij het ook !                                       way he will be trained to analyze future events acdoW.
   En daar gaat het domme volk. Zij  loopen zoomaar        ing to this same standard.                                  I*.
                                                                                                                 I
den val in. Aan beide zijden kunnen zij in de .wateren        In the world historical events are analyzed  ,a&ord-
zien, de wateren  die als twee muren omhoog gaan.          iLg to the standards of public sentiment, the "con-
   En voor tijd en wijle gaat het goed. Dat is eigen-      science of society" or convenience and fleshly satisfac-
lijk een domme uitdrukking. Do&,  want ge moet eens tion. The mind and heart of man draw up the standard
naar boven zien, naar  den  hemel, naar het oog van by which we must analyze and judge men alid' their
God ! Hij heeft het ~ gezien en gehoord, dat Egypte works. Even as today with complete and `deliberate
Israel najaagde in het hart der zee. Kunt ge het U         ignoring of the hand of the Infinite God the recent
voorstellen hoe het  i=od  te moede was,  toen  l%j die    surprising election of President Truman is explained
goddelooze Egyptenaren daar zag jagen  in de zee, in
Zijn wonder? Ze betreden met goddelooze voeten het in many different ways, so are the ethical, moral issties
heilige pad, het wondere pad, het mirakeleuze pad naar     in history presented and analyzed as though God neve+
den hemel!                                                 existed.    The standard is man. The viewpoint ii
   En toen  is de Heere weer aan `t werk gegaan. Ja, whether man has been advanced, whether he has at-
Mozes heeft zijn staf over de Schelfzee' doen zweven.      tiined a new degree of security ( ?) --and freedom ( ?) ,
Maar God heeft gewerkt.                                    to continue his sinful way apart frdm God. The
   Leest de geschiedenis e?s. God werkte met Zijn          Icrench  Revolution, for example, is presented not from
OOG !                                                      the viewpoint of the Fifth Commandment which for-
                                                           bids ALL revolution and demands submission to  ALL
   Hij zag  `naar de Egyptenaren. En  toen werd het        authorities  .until they demand sin, but from the view-
bang. Hij zag op hen neer in Zijn eeuwigen toorn.          point of what man has gained in a material sense. In'
En  toen  ging alles verkeerd. Hij  "zag" op hen en        the worldly history-class, God's child is not taught to
zij werden verschrikt. Leest  .het maar.                   eee historical events with the same .judgment  that is
   En dan komen de resultaten van dit  "zien" van          God's. The covenant child must see it that way and
God.                                                       that way only. . How else can he be trained and lead
   De Heere stiet de raderen van hunne  wagens weg,        in the contemplation of the infinite greatness of God?
zoodat zij zwaarlijk voortvaarden.                         YIust he be taught that this infinitely great God'can
   De Heere ging  aan `t strijden tegen Egypte. En be pushed aside when man so pleases and that He
zob duidelijk, dat de Egyptenaren het zelf bemerkten will then look down in favour upon such rebels? Re-
en zeiden.                                                 member Nimrod whose name means "rebel".              Con-
   En dan komt het natte graf voor die helden.             sider what happened to his glorious kingdom of Babel.
   Er bleef er niet een over.                              He  ~+,s a mighty man in the eyes of the people so ,that
                                                  f:       they, and not God, gave him the name of  "mighiy
   Neen, en er zal niet een goddelooze overblijven in hunter before the Lord". He was a great humanist!
den dag van Gods. ,wrake. Zelfs hun naam wordt uit- By his conquest over the wild beasts which multiplied
geroeid.                                                   so rapidly after the flood that man's life was endatl-
   En waarom?                                              gered, he made the plain of Shinar a safe place for
   Omdat God goedertieren is over Zijn volk.               man, established his kingdom of Babel and in dire&
   Hallelujah  ?                                           opposition to the word of God, at which he rebelled,
                                             G. Vos.       he sought to make this a permanent settlement for the

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

      whole-human race. The advantages for the flesh were but also to the froward." That applies to the servants
      innumerable. From every viewpoint--except that of of the king too. The king may be froward and as with
      the glory of God-this was to man's advantage be- Rehoboam exact taxes which are unnecessary, yet the
      cause they all spoke the same language and were in- subjects or servants must obey. What Christian school
      deed one nation.      But God gave His answer. He teacher would uphold those who revolted against  Reho-
      passed judgment upon that d.eed not .according  to the
                .                                                  boam? One may say, indeed, but Rehoboam was the.
      standards of man's advantage and safety but accord- son of *Solomon  and so also the son of David and in
      ing to the standard of His holy law which demands his kingship was therefore a type of Christ, so that
      that all things glorify His name. This historical fact to rebel against Rehoboam was to reject Christ. We
      of the confusion of tongues, of course, is also denied       agree. But read once Romans 13 :l, 2. For America
      by the unbeliever, but there are similar incidents in to revolt against the King of England was to revolt
      world history where one will have to judge an event          against God. Paul has this to say, nay, God has this
      as to its ethical value lest he fail to train God's cove-    to say there, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher
      nant children for their life's calling.                      powers. For there is no power but of God ; the powers
                                                                   that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore
P        To fail to judge an event, an act of man or a prac-
      tic,e, of a nation according to God's judgment is to mis-    resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God,
      interpret the event.. Still worse, it will leave a wrong     and they that resist shall receive to themselves dam-
      if not dangerous impression in the mind of the child.        nation."    (But we are getting now into training in
      It may and often does lead him to walk in an evil way        the civics class.)
      under the impression that he may do this thing. To be           Furthermore, it will have to be* proven, by those
      concrete, shall we, just because we are American citi- who maintain that the. American Revolution was fought
      zens-losing sight of our heavenly citizenship and life's for religious reasons, that Scripture permits the church
      calling as such citizens-shall we, though we as well or the nation to take up the sword to defend the truth.
      as .others are deeply thankful to God for our marvel-        Jesus told Peter to put up his Sword, for they that
      ous-land and for the freedom  He,  not men, gives us to      slay with the sword will perish with it. Paul tells
      develop the truth and to instruct our children without the church to put on the whole Armour of God. Sure-
      fear of persecution, judge the American Revolution ly ,God's Word did not teach America to hire godless
      according to the standards of worldly historians or          France to help preserve the true religion.
      according to the Fifth Commandment? When our                    A word of caution ! The teacher, of course, will
     worship of God was not at all at stake but our taxation       have to be tactful and above all spiritual in presenting
      without representation was shall we point our children historical events from the viewpoint of God's judg-
      to the present freedom of religion which we now enjoy        ment of them. We are Americans ! And we must
      and try to excuse ,that revolution which the Unchange-       respect those now in authority over us.         Although
      able and infmite God continues to judge according to         there are many events in our history and deeds of
      His holy law? What is the result? Is such a practice our leaders in the far past and recent past whose
      harmless? We may not like to admit it, but then we           works must definitely be presented as sin before God,
      care teaching our children a very unscriptural slogan        yet the child must never leave his history class w,ith
      that the end justifies the means. The end is our pre-        a feeling of or inclination toward disrespect. And
      sentfreedom of religion, a land of our own where we          he surely should learn to be appreciative of the Infinite
      can rule ourselves and can allow each other the right        God's works whereby He led Columbus to discover
      to his convictions. The end is a democracy where             this land for the sake of the church and whereby He
      formerly we were ruled by a cruel monarch. The               has given us leaders who-whether in faith or un-
      means was a bloody revolution, throwing off the  God-        belief makes no difference here-permitted the church
      given yoke, and must we justify it before our child-         to develop the truth and to instruct the youth in the
      r e n ?                                                      truth and who even today keep their hands out of the
             Before we may do that, we will have to prove from     domain of the church. To show a child history as
      the Word of God that the King of England had no              God sees it, to show it to him in the light of God's
      right from God to tax us. It is not a question of            law will not make him `a poor citizen. There is not
      whether the taxation was just and necessary. God             a better citizen than that citizen who is and  lives`~as  a
      says through the apostle Peter, "Submit yourselves           Christian. On the other hand, teach the child that
      to  everv  ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." That       the authorities do not need to be obeyed when Y'OU
      last phrase shows clearly that only when it required think that they are froward and foolish and you train
      disobedience to God may we refuse to submit to the           a band of revolutionists. We say  again there is a
      authorities. All things must be for the Lord's sake.         crying need for a history book that can be used in
      A little later Peter states, "Servants, be subject to your Christian schools, one written by a Christian. who
      masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle,      views all events according to that written in God's


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             117

Word, a book that shows the child historically as God
ethically sees them. No philosophy of man must be                                 FROM HOLY WRIT
behind its analyzation of men's deeds, but, and we
refer you again to the principles drawn up by the Rev.
Gritters, we shall have to judge the nations according
to the position they have taken toward the church The Hope Of The Covenant Mother
and the truth she preaches. That history book will
have to judge the nations according to the standard of                    In The Old Dispensation *
righteousness revealed in God's law, the truth we
preach.                                                                The birth of a child is often hailed as "a blessed
    It all adds up to this, that teaching history to God's          event". Sometimes this is meant in all seriousness,
                                                                    but often it carries a ring of irony in it. In a world
royal priesthood is one of the most if not the most
difficult tasks a'christian  school teacher is called upon of sinful men who are filled. with "the lust of the
                                                                    flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life," child-
to perform. The teacher will indeed have to be well                 ren are often considered a burden and even a nuisance.
versed in the doctrines of Scripture.                A course in
Reformed doctrine will have to be an essential element Some would even hesitate about bringing a new genera-
in that training. And much preparation of the lesson tion into the miseries of an earthly existence. The
prayerfully and carefully will be required especially anticipation of motherhood and the stigma of a large
while we must yet make use of the world's text-                     family are frequently looked upon with dread. Yet
books.                                                              the fact remains that from the very dawn of history
                                                                    believing women were thrilled with the joy that be-
    The difficulty will not frighten one who loves the longs peculiarly to a real mother. This is not simply
.truth. And that is ssential in the very first place. because of the motherly instinct of the woman, nor
If one loves the truth, one can teach history pro- because the child makes the family unit complete and
perly.     If one loves the truth, one will want to teach brings happiness into the home. But the real reason
it properly, and though the  dihlculty  remains, the why a believing mother rejoices in the birth of her
love for the truth will by God's grace keep one from child is because she thereby realizes her purpose in
misrepresenting the facts. If one does not love the the covenant according to the will of God.
truth, one should not even contemplate teaching any-
one, for woe to those who love the lie and teach it in                 This is especially evident from the church of the
one form or another to others. In the Christian school old dispensation where it was a source of constant
we have those who love the truth, and it is and should grief to many believing women that they were de-
be a source of encouragement to the teacher every prived from the joy of motherhood. They realized  -
morning he or she stands before the class to consider that only in the line of continued generations could
that the parents have entrusted their children to the the Christ, the hope of their salvation, be born. All
teacher's care and instruction. In the Christian school their salvation was wrapped up in that promised `seed.
 likewise, the teacher who loves the truth and works All God's promises centered in Him. They were blessed
hard to present the history of the world according to in bringing forth that seed. For their hope was fixed
the standards whereby God judges them, may be en-                   upon the word of the Lord that was spoken to Satan
 couraged by the knowledge that to such our Covenant immediately after the fall, "I will put enmity between
 God Whose children they train will say, Well done                  thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
 good and faithful servants. Enter ye into the joy of seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou. shalt. bruise
 your Lord.                                                         his heel."
    Next time we hope to conclude this series on train-                 It is interesting to trace that hope of the believing
 ing in the history class and perhaps introduce the                 mothers of the Old Testament through a few of its
 next section, namely, that of training in the Geography outstanding phases.
 class.                                                                 Notice, first of all, the case of Eve, the mother of
                     (to be continued)                              all the living. When she brought forth her firstborn
                                                     J. A. Heys.    son -into the world she exclaimed, "I have gotten a
                                                                    man from the Lord." No doubt, she was filled with
                                                                    the amazement of any mother who gives birth to a
                       -       -          -                         child. No one can help but marvel at the wonder that
                                    ,,                              has taken place. Here you have a well formed indi-
                                    _.                              vidual with eyes and ears and nose and mouth, with .'
    The ability to speak several- languages is an asset, hands that wave and feet that kick, with lungs that
 but to be able to hold your tongue in one language is              * This talk was given at the meeting of the League of Ladies
priceless.  - The  .Banner.                                           Societies  held  in  the  First Protestant  Reformed Church:

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

  breath in perfect  rythm,  a heart that beats and  a                 That accounts for it that she conceived of the plot
  stomach that demands its food at regular intervals. to employ her slave Hagar for the purpose of pro-
  It bears the likeness of ' father or mother, or more              ducing the desired seed. After conferring with Abra-
  likely of both. It has its own features,, its own char- ham on the matter, it was agreed that this might
  acteristics, its own nature, its own place in the family,         prove to be a way out of their ditjticulty,  so that the
  in the church and in the midst of this world. It has a impossible might still come to pass. We should note
  spiritual existence whereby it lives its life before the that Abraham and Sarah had no intention of aliowing
  face of God and finally passes on into eternity. It is            Hagar to lay any claim to her own child. She was
  a man or a woman in miniature, that will take its to serve as a slave, a bondwoman, to her mistress,
  own place and serve its own purpose in life.                      to supply her mistress with a child. Sarah would
  .       But surely  .Eve saw more than that in her first claim the child which was born to her from Abraham
  child. She realized that hereby God's purpose was through `the bondwoman, and she would present this
  being realized, that man should "be fruitful, and                 child to God as a possible heir of the promise.
  multiply and replenish the earth." This child was the                We know that the plot failed miserably. God had
  first of the family the Lord would give them. IIe was no need of Sarah's scheming to realize His promise.
  a concrete evidence of the race that was to be born.              The incident brought untold grief in the house of
          Yet considering that through the fall Adam and            Abraham. But the outcome was that God proved that
  Eve had a' depraved nature, she also must reaiize that H,e could do that which was"`impossible'  with man. He
  her children were conceived and-born in sin. Despair              performs the wonder of His  grace,  bringing forth the
  might have drowned every joy at the thought of bring-             living from the dead.
  ing forth a carnal seed that was prone to all evil.                  We need only mention in passing Rebekah, the
  How evident that became in the later history of Cain, wife  .of  ,Isaac.  She also was barren. It looked as if
  for he slew his righteous brother Abel and became                 Isaac had made a mistake after all in taking Rebekah
  a vagabond upon the earth. We can well imagine what to wife, for she was unable to bring forth the seed
  a grief this son caused his parents, especially when              out of which the,, Christ should be born. Would the
  they realized that he had received his sinful nature              hopes of Abraham and Sarah still perish? But the
  from them as a result of their fall. But Eve was able Lord heard her prayer, so that she anticipated the
  to look beyond these things, for to her was promised              birth of twins. And yet, before the children were
  a seed that would crush the head of the serpent. That born the Lord made plain to her that the sword of
       hope flooded her soul as she took her firstborn son election and reprobation would pass between her off-'
       into her arms. Did she imagine that this child might spring, for the one, even the firstborn, would have
  already be the promised Saviour? We can only sur- no part whatever in God's covenant. Not in Esau, but
  mise. Yet this is certain, that when she exclaimed,               in Jacob lay the hope of the coming of the Christ and
       "I have gotten a man from the Lord," she gave ex- the ingathering of God's church.
       pression to all the hope that lived in her heart.               And finally, not to mention any more, we pause at
          `Then there is the case of Sarah, whose daughters the example of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Scrip-
  ye are when ye walk in her faith. (I Peter 3 :6). As ture informs us that she was the beloved wife of El-
 you know, God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chal- kanah, yet she also was ,barren. It is certainly signifi-
       dees to bring him to the land of Canaan, that he might       cant that there were so many barren women in the
  become the father of all believers. To him came the line of the covenant in the old dispensation. `It plainly
  promise, "I will establish My covenant between Me reveals that the church is born, not of him who will-
  and thee and thy seed after thee, in their generations eth, nor of him who runneth, but of God Who showeth
       for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and mercy.
       to thy seed after thee." Yet, strange as it may seem,           We are all acquainted with Hannah's prayer for a
       God had given to Abraham a wife who from a natural child, the Lord's answer to her prayer, and the fact
  aspect saw the hopes of motherhood vanish as the                  that she dedicted  this child to the Lord in the taber-
  years rolled by, for she was barren. She had grown nacle at Shiloh. Her request was certainly unique.
       old, so that she was like a dead corpse as far as the        Plainly she was not simply interested in being reheved
  prospects of becoming a mother were concerned. To                 of the stigma of her barrenness. Nor was she inter-
       still give birth to a child had definitely become a human    ested in brightening her home with a child. She was
impossibility. It seems utterly hopeless  ,that the pro- governed by entirely different considerations. She
  mised seed could ever be born from her. Yet all the               requests a child, but only with certain definite stipula-
       salvation of the world was wrapped up in that seed.          tions. First of all, it must be a male child. A daughter
       If she would die childless, the Christ couid not come would not serve her purpose. Moreover, it must be a
  and  ,God's promise would fail. God would not be God,             child which the Lord will receive as a Nazarite from
  for He would prove unfaithful to His word.                        birth, to be devoted to the' tabernacle and to the Lord


