 VOLUME   X X V I I 1                    MARCH   15,  1952  -  GRAND   RAPIDS,   MICHIGAN                         NUMBER   12

                                                                           Het oorspronkelijke woord, dat hier gebruikt wordt      ,         /
        YM'E'DLTATION                                                  komt `van een werktioord, een werkwoord, d&t samen:.
                                  \         .                          gesteld is uit t%ee Grieksehe woorden. De stam van
                                                                       dit samengesteld werkwoord beteekent "te schijnen",
  De Gezindbeid Gods Jegens Hoovaardigm                                "in het licht te gaan staan". En het andere wotird,
                         En Nedrisen                                   dat er voor  staat, een  voorzetsel  is, beteekent over,
                                                                       boven, in de hoogte of. in de verte. Voeg die woorden
               "Want God wederstaat de hoovaardigen, maar              samen, en ik denk, dat de aandaehtige  lezer  reeds
             den nederigen  ge$ft Hij genade."                         gkzien heeft wat de beteekenis is. Het is de ondeugd
                                                  - 1   get.  5:5b.    om zich een li?ht te wanen, dat boven, sier bo+en alle
    In het  verband  van den tekst had Petrus  de  ge-                 andere  m&xchen uitschijnt. Daarom is dan ook de
meente gewezen op hun roeping om den ouderlingen                       hoovaardij afschuwelij'k  voor God. Want wie is hoog
der gemeente onderdanig te zijn. Die ouderlingen op en' verheven. naast IGod? .Het te denken is SGodslaste-
hun  !beurt werden vermaand om de kudde  `Gods  te                     ring.     God alleen is  groat'  en hoog verheven. De
weiden. Dat is hun  roeping.   '                                       Heere roept ons toe in Jesaja 40: "bij wien dan zult
 De kudde  `Gods: dat is beeldspraak. En ook het                       gijlieden Mij vergelijken dien Ik gelijk  zij?"- Alleen
vierde vers  .gebrtiikt  diezelfde beeldspraak, als we                 de Naam van  #God is hoog verheven, en alleen  `God
hooren van "den over&en Herder" die  straks  ver-                      is een Lieht,  dat schijnt tot in alle eeuwigheid. Zegt
sdhijnen zal. Hij iS het die de onder-herders roept,                   de Heilige Schrift n&t, dat Hij in een ontoegankelijk
bekwaamt en ondersteunt in hun moeilijk, doch beer:                    licht woont? Zelfs de Engelen bedekken hunne aan-
lijk iv&k in de kudde (Gods.                                           gezichten als zij voor Zijn troon staan. Wat zal dan
    In het bizonder worden  de jongen vermaand om                      een nietig en vuil menschenkind doen? Zal hij  zich
den ouden onderdanig te zijn,,doch  de Heilige aGeest, een  licht  wanen, dat  boveri  allen uitschijnt? En zal
die in Petrus  aan het woord is, heeft ook een  ver-                   hij dat  doen voor  `Gods  aangezicht? Verzamel alle
maning tot nederigheid die zelfs den ouden `insluit,                   grootheid di&gij U denken:@mt,  alle macht en authori-           _
want Hij zegt  :' zijt  allen-  elkander onderdanig! Wat               teit, alle wijsheid en schoonheid waarop een menscheri-
een &hoon  schouwspel : allen elkander onderdanig !                    kind zou  willen  bogen, en ge benadert nog met  geen  '
Als &at geschiedt, dan is er zeker geen twee.spalt meer,               handbreedte dien ;Groote wiens naam de Wonderlijke
geen jaloezie,. of yrok, maar dan zou de wereld zeker                  is. Want alles wat ge bijeen verzamelde is het Zijne.
zeggen bij het zien van zoo lieflijke eenheid: Ziet hoe -Zijns is  i.mmers  de  macht en de  kracht van  eeuwig-
lief zij elkander hebben! En het kan, als ,we de vol-                  heid en tot in eeuwigheid ? Er  .`is geen god behalve
gende vermaning opvolgen die ons. toeroept : zijt met                  onze`$God!   Alle-  dingen zijn Zijne. Trekt Hij  Zijq
de ootmoedigheid bekleed. `Ootmoedigheid ! Hoe  lief-                  hand terug dan zol! all&~ wegvallen in~het  niei.. Daar-
lijk is haar kleed. ' Dan zoeken we niet naar de hooge om is bet aartsdoti en dwaas om zich groot te wanen.
dingen,  doch dan voegen we ons tot het nederige. E;l                  Hij is groot.  Maa? wij zijn  klein.
dat te  doen is heilzaam,  >want,  zegt de tekst  :,  IGod                Alle mensehen en a& wepelden  tezamen zijn min-
wederstaat de hoovaardigen,  do& den nederigen geeft                   der geacht bij Hem vergeleken dan een niet en ijdel-
Hij genqde ! Geve-  de Heere het ons !'                                heid.  WijO zijn  allen tezamen minder  -dFn een  drup-
   Wat is  hoovaardij?                                                 pel van eenen emmer, en als & stofje- aan de weeg;


                        1       /.