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        119

ail the days of his life. Which finally `implies that it Canada and begin the work there.
must be a true covenant'seed.  ' She?has  "no "need for         In the m&&me, however, events had transpired
a carnal seed, but this child  must serve  tne'very defi- which again caused a revision in the plans. Some of
nite purpose of delivering Israel  from'all  hegtroubles.    the brethren had objected to the plan to separate our
   Hannah's prayer arises from the heart of `a true          Missionaries `on the grounds that it was contrary to
mother in Israel: No wonder that her song of thanks- the  expressions:,of  our Synods, both when the decision
giving is prophetic of the Song of Mary. Years later was reached to call'two men and also of our last Synod
the mother of Jesus takes up this song of Hannah as          which decided that they should work together in  Lyn-
she realizes that she, is the%iost.  b&sed  among'women, den, Washington. Consequently, a protest was deliv-
the one' in whom all the hope2  of'she  covenant mothers ered  tothe`~alliiig Consistory and appealed' to* Cla&ii"
of  the'old  dispensation were fulfilled.                    East ?&h&treated it at its last held meeting in `Oc'tober. -
                    (to be continued)         C. Hanko.
                                                   .         Classis East sustained this protest and expressed that
                                                             the decision that both missionaries labor together in
                                            `.,              Lynden should be carried out,.  2.
                                                                Hence, the Mission Committee and Consistory were,
               P E R I S C O P E                             obliged to revise their plans. It' was' decided that
                                                             undersigned and family should return to Washington
                                                             to continue with Rev. Knott in Lynden. About a week
              Home Mission News                              later, having packed up enough belongings on a small
                                                             two-wheel trailer, we again left Grand Rapids headed
                                                             for the West Coast. We had a beautiful and unevent-
   Lynden Washington, November 15.  - Since we ful though tiring trip across the country. It took us
haven't written for quite some time we..will  go back six rather full days to span the, distance. We left
a bit in order to give a.  connebted  and coherent report home on a Friday. morning  and. after spending an en-
of the activities that have taken place. Some of what joyable week-end with the Rev. Blankespoor's in Doon,
we write, therefore, may be old news to many of us           Iowa, continued on our way and .&ached  `%ynden  the
but it will serve to bring .a11 the events clearly before    following Friday night. The Sunday we spent in Iowa
                                                                                                , ,,
our minds.                                                   gave us opportunity to' preach the Word once in  Hull
   You will recall that our last Synod decided that          and once in Doon. We also greatly enjoyed the fare-
our  t.wo missionaries should work together in the well send-off the Blankespoor's had arranged for that
field of Lynden, Washington; At the' same time the Sunday evening. All the ministers and wives in that
Mission Committee, in conjunction with the calling vicinity met. together and encouraged us in word, song
Consistory of Fuller Ave., received the mandate to con- and prayer. We are indeed grateful to them for their
tinue labor in Canada and devise ways and means to do kind expressions.
so. After the%ission  Committee and Consistory had'              In order to accomplish the mandate to continue
discussed these things they felt it to  be expedient that the work in Canada, it was  de&&d  to ask various
the missionaries begin the work in Lynden together. ministers to spend a few weeks there from time to time.
Further, that after the opening of the Lynden field The Revs. J. De Jong and H. De Wolf were granted
undersigned was to take up residence in Canada, and leaves by their respective. ~Consistories to spend four
with the assistance of the Holland speaking ministers weeks in Canada. By the time of this writing they
from Classis East, continue the work in Canada ; in the have  very  likely fulfilled their labor. We have heard
Province of Ontario.      Though this arrangement of that they were rather well received in Canada and
the work was somewhat of a compromise and appar- held. several small services in various places in which
ently contrary to the decision of Synod, it was adopted      interest had been previously  found&`:> The Mission
as a solution to use our present means to the best ad- Committee hopes and expects to be able to arrange to
vantage both in Lynden and Canada. It was also ex- continue in this manner by sending two more men
pressed that this set-up was of a temporary ,nature,         at an early date to follow up what has'been begun. At
for if the Canadian field proved to be worthwhile other this distance the news comes rather slowly and, un-
arrangements might be-made to provide  fo$"a  Holland-       doubtedly, the, Mission Committee will keep our people
speaking man in Canada..         1                           better informed regarding developments in Canada.
    Early in September, therefore, Rev. Knott and                Returning to our field here in Lynden, there is not
his family settled in Lynden. Undersigned met them a great deal more to report. The Rev. Knott's amply
there and the work in this vicinity was begun as re- provided for our initial needs and found us a splendid
ported by the Rev. Knott in a recent issue of Comordia.      place to live.    Though it is about five  miles  from
After spending approximately four weeks in Lynden Lynden in a farming area, its many fine features more
undersigned returned East expecting to remove to than make up for the inconvenience of living "in the


 120                                      .THE  ~STANDARD   BEARER

country". By this time we are rather well established geeat union of Protestant churches".
and carrying on the work, which" according to  indica-              !`A proposal designed to pave the way to eventual
tions noted.  earlier,  will be rather slow. We have al- merger of various Lutheran church groups was before
ready distributed a great deal of literature and made the ninth biennial convention of the American Lutheran
Various contacts. The reaction has been rather meager. conference Thursday.
Th&&.  seems to be very little desire to investigate our         "The preliminary committee of the conference urged
position or study the differences. For the past three `ihat  t.he group petition the National Lutheran council
Sunday evenings we have been holding preaching serv- to initiate an all-Lutheran conference.                 Such a confer-
ices in a small church building near Lynden. This L-nce would have a membership of 5,500,OOO  Lutherans.
meeting place is rather centrally located between the               `.Attending  the Detroit  .conference  are delegates
three communities here and serves our purpose very from the Augustana Lutheran church, Evangelical
well. Together with. our radio program we are happy Lutheran church, American Lutheran church, Luth-
to be able to give a distinctively Reformed witness in eran Free church and United Evangelical church.
this community. Though, as yet, the prospects are not               "The hroposal  would open the way for this group
great, we rest in the will of the Lord knowing that our to be joined by the United Lutheran church in America
labor is never in vain in the Lord.                              and the Lutheran church-Missouri synod."
illustrative  Anecdote. . .  :                                                                               W. Hofmah. '
                                                                 P.S.- Our address is R. R. 2, Lynden, Washington.
        When we first arrived here in September we took
opportunity to call on various ministers of this vicinity                                       .-
to inform them of our  ,pre&nce  and purpose. One of                                      BROTHERHOOD
these brethren, whose public services we had attended
and whom we called upon publicly, accused us of, being                  Think gently of. the erring ;
spies and using unethical methods. He also expressed                      Ye know not of the power
that he felt that stern measures should be taken against                With which the dark temptation came,
those who would attend our meetings or otherwise-en-                      In some unguarded hour;
courage' us.                                                            Ye may not know how earnestly
        Well now, on the night that `we held our first meet-              They struggled, or how well,
 ing we noticed a car, parked, with its lights out, in the              Until the hour of weakness came
 shadows of a  far& lane directly opposite the entrance                   And sadly thus they fell.
 tc  -our meeting place. Unfortunately (  ?)  .just as some             Think gently of the erring ;
 people were arriving to attend our meeting the farmer                    Oh, do not thou forget,
 across the. road desired to drive into his lane and it                 `However darkly stained by sin,
 became necessary for the car parked there to come out                    He is thy brother yet;
 into the light.. The driver was  recogn+ed  as the                     Heir of the self-same heritage,-'
 brother who had so spoken against us !                                   Child af the salf-same. God,
        My dictionary gives the following definition of spy :           He has but stumbled in the path            _  ,
 "One who watches others secretly: often with bad                         Thou hast jn weakness trod.
 implications".
                          * *  *  *                                     &peak  gently to the erring;
                                                                          For is it not enough
 Church Union. . . .                                                    That innocence and  pea&  have gone, .
        Both the desire and execution .of meriers and unions'          Miithout  the censure Rough?
 of  :uarious Protestant  d&ominations  continue, as is                 It sure must be a weary lot,
 evidentfrom the following AP dispatches from a recent                    That sin-stained heart to bear,
 issue of the Grand Rapids Press :                                      And. those who share a happier fate
  "The congregational Christian churches and the                          Their chidin& well may spare.
                                                                            ..*     .,
 Evangelical and Reformed church have agreed on pro-                -  ;-:Speak   g&fitly  to the erring;
 cedure for merging, probably in 1949, into a United                      Thou yet mayest lead them back,
 Church of Christ with about 2,000,OOO  members.                        With holy words and tones of love,
        About 50 members of executive committees of the                   From misery's thorny track ;
 two denominations met here in an all-day conference                 " Forget  tiot thou hast often sinned,,
 Wednesday. Dr. Louis W. Goebel of Chicago, president                     And sinful must be ;
 of the Evangelical and Reformed church, said the ses-                  Deal gently with the erring, then,
 sions resulted "in a complete meeting of minds and                        As C;od has dealt with thee.
 afford a truly realistic procedure for completing this                                        -Julia A. Fletcher.


                                                                                                                         -
VOLUME XXV                             December 15, 1948  - Grand Rapids,  Mich.                                   NUMBER 6

                                                                     completion. All through the ages, all things work to-
      M E D I T A T I O N                                            gether to bring the children in the bosom of the Father.
                                                                     All things are united in that one purpose.
                                                                        But Caesar Augustus, seated on the mighty throne
                                                                     of the Roman empire, did not in the least suspect that
        Let Us Go To Bethlehem                                       he was bringing the Christ-Child to the place where He
                                                                     must be born according to the Scti#ures.
             "And there went out a decree from Caesaz  Augustus         And, therefore, the Roman mandate, in some way
             that all the world should be taxed.                     or other, came in the fulness of time to Bethlehem, and
             "And Joseph also went up . . . . unto the city of
             David, which is called Bethlehem . . . . to be taxed    the people told one another in the streets of that fam-
             with Mary his espoused wife being great with child.     ous village: Did you hear the news? There went out
             i` . . . . but He that came down from heaven.           a decree of the Emperor! We must be taxed.
             "For unto you is born this day in the city of David        Oh  yes, in spite of  hi&self,  not even knowing, per-
             a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.                     haps, that there was such a place on the earth which
             "And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them
             . .  *  . and suddenly there was with the  Angel   a    was named Bethlehem: the mighty Caesar comes to
             multitude of the heavenly host.                         Bethlehem !
             "The shepherds said one to another, Let us now go          The focal point in the Universe of God !
             even unto  Bethlehem.
             "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea                               *  *  *  *
             . . . . behold, there came wise men from the east-to       And this decree of Augustus, (or shall we rather
             Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King
             of the Jews?                                            says  : of God ?) came in due time also to Nazareth, to
             "And they (scribes) said unto him  (Herod), In the house of a young carpenter, named Joseph. I think
             Bethlehem--. . . .                                      that we may safely assume that both Joseph and Mary,
             "And IO, the star . . .  ; stood over where the young his espoused wife, were of the best of God's people.
             child was.                                              Of Joseph we read that he was a just man (Matth. 21,
             "Then  Herod  . . . . sent forth and slew all the
             children that were in Bethlehem."                       and of Mary that she was a prophetess.
                                   Matth. 2; Luke 2; John  3:13.        Mary, the woman chosen by God from all eternity
                                                                     t;o be the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ! Well may
   In the fulness of time, when Jesus Christ our the angel call her, Thou that art highly favored !
Saviour was born, Bethlehem was the focal point of                      And the favor of the Triune God was shown unto
the Universe. All things wend their way to the City her when she was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost,
of David.                                                            when the power of the Most High operated upon and
   First, there is that decree of Caesar Augustus ! within her so that she conceived a son, the Son of Man !
Yes, I have placed an exclamation point behind that                  Great and high was the favor of the Lord toward Mary !
sentence, and well I might. Wonder what the poor                        But the child must be born in Bethlehem. For so
man is thinking about all through the ages of his hell- the Holy Ghost had spoken by the mouth of the pro-
ish suffering. It was even through his imperial decree phet. And here the time was drawing near that she
that Joseph and  Mary and the child to be born took would be delivered of the Man Child ! ?
their journey to David's city.                                          But never fear ! God will take care of His own
   An exclamation point, for it shows us that -the business ! There are the messengers which also came
world must help to bring the Kingdom of God to its to Nazareth, and in due time Joseph and Mary hasten

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

to Bethlehem, even though it must have been a weari- own me and work for me and reform me so that I will
some journey for the mother of our Lord.                         serve Him forever. What wondrous Gospel we have
   All things move with Divine, heavenly precision, to preach on Christmas day!
the precision of perfection. Bethlehem is also highly               And He is born this day in Bethlehem ! It is preach-
favored. It is the focal point of the Universe of God. ed first by shepherds in Bethlehem, and it has gone
                                                                 forth to all the earth. And again and again we have
                                                                 remembered this Gospel, also its historical veracity:
        And then there is that wonderful text in John 3:         this day, in the city of David ! ,411 according to the
4`. . . . but He that came down from heaven !"                   Divine plan.
        It is di3icult and dangerous  to write on that text.        And unto you! The Gospel is particular!
That is, if you are going to  eqnZa&  things. Strict,               Christ the Lord `is born for and unto His people
Reformed theologians do not like the song which is only. The Angel of the Lord told Mary even before
sung so often in the Netherlands: "Daar ruischt langs she conceived Him: . . . . for He shall save  His people
de wolken een lieflijken  Naam !" They do not like it, from their sins. The Gospel is for the elect only.
because of an expression which we find there which                  But the Gospel also did come to Bethlehem, there
runs somewhat like this : He (Jesus), who  left heaven to be preached first. For Bethlehem is the focal point
in order to save us! And these theologians say that of the Universe. Really everything seems to have its
Jesus did not leave heaven, for He is the Omnipresent representative there.
God ! And I agree that they have an argument there.                 Let us all go to Bethlehem !
God is everywhere, and when God the Son  came to                                       * *  7;  *
Bethlehem, He remained in heaven and  .in Nazareth.
        Let me emphasize it then: Jesus Christ, the Lord,           And now we see the heavenly host come to the city
the son of God and the Son of Man, came down from of David. No, they do not go to the city proper. They
heaven into our misery, the misery of damnation, in              go to the outskirts of it, toward a field where shep-
order to do His enormous part in the scheme of God's herds watch their flocks by night.
salvation: ". . . but He that came down from Heaven  !"             They were elect people ; there is no doubt about
        And so the ,God of our salvation conforms to His that. We have already intimated as much when we
own counsel, namely, the decree to make Bethlehem meditated on the GospeI: unto you is born . . . .
the focal point in the Universe in the fulness of time.             But you will also note the same thing in their con-
The God of our salvation came to the city of David in duct. Who knows ? They may have spoken in that
order to be born there for us ! Hallelujah !                     night of all nights, in that place of all `places, about
                          *  4;  *  *                            the hope of Israel, and the terrible darkness which
                                                                 enshrouded the elect people of their day. They say
        And there is the Gospel which was preached unto that the darkness is deepest just before dawn. Per-
the church in that gloriousnight when Jesus was born. haps they spoke of the darkness in Israel, and the hope
A little later we will write a few thoughts of the Gospel of Israel for the Light that was promised.
heralds, but now I would see that Gospel by itself. The             At any rate, when Triune God made up His counsel
Gospel came to Bethlehem ! Listen : "For unto you is from all eternity, He said: And unto whom will We
born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is show this wonderful Gospel first of all? Then the
Christ the Lord  !"                                              same God answered : Unto a company of simple souls,
        A Saviour is born!                                       some shepherds that wil1 watch their flocks that night.
        The impossible has become possible !                        The special Angel of the Lord is commissioned
        We should all go to hell for ever and ever, and there    when the time was ripe: he received exact instructions.
in hell we should weep and .gnash our teeth ! We should          And there he went, down,  dowri, down, toward the
be forsaken of the Fountain of happiness and blessed- focal  spot  on the globe which is called earth. Of course!
ness for ever and ever! Because we have sinned, and To Bethlehem. These angels had been very desirous
are guilty before the Face of a just and glorious God ! to look into the details of the salvation of God. And
        And now, listen : A Saviour is born!                     now the fulfillment was come. You can safely assume
        And what a Saviour !                                     that this mighty Angel of the  Tord rejoiced in the
        The Christ name tells us that He will do all the glory of his commission.
work that is necessary before the Face of God in order              He alights in the midst  of  the cowering shepherds :
to liberate us from the shackles of sin and of guilt and         Fear not, for behold, I bring you glad tidings . . , .
of death, so that He may usher us into the presence of              I have wondered so often how the sound of an
a loving Father Who gave us this Saviour. ,4s Saviour angel's voice might be. It must be most wondrous in
He would go to the cross and suffer and suffer eternal- sound. It must be a melody in prose. And then what
ly. Oh, I cannot fathom that cross! As Lord He will melody.                Its source is heavenly perfection. But we


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        123

better do not wonder too much. We better wait until heavenly creation. And that representative must be
we are there. And then our song will be even sweeter t.here to greet the  ,Saviour,  to herald His birth, and to
than the voice of angels.                                       be a help unto some important men who must be led
   And when the Gospel is preached, there appeared to the place where the Child lay.
the heavenly host. And they sang a song which has                  But the stars send their representative to Bethle-
been repeated through the ages. It has been changed hem. Bethlehem, the center of the earth and of all
somewhat in meaning. We care not to argue in this things at that wondrous time.
little meditation, but it is not true that the angels sang :
goodwill toward men. It is this: toward men of good-                                          *  * * *
will ! The Gospel content is this : Christ's birth is              And ,there come the Magi!
peace on earth unto the men of God's goodpleasure !                They represent you and me !
   But the angel world also came to this one point of              They are heathendom, elect heathendom, that shall
the earth which has all the emphasis in that `day, that share in the blessings of Shem,  yea, they shall dwell in
great day of the Lord.                                          his tents !        ,..'  `.A?' `1,.,.1
   The angels came to speak and to sing in Bethlehem !             They come, they are eager, they ask and say : where
                        *  *  *  *                              is Christ? Where is the King of the Jews? Come,
                                                                tell us.
    And the shepherds also go to Bethlehem. The angel               And the cold, evil, wicked men tell them.
of the Lord has told them about the sign of the Lord:               Fresently,  they:  also go to that focal point, and wor-
the Babe wrapped in swaddlingclothes and lying in ship ! Look strongly on that child, on that Christ of
the manger ! ^ A sermon which tells us from age to age          God. He is also the Saviour of the Bataviers, the
that for our sakes He became poor so that He might              children of the North. The East and the West, the
make us rich forever and ever!                                  North and the South, shall come to worship at that
    And they also said one to another: Let us now go            crib, at the feet of the King of kings !
even unto Bethlehem ! And they did.                                 Heathendom, elect heathendom came to Bethlehem !
    And they saw the sign and understood it, for they In the fulness of time.
returned, preaching, singing and praising God for
that He had visited Israel in her darkness.                                                   *     +     -3     *
    Bethlehem, the center of the earth and of the                   And the wicked also came there.
Universe of  ,God. In thee are happening the most im-               It were better if they had never heard of that
portant things of all time.                                     blessed name, than to hear it and to go there to mock,
    In that focal point of the Universe all the rays of and to murder and to hate the Son of God !
the virtues of God find a common center, and that pin-              In hypocrisy  Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem,
point on the map and in the dizzying depths of space, with the promise that ,he would. surely follow them.
is resplendent of beauty, the beauty of holiness in the             And he did.
womb of God's morning.                                              But not to worship. Attend to this: "Then Herod,
                        *  *  *  *                                          sent forth and slew all the chiIdren  that were
                                                                in` Bethlehem."
    There is stiil more interest in that little town of             Yes, even the wicked, Herod  and his cruel soldiers,
Bethlehem.                                                      they also come to Bethlehem. God's ways are past
    The stars in their courses will send one of their finding out.
number so that it finally may come and stand above                  I have it in me to pity them. Hell is so terrible
the house where the Child lay.                                  and it lasts so long!                                 ..l
    The star of David would shine. `Even a wicked                                              *  *  *  *
prophet had prophesied of that star which would herald
the birth of the King of God.                                       Andyou?                               *. ,...,'   _.
    And in the fulness of time that star appeared in                Hie you to Bethlehem! For the sake of your soul,
the midst of the heavens. Many theories have been for the sake of your God, for the sake of heavenly joy
propounded about the mysterious appearance of that such as the first Paradise did not know.
star. I care very little for them.                                  Let us, beloved reader, let us go even now to Beth-
    But I can understand the joy of the wise men when lehem, and adore the God of our salvation!
they saw that star in its initial appearance as well as             Bethlehem still has its unspeakble charms !
when it appeared again unto them on the way to Beth-                Focal point of the brilliancy of Divine Light!
lehem. I think that the Lord God purposely chose that               It is the smiling Face of Triune God !
star so that it might be the representative of the great                                                                     6. vos.


r.-


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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1
                                             The Standard Bearer
                     Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August                                                                                                                                                 E D I T O R I A L S
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                                                           1131  S&bee Street, S.E.                                                                                                                                    Correspondence
                                                  EDITOR:  - Rev. H. Hoeksema.
       Contributing Editors: - Rev. G.  M.  Ophoff, Rev. G. Vos, Rev.                                                                                                                                                                     November 16, 1948
       It. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev.  H.' De Wolf, Rev. B.  Kok,                                                                                                                                   Editor of the Standard Eearer,
       Rev. J. D. De Jong, Rev. A. Petter, Rev. C.  Hanko,  Rev. L.                                                                                                                                     Esteemed Brother :
       Vermeer, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev.  J., A. Heys,                                                                                                                                       I should like to make a few remarks about your
       Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                                  recent development of the subject of "Preaching as a
         Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                                                                     Means of Grace".
       REV.  GERRIT VOS, Hudsonville, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                             I think I have told you before that there are some
         Communications relative to subscription should be addressed
       to MR. J. BOUWMAN,  1131 Sigsbee St., SE., Grand Rapids 6,                                                                                                                                       truths of Scripture and also some facts of reality in
       Mich. Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the                                                                                                                                         the life of the Church that I cannot harmonize with
       above address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each                                                                                                                                   your teaching concerning the office and its authority
       notice.                                                                                                                                                                                              I have already planned to write at some length on
                                            (Subscription Price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                                         this question, insofar as I would like to lay my ob-
       Entered as Second Class Mail at  .Grand  Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                       jections before  ,those who are interested readers of
                                                                                                                                                                                                        our papers.    But since this question is once more
                                                                              -                                      -                                                                                  brought in the midst by your series on the Catechism,
                                                                                                                                                                                                        I shall now, while the question is before the readers,
                                                                                                                                                                                                        make a few remarks.
                                                                     C O N T E N T S                                                                                                                        1. I believe that the remark of Prof. Bavinck that
                                                                                                                                                                                                        the Word "derives its power and operation by no
       MEDITATION-                                                                                                                                                                                      means only from the fact that it is being preached by
          Let Us Go To Bethlehem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121                                                an official person in the gathering of believers. It
                             Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                                operates also then when it is being read and studied
       EDITORIALS-                                                                                                                                                                                      in the home. . . Z' has not at all been proved untrue
          Correspondence                                                                                                                                                                                in your comments on his passage from "Roeping  and
                                                            . . . . . . . . . . . . .._............................................................  124
          Reply to Rev. Cammenga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126                                                    Wedergeboorte".
                             Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                               2. I believe that the insistent appeal to the pas-
                                                                                                                                                                                                        sage of Romans 10 :14, 15 is faulty. You say : "It is
       IHE TRIPLE  KNOWLEDGE-                                                                                                                                                                           evident that in these words the importance of the
          Exposition Of The Heidelberg Catechism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126                                                                                            preacher and his mission is emphasized". I do not
                             Rev.  H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                          think this is the import of this passage. I believe the
       OUR  DOCTRINL                                                                                                                                                                                    context requires that it be seen as a link in the chain
          The Attributes Of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130                                         to prove that the Israelites indeed, heard the Gospel,
          Esrentials ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133    and should have believed it.      That certainly is the
                             Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                                                                            main idea. That gospel was made known to them.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        God provided preachers. But this savs nothing about
       THE DAY OF  SHADOWS-                                                                                                                                                                             a supposed "authority" without which it could have no
          Abner and His Opposition To David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . ..=......... 134                                                                                        efficacy.
                             Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                                              3. I believe that the  ,use of the authority of an
                                                                                                                                                                                                        ambassador as an illustration is very precarious. We
       STOWS  ZANGEN-
          Liefdevol,  Schoon  Zwaar Getergd                                                                                                                                                             all. know that illustrations easily lead to unwarranted
                                                                                                                          . . . ..I.................................. 139
                             Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                                                conclusions. And I believe that in view of the truth
                                                                                                                                                                                                        expressed by Dr. Bavinck in the words quoted above,
       IN HIS  FEAR-                                                                                                                                                                                    the conclusion drawn from an earthly ambassador is
          Training  For  Life's Calling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141                                                      not valid. The efficacy of the Word of God is so deeply
                             Rev.  J. A.  Heya                                                                                                                                                          ethical that it cannot be compared with the decision
                                                                                                                                                                                                        of an earthly king.
       PERISCOPE-                                                                                                                                                                                           4. It is of course true that no mere man can speak
          Dramatic Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 the creative word of Christ, and it is also true that no
                  Rev. J. Howerzyl
                     . .,                                                                                                                                                                               man has authority when he says what he has not been
                                                                                                                                                                                                        told by Christ to say, But these things do not pertain


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       125
to the point that must be proved.                            yourself what becomes of the man and woman of the
    5. I hope we may still see a clear conception of this family that separate themselves from the Church,
doctrine developed. But then I believe it should be          proudly ignoring the Word,  of God that it is impossible
organic and not mechanical or I would almost say,            to hear without a preacher, and claiming that they can
not "magical". I hope we can keep this question open just as well hear Christ by reading their Bibles at
and `not have somewhat of a "current opinion" estab- home. It does not take long. before they have weaned
lished by which a person's orthodoxy can be judged in away from the truth and are lost in the world.`!
our churches.           Your brother in the Lord,               4. As to the Rev. Petter's objection under "2",  I
                                      Rev. A. Petter.        do not see how even if his explanation of the context
                                                             in Romans 10 is correct (which, according to my con-
               REPLY TO REV. PETTER                          viction, it is not), this can possibly change the plain
    1. I do not recall that the Reverend Petter ever meaning of the words in vss. 14 and 15. The words
voiced his objections  to my "teaching concerning the certainly plainly teach: a) that in order to believe men
office and its authority". But he writes: "I think must hear Christ. b) That to hear Christ a preacher
I have told you before." And that leaves room, `at is indispensable. c) That no one can preach without
least, for the possibility that he did not tell me be- being sent. I will quote that part `of the text once
fore.                                                        more, and ask the Rev. Petter to interpret them in any
   2. It will be interesting to take note of the Rev. other way, if he can see a possibility:  "Bnd how shall
Petter's own development of the truth concerning this they believe in him of whom they have not heard
question. I hope, however, that he writes not only .in       (whom they have not heard) ? And how shall they
the form of objections, but positively, clearly, and         hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach,
unambiguously.                                               except they be sent?" It is easy to say that my appeal
   3. As to his cri'ticism under "1" :                       to this passage of the Epistle to the Romans is faulty,
   a. The Rev. Petter must not overlook the fact that but it will be very difhcult for the Rev. Petter to prove.
I was writing on the subject of "The Preaching of I must therefore maintain-not that any form of the
the Word as a Means of Grace". Now, the means of Word cannot have efficacy-but that preaching of the
grace are only two, namely : the preaching of the Word Word is authoritative.
and the administration of the sacraments. And both              5. I do not understand what objection the Rev.
are given to the Church as an institute. I hardly Petter can possibly have against the illustration of an
think that the Rev. Petter means to deny this; no more ambassador, especially as it is `really taken literally
than a private individual can administer the sacra- from Holy Writ: for in II Cor. 5 20 we read the well-
ments, no more can any man or woman have the                 known words : "Now then, we are ambassadors for
authority to preach the Word without being sent by           Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we pray
the Church.                                                  you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." The
   b: As to his criticism proper under this point, I conclusion is certainly valid that a preacher is an
already wrote in the Standard  Bearer,  Vol. 25, No. 5, ambassador of Christ, and therefore sent by Him offic-
p. 104 (and this was written and at the printer before ially, and, moreover, that the efficacy of the preacher's
I ever received the criticism of the Rev. Petter) : "This    word depends on the question whether Christ will
does not mean that I wish to minimize the value of all       speak through him.
the means of instruction in the truth which we possess          6. The Rev. Petter writes: ". . . . that no man has
today. Least of all would I underrate the great signifi- `authority when he says what he has not been told
cance of Bible reading and Bible study in the home, by by Christ to say." If he writes this in respect to the
individual believers, or by societies. We certainly preaching of the Word, he expresses himself defective-
believe the perspicuity of Holy Scripture, and we be- ly: for then he should not write, "what he has not been
lieve that all believers have the unction of the Holy told by Christ to say", but, "what he has been called
One. Yet, all these means cannot and may never be or sent: for as an ambassador to say". And thus under-
separated from the work of Christ through the Church stood, all this is certainly to the point.
as an  institute, especially through the ministry of the        7: Under "5" the Rev. Petter alludes, perhaps, to a
Word. Suppose there had been no ministry, no official recent article of his in the Beacon  Iights,  when he
preaching of the Word through  all the ages of the writes : "I hope we can keep this quostion open and
new dispensation  ; where would be our Bibles, trans- not have somewhat of a `current opinion' established
lated in every language? Where would be our con- by which a : person's orthodoxy can be judged in our
fessions, in which the truth is preserved from genera- churches." To this I would answer that although I
tion to generation?    Where would be your fathers will certainly not judge a person's orthodoxy and al-
and mothers to instruct you in the truth from child- though the article in question was rather ambiguous,
hood? They would not be at all. You can see for              yet I did `not get the impression that it was orthodox