 266                                           T    H    E      ATANDARD  BEARER

 schaal.      Wij  worden  vergeleken bij een nachtwake,                we behdoren. .Het is de wijsheid om eerst die plaats
 bij eep nevel die. even gezien wordt en dan verdwijnt.                 te zien, dan te erkenned  dat zij onze plaats is, en ein-
         Als dat zoo is, en het is zoo, yat is dan. de hoo-             delijk, om op die plaats te gaan staan. En dan om
 vatirdij  tech afschuwelijk! Hoe dwaas is het  om                      dat te  doen van-harte en gewilliglijk. Dus als God
  trotsch te zijn. Hoe dwgas in de oogkn' Gods. Trotsch-                zegt : ge zijt vergeleken bij Mij niet dan druppeltjes
 heid  .en  hdovaardij'  zijn  266 dwaas, dat  zelfs de                 aan de enimer en stofjes aan de .weegschaal, dan zegt
 menschen  er mei! spotten. En tech, zoo zijn we allen                  de nederige: Ja, Heere zoo is het! En als een mensch
 van nature, niet  66~.  uit'gezonderd.   Bet moge hard                 oqk zoo bewust gaat leven, mag hij aatispraak maken
 klinken, maar Gods Woord zegt het ons. Het is de                       op .den naam nederige. Dan zal hij zijn plaats zien
wortelzonde van  bet' menschelijke  geslacht. Of was                    als beelddrager Gods, en zijn  roeping verstaan om
 het niet divaze hoovaardij van onze eerstc ouders om                   in alles te zijn en te leven tot 6er van Hem die hem
 het beter te  will&  weteli dan God? Om  te  luikteren                 schiep eh steeds onderhoudt. Dan zal hij steeds vra-.
 naar  he  leugenachtige  tong van Satan,  lieirer dan                  gen : Heere, wat wilt ,Gij dat ik, Uw dienstknecht of
 naar de gulden woorden van God den Alwijze?                            Uw  dienstmaagd,   doen zal? Zoo stonden Adam en
                                                                        Eva voor IGod als nederigen  in het paradijs aan den
                                                                        vroegen mo2gen der historie.
   _-                         .*  f-7  *  a                                 Maar hoe  bekomen  we  dat' verloren  goed-?  We
                                                                        zijn tech overeengekomen, dat niet &5n van ons nede-
         0, we mogen een uitwendige gedaante hebben van                 rig is? We zijn  tech overeengekomen, dat we  all&n
 nederigheid.       Ze wordt zelfs veel  -gevonden, vooral              afgeyveken  zijn en tezamen stinkende geworden, zoo-
 in de kerk, maar ze is zonder waarde, en tot verzadi-                  dat. er niet &n meer is die goed doet of `God zoekt?
 ging des  vleesches.          Leest slechts de laatste verzel:         "We hebben allen onze plaats, ons door God gegeven,
 van Coil. 2. Paulus zal het U vertellen. _Maar het on-                 verldten,  en we  zijn volgelingen  geworden,  van hem
 wedergeboren  hart is niet nederig  -voo>   IGod.' God                 die de hoovaardij is in zijn diepste wezen, dwz. Satan's
 heeft het van voorlang geopenbaard. Hij  heeft het                     volgelingen geworden. En dat is vreeselijk. Hoe wor-
 hart van den mensch binnenst buiten gekeerd en het                     den we weer nederig?' Dat is de volgende vraag die
 dns verkondigd.  op duizend plaatsen van #Gods Woord.                  ons bezighoudt.
 Leest vooral Romeinen 3 :lO-18. Daar vindt ge een                          En het antwoord is het  Evangelle. Het antwoord
 -catalbgus van gruwelen die door ons gedaan worden                     op die vraag is Jezus Christus, de Heere. Er  zijn-
 vanuit het hart.             Het hart van den natuurlijken             gelukkige  menschen op aarde en in den  hemel  .di6
 m&sch is  zelf+erhoogenc(  en  haat  ,God. Straks zal                  nederig zijn door den  Neder'ige   hij uitnemendheid.
 een ieder het kunnen zien, als Antichrist op zijn troon,               En die Nederige is  .Jezus  Christus, de Zone Gods.