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

or Reformed to present the matter of the sending of a
missionary by the Church as a mere tec'micality. To               THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE
me this is a very important principle.
        But, as I say, it will  cer%inly  be interesting to
read the Rev. Petter's own development of his view
regarding preaching as a means of grace.                        An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
                                             ~ H. H.                                Catechism
                                                                                     PART TWO
           Reply To Rev. Cammenga                                                 LORD'S  D,AY 25

        1. Thanks for the reference from. Calvin's  Insti-                                 3.
tutes. I have no objections to the quotation in as far
as it was given, though I know not which translation                       Regeneration Immediate. (cont.)
was used.        But it is interesting to note what was            Even though in this article the gospel is called the
left out of the quotation. I refer to the following:            "seed of regeneration", it is plain from the description
"Asset a&em optima catechixundi  ratio, si formula in of rebirth in the preceding articles, as well as from
hunt  usum conscripta esset,  swmmam   con&ens et this very article in which the quoted expression occurs,
familiariter   explicuns  omnium  fere  religionti   nostrae    that the meaning is not that the preaching of  the
capitum,  in quae universa fide&m ecclesti consentire gospel is the means through which the Holy Spirit
sine  controversia  debet." Offhand, I might translate effects regeneration in the narrowest, principal sense
this quotation as follows: "But the best form of cate- of the word. For regeneration itself is called a new
chizing would be if a formula were written for this creation, and is the same as the resurrection from the
purpose, containing and explaining in a familiar way dead. This implies that even as creation is an im-
a summary of almost all the chief heads of our re- mediate work of God, as the resurrection is effected
ligion, in which the whole church of believers ought by the almighty power of  ,God without any human
to consent without controversy."                                means, so also the origin of the new life, which is
        I do not know why the Rev. Cammenga omitted called regeneration or the rebirth, is accomplished
this from his quotation. It is rather important be- directly by the power of God alone, and not through
cause it shows that Calvin must have nothing of indi- the preaching of  .the gospel. And only as the susten-
vidualism in catechetical instruction. He even wants ance and the prolongation of our natural life requires
a brief summary of doctrine, a catechism book for the           means "by which God in His infinite mercy and good-
whole church, to which all must agree.                          ness hath chosen to exert His influence," in the same
        2. As to my letter, I would rather have the Rev. way the new life, which is immediately created in our
Cammenga prove that he still has it, by quoting it hearts by the Holy Spirit, requires the means of the
himself. It is very easy to do so without referring to preaching of the gospel as "the seed of regeneration",
anything familiar. The letter is divided into three in order to cause it to flourish into a conscious faith
parts and numbered 1, 2, and 3. Now, all the Rev.               in Christ, to sustain, to strengthen, and to nourish it.
Cammenga has to do is to produce the section under                 That this is the view of all Reformed theologians
"2", which is subdivided again into a, b. c. and d. and of the Reformed Confessions is shown also by Dr.
There is, therefore, no reason at all why he should not H. Bavinck in his book "Roeping  en Wedergeboorte",
quote it.                                                       although he himself seems to be inclined toward the
        3. As to the question of my leadership in the view that regeneration somehow is connected with the
churches, to which the Rev. Cammenga refers, it seems           preaching of the Word. He writes on pp. 26, 27 of
to me that he could at least wait till I am dead, before the aforementioned book  : "Although joined with the
he refuses to lean a little on me, and to take my advice        external call through the gospel, this grace (of re-
and counsel. In fact, I am rather surprised at` his generation) is nevertheless not shut up in the Word
attitude, because the Rev. Cammenga himself in the of the gospel, but it penetrates into the heart of man,
past,-and even in the recent past, and even after I touches, so to speak, man in his most secret being im-
was sick,-asked for my advice. But perhaps, about mediately, and renews him without his knowledge and
this leadership in our churches I will write a separate without his will in principle according to the image
 editorial in the near future.                                  of God. It is absolutely independent of any consent
        4. The question which the Rev. Cammenga asks in of the mind or any act of the free will of man. Noth-
his last reply to me I already answered in my former            ing intervenes between this operation of grace and
 article in the Standard Bearer.                  H. H.         man as he is regenerated: no Word, no sacrament,


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      127
            -    -                                                                                                _-
no church, no priest, no act of the intellect or of the new properties, so that the darkness, the unwilling-
will. Te Holy Spirit works in the heart of the elect ness, and unrighteousness is removed and replaced by
the grace of regeneration (of faith, of conversion, or enlightenment, willingness, and uprightness."
however one may call this first moment) directly and            And he concludes as follows : "There  may be differ-
immediate, irresistibly.                                     ence of opinion about the question whether this oper-
    "To adduce proofs from Reformed theology for this ation of the Spirit can be called immediate without
truth may be deemed superfluous. Anyone can find misunderstanding. But about the matter itself  ali
them with every Reformed writer about the internal difference is excluded.            It touches the heart of Re-
calling and in every Reformed symbol. It is true that formed theology, the very marrow of Holy Scripture
the internal calling, or regeneration, or the gift of in respect to the doctrine of the application of sal-
faith, is seldom called immediate ; almost without ex- vation.`"
ception theologians confine themselves to circumscribe          That regeneration, in this sense of the word, is
this work as efficacious, irresistible, and nevertheless immediate and logically precedes all other work of
most delightful. Nevertheless, there is not the least grace in the heart of the elect is clearly taught by the
doubt that the grace which works the very first prin- Word of God. A few passages may be sufficient to
ciple  oft the new life in the heart of the sinner may be    substantiate this statement.
called immediate in this sense that, whether joined             First of all, we would call your attention to John
with the Word or not, it works in man directly, with- 3 :3-8 : "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
out intervention, and without being dependent upon verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
man's intellectual consent or an act of the free will of he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith
man."                                                        ,unto  him, How can a man be born when he is old?
    And on pp. 33, 34 of the same work he writes:            can he enter the second time into his mother's womb,,
"That is the judgment which the Synod of Dordt placed and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
over against the sentiment of the Remonstrants. A unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
prevenient, moral, persuasive grace is altogether in- Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That
sufficient to bring man to faith and conversion. To which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
the power which is exercised by the Word must `be            born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said
added another, internal, hidden work of the Holy Spirit unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth
by which is granted, in the first place, the power of where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
 faith and of conversion, and which, in the second place,    but  canst not tell whence it  cometh, and whither it
 translates with infallible certainty that power into goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
 the act of faith and conversion.                                The term "born again" in the original does not
    "This operation of the Holy Spirit is being  circum- only mean born over again, but also refers to a being
 scribed.in  different ways, both by the Synod of Dordt born from above. One who is born again does not
 and by the different foreign and native delegates. It differ from the natural man merely in a spiritual,
 is called an internal, hidden, mysterious, powerful,  effi- ethical sense of the word, so that he is changed from
cacious, supernatural, almighty, unconquerable irre- sin into righteousness, from corruption unto holiness,
 sistible gracious, and delightful grace.                    from enmity against God unto the love of God. But
    "But the term /immediate  grace  or immediate re- he also differs from the natural man in this respect,
 generation was not used. It is, indeed, used, as we that while the latter is earthly and seeks earthly
 shall see later, by some Reformed theologians. And, things, the regenerated man is heavenly and sets his
 understood in a good sense, this circumscription is heart upon the things that are above. But now notice
 not to be disapproved ; but it is probably intentionally    in regard to the question we are discussing, that of
 avoided by the Synod of Dordt and by many theolo- efficacious and immediate regeneration, that there are
 gians, because it can easily lead to misunderstanding a few things in the text that are especially worthy of
 and be used in favor of a certain objection of the our attention. In the first place, note that the Lord
 Remonstrants, which we will mention later.                  says to Nicodemus: "Except a man be born again, he
    "It is nevertheless established that according to cannot see the kingdom of God." This implies without
 Reformed doctrine the Holy Spirit does not work faith a doubt that the grace, of regeneration is first and
 and regeneration in man in such a way that he remains must necessarily have the precedence over any other
 bound to the means of grace, or works through them. work of grace wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart
 On the contrary, He penetrates into the most secret of man. Without it he cannot even see the kingdom
 recesses of the heart of man. He opens the closed           of God. He therefore has no contact whatsoever with
 heart ; He works the quickening within us without us ;         . .
                                                             spiritual things. Secondly, notice that in answer to
 He comes to dwell in man with His divine power, and the question of Nicodemus, "How can a man be born
 infuses into the mind, the will, and the inclinations when he is old?" Jesus answered: "Except a man be

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

born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into John 3 :3, where it is said that one cannot see the king-
the kingdom of ,God." The expression "born of water" dom of God, except he is born again. Just as there
can only refer to the water of baptism, for the hap- the seeing of the kingdom presupposes regeneration,
tism of John must have been well-known to Nicodemus.       so here the hearing of the Word of the gospel pre-
To be born of water, therefore, refers to the forgive-     supposes the rebirth.
ness of sins and to justification. A man must be ob-          And this is emphasized in verse 25, where regenera-
Jectively justified before God before he even has a tion is presented as resurrection from the dead, which,
right to regeneration. And to be born of the Spirit of course, is immediate. And that this rebirth, which
refers to the new birth itself, without which a man is here called the resurrection from the, dead, does not
cannot even see the kingdom of God. But what we
must especially note here is that this rebirth by the take place through the Word of the gospel is also
                                                           evident from the rest of the text, which speaks of
Holy Spirit is presented as immediate. A man that          hearing the voice of the Son of God, and they. that
is reborn is. born not through the gospel, but simply hear shall live. This voice of the Son of God is evi-
of the Spirit. Thirdly, the same truth is also evident dently not the preaching of the gospel, but the causal,
from verse 6, where the Lord says: "That which is creative Word of God. And it is by this that regenera-
born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of     tion is immediately effected.
the Spirit is spirit." Also here the mediacy of the
preaching of the gospel is completely left out of con-        Again, also the text from I Peter 1:23-25 teaches
sideration. And finally, this is expressed once more       us the same truth, namely: that regeneration in its
in verse 8, where the Lord compares him that is born first beginning is an immediate, work of the Holy
of the Spirit with the wind, which bloweth where it Spirit. The text reads as follows: "Being born again,
listeth, but of which one cannot tell whence it  cometh    not of corruptible seed, but of  ,incorruptible,  by the
and whither it goeth. The second birth, or the birth word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For
from above, is mysterious in its origin. One who is all flesh. is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
conscious of the operation of the Spirit and the work- flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower
ings of the new birth in his heart begins to see indeed    thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord  en-
t,he kingdom of God, begins to hear, without a doubt,      dureth forever. And this is the word which by the
the preaching of the gospel, begins to seek the things gospel is preached unto you."
which are above ; but why he is thus spiritually af-          This passage has often been quoted as favoring
fected he cannot explain. It is simply the mystery of mediate regeneration. Does not the apostle plainly
being born of the Spirit. All these elements in the        refer to the Word of God (vs. 23) through which we
text plainly emphasize that regeneration in its deepest are reborn as "the word which by the gospel is preach-
sense is immediate, that it is not wrought through         ed unto you ?" From this it is plain, so it is argued,
the preaching of the gospel.                               that regeneration is wrought through the means of the
   The same truth is clearly taught in John 5 :24, 25 :    preaching of the gospel.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my           However, such an interpretation fails to distinguish
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath ever- properly and sharply between the different concepts of
lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; the text. Especially important are the two prepositions :
but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I      "of" and "by".     These two' prepositions are better
say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when         iiterally translated by "out of" (ek) and "through"
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and       (dia). We are regenerated out of incorruptible seed
they that hear shall live." Notice, in the first place,    and through the word of ,God which liveth and abideth
that the Lord here teaches that he that hears His          forever.    Regeneration, therefore, is here presented
Word already has eternal life. The latter precedes         as developing out of a seed. This seed is evidently
the former. Now to have eternal life in principle is the new principle of life, implanted immediately in
the same as to be regenerated. * Regeneration, there- the heart by the Holy Spirit. It is wrought in our
fore, precedes the hearing of the Word of Christ. hearts not only without our will or effort, but even
This is corroborated by the latter part of verse 24,       without, our consciousness.      It takes place in what
where it is said that he that heareth the Word of          is often called the subconscious. And the develop-
Christ  is  pussed from death unto life. This hearing ment of the new birth out of this incorruptible seed
of the Word of the Saviour evidently refers to the         takes  pIace through  the Word of God. The question
Word of the gospel, and therefore the true, spiritual      is, what is meant here? It must be evident that not
hearing of the gospel is here presented as proof that      the preaching of the gospel is meant, for this Word
one has eternal life, or that he is regenerated. One       of God is described as the Word that "liveth and
must be reborn before he can even hear the Word'of         abideth forever", and again, as "the word of the Lord
the gospel. This is `quite in accord with the text in      that endureth forever." And this certainly cannot


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        129

  be said of Scripture or of the preaching of the gospel         We could adduce other proof from Scripture, but
  as such. For as such the written Word of God or let this be sufficient.
  even the preaching of the gospel does not live, nor            Of course, we must remember that when we dis-
  does it endure forever.     It is therefore the causal, tinguish regeneration as a seed and its development,
  creative Word of God that is wrought efficaciously in as generation and birth of  .the new life, we use rather
  the heart, opening the same, as in the case of Lydia,       a logical than a temporal distinction. At least we
  to hear the Word of truth. And finally, the apostle cannot agree with the view of some, who maintain
  writes that this living and abiding and ever-enduring that the seed of regeneration can lie dormant in the
  Word of God is preached unto men. Conceiving, there- heart for many years before it sprouts into conscious
  fore, of the work of regeneration as a whole, we may and active life. They claim that it is possible for a
 _ distinguish three stages. In the first place, there is man to live in sin and iniquity, that although all his
  the seed that is implanted in the heart immediately life he has been under the influence of the gospel he
  by the Holy Spirit. In the second place, there is the does not have any living part with it and is not able
Word of God, living and abiding forever, by which to see the things of the kingdom of God, and that he
  the seed of regeneration is developed  .into  the new continue in this state for forty, fifty, or sixty years,
  birth. Finally, there is the preaching of the gospel,       while all this time he has the seed of regeneration
  through which men are externally called, and in con- within his heart. Thus, a person may probably be
  nection with which they are brought to consciousness converted when he is seventy or eighty years of age,
  through the power of the same living and abiding although he is regenerated from infancy. We do not
  Word of God.                                                believe that this is possible. It may very well be that
      Again, the same truth is taught in the well-known a seed in nature can continue to live if it has no con-
  parable of the Sower. Also this passage has been fre- tact with the soil whatever for many years. But it is
  quently adduced as a proof in favor of mediate re- quite inconceivable that a seed can be implanted in
  generation.     The seed, so it is said, is the Word the soil and be under the influence of rain and sun-
  preached. For in His own explanation of the parable, shine without sprouting into life and bringing forth
  as it is given in Luke 8, the Lord tells us: "The seed      fruit. And the same may be said of the seed of re-
  is the word of God." Luke 8  :ll. Hence, it is said generation that is implanted in the heart and that
  that the Word as preached is the seed of regenera- comes under the influence of the preaching of the
  tion.                                                       gospel. It will certainly reveal itself in faith and
      But again careful distinction is necessary in order conversion, and that, too, without delay. The work
  to understand the true meaning of the parable in this of God is throughout characterized by perfect wis-
  respect. If by regeneration is meant the first develop- dom; and it would be foolish to suppose that the seed
  ment of the new life into conscious activity, we have of regeneration could lie dormant and inactive for
  no objection to explain that this is meant by the seed many years, without ever showing any signs of life.
  as the Word of God. But that this is not the whole of And therefore, we repeat, that although we make a
  regeneration is plainly taught by the parable of the logical distinction between the seed of regeneration
  Sower. For this seed of the Word of God falls at and its development into the new life, or between re-
  least on three different kinds of spiritual soil without generation and birth of the new life, this distinction
  bringing forth proper fruit: the soil that is repre- never means separation between regeneration and the
  sented by those that have the seed fallen by the way- Word of God.
  side ; `secondly, the soil that is represented by the                                                   H. H.
  ground that is full of thorns and thistles. And only
  those that are represented by the good ground "are
  they which in an honest and good heart, having heard
  the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."
  Now, it ought to be very plain `that the soil in nature
  is not prepared by the seed, but rather for the seed.                              NOTICE
  The preparation of the soil is entirely independent of
  t.he action of the sowing. But this is no less true in         We have a number of orders for binding Volume 24
  the spiritual sense of the word. The heart is not of the Standard Bearer. Anyone desiring to have this
  prepared by the gospel, but for the gospel, and inde- Volume or any other Volume bound, please notify
  pendently of its preaching, that is, by the direct and Mr. John  Bouwman,  1131 Sigsbee St., S. E., Grand
  immediate work of the Holy Spirit in that heart. And Rapids 6, Michigan, immediately, and return your
  thus conceived, it ought to be very plain that also the
  parable of the Sower teaches not mediate, but. im- copies of the Standard Bearer.
  mediate regeneration.                                                              The Board of the R. F."P. A.


130                                   T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

                                                             existing, first of all within Himself. He is God Who
             O U R   D O C T R I N E   ' is before all things and all things exist through Him-
                                                             1's.  902: "Before the mountains were brought forth,
                                                             or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
                                                             even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God";
           The Attributes Of God                       '     see also I Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:ll. He is in the absolute
                                                             sense of the word the Lord of the whole earth-Deut.
       In our previous article we began our discussion 10:17: "For the Lord your God is God of gods, and
of the attributes of God. We concluded the article Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible,
by calling attention to the distinction between the in- Which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward";
communicable and communicable attributes of the see also Joshua 3 :13. He owes His existence to noth-
Lord. The incommunicable attributes are the virtues ing, and all things are dependent upon Him-"For of
of God which can be ascribed to the Lord alone. The Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things:
communicable attributes of God are the virtues of the to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.", Romans  11:36.
Lord which are reflected in man; there is a creaturely He is the living God Who possesses His life within
likeness, reflection of them in man. Strictly speaking,      Himself ("For as the: Father hath life in Himself;
we understand, all the attributes of God are incom- so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself",
municable. God is His attributes.          God, of course, dohn 5 :26), and the Lord is the all-sufficient One Who
cannot be imparted to the creature. He alone is and          is not worshipped with men's hands, as though  IIe
always remains God. Hence, also His attributes are needed any thing-"Neither is worshipped with men's
necessarily incommunicable. As God is wise, right- hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He
eous, holy, good, etc., He alone is wise righteous, holy, giveth to all life, and breath, and all things," Acts
good, etc. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance        17 :25.
that when we speak of the communicable attributes                However, the  Independenky  of God also implies
of the Lord, we emphasize that they are  creafiurely         that He is the Independent One with respect to and in
reflected in the creature. These incommunicable at- connection with  all' things. He is not an arminian
tributes of God, to which we first call attention, are:      God who is dependent upon a creature, a god who must
Independence, Immutability,  .Simplicity, Oneness, In- rely upon the will of a man, a god who is willing and
finity (Eternal Perfection, Eternity, Omnipresence). eager to save all, but is frustrated by the refusal of
                                                             countless thousands whom he would save but who
                    God's Independency.                      refuse to be saved. He is not a god, who merely offers
 The Independency of Goh we define. as that attri- His salvation to all men who come within the range of
bute of God, whereby He has the ground and cause t.he gospel, who must wait until man either accepts or
(or source) of His Being in Himself, and not in .any         rejects this offer of salvation. God is the Independent
being or essence outside Him.                                God, wholly Self-sufficient and sovereign, the God
                                                             Who is always first, also in all His dealings with the
       This attribute, synonymous with the Name, Je- children of men. He killeth and maketh alive, creates
hovah, is commonly and properly treated as the first the light and the darkness, peace and  evil-"T  am the
incommunicable attribute. The first truth which the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside
Scriptures reveal of the Lord is surely that He has PvIe: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me:
.His own existence, is wholly Self-sufficient, and com- That they may know from the rising of the sun, and
pletely independent of all that moves, lives, and has from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am
being. His Being and life is wholly unique; the Lord the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light,
cannot be defined for the simple reason that He can- and create darkness  : I `make peace, and create evil :
not be classified (to define anything implies that that I the Lord do all these things", Is. 45 :5-7 ; see also
thing be placed in a certain genus, and then that it be Deut.  32:39, Isaiah  54:16. The Lord does with the
distinguished from other species in that particular          host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth accord-
g e n u s - e . g . ,
                a horse is an animal but then it must ing to His will ("And all the inhabitants of the earth
also be distinguished from other animals). The Lord are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to
i? the-alone absolute God. Also His Names are unique;        His will in the army of heaven, and among the in-
and of all the Names of God, Jehovah is  preeminent-         habitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand,
this Name declares of the Lord that He is the I Am, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?"-Daniel  4:35),
Who is what He was and shall. be what He is, Who is          so that the children of men are in His hand as clay
the Rock, unchangeable within Himself and in all His in the hand of a potter-"Nay but, 0 man, who art
dealings with His people.                     `Y,..          thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing form-
       The Lord is independent, Self-sufficient and Self-    ed say to Him that formed it. Why hast thou made me


                                      T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            131

thus: Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the                              God's Simplicity.
same lump to make one vessel unto hon,our, and an-                The Simplicity of God we define as that perfection
other unto dishonour ?", Romans 9  :20-21; see also
Isaiah 64 :8; Jeremiah 18:Iff. His counsel, His good of the Lord whereby He is indivisible and not com-
pleasure is the ground, the basis for all that is and posed and that all His attributes are one in Him. The
for all that occurs-"Declaring the end from the be- word;"simplicity,  as used in the discussion of the per-
ginning, and from ancient times the things that are fections of God, is the state. of being simple, of being
not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I freefrom  division into parts, and therefore from com-
will do all My pleasure", Isaiah 46 :lO ; "Having pre- positeness.
destinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus               That God is simple implies, therefore, that He is
Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of eternalIy,One  within Himself, is not divided into var-
His will. . . . Having made known unto us the mys- ious parts,`.so that, the one part of His Being is e.g.,
tery of His will, according to His good pleasure which grace and, another part a different virtue; God's es-
He hath purposed in Himself : . . . . In  Whom  also            sence and His virtues or `perfections are not distinct
we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated so that, instead of saying that He is His attributes,
according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all we ,would then confess that He possesses attributes ;
things after the counsel of His own will:", Eph. 1:5,           God and His attributes are eternally one; the Lord  is
9, 11; see also Ps.  33:ll; Prov.  19:Zl; Matt.  11:26; His perfections.            Simplicity we understand, is the
Acts  2:23,   4  :28. The Lord does all things for His          contrast, the opposite of being composed, "made-up"
own sake, His Name's sake, His glory's sake-"For into various parts.
the Lord will not forsake His people for His great                 The attribute of God's Simplicity implies, of course,
Name's sake: because it hath pleased the `Lord to that He is a spiritual Being, even as we are taught in
make you His people.", I Sam. 12  :22 ; "Help us,. 0 the well-kno,wn  -words of Christ in John 4:24 where
God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy Name: and            we read that God is Spirit (not a Spirit, but Spirit).
deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Thy Name,%             Whatever is physical is composed, constituted of parts.
sake.", Psalm 79  :9; see also Deut.  32:27,  Joshua  7:9,      It is true that the Scriptures'speak of God in human
Ps.  25:11,   31~4,  X06:8, 109  :21, 143  :ll, Prov.  16:4,    fashion, but even then the Word of ,God  is character-
Is. 48  :9, Jer.  14:7, 21, Ezek.  20:9, 14, 22, 44. The        ized by definite liminations. Of the internal organs of
Lord needs nothing, is all-sufilcient---`cNeither  is wor- our body only the heart and the boyels are attributed
shipped with men's hands, as though He needed any to the Lord ; nowhere does Scripture ascribe to God
thing, seeing He giveth to all life and breath, and all such o,rgans with which nourishment; consumption,
things.`.t,,Acts  17 :25. And thus He is the First and and. development are associated. We read of the Lord,
the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, Who is and Who to be sure, that He sees, hears, smells, but never that
was and Who shall come---Y am Alpha and Omega,                  He tastes or handles. A body is never attributed to
the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, Which Him; and although ,we read often that the Lord re-
is, and Which was, and Which is to come, the Al- veals Himself unto His people in a human appearance,
mighty." Rev. 1:8, see also Is. 41:4,  44  :6 48 :12. This yet, throughout the Scriptures, He is Elohim, the God
God is therefore also independent in all His attributes that is to be feared, and Who is far exalted above all
and perfections, ii1 all His decrees and actions. This that is creature. We read of Him that He exists of
applies to His will, as in Rom. ll:34, 35 : "For who            Himself  (Ex. 3 : 13-14 : "And Moses said unto God,
hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been Behold, when 1 come unto the children of Israel, and
His  counsellor?  Or who hath first given to Him, shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent
and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" Also               me unto ,you ; and they shall say to me, What is his
His will is independent, as in  Remans   9:19: "Thou            name? what shall I say unto them? And God said
wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault?              unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus
For who hath resisted His will?"; see also Daniel  4:35,        shalt thou say unto the children..:.. of Israel, I AM hath
                                                                                       1  .I
Eph. 1:5, Rev. 4 :ll. His counsel, too, is independent, sent me unto you:"), & eternal Ps. 90 and Deut. 32 :40 :
according to Is. 46 :lO and Ps. 33 :ll. Of the love of "For,1 l'iftup.My hand to heaven, and say, I live for
God we read that it is first and therefore independent ev&?`y, ,i.s cirihipresent (Jer.  23 ~23, 24 : "Am I a God
and not dependent upon the will of a man, as in I John          at  hatid, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can
4 :lO : "Herein is love, not' that we love God, but that any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see
He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth?
for our sins." And we would conclude with the words saith the Lord."; Deut. 10 :14, Psalm 139)) &s incom-
of the psalmist in Ps. 115:3: "But our God is in the para.ble ,(.Ps. 89 :6, 8 : "For who in the heaven can be
he.av.ens:  He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased." compared unto the Lord: who among the sons of the
The Lord our God is truly the independent  .Jehovak             mighty can be likened unto the Lord? 0 Lord God of

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

hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee? or to Thy thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as
faithfulness round about Thee?"; Is.  40:18,  25:  "TO       high as  heaxen   ; what canst thou do? deeper than
whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will hell ; what canst thou know? The measure thereof
ye compare unto Him?  TO  whom then will ye liken is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea."
Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One."; see also And the latter passage reads: "Great is the Lord, and
Is. 46  :5), b invisible (Ex. 33  :20, 23: "And He said, greatly to be praised ; and His greatness is unsearch-
Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man able."
see Me, and live. And I will take away Mine hand,               God's Infinity is commonly distinguished as: His
and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall Absolute Perfection, Eternity, and Omnipresence. The
not be seen."), is God of Whom no image or likeness latter virtue is again subdivided into: Transcendency
can and therefore may not be made  (Ex. 20 ~4: "Thou and Immanency. Let us look into these attributes of
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any            the Lord a little more closely.
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above; or that
is in the earth beneath, or that is' in the water under                     God's Absolute Perf e&ion.
the earth.")       And although He repeatedly reveals
Himself in appearances, dreams, visions, yet He is              We have already quoted Job  11:7-g  and Ps. 145  :3.
omnipresent, the Lord Who created and sustains all To these Scriptural passages may be added Matt. 5  :48  :
things.                                                      "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father Which
       The incommunicable attribute of  Simplicit$  is is in heaven is perfect." If one looks at God's per-
taught in the Word of God. Having emphasized the             fection in the light of His Infinity, `bears in mind that
utter vanity and foolishness of idols in verses l-9, the perfect ,God is also the infinite God, the emphasis
which idols are hewn out of the trees of the forest          must necessarily fall upon the truth that the Lord's
and bedecked with gold and silver and cannot speak perfection is absolute. God is infinite. The creature,
or go, the holy writer in Jer. 10 :lO writes : "But the      man, is finite. The word "finite" means literally:
Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an that which is bounded, limited. We are finite because
everlasting King : at His wrath the earth shall tremble, we are limited, are characterized by boundaries, have
and the nations shall not be able to abide His indigna- an end.          That applies to our entire existence, the
tion.`, Literally we read in this passage that "the physical but also the psychical. We have a beginning
Lord is the God of truth." Substantives as well as and, as far as our present existence is concerned, also
adjectives are ascribed to the Lord. God is not only an end. We were born and must die. But we are also
truthful, does not merely speak the truth; God is truth. limited as far as our thinking and willing, etc., are
And the same thought is expressed in the Word of concerned. We can think only of  tiite things. It is
God in I John 1:5 and 4 :8 : "This then is the message,      impossible for us to conceive of anything, understand
which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, anything that is infinite, without bebinning or end,
that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all . . .    limitless. Does this, then, necessarily imply that there-
He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God  & love." fore the infinite, the limitless does not exist? That
Hence, we confess the Simplicity of God, also accord- would be absurd. Am I not the creature and is not
ing to Article I of our Confession of Faith, and there- the Lord the Creator? Is it strange that the creature
by declare that the Lord is indivisible, not constituted does not understand the Creator, that the finite does
of any parts, or composed, and that all His attributes not fathom the Infinite? The Creator is surely exalted
are one In Him. God is, with His entire Being, all above the creature, also above that which is finite. The
His virtues, the Highest and Absolute Good, and Lord is the infinite God. He is without boundaries,
therefore the God of infinite, sovereign, and unchange- is limitless, boundless.
able perfection.                                                This implies, of course, that Jehovah is infinite in
                                                             His perfections, is the God of absolute perfection.
                      God's Infinity.                        Fact is, the Infinity of the Lord reveals Him unto us
                                                             as free from all limitations, as in no sense of the
   We define God's Infinity as that virtue or attribute word limited by the universe or confined to the uni-
of God whereby He is free from all limitations in all verse. The infinite God is surely the absolute God,
His perfections. This attribute, therefore, denies that Who is never limited or determined by anything out-
there are or can be any limitations to the Divine Being side Him, Who has no bounds, beginning or end `of
or perfections.                                              any nature, Who owes His existence eternally unto
   Two scriptural passages which are commonly quot- Himself, and Who is therefore the Absolute, Infinite,
ed to confirm this virtue of the Lord are Job I1 :7-9        Non-Related, not related to or bound by any creature,
and Psalm 135:3. In the first of these passages we and therefore the God of absolute perfection. Indeed,
read: "Canst  thou by searching find out God? Canst the Lord is great and His greatness is unsearchable.