 zal zitten in den tempel IGods?  -en- een- ieder doen ver-             Dat is een paradox, maar het is  tech  waar.  Eeil
 kondigen dat hij :God is en niemand meer. Dan zult                     paradox, want Hij behoefde het geen `roof te achten
 ge den gk"ootsten  gruwel der hoovaardij zien.                         Gode evengelijk  te zijn. En tech is het die Zooh van
         Er is.niet &n uitgesloten. We zijn allen vergiftigd            God die  Zich vernederd  heeft,  zooals geen mensch
 door het gif van Satan, wiens  yezen hoogmoed is.                      ooit vernedercl zal  worden.  Om de diepte der  ver-
 0 ja, laat men het tech erkennen: we zij.n allen ver-                  nedering van onzen Heiland eenigzins te waardeeren,
 giftigd door de hoovaardij. van  8atan. De een kan                     moeteil  we voor  den aandacht houden, dat Hij God
. het meer en beter  verbergen  dan den  ander,  en  de, uit  ,God is, vol -van geluk en zaligheid. Elk  oogen-
 een heeft er meer van clan den ander, maar we zijn                     blik is Jezus naar Zijn Godheid de Volzalige Zoon
 allen hoovaar@ge%  voor #Gods aangezicht.                              van God. En die Zoon vernederde Zich tot den dood
                                                                        des Bruises.. Hij nam de gestalte aan van een slaaf,
                                                                        en in die gestalte ging Hij gehoorzaam  den weg van
                              *  *  *  *                                onuitsprekelijke lijden tot _ den eeuwigen dood toe.
                                                                        Hij ontledigde Zich geheel en al en werd den Vader
         En w& mag -de nederigheid zijp, en wie zijn de                 in  alles gehoorzaam. Hij stond daar voor het  aan-
 nederigen?                                                             gezicht Zijns Vaders met al de schuld en zonden van
         Wei, de deugd van cederigheid is verwant aan twee              de kerk beladen, en toen God de eisehen van`zijn ge-
 andere deugden, en &5n er van ivordt  ook in het on-                   reehtigheid  -deed, heeft Jezus niet wederstaan, .doch
 middelijke verband  aangeh@d. Ik heb het oog.op de heeft Zich gewilliglijk gegeven om het Lam van <God
 zachtmoedigheid en de ootmoedigheid.                    ln  verband    te zijn.
 met die twee `deugden is de nederigheid d6 wijsheicl                      0 het heeft gestormd. in het IGethsemane,.  en toeli
 die ons noopt  om op onze ,plaats- te gatin staan waar                 Jezus  de  versclyikkelijke  muil des  eeuwi.gen doods


                                                  SCHE        STAN-DARD                BEAR.ER                                267

voor  Zich zag, is Hij  beangst geworden en zeer  ont-               om zegt mijn tekst, dat (God hen wederstaat. Hij duwt
 roerd.       De smarten des doods die  als een eeuwige              hen weg, en zal hen blijven wegduwen tot`ciat ze ge-
 storm ,op Hem neersloegen, persten het bloedige zweet               heel en .a1 yerworpen zijn.
 uit Zijn geheiligd voorhoofd,  doch Hij boog  Zich en                   0, bet zal vreeselijk %ijn om ten leste te vallen in                  '
 werd  gehoorzaam  tot den dood. ` ,Wel heeft`Hij  den               de hand van den levenden God ! Hij vernedert straks
 Vadq driemalen gebeden of het mogelijk mocht zijn,                  allen die hier  op aarde weigerden  &rn voor God in
 dat die drinkbeker  voor~ Hem. voorbij mocht  iaan,                 het stof te bukken. En we kunnen het  weten.  Hoe
 doch Zijn groote nederigheid kwam ook toen tot open-                heeft Jezus niet gebukt in het stof van de wdestijnen
 barin'g bij den sluitsteen van Zijn bidden: niet Mijn,              en wildernissen,  en ten slotte in dien, vreeselijken ,hof
 doch Uw wil  geschi$de!                                             van `Gethsemane.  Dat is een vreeselijke les voor ons.
    `0,. er is nooit iemand geweest die 266 nederig was              Knielt daq tech voor #God! Straks  zullen allen en een
 als onze H&land.' ,En die nederigheid, en die gehoor-               iegelijk  vernederd   w&den met een vernedering die
 zaaihe%d tot den dood toe in al het buigen van Zijn                 vreeselijk. is, want haar naam is de he1 en ei.ndelijke
 moede hoofd, wordt de kerk geschonken naar hare                     verdoe&nis. Wie ial ,daar iets van zeggen? Ik moet
 waartiij.      Al het  verdisnende  van die nederigheid             U waarschuwen voor dat vreeselijke woord van mijn
 wordt de kerk toegerekend in het gericht Gods.                      tekst : De Heere wederstaat de hoovqardig& ! Wat
                                                                     zal ik daar van zeggen ? Ik weet er zoo weinig van.
                                                                    `Letterlijk  beteekent het oin  zicb te scharen  tegen-
                         72     *     *      *                       over een vijand en hem dan weg te drukken. En ten
                                                                     sloite dit: nooit ?a1 er een einde komen aan dat weg-
    Maar er is meer. In den tijd  ontvaigen  zij die                mdrukken,  dat eeuwiglijk  ,door  <God geschieden zal  te-
 in Christus  begrepen zijn de (aadwerkelijke nederig-               genover de ongelukkigen die nooit wilden knielen voor
 heid van den #Christus ,Gods. Ziet ge, als I&e wederom-            (God en Zijn  (Gezalfde.
 geboren wordt, komt, Jezus en neemt Zijn  intrek. in
 Uw hart, en door de- inwoning Christi komt er een                                           *  *  72  A
beginsel van al Zijn deugden in U. Zegt Paulus niet:
Ik leef, doch niet meer ik, Jezus Christus leeft in mij?