                                                                    .


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              133

                      God's Eternity.                     the "eternity" of God' in the sense of "endless time".
                                                          Does  thi? necessarily mean that Eternity is therefore
   God's Eternity we define as that virtue or perfec- to be identified with time, only time as indefinitely
tion of God whereby He, negatively, is not limited to     prolonged, without beginning or end? Not at all.
or by time, and, positively, continuously lives His in- The Word of God also employs other language, as we
finite and perfect life with perfect and complete con- shall presently see. In fact, this is even true of the
sciousness.                                               passages we have already quoted. Negatively, how-
   The Word of God teaches us throughout that God ever, the Eternity of God signifies that He is not
is eternal. We read in Ps. 90:1-2: "Lord, Thou hast limited by the laws of time, and this truth is empha-
been our dwelling place in all generations. Before sized in these passages from Holy Writ.
the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst                                           H. Veldman.
formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting
to everlasting, Thou art God." In Ps.  102:11-12  we
read: "My days are like a shadow that declineth; and
I am withered like grass. But thou, 0 Lord, shalt                                                         1                  J
endure for ever; and Thy remembrance unto all gener-
ations." In Eph. 3 :21 we read: "Unto Him (God) be                            Essentials           .-            ('
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all                                                              .J.
ages, world without end. Amen." And in II Peter 3:8          The. undersigned desires to express his candid
we read these well known words: "But, beloved, be opinion in regard to the catechism book, "Essentials",
not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the which has seen considerable service in our Protestant
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one Reformed Churches. This article purposes. to reflect
day." We conclude with the words of the Lord Jesus upon a statement by the Reverend A. Cammenga in
in John 858: "Jesus saith unto them, Verily' verily, the Concordia of October 28,1948,  page 7, and I quote :
I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."                "For example, the book by Rev. Hoeksema, "Essentials
    In the light of these passages from the Word of of Reformed Doctrine", has never proved successful
God we are able to make a few observations. On the in this community. because its composition is often too
one hand, the Scriptures seem to leave the impression complexed and the written work beyond the scope of
that "Eternity" is endless time. The word itself the catechumen ; this is the testimony of several of
means a long, long time. We often think of "eternity" our ministers".                                                  .'
as a period of time which is indefinitely prolonged,         We have, of course, no intention to reflect upon
forwards and backwards ; that God is eternal means the article of the Reverend Cammenga as it concerns
then that He is without beginning and without end. Rev. Hoeksema's charge of a trend toward individual-
Besides, could we conceive of "eternity" any differ- ism in our churches. Neither must this article, or
ently? This also applies to the other virtues of the anything in this article, be viewed as an attack  .upon
Lord. We speak of His Infinity. This means literally anyone of our ministers. The undersigned, however,
that He is not finite. However, it must be perfectly is at a loss to understand this attitude of the "West?
clear to us that God is not merely negative, is not toward "Essentials", also as it is shared by "severaj
merely different from us. God's Infinity must mean of our ministers".                                                  %,f'
more than that He is not finite. This also applies to        First of all, we are mystified by this attitude be-
the Lord's Eternity. But, we cannot think of this cause we have always regarded "Essentials" as an
virtue of the Lord except in contrast with our own outstanding catechism book. I am at a loss to under-
existence.     Moreover, do not the Scriptures which stand what catechism book can possibly be an im-
we have quoted speak the same language? Do we provement upon it. The undersigned has repeatedly
not read in Ps.  90 these words: "Before the mountains declared in private discussions that he regards this
were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the book `of catechetical instruction as standing head and
earth and the world, even from everlasting to ever- shoulders above any catechism book now in existence.
lasting. . .  ."    And in the words of Ps. 102 these And although "Essentials" bears the official sanction
words occur : "My days are like a shadow that  de- of our churches we now hear that it is a failure ,in the
clineth  ; and I am withered like grass. But Thou, 0      "West".
Lord,  shalt endure for ever; and Thy remembrance             Secondly, the attitude of the "West" toward"`Es-
unto at1 generationkf7 In Eph. 3  :21 the apostle speaks sentials" puzzles us because of the emphasis there
of the endless life of the church, and we quote: "Unto     (which we do not wish to minimize) upon the doctrinal
Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout aspect of catechetical instruction. If we begin to in-
a11 ages,,  ~worih? without end."                         doctrinate our children at the age of ten years (and
    Obviously, therefore, the Scriptures do speak of the undersigned does not desire to criticize this either),

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

should they, then, not be ready* for "Essentials" at a
later age? And if we wish to emphasize the import-                 THE DAY OF SHADOWS
ance of doctrinal instruction what better means do  we
have at our disposal than "Essentials"?
       The undersigned writes this article because he is     Abner ,4nd His OIjposition  To David
convinced.that  in the book of "Essentials" we have a                                                          >
goldmine  of Reformed doctrine. I do not understand             As we saw, in addressing himself to the task of
why this book should be successful in one community establishing his throne in all Israel, David took no
and a failure in another. I do not comprehend the recourse'to violence in deaiing with his brethren. For
intellectual or psychological, etc., differences between               . . .
                                                             he made God his expectation as he had been deing all
the "East" and the "West". And I am at a loss to along., `Accordingly, the means' which he employed
understand why this book is. not successful in the in gathering them under his  wing. `was a benediction
"West". To be sure, many questions for written work envoked over the men of Jabesh and over his brethren
transcend the ability of the catechumens ; in fact, they in the north country.
transcend, I am sure, many ministers outside the pale           But, as was stated, David's overture of peace to
of our churches. But, does this reflect upon the cate- his brethren in the north was ill-received. It was
chism book? I think not. Is it not the spirit of  oui ill-received by Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's
day and age that the young people indulge very little routed and dispersed host that with Abner and Ish-
in study and research? Is there any sound reason why bosheth had fled over the Jordan to escape the sword
young people of sixteen and seventeen years of age of the Philistines. Taking Pshbosheth, he brought
should not be able to study "Essentials" and become him over to Nahanaim and made him king over all
founded in the blessed truths of the Word of God? the tribes with the exception of Judah. This tribe
There is none.                                               had anointed David king and was following him.
        Hence, if we really wish to absorb instruction          Ishbosheth reigned but two years when he was
"Essentials" can serve as an admirable guide. I re- slain by two of his servants-chapter 2 : 10 ; 4 3. The
peat :, it is a treasure of Reformed training, a goldmine    time that David was king in Hebron over the house of
of truly Reformed knowledge. I propose that we, as Judah was seven years and six months-chapter 2 : 11
ministers, teach this book slowly and painstakingly. Ishbosheth's assassination preceded the expiration of
Let us cover it in two years rather than in one. Let         David's seven and a half years reign in Hebron. There
us ask the catechumens to study  @these questions, also is then, this question: In which two of these seven
the questions at the bottom of the page, to make a and a half years did Ishbosheth's reign fall. The
serious effort to find the answer. Let us urge  thz narrative does not make this clear. But there are
catechumens to go to various sources to learn the            three possibilities to be considered.
answers, consult their parents, discuss with them these
vital. truths. Let us, as ministers, come to our cate-          1.' If Ishbosheth's elevation to the throne and
chism classes fully prepared, and have the catechumens David's anontment as king of Judah took place at the
take down notes on the explanation of the lesson and same time (2  :7, 8,  9)) Ishbosheth's reign of two years
the answers to the questions at the end of each lesson.      ran parallel with the first two years of David's reign
This book covers the field of doctrine, of truly Re- in Hebron. And then David did not remove to Jeru-
formed doctrine, as a blanket. It serves admirably to salem until four and a half years after Ishbosheth's
refute outstanding heresies, including the "Three death. This view raises the question why David should
Points".      If only our catechumens have a desire to have waited so long a time before undertaking the
learn, "Essentials" gives them a wonderful oppor- capture of Jerusalem.
tunity to orientate themselves in the truths which are          2. If David's capture of Jerusalem and his removal
treasured so highly in our churches.                         to that city took place shortly after Ishbosheth's as-
..,                                                          sassination, Ishbosheth's reign coincided with the last
                                        H. VeIclman.         two years of David's reign in Hebron. But in this
                                                             ease Abner did not make Ishbosheth king until four
P.S.-The undersigned wrote this article before he years and. a half after David's elevation to the  throne
received the December 1 issue of the Standard Bearer. in Judah.                   j
There is, therefore, no connection between this article         3. Some maintain that the narrative binds us to
and that of Rev. Hoeksema in the Dec. 1 Standard the view that Ishbosheth was king over Israel during
Bearer.                                         H.V.         all the time that David reigned in Hebron. And they
                                                             account for the notice that Ishbosheth reigned two
                                                             years by supposing that after making him king in
                                                             Mahanaim Abner only gradually extended his'jurisdic-


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            135

tion over all Israel by expelling the Philistines from eth before wicked men so fellest thou." And unto his
the rest of Canaan. This conquering process must servant he said, "Know ye not that there is a prince
have taken five and a half years, so that Ishbosheth and a great man fallen this day in Israel?"
reigned over all  Israel  only two of his years years           Did David here mean to bewail the fall of a man
as king. This, it is said, accounts for the statement of true goodness? It would seem so, judging from
t;:at he reigned two years. As was  pointed  oI;t, the the language of the lamentation. Especially signifi-
v;eukness  here is that the narrative makes no mention cant is the lament, "Died Abner as a fool dieth," and
of  wars  wi+!r the Philistines carried out by Abner. the question put to `the servants, "Know ye not that
The sequel reveals that the Philistines were subdued there is a prince and a great man fallen in Israel?"
by David after his removal to Jerusalem.                     Yet all that it may mean is that Abner was a mighty
  1. Perhaps it is best to suppose that for reasons not man of valor, like Saul before his rejection., Also Saul's
revealed David did allow some five and a half years fall drew forth from David the lament, "How are the
to go by after the assassination of Ishbosheth before mighty fallen !" Of Jonathan he said, "The lovely and
undertaking the capture of Jerusalem. If this sup- the pleasant." But .he said this not of Saul.
position is correct, Ishbosheth was made king shortly           But are we not driven to the conclusion that Abner
after the commencement of David's reign in Hebron was a godless rebel by his initial opposition to David?
and in this case Ishbosheth's brief reign ran parallel Already as general in Saul's army he. was always co-
with the first two years of David's reign in that operating with his master in the, attempt to capture
city.                                                        David that he might be put to death. And when Saul
    The narrative continues, "And Abner the son of was dead, he made Ishbosheth king over all Israel and,
Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul,         as we have just seen, took active steps to subject also
went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon."  Mahanaim, as Judah to his new master. Is not Abner in all these
was explained, was situate in Gilead east of the Jor- doings revealed as a godless upstart? Not necessarily.
dan. Here Abner had established Ishbosheth as king. In passing judgment on the man and his doings the
From Mahanaim Abner advanced with an army to following must be taken into consideration. Saul in
Gibeon in the western part of Benjamin about forty addition to being privately anointed by Samuel had
miles northeast of Hebron, where dwelt David as king been publicly chosen by lot at Mizpah. After the elec-
of Judah. The sequel of the narrative leaves no doubt tion Samuel, pointing to Saul who stood among the
that Abner's purpose was warlike. He wanted to people higher than any of them from his shoulders
begin the conflict against David in order to subject and upward, said to the people, "See ye him whom
Judah also to Ishbosheth. Doubtless his plan was the Lord has chosen." David's private anointing. had
t,o march southward from  Gibeon on Hebron to attack not been followed by public election by lot in the pre-
David. This exonerated David. At no time and in no           scnce of the tribes. And nowhere do, we read of the
way had he planned to begin hostilities against Ish- seer making a public statement to the effect that the
bosheth. He was forced into the war by Ishbosheth L:ord had appointed David to rule in Saul's stead.
through Abner.                                                  No statement of the kind was ever made by  the,
    Abner's whole doing raises a question concerning seer. Neither he nor the Lord wanted the people to
him. What kind of man was he in a spiritual-moral know. This is plain. First, in communicating to Saul
point of `view? Is he to be numbered among the his sentence of rejection, the Lord refrained `from
saints? or must' he be classified with the unprincipled, naming the neighbor to whom he had given the  king-
godless men in Israel? What did David think of him? c!om.  These were Samuel's words,. "The Lord hath
The question is pertinent in view of David's reaction rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and
to Abner's assassination by Joab. That was a foul bath given it to a neighbor of thine better than thou."
deed. It was unadulterated murder. David did all he Second, having provided Him a king among Jesse's
could to convince the people that he had no part in          sons, the Lord instructed the seer to go to Bethlehem
that. crime and that all the guilt rested on Joab. He t.hat David might be anointed. But the seer was per-
made a statement to that effect. He cursed Joab and suaded that, hearing of it, Saul would kill him. Saul
his house. He commanded, Joab and all the people to would do just that. Accordingly, the :Lord ordered
rend their clothes and gird them with sack cloth and His servant to shroud his mission in secrecy by tak-
mourn after  A-bner.    He followed Abner's bier and irg a heifer and by saying to the Bethlehemites in-
wept at his grave. And when the people came to cluding Jesse and his sons, that he came to sacrifice
cause him to eat meat while it was yet day, he bind- to the Lord. Doubtless Jesse was the only one who
ed himself by an oath to taste no bread or ought else bitnessed  the anointing. True, the statement does
til the sun be down, and he lamented over Abner and occur that `Y3unuel  took a horn and anointed him in
said, "Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were the midst of his brethren." However, the expression
not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: `as a man fall-    z'n the midst of is not equivalent  to in. the preverxe  of.