 En  6ok dit:  (Onderzoekt-Uzelven  . . . of weet ge niet               En die anderen ?I Die nederig zijn ? De menschen
dat  Christus Jezus in U woont? En  -oak dit  nag:                  die door genade op de  knie& kwamen? Wat zullen
Jezus $hristus  die ons leven is! 0 ja, als gij door de             zij van `God ontvangen ? Luistert! ,Ge kunt, ge moet
onwederstandelijke genade op de  knieen gebracht                    er van zingen ! Maar den nedkrigen  geeft Hij genade.                 ,
wor$t, leeft Jezus 1Christus in-U. En die ,inwoning  is             Nu moet ik  U eerst waarsehuwen voor een ketterij.
de doodsteek voor alle hoovaardij. Dan leert ge het                 Dit beteekent niet, dat gij. eerst, uit Uzelven nederig
09 nederig te. knielen. Dtiar zingt ge van. in de psal-             zijt,. en dat de Heere, dit ziende, U dan eerst genade
men Davids. Die nederig knielen. Nederigheid is &n                  schenkt. Neen, maar het volgt den regel van het
van de fundamenteele wetten van het Koninkrijk `Gods.               Koninkrijk : Hij geeft genade  voor. genade. Het
Hoe vaak besloot Jezus Zijn gelijkenissen niet met                  was genade, dat :God U beminde van eeuwigheid. Het
de uitspraak: Want die zichzelven vernedert zal ver-                was genade, dat Hij zulks bewees in Zijn komst in
hoogd worden  !                                                     Jezus Cliristus aan het kruis van Golgotha. Het was
                                                                    genade, dat Hij U die Go51 schonk. Het was genade,
    Eri wat ontvangen deze tweegrlei soort menschen                 dat Hij do& IGeest  en Woord in U kwam wonen. En
nu? Wat ontvangen de  hoovqardigen,  en wat  ont-                   door dezelfde genade spreekt Hij-U'toe en'zegt:  knielt
%ngen de nederigeti ?                                               voor Mij, Mijn kinderen, en 3k zal U meerdere genade,            e
    Dit : #Gad wederstaat de hoovaardigen ! Een vree-               schenken.' Zoo  loopt, de lijn.         A&n het einde  dep
selijk woord is wederstaan. fie moet beseffen, dat er               eeuwen wil IGod -al de eer hebben; Zdodat geeiz vleesch
absoluut geen harmonie is tusschen IGod en den- hoo-                ooit  zou  roemen  in. Zijn  aailgezicht.
vaardige. Zij staan  recht  tegenover   elkaar.. Op een                 Laat ons dan knielen voor Israels Heer. `Op zich-
andere piaats vindt ,ge die gedachte in ,den meest let-             zelf is dat alreede zaligheid. Het is  ntet zalig om                       0
terlijken zin: Gods aangezicht is tegen degenen die het             trotsch te zijn. Daar ligt groote bitterheid des levens.
k.wade doen. ' Hoe zou het ook? Licht en duisternis                 Doch de nederigheid is en deugd die lieflijk is. Lief-
zijn tegenstellingen. God is .het ee'uwig Light, en wij             lijk voor Uzelf en anderen, doch lieflijk vooral, tiant
zijn  allen van nature duisternis.                Let er op: onze. God  slaat  tech, oneindig  hodg, op hen het oog die
n.aam  is'  duist&nis. En duisternis is het inbegrip                nedericg   k n i e l e n !
van alle kwaad, ask, en hvenal, de ho~vaar&j, Baar'-
                                       .'                                                           -  I          G .   V o s .

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

 -
                      THESTANDARDBiARER                                                                             EDITORJAL
       Semi-monthly, exe_ept  monthly in July and August
   Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association
           Box 124, Station C., Grand Rapids 6, Michigan                                                                 Promi~e and Prediction.
                   EDLT6R  - Rev. Herman Hoeksema
   Communications relative t3 contents should be addressed                                                      Just a few more passages from Holy Writ I will
   to Rev. H.  Hoekseina,  1139 Franklin  .St.,  S. E., Grand                                              quote, in order to show that promises and predictions
   Rapids `7, Michigan.                                                                                    are always the -same in Scripture, and that there are
   Ali matter relative to  subscr.iption  should be  addiessed
   to Mr. J.  Bouwman,  1350 Giddings Ave., S. E., Grand                                                   neither promises nor prediction: for anyone but be-
   Rapids 7, Michigan. Announcements  ,and  Obituaries must                                                lievers, that is, therefore, the elect.
   be mailed to the above address and will be published at a                                                    The first passage I refer to is Matthew  11:28:
   fee of $1.00 for each notice.                                                                           %ome unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
   Renewals:- Unless a definite request for discontinuance
   is received, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the                                               and I will give you rest." In this verse we have the
   subscription to continue without the formality of a re-.                                                promise of rest. And rest is, of course,  ,both  $ pre-
   newal  order.'                                                                                          sent blessing as well as a future boon. It includes
                    Subscription Price: $3.00 per year                                                     rest for the soul in the future. Now to whom is this
   Entered as Second  Class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                promise given? 61s it given to N.N., that is, to Peter,
                                                                                                           William, and Charles, etc.? Certainly not. For in the
                                                                                                           first place, those `to whom the promise is given are
                                                                                                           here  designa$ed  as those that labor and are heavy
                                                                                                           laden ; and .this certainly cannot be said of all men,
                                                                                                           -at least nbt in the spiritual sense of the-word. To be
                                                                                                           spirifually laboring  and heavy laden undoubtedly
                                                                                                           means to be burdened under sin and laboring with
                                                                                                           the i.mpossible  task df acquiring righteousness by one's
                                                                                                           own effort and works, and a realizing that the task is
          -.                                                                                               impossible. But what is more important is that the
                                                                                                           Lord promises rest to those that come unto Him. And
                                  C O N T E N T S                                                          to come unto YChrist is a spiritual act of faith. It im-
                                                                                                           plies that one realizes that he iS empty of all right-
h'iEDITATlON-
       De Gezindhid Gods Jegens Hoovaardigen  En Nederigen. . :. . . 265                                   eousness, that Christ is the fulqess of righteousness
          Rev. G. Vos                                                                                      for the sinner, that therefore one longs for Christ as
EDITORIALS-                                                                                                the fulness of his own emptiness, and finally that one
       Pron+es and Predictions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268         appropriates Christ and all His benefits. And who
       The Matter Is Simple.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
       The Unil+teral  Covenant.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274    are they that thus come to Him? They are the elect.
          Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                 They are those whom the Father draws before they
                                                                                                           can possibly come to Him. For thus we read in J.ohn
IN  H I S   FEAR-
       Looking To The Future.  . . . :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275                6 :37 : "All that the Father giveth unto me shall come
          Rev. H. C. Hoeksema                                                                              unto me  ; and him that  cometh to me I will in no
FROM   HOLY   WRIT-                                                                                        wise cast out." And again, in vs. 39 : "And this is the
       Exposition, of Matthew 5 :43-48 .."..~........`...."..".." 277                                      Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
          Rev. G. C. Lubbers                                                                               he hath given me I .should lose nothing, but should
SXON'S   ZANGEN-                                                                                           raise it up again at th.e last day." And once more in
       De Lofzang Der Liefde.. . . . . . . .I.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
       _ Rev. G. Vos                                                                                       vs. 44: "No .man can cbme to me, except the Father.
                                                                                                           which hath sent me drawlhim: and I will raise him up
THE  DAY  OF  SHADOWS-
       The Covenant of Sinai.. . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282         at the last day." And the same truth is expressed
           Rev.  G: M. Ophoff                                                                              in vs. 65: "And. he said, Therefore said I  tinto you,
                                                                                                           that no man can come unto me, except it were given
PERISCOPE--`
       The Peril of Organization.. . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . 287         him of my Father." The promise and the prediction
       Republican or Democrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............... 287                   or rest is therefore not given unto N.N., but only
       A Different Slant on rhe Negro Question.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288                   .urito  those that come to  <Christ  an'd, therefore, unto
                Rev. J.  Howerzyl                                                                          the elect, whom the Father gives unto Christ.
                                                                                                           Q    In this connection, although I will refer to the Con-


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER  !                                                 269
                             - -                                                             -
 fessions  later on, I must nevertheless  `iquote Art. 8     a new name written, which no man knoweth saving
 of Canons III, IV: "As many as are called by the he that. receiveth it."Here again you have both a
.gospel, are unfeignedly called. For  ,God hath  m&t         promise and a prediction. .And again, the promise is
 earnestly and tiuly declared in his Word, what will         only to the believers and to the elect, that have ears
be acceptable to him ; namely, that all who are called       to hear and that overcome in the battle of faith:
 should come unto him. He, moreover, seriously prom-            In vs. 26-29 of the same chapter we read: `"And
 ises eternal life and rest, to as many as shall come        he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the
 to him, `and believe on hl"m." Also in this article the     end, to him will I give power over the nations: And
 promise, therefore, is not to N.N., but to those that       he shall rule them with a rod of iron;. as the vessels
 come to `Christ, that therefore are drawn by the            of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I
 Father, and that are chosen in Christ from `before          received of -my Father. And i will give him the morn-
 the foundation of the world.                                ing star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
    Finally, I refer  to: the promises and predictions       Spirit saith unto the churches." Again- the promise
 that are found at the close of every one of the seven       and the prediction are not to N.N., but only to the
 letters that are sent  to the seven churches of Asia        faithful believers, and therefore to the elect. It is
 Minor, recorded in the Book of Revelation, Chapters         addressed to him that hath an- ear to hear what the ,
2 and 3.                                                     Spirit saith unto the  &rches.  All this is  true only
    In 2 :`7 we read: "He that hath an ear, let him hear     of the believers, and there'fore, only of the elect.