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

       But though David's private anointing was not fol- king was a high-handed act. It was his doing and not
lowed by a public election by lot, though Samuel  gave      the people's Their wishes were ignored.
no publicity to, the transaction in Bethlehem and to           It must be assumed that at the time of Saul's death
,Saul's previous rejection, it soon became plain to all and even.,before  that time it was generally known that
who had eyes to see and hearts to understand that Saul :-au1 had been rejected of God and that David had
was rejected of God and that the Lord had chosen been anointed in Bethlehem. For Samuel would not
David for the royal authority. The evidence was there fail to fully inform all those who came to him to hear
right before the people's eyes. The Spirit of God de- the word of God. Abigail spake of the Lord's doing
parted from Saul, ceased to qualify him for rule and to David in the near future according to all the good
theocratic warfare. An evil spirit of God troubled that he spake unto him, such as establishing him on
him and the result was that he lived out his days           t.he throne and building him a sure house. From
persecuting David ; and he finally died a suicide in where her knowledge of the things of God, if not
a war with the Phi&tines in which his whole army directly or indirectly from Samuel? David's success
was routed and dispersed. As to David, having in            in arms in his wars with the heathen together with
private appointed him to the kngship, the Lord also his integrity only and fully confirmed what she had
immediately anointed him with His Spirit; the Lord heard of him.
raised him up by His Sprit. He  endewed him with               Abner in his unbelief preindicated the unbelieving
great courage by stirring up the gft of living faith Jews of Christ's day. No man had witnessed Christ's
that was in him. The Lord's work in David soon bore anointing, His appointment to the, office of Mediator
the astonishing fruit of his slaying the Philistine Go- of God's covenant. For it was an event of eternity;
liath. God's work in David continued to bear fruit. it. had taken place in the sacred counsels of the Most
mile the decapacitated, troubled and impenitent Saul High. Yet, how evident from His works that He came
sat in his house, hardening his heart, nursing his from God. But the Jews were unbelieving. Accord-
imaginary grievances, and devising always new ways ingly they demanded signs and more signs of His
and means for capturing David, whom he falsely ac- sending. "By what authority doe& thou these things",
cused of wanting to hurl him from his throne David they demanded to know over and over. And in their
as captain in Saul's army was fighting Philistines unbelief they ended with affixing Him to a cross.
with remarkable success. For the Lord worked for               Yet, however sinful, Abner's opposition to David
him. Later, to escape Saul's wrath he fled to the could not be held  against'him  as a crime, as rebellion
wildernesses of Judah where with his band of four against duly instituted theocratic authority. No pro-
hundred he was a wall of defence to the shepherds of phet of God in God's name had publicly pronounced
his fellow tribesmen who pastured their flocks in David king and commanded the nation to subject itself
those regions. In this period he rescued Keilah against to his rule. David was not chosen by lot in the pre-
whom the Phi&tines were fighting and whose thresh- sence of the people. The tribe of Judah anointed him
ing floors they were robbing. His last great deed of king but his authority still had to be established in
valor prior to Saul's suicide was his routing the Amale-    the other tribes. Abner therefore was not a seditionist
kite hordes who were plundering southern Judah.             as was Absalom. He committed no treason in oppos-
   -What remarkable evidence that the Lord had chosen ing David. If such had been his  offence,  David would
David and had rejected Saul ! Who could do those have done wrong in covenanting with him ; he would
works except the Lord be with him? Seeing, Jonathan have been obliged to put him to death. In a word,
believed. Renouncing his claims to Saul's throne, he Abner's opposition to David was not immoral in the
embraced David as his lord., Seeing, Abigail believed. sense of its being criminal  ;. but it was thoroughly un-
For, in her own words, "My lord fighteth the battles spiritual, yet essentially not more unspiritual than
of. the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all Isaac's opposition to Jacob in the latter's capacity of
thy. days." When Saul was dead, the belief that David God-ordained heir to the covenant promise. Eating
must+eign  was general among David's own tribesmen, of Esau's venison, Isaac loved Esau and would have
Coming to Hebron, they anointed him king.                   bestowed upon him the blessing had the Lord through
       As appears from the sequel, the belief that David Jacob's fraud not intervened. In opposing Jacob Isaac
must reign was general among the other tribes. But was opposing Christ, and likewise Abner in his oppo-
Abner did not believe; Contrary to his better con- sition to David. For to David God had sworn truth.
victions, certainly, he clave to the house of Saul and Yet in spite of his previous opposition to David, Abner
made Ishbosheth king, using as his argument it must might still be a true believer. The sole question is
be that Saul and not David was chosen king by lot and whether he truly repented.
that therefore the report of Saul's rejection and of .         As the narrative in the sequel reveals, the evidence
David's anointing in Bethlehem must be a rumor that David was chosen- of God to rule over His people
without any basis in fact. His making Ishbosheth continued to accumulate before Abner's eyes. Hear-


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     137

ing of the arrival in  Gibeon of Ishbosheth's army based, perhaps, on the supposition that Asahel  was
under Abner, David, having anticipated the attack only anxious for the glory of making a prisoner. But
and being therefore fully prepared, opposed a force Asahel  was determined. Abner was just as deter-
under Joab. (Joab is here introduced for the first mined to avoid, if possible, entering with Asahel into
time. He was the son of David's sister  Zeruiah,- personal combat. For no doubt Asahel  was unarmed
1 Chronicles  11:16.  Among the members of David's with helmet and coat of mail. Besides, he was but a
band he, no doubt, had ranked high as a warrior and strippling as compared with Abner who was an ex-
leader of men. Else he would not now appear as the perienced and seasoned warrior, and who must have
leader of David's forces). Going forth, Joab and his been fully armed. Such a combat must needs issue
band met the hostile advancing company at the pool iu Asahel's defeat and death. But Abner did not want
of Gibeon, where the two armies encamped opposite to kill him. So he said again to him, "Turn thee
one another. Abner proposed to Joab that "the young aside from following me; wherefore should I smite
men now arise, and play before us." This was agree- thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face
able to Joab. What was contemplated was not a game to Joab thy brother ?"            He did not want to make
of arms for entertainment but a serious battle-play, an enemy of Joab with whom he stood in friendly
a combat to the death between a few warriors put up relation.        Asahel;  however, would not desist from
by both sides in order that the contest might be de- pressing on Abner.           Compelled to defend himself,
cided without war on a large scale. So there arose Abner smote him, not with the front part of the spear
and went over to some intermediate point twelve of but with the hinder part in the abdomen so that it
each side.    Rushing upon one another they seized came out behind in his back, and he fell dead on the
every man his fellow by the head and thrust his sword spot. Asahel being David's nephew and brother. to
in his opponent's side. It was .a duel between indi-       Joab, the death of the young hero caused a shock
vidual warriors in which each two combatants fell among all the people and besides a mourning among
together. "Wherefore that place was called he&&h           the servants of David.     This is indicated by the
haxmrim,   meaning, the field of the strong." Others phrase, "And it came to pass that as many as came
translate, "The field of knives or edges".                 to the place where Asahel  fell down and died stood
    As the single and bitter conflict had proved  un- still."
decisive, there was a general and fierce battle between       By the death of Asahel  new fuel had been added
the two armies, which issued in the defeat and flight to the fires of zeal that burned in the bosoms of
of Abner.  In the language of the text, "And there David's servants. It provided the pursuit with an
was a very sore battle that day: and Abner was additional motive-that of revenge.                  So the chase
beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants was continued with all the more violence. Joab and
of David." It was so much more evidence that David Abishai followed Abner until the setting of the sun,
was the anointed of God and must reign over all when they came to the hill of Ammah, where the
Israel.                                                    pursuit ended. The precise description of the locality
    The scene that follows is one of pursuit in which of the hill testifies to the genuineness of the narra-
the three nephews of David-Joab, and Abishai, and tive. The text states that it lied before Giah by the
Asahel-are especially conspicuous. They were broth- way of the wilderness of  Gibeon.           This wilderness
ers, for the text describes them as sons of Zeruiah. lay east of  Gibeon  in the tribe of Benjamin. As is
Asahel  was light of foot and is therefore compared indicated by the narrative throughout, the children
tc a roe. He pursued after Abner as purposed to slay of Benjamin took a prominent position among the
him. He must have reasoned that opposition to David followers of Ishbosheth. As the nearest tribesmen
would die with Abner, he being the soul of it. Asahel      they were most interested for his kingdom.' It was
pursued after Abner with remarkable singleness of therefore the children of Benjamin who now gath-
purpose. "In going he turned not to the right hand ered themselves together from the scattering that had
nor to the left from following Abner." Warned, no resulted from their defeat and flight `into one body
doubt, that he was being followed, Abner looked be- after Abner on the hill, their purpose being the pro-
hind him and saw that he had almost been overtaken tection of Abner and themselves. But the defeated
by one whom he recognized as Asahel. He put to him and harrassed Abner has had enough of the conflict.
the question, "Art thou  Asahel?"   Asahel  returned He wanted it stopped. So he "called to Joab and said,
answer, "I am," and in grim silence continued his Shall the sword devour ever?" Then he asked, "Know-
pursuit. Abner tried to dissuade him, "Turn thee est thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter
aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee end?"         The shame and tragedy of God's covenant
hold on one of the young men, and take thee his            people who ought to cherish the kindest regard for
armour," were his words to his pursuer. "Take his one another destroying themselves by internal con-
armour,"  that is, after slaying him. The address was flict and thereby playing into the hands of the.adver-

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

sary who even at that juncture was overrunning their sembled his forces for return, he held a muster in
land.      But who had begun that unholy conflict! order to learn his loss. Only nineteen of David's ser-
Abner's third question is a demand that Joab suspend vants were lacking and Asahel.  Doubtless the nine-
hostilities immediately. These are his words, "How teen included the twelve that fell in the single con-
long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return flict. Ishbosheth's loss was much greater, "360 men
from following their brethren?" Joab affirms with dead". Departing, Joab and his company took  Asahel
an oath his willingness to cease hostilities without a with them and buried him in the sepulchre of his father
victory. These are his words, "AS God liveth, unless            in Bethlehem." They went the whole night thence
thou hast spoken, surely then in the morning the and they came to Hebron at break of day."
people would have gone up every man from his                       So did Abner come to his place, beaten, he and his
brother." (Such is the rendering in our English ver- army. To wht is the failure of his venture to be ascrib-
sion.     It agrees perfectly with the original text). ed? To this that "Joab had in his army only veteran
There are two explanations of these words. 1. As                servants of David, tried by many severe battles and
the Lord liveth, hadst thou not spoken, that is, hadst privation, while Abner led into battle the remains of
thou not come with the proposition that the contest the army that was beaten by the Philistines at  Gilboa?"
be decided by a duel between. individual warriors, each The cause lies deeper. The consciences of Abner and
man would have returned to his place already in the his party were evil. They were spiritually devitalized
morning, we to Hebron and you to Mahanaim, and by the awareness of the sinfulness of their way. God
this war would not have ensued. According to this               was against them and they knew it by His testimony
interpretation, Joab wanted Abner to understand that in their hearts in connection with the clear and copious
the blame of the war rested largely, if not exclusively,        evidence that David was the Lord's anointed and must
on him, and that therefore he was the one to whom               reign over all Israel.    Hence, they were defeated
he should be directing his rebukes and admonitions.             before they had set out on their ill-conceived venture.
It is undoubtedly true that Joab, being as he was                  Yet the war continued. "There was long war be-
under orders of David, would not have made the                  tween the house of Saul and the house of David."
attack, had he not been provoked by Abner's propo-              This does not mean that there were pitched battles.
sition. It must be assumed that David had instructed            But it does mean that the house of  :Saul continued
him merely to protect the territory of Judah.                   hostile. But, as had to be expected, in this war "David
       Yet, it is not likely that this is the correct inter-    waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul
pretation. It does not harmonize with Abner's appeal;           waxed weaker and weaker." It lost prestige and con-
definitely with his third question, "How long shall it          sideration more and more. Its power diminished in
be then, ere thou bid the people return from  after             its lack of courage and energy.      Nothing was at-
their brethren ?" To which Joab replied, "Surely if tempted against the Philistines, it must be assumed.
hast not spoken . . . . the people had gone up from Hence nothing was accomplished. Abner lost all inter-
his brother in the morning". The interpretation under est             He saw that he had championed a lost cause.
consideration completely ignores the phrase from  after         The conviction became strong in him that he had set
their  brethren  and translates as if the text reads,           out on a wrong and forbidden course.
L'returned  to his place". There is also this question:            David's prestige grew more and more. As ap-
How could Joab under an oath declare that the battle pears from the text at verse 17 of chapter 3, the
would not have occurred? But it did now lay in his              people in always increasing numbers were asking for
power to put an end to the conflict in answer to Ab-            him. They wanted him as their king.
ner's appeal.                                                                .                         G. M. Ophoff.
       `The common interpretation is the better: 2) As
God liveth, if thou hast not spoken about a truce, then
surely in the morning the people would have gone up
every man from his brother, that is, I did not intend
to continue the battle indefinitely, but if you had not                           READING THE BIBLE
spoken, my purpose was to withdraw my troops not                                            .            I.
immediately but in the morning.                                        Within this ample volume lies
       Joab kept him to his word. He blew "a trumpet,                   The mystery of mysteries;
and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel                Happiest they of human race
no more, neither fought they any more." To avoid                        To whom their God has given grace,
the heat of the day, Abner and his men walked all that                  To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
night through the plain. Passing over Jordan, they                      To lift the latch, to force the way  ;
went through all Bithron-not a city but a  distrid-                     And better had they ne'er been born
and finally came to Mahanaim. When Joab had  as-                        That read to doubt, or read to scorn.