what the Spirit saith unto the churches ; To him thar,          Again, in 3  :5, 6 we read : "He that  overcomeih
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which     the same shall be clothed in white rai&ient ; and I wil;
is in the midst of the paradise of  :God." That here         not blot out  his-name out of the book of life, but I
you have a promise in, the form of a prediction,-or          will confess his name before my Father,. and before
you can also say: a  prec@tion in the form of a              his angels. He that .hath.. an ear; let him. hear what
promise,-and that therefore  pl"omise and prediction         the  Sbirit saith unto the. churches.? This- in fact
are exactly identical is clear to all. But again, nei-       is principally addressed to the few names that ar'e at
ther tlfe promise in the form of -a prediction, nor the      Sardis that have .not defiled their garments  and that
prediction in the form of a promise is addressed to          have the promise that they shall walk with `Christ
N.N., but only to him that overcometh, to the believer       in white, vs. 4. -They are the ones that overcome.                   -
that perseveres. And since perseverance is the fruit         And they are the same. that have ears to hear what
of IGod's preservation, that promise and the predic-         the  :Spirit saith unto the churches. Also here -it is  _'
tion both are addressed to the elect. Moreover, the          evident that we have-a promise and a prediction, and
entire address is to him "that h&h an `ear" to hear          that neither of them is addressed to N.N.
what the Spirit stiith unto the churches. It is there-          In vss. 12 and 13 of the same chapter we read:
fore addressed to him that has a spiritual ear; And          "Him that overcometh will I -make ia pillar. in the
the spiritual ear is a gift of grace, and again, is given    temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: And
only to the elect.                                           I will write upon him the name of my God, and the
    Again, in vs.  11 we have the promise: "He that          name df the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem,
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto         which cometh  dowq out of heaven from my God: and
the churches ; He that overcometh shall not be hurt          I will write upon him my new name.  ae that  hat11
of the second death." Also here there is a promise           an ear, let him hear what the Spirit. saith unto the _
which is positively expressed in the precedin,g  -verse :    churches." Here also you have a glorious- promise
"Be thou faithful unto ,death, and I will give thee a        in the form of a prediction, that is- addressed to him-
crown of life." Also this promise is in the form of a        that overcom&h and to him that hath an ear to hear
prediction. And again, the prediction is in the form         what the Spirit saith unto the churches. It is  cer;
of a promise. But  aiso  pere the promise is not to          tainly not addressed to N.N.                            ,.
N.N., but to him that hath an ear to hear, to` him              tid the same note is heard in the promise %hd the
that overcometh,  and to`him that is faithful unto           prediction to the .chureh of Laodicea, which is found
death. And all these terms, according to the whole           in Rev. 3 :20-22: "Behold, I stand at the door, and
Word of God, refer only to the believers, and there-         knock :`if any nian hear my boice, and open the door,
fore, only to the elect.                                     I `%ill come into him, and will Sup with him;. and he                     I
    In vs. 17 we read: "He that hath an ear, let him         with nie. Td him that overcometh will I grant  to-
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches ; To him        sit wi.th me in my throne, even as I also overcame,
that overcometh will I give to eat pf the hidden' man-       and am -set dowti with my Father in his throne:. H&
na, and will give him  a white stone, and in the stone       that-h&h.  an ear; let him heay1 what the. Sp`irit' sai%.

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

 unto the churches," Here is a  presetit promise, as          bent his bow,' and made it ready. He hath also pre-
: well as a future prediction. The present promise is         pared for him the instruments of death ; he ordaineth '
 that Christ will &me in and. sup with him that hears         his arrows against the  perseCutors.  Behold, he tra-
 His voice and opens  athe door of the church. `The           vaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief,
 prediction is that Christ will grant to him to sit           and brought forth falsehood. He  made a pit, and
 w&h Him in His throne. But both the promise and              digged it, and is fallen into .the ditch which he made.
 the prediction are not to N.N., but  oniy  to the be-        His mischief shall  r,eturn upon his own head, and
 lievers. It i's to those that hear the voice of Jesus        his violent dealing shall come down upon his own
 as He stands at.  the church door of Laodicea and            Fate." I
 knocks, and that open the door to Him. I And it is to           In psalm 37 :9, ff. we read: "For evil doers shall
 those that overcome and *hat have ears, to hear, what        be ;cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they
 the Spirit saith to the churches.                            shall inherit the  earkh. For yet a little while, and
       I can, of course, adduce many &ore passages from       the  _ wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently
 Holy Writ. But this is  ,quit&  sMicient. The distinc-       consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek
 tion which Dr. Schilder makes between promises and           shall inherit the earth ; and shall delight themselves
 predictions is absolutely untenable. And his state-          in the abundance of peace. `The wicked  plotteth a-
 ment  that there are promises for N.N., but no pre-          gainst the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
 dictions, cannot possibly be maintained in the light         The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his
 of Scripture.                                                day is coming," etc.
       And the same is true of the threats in Scripture,         In Ps. 73 we read of the foolish and of the wicked,
 and of everlasting destruction.       Di. Schilder says      who prosper in the world, in whose death there are
 that there are no predictions in Scripture for .N:N.         no bands, and .whose strength. is firm, who are not
 that he will go to hell. And that is, of course, true,       in trouble as other men, nor plagued like other men.
 no less than there are predictions iv Scripture that         Pride compasseth thein about as a chain, and violence
 Tom, Dick, or Harry will `go to heaven. But no more          cover&h  them as a garment. Their eyes stand out
 than there, are promises in Scripture to N.N., no more       with fatness. They are  corru.pt  and speak wickedly
 are there threats of .destruction  and .everlasting darn-    concerning oppression. They set their mouth against
 nation in [Scripture for Tom,  Dick,~ or Harry.' Just        the heavens, and theh tongue walketh through the
 as in Scripture those for whom are the protiises are         earth. And the psalmist is grieved at all this, until
 Fentioned by their spiritual name,' so also those for        he enters into the  sanctu,ary. Then he beholds that
 whom are the threats of wrath and destruction are            .God did set them in slippery places, and casteth them
 not designated by their natural name, but are de-            down into destruction. They are brought into deso-
 noted as fools, wicked, unrighteous, ungodly, and            lation in a moment, and they are `utterly consumed
 workers of iniquity.                                         with terrors. When the Lord awakeneth, He shall
       .Also this is very evident *from -Holy Writ. It is     despise their image. All this is not said concerning
 really not necessary for me to quote specific passages       the .ungodljr as N.N., as `Tom, Dick, and Harry, but
 from Scripture to prove this. But for completeness' concerning them in their character as. ungodly and
 sake I will quote a few texts' at random. In Psalm           foolish and wicked. And so it is said in Ps. 92 that
 5:4-6  we  re&d: "For thou art not a  ,God that hath         the wicked spring as the. gyass, and all the workers
 pleasure in wickedness : neither shall evil dwell with       of iniquity do flourish, but that it, is the intention
 thee. The f,oolish shall not stand in thy sight :' thou      of ,the `Lord even in their prosperity that they shall
.hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt  ,destroy         be destroyed forever. -
 them that speak leasing:.  ,the Lord  wniU abhor the            But. I will not quote m&e. Dr. Schilder knows just
 bloocly and deceitful man." This is the very opposite        as well as I do that this is the fundamental note in ai!
 of the promise. And just as  athe promise is not for         Holy Writ, both in the Old Testament and in the New.
 N.N.: so the khreats of destruction are not for them         Never does Scripture have any promises for N.N.,
 either.    They are called by their spiritual ethical        but the promises are always for the elect. Nor does
 name. They are the foolish, the workers of iniquity,         the Bible speak of any threats pf wrath and punish-
 those that speak leasing, bloody and deceitful men.          ment and destruction for N.N., but always these are
 They are, therefore, the reprobate, the very antithe-        designated as the wicked :and the ungodly.
 sis to the elect.                                                But perhaps Dr. Schilder was thinking particular-
   In Psalm 7  :ll, ff. we read :      `(God judgeth  the     ly of the sacrament of holy baptism when he wrote
 righteous, and <God is angry with the wicked every           these words.- In baptism the individual child receives
 aday. If he turn not, he will whet his sword ; he ha@        the sign and seal of  lthe righteousness which is by
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                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARERS                                        271
                                       -
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faith on his forehead. And the individual child is             IGhost. Or rather: Jehovah does not repeat that word :
  certainly called, by his natural name. Does- this then He cos&Inues to say it,' it remains of unbroken $ower,
  not imply that  ,God gives His promise to N.N. in             it  continqs to come unto us in all seriousness and
  b a p t i s m ?                                              grace out  of  His heart."
        This is indeed what Prof. Veenhof writes and
  strongly emphasizes in his well-known  App'el. Writes            And a little further:
  he : (I translate) e                                             "What now is this baptism?
        "For whenever a genuine baptism takes place,               "What does God say, what does He dq when He
  when therefore a little child is baptized according          baptizes us ?
  to (God's  command and in the manner which He* or-               "This can be expressed very -simply : baptism is
  dained, then the real baptizer is the great eternal God      a seal!