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   141

                                                         is used to turn our minds from that blessed truth.
              I N   H I S   F E A R                      God forbid that when our children are taught the
                                                         history of this world they should receive the impres-
                                                         sion that the nations of the world which hate Christ
                                                         and His Church should be extolled and lauded and
           Training For Life's Calling                   that they are after all anything more than the chaff
                                                         which serves the wheat, the scaffold which serves
Training in the History Class. (continued)               the erection of that glorious temple of God, His
     "Walk about Zion; and go round about her:           Church. But that is repeatedly done in that which
     tell the towers thereof.                            calls itself "Christian school". But properly, the pur-
     Mar/c  ye well her bulwarks, consider her           pose of God, the plan of God should ever be kept be-
     palaces;                                            fore the mind of God's covenant child in. the history
     That ye nmy tell it to the generation following.    class and whenever possible the particular event should
     For this God is our God for ever and ever.          be shown in its relation to that end.
     He will be our guide even unto death.                  This, of course, does not mean that the history
                                                         class in a Christian school becomes a course in Ec-
   With these words does the Psalmist in Psalm 48 clesiology or Eschatology. It does not and must not
conclude his song of praise to God. And that most become a dogmatics class which specializes in teaching
beautifully  e-xpresses the calling  of  the  Christian the doctrine of the church and of the last things.
school as well as of the church. While the Christian But the thing that is required  is that somewhere .in
school is dealing with the history of the world, the the history class a few choice remarks in regard to
above truth cannot be ignored without that school these things should be made. In some historical events
loosing the first six letters of its name. And we care a direct bearing can be seen on the Church of God.
not at all for an "Ian school". If we cannot put the Always, of course, the Church is benefited by historical
Christ there and make it a Christian school, we must events, but not always in the same way. Note point
not be so deceptive as still to call it a Christian school. "b" under "2" of the principles we submitted before.
Christ and His Church are inseparable. Therefore in We quote it here again, "Nations are born, they rise
the history class must nations and men be judged ac- up, develop and fall at the word of God's power. They
cording to the position they have taken against Christ are given power by God (Dan. 5 :18). They live out
and His Church, as we remarked last time, but ever of the principle of sin (Dan. 5  :20), attain many-sided
and again must the child also be shown in the history developments and come to great riches, as for example
class whenever possible that all history is for the Babylon and  ,Greece  and the Antichristian kingdom of
benefit of the church.     The covenant child in the Rev. 18 :lO-17. Through all these God also sets forth
Christian school must never be left in doubt as to and forward the cause of His Church in this world,
how and where the history of the world will end. hat along that way comes also the fulfilled power of
Ue must not be deceived into expecting the Utopia the. Antichristian kingdom." We repeat and under-
of which the world formerly spoke so enthusiastically score the first part of that last sentence,  "Through  all
and still does but now with feeble hope. Nor must        these God sets forth and forward the cause of His
he be terror-struck with the present day pessimism Church." The towers and bulwarks of Zion are' al-
of unbelief according to which man is resigned to ways intact, and that is how history ought to be taught
the end of civilization and to oblivion. Oblivion is a in the Christian school. The purpose and plan of God
mighty strange word for the glorious kingdom of revealed in the Scriptures must be shown in con-
Christ which is the real end of the history of this nection with the history lesson, but the  absolute  cer-
world. And even in the midst of that last terrible tainty of its realization should also be stressed at every
battle of Armegeddon, which must yet come, the child opportunity.
of God should be taken for a walk about Zion, should        The persecutions the Church has undergone have
have her towers counted, the strength of her bulwarks rid it of dead timber but also have helped to spread
pointed out to him and the beauty of her palaces de- the Church geographically to the serving of the gather-
clared.                                                  ing of all its elect members from the nations, tongues,
   The way history is taught in the worldly schools and tribes of this earth. The inventions of such things
there is and can be no room for the return of Christ as the printing press, the radio, that swift means of
as the climax of all history. And if there ever was transportation, the plane, hurdling mountains and
a time when that fact of the return of Christ, not only jungles, (the extensive development of this last men-
in judgment but also for the glory of His church tioned invention occasioned by the last World War)
should be emphasized, that time is now. There is have all served the church. And never forget that
now, as never before, so much that would tend and both World Wars served the Church. The last one


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more clearly than the former served the coming of the fruit, and we see our children beginning to observe
Antichrist, but also in that very way served the Church Zion's palaces and beginning to count her towers.
of Christ and His glorious return. The printing press              By all means, let the Christian school teacher re-
served not only for the distribution of the Scriptures frain from trying to interest God's covenant child in
but serves also in the multiplication and spread of the kingdom of the Antichrist. We will indeed have
copies of the truth as the Spirit led the church fathers to take our children by the hand in the history class
into the doctrines of God's Word and serves in the              and cause them to stand before that image of Nebu-
preservation of these thoughts of their study for the           chadnezzar's dream. We will have to point out the
ages that followed. The radio, the modern ocean liner, glory of that kingdom of gold. We will have to show
the speedy plane, all serve the feet of them that preach them the kingdom's of silver and brass, iron and clay.
the glad tidings of salvation to the four corners of the        We will have to point out where the one exceeds in
earth. The discovery of this country was used by God beauty and wealth in natural things and the other in
to set forth and forward the cause of His Church.               greater strength of organization and the arm of
He provided a haven for the preservation and develop- flesh. But we will have to stand foursquare on the
ment of His Church. Certain kings and nations pro- Word of God when we show their culture, art, civiliz-
tected the church, and the doctrine developed. Whether ation, organization and all the rest. We will have to
they did it in faith or unbelief is besides the point           remind our children of the truth of Hebrews  11:6
here. Their works must be judged by the Word of                 that  `.without faith it is impossible to please God",,
God, but regardless of what the motive of their atti- and that therefore God's wrath is upon it all even
     tude to the church was, in and  t.hrough  it God set       though in and through it all He sets forth and forward
forth and forward His Church. And should not the the cause of His Church. Tubal Cain, that wicked
covenant child, who belongs to that church and who              descendant of Cain and of Lamech, had to be the
is constantly being served by the world, even though            artificer  in brass and iron, for the cross of Christ
the world knows it not and does not deliberately do needed the nails which pierced His hands and feet
so,  be. informed of these things? He should. Take and let forth His precious blood. His work did not
him for a walk around Zion's towers and bulwarks.               proceed from true faith. And without faith he did
     Show him Zion's palaces. There they still stand after not please God. But God most surely had the cross
     a.11 the onslaughts of all the ages! And why should of Christ in mind when this historical event of man's
they not?        God's eternal plan calls for a glorious        progress in metals and their craft received its ap-
     Church in Christ. And all events in history are sub- pointment from Him. So we could go on. So we must
     servient to that plan. History is not something that       present history to God's child. We will have to show
`God finds and then uses to realize His Church. His- what men achieved. We will have to take them to
     tory is not something against which  ,God must con- stand not only before Babylon the head of gold, Persia,
     stantly pit His strength and wisdom lest that which        Greece and Rome but also before England, Germany,
     He promised in Christ be not fulfilled. He does not France, Russia, China, Japan and the United States
     use history. He determines it. He planned it etern-        of America. But we do not fulfill our task unless
     ally, every single event of it, in His eternal counsel.    we remind them that all these perish-as history also
     Let the history teacher prepare the lesson in the light has shown-but that there is one kingdom growing
     of Art. 13 of the Belgic Confession, and the covenant * quietly and steadily which will presently fill the whole
     child will not be misled by historical fact. Let me earth according to the purpose of the Almighty God.
     jot down a few of the expressions we read there:              Especially today should the child and can the child
     "Nothing happens in this world without His appoint- be taught more clearly than ever before that the king-
     ment. . . . He executes and orders His work in the         doms of this world are heading for the kingdom of
,most  excellent and just manner, even then, when the Antichrist.. Their culture, wealth, progress in
     devils and wicked men act unjustly. . . ." Historical      science and industry, just exactly because without
     events have their appointment from  ,God.                  faith they cannot in these please God, are employed in
I       And He planned it all for the realization of that       the erection of the kingdom of the beast. Let us not
     glorious Church in Christ. Let the Christian school try in deceive God's children. Unbelief and the works
     teacher have this fact in mind when preparing the          apart from faith cannot produce Christ's kingdom,
     history lesson. And let the teacher also strive to find they must always serve the kingdom of darkness.
     the particular way in which an event serves the Church     Cod's child must have his attention focussed on the
`if possible. It will take time and effort, but God's temple God is building, and he should be shown as
     covenant child requires this presentation. The effort much as is possible in the history class that God is
     put forth is never vain in the Lord, and the blessed- fulfilling His counsel which decrees a glorified Church
     ness of teaching in a Christian school is that we be- on, the new earth at and through Christ's return.
     hold our works as prospered by the Spirit bearing              Thus we can train our children for life's calling to


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seek that kingdom of Christ. Thus we can warn them How ridiculous! We may as well make a rule against
against the deceptiveness of the Antichristian king- voting on November 2 because politics is corrupt and
dom. Thus we can instruct them that Jerusalem and politicians lead offensive lives!
Athens must not be united in wedlock. Thus we can               "What we Calvinists must do is give leadership
train them to be alert for the wolf who comes in to the scattered fight now being waged for an  im-
sheep's clothing. Then they can be trained to exercise provement in the quality of motion pictures. The
their heavenly citizenship on this present earth, walk- Catholics have done some good, and much sound criti-
ing obediently, rendering honor and fear where they cism has come from movie reviewers, etc. But we
are due, but ever looking for the kingdom of Christ.         need a force with deep, moral integrity that can give
                                           J. A. Heys.       impetus and power to this currently weak drive against
                                                             Hollywood's dramatic drivel. That force obviously,
                                                             is Calvinism. What we need is to put that force into
                                                             action, but denouncing the motion picture-regardless
                                                             of how it is used, not only enervates but virtually
                                                             nullifies any program for sound,, constructive action.
                 PERISCOPE                                      "To repeat, Chimes wishes the authorities to re-
                                                             consider the decision against worldly amusements ;
                                                             to give a clear, intelligent understanding of what con-
                                                             stitutes  L`worldliness"  ; and to eliminate the clause
Dramatic  Fever-G.                                           against theatre attendance. It hopes that the Board
                                                             of Trustees will do so at its next meeting next Febru-
   From the "Calvin College Chimes" of October 28 ary, and if they feel that the final decision does not
we quote the following:                                      rest with them, to take the problem to Synod next
   "The Chimes hereby humbly but unequivocally June and let them do what must be done."
requests the authorities of Calvin College to reconsider        In how far this editorial expression in  "Chimes"
Calvin's rule against the movies. That such a rule is the individual expression of the author and in how
should never have been made in the first place, that far it represents the thought and sentiments of the
i: is now already too long since it should have been student-body in general, I do not know. And again
revised, and that it is not consistent Calvinism, is in how far the expression of "Chimes" is under the
obvious.       Furthermore, the amount of good it has control and guidance of the faculty of Calvin College,
accomplished is negligible, and is more than nullified I do not know. That this can hardly be the voice of a
by the stultifying position in which it has placed all       lone individual however becomes plain when we read
Calvinists.                                                  the rest of "Chimes" as well as by the confident, I
   "We insist that the motion picture-that drama-            would almost say belligerent tone of the entire article.
is not evil, that inst,ead  it is a gift of God which He.       When we read this article we thought immediately :
intended that we use to His glory.         Calvin teaches "A fruit of `Common Grace'?" and then: "But isn't
drama, e.g., Shakespeare, in its classrooms; it has this an inevitable fruit and the logical consequence
a Thespians Club, which turns out dramatic produc- of the "Decisions on Worldly Amusements"? Of this
tions, and it has just recently begun to recognize the we quote the following: "The question may be asked
tremendous value of movies for educational purposes. whether the theater  as  such  is a sinful institution.
   "But we insist that at least 95 percent of Holly- The answer depends on whether acting, particularly
wood productions are not worthwhile seeing; (Ex- professional acting, is necessarily sinful. Is acting
amples of the very few that are worthwhile are David as such sin ? Is it always sin to give or witness a
Copperfield, Abraham Lincoln, Over the Hill, I Re- dramatic performance? Your Committee feels quite
member M:ama, The Yearling, and Lawrence Oliver's safe in declaring  t.hat no ground for an affirmative
Shakespearean productions.) that they are saturated answer can be found in the Bible. . .  ." (Page 27).
with crime and sex, that they present the extremes And again: "But what shall we say about the  so-
ai though they are the norm, that they reek with called good plays? It cannot be denied that a few
emotion and sentimentality, and as such give an en- plays, taken by themselves, apart from the evil cause
tirely distorted picture of life. . . .                      which they are made to serve, the actors who present
   "Knowing the evil that is being disseminated thru them, and the environment where they are shown, are
the motion picture today, and realizing the. good that unobjectionable ; and that some Christian people see
it could accomplish, we Calvinists-Calvinist, mind no wrong in viewing them. Is this morally defens-
you-turn away our heads, condemn the motion pic- ible? Your Committee is of the opinion that he who
ture per se, thus making it impossible for us to take takes this stand toward the theatre is, in spite of the.
cmstructive,  vigorous action to improve their quality. fact that he may take it conscientiously, on da%YeTO&

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

(/round. . . . We believe that the safest course to           "From all parts of the country, in these last seven
pursue is the way of total abstinence." (Notice that 01' eight years. . . . there are constantly reaching the
here is no principal condemnation of acting.)              capitol of the republic the saddest, most bitter and
   And what shall we say? Certainly a Calvinism sorrowful reports gf evangelical Christians assassin-
that seeks for a closer and closer contact with the        ated with impunity, of churches attacked with fire
world, and that exactly in the sphere of amusements or stones, of persecutions of groups of believers to
is a strange substitute for that which is historically     force them to emigrate from the smaller towns."
Calvinism. And once again the general principle may
well be repeated ; that anything which has the ten-
dency to break down the walls of separation and                                  *  *  *  8
obliterate the lines of demarcation between the Church
and the world is to be condemned. We must hate                From the Banner of October 29 we quote the fol-
even the "garments spotted by the flesh".                  l o w i n g :
   One more  thouffht arises: Calvin is the primary
training ground of our Christian School teachers. "Who Are Your Friends?"
There is also a close though  .unofficial  relation be-       "One of the clearest marks of genuine spirituality
tween the National Union of Christian Schools and is a strong desire for fellowship with Christian friends,
Calvin College. If this tendency continues and if it preferably those of our `own faith. . . .
is  .indicative  of a trend what is the future of our
Schools ?                                                     "One  of the most perilous forms of worldliness
                                                           is worldly friendship. It is not less destructive than
                                                           following after worldly entertainment, for it is sure
                        *  *  *  *                         to lead to dangerous compromises and to base denials
                                                           of the Lord who bought us with his precious blood . . .
How Far Are We From Persecution?                              "James knew the peril of close social connections
                                                           on the part of believers with those who do not love the
   Repeatedly it has been and is being stated that the truth. Therefore he says, bluntly and uncompromis-
time may soon be here in which persecution for ingly : "Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friend-
Christ's sake may once again assume a more violent ship of the world is enmity with God?" Spiritual
form. And in view of the rapidly increasing and in- adultery ! Enmity with God! Nothing less than that !
tcnsified signs the church may well take heed.                "Worldly friendship is usually symptomatic of
   But from a slightly different point of view this        spiritual disease. When in days of prosperity Chris-
question, "How far are we from persecution?" may tians begin to climb the social ladder, the "pride of
be answered, "Only some hundreds of miles are we life" may fasten its tentacles on their souls. Some-
fi.om  persecution."                                       times members of the church begin to seek their asso-
   And we quote from the November issue of Moody ciated among the "nice" people of the world because
?%onthly.                                                  they have become too important in their own eyes
   ,"The fires of persecution still burn in Mexico. . . . to associate with the less "cultured" fellow-members.
                                                           But as they sacrifice the indispensable benefits of
   "We have just read in one of our esteemed col- spiritual fellowship with Christian friends, and make
leagues (El  Herald0  Mexicano) some documents  ir. increasingly serious compromises with their faith for
which brethren from a town of the state of Veracruz        the sake of pleasing worldly companions, they lose
give notice to the proper authorities. . . .how they interest in the church, and their religious life deterior-
were `attacked with firearms by fanatical Romanists ates;  their faith declines, their worship becomes  ir-
while celebrating. a religious service, three of the con- rtigular, their hearts turn cold. . . ."
gregation being killed and various wounded.
   "Also in El Tiempo, one of the best read maga-                                              Rev. J. Howerzyl.
zines of the republic, we find the news of the attack
on the Christmas of Rio Verde, S.L.P., at a time when
they were meeting in a special service of worship and
praise to God. To the ringing of the bells and the
shouts of the priest from the pulpit, a mob composed                  `Begin the day with  ,God:
of men and women rushed upon the church, destroying                   Kneel down to Him in prayer;
a part of it and wounding  severa brethren, among                     Lift up thy heart to His abode,
them a North American, Brother Halliday.                              And seek His love to share,