. Himself !                                                        "To understand clearly what this sentence means,
        "This indeed we must especially know and main-         we must thoroughly understand and always maintain,
 `tain;  this must so fill our hear&, that we see it by         that the Lord was pleased in His marvelous love to
  faith : ,God, pur- God, the Father of our Lord Jesus         give to nil the children of believers His promise. Or
  `Christ Himself baptizes the little infants in the           to express it differently: it pleased Him to give to.
  church ! A minister is only a man, through whom              all the children a glorious pledge. He says namely
  God Himself administers. baptism. .The minister is           to all those children, head for head, day in day out,
  of no account. Is it of interest to you perhaps, who         seriously and uprightly: I am the Lord your God.
  is the mail-man that delivered a letter 1 to you? ,Of        I establish my covenant with you. I wash you of all
  course not. When you take a letter out of the mail-          your sins in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. My
 box, you don't even think about the. mail-man !         If    Holy Spirit will dwell in you. Briefly: I promise
 the epistle is only a genuine letter, written by him'or       you the complete forgiveness of sins and eternal sal-
 by her! Then we say.: `a letter from him, from her'!          vation: all the treasures and riches, which I will and
 And that is sufficie&t for us, more than sufficient.          am able to give to men."
        "And therefore, because that is the case with re-          Is this, perhaps, what Dr. Schilder means when
 gard to  ;b"aptism,  we say with all our power and in         he writes that there are no predictions, but promises
 all seriousness: We received our  bap'cism from God           for N.N.? This, of course, is the Heynsian view of
 Himself and from Him alone. `God Himself baptized             the promise. And it appears that Dr. Schilder agrees
 us!                                                           with him..
        "If this were not the case, the act of the minister        But let.us  see whether this be true.
 would simply be mockery. He would have done noth-                 In the first place, I want to call your attention to
 ing else than to speak a few powerless little words and       the fact that certainly  the sacrament of baptism can-
 splash with a little water!                                   not mean more `or express more than the promise of
        "Bat it is not thus!                                   the gospel. Now, as we have seen, the promise of the
        "When a child is baptized, the Lord Himself ap-        gospel is never to .N.N.,  but always to believers, which
 proaches  that little child. He Himself sprinkles  the        is `saying the same thing as to the elect. The gospel
 water on its little head,  .and says very really and          certainly never addresses Carl, Anna, Marie, Tom,
 very personally: .John, Mary, Anna, I, .the Lord Him-         Dick, and Harry by their natural name as being heirs
 self, baptize thee, immerse thee in My holy Name.             of the. promise. IGod certainly never says to. them:
 Thou art now of Me !                                          I promise  you that I will be your `God forever, that I'
        "Added to this is something-else. Or rather, added     establish with  YOU `my everlasting  codenant, that I
 to this is verymuch!                                          incorporate you into Jesus Christ, that I wash away
        "Baptism, which is given by the Lord Himself,          your sins and give you everlasting righteousness and
always remains of .power,  eve?y day, every hour, until        life, that I give you my Holy Spirit to apply all. the
 our death, yea, in all eternity.      The- case is really     blessings of salvation unto you, until ye shall arrive
 `thus that the Lord baptizes us continually. After            in the assembly of the elect in life  eteinal.   `On the
 He sprinkled us with water when we were but a few             contrary, `the gospel always addresses the elect. by
 days old, He keeps that water, so to- speak, always           their spiritual name, as those that are poor ifi spirit,
 fresh and living and powerful on our forehead.. And           that mourn, that` hunger and thirst after righteous-
 the words, which He at that atime spdke, He continues         ness, that are Fee%, that are pure in heart, that be-
.to speak throughout all our life ! Evdry second Je-           lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that therefore may
 hovah repeats: ,Carl, William, Mary, I baptize thee in        be assured that they are elect. In fact, when any
 the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy           minister would say to any individual, say that his

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

name is Carl :. "`Carl, in the name of God I promise            righteousness.      I will give you my Holy Spirit, to
you  the forgiveness of  sins and eternal life," with-          dwell in `you and to apply all the blessings of salvation
out knowing anything about Carl as ,to his spiritual            to you, on condition that` you believe in the- Lord
condition, such  a minister. would simply speak an              Jesus Christ and that you love me with all your heart
untruth  ii; the name' of God. Is it possible,  the&            and walk before me and be upright." Then I. say:.
that~ through baptism  !God speaks  (thus to every in-          that' `little infant has no promise of God at all. Then
dividual child, head for head and soul for soul? I              it means nothing to him before he'has come to. years
insist%hat this is impossible, and `contrary to the Word        of discretion and can fulfill the conditions. reqgired.
of God:                                                         In that ease we must really repudiate infant baptism
    l&t Dr. Sehilder and also Prof. Veenhof would               and `refrain from administering that sacrament until
say undoubtedly  that they do not mean'this. Accord-            one is capable of fulfilling the conditions.
ing't@  tliem the promise which God `gives through                 But there is more.       .
ba$tism  to any individual child is not uncon$tional,              Prof. Veenhof emphasizes that it is not the min-
but conditional. The fulfilhnent of  the promise,  al.-         ister that baptizes, but  cod Himself. It is not the
though sincere on the part of ,God and even, accord-            minister that speaks, but IGod Himself, when He says
ing to Veenhof, spoken to that individual child in His          to  (Carl: "I will establish my everlasting covenant
everlasting love and grace depends on the question              with thee. I wili be thy `God forever. I love thee with
whether that child. will believe and assume his cove-           an everlasting love. I give thee my Word of promise
nant obligations and so fulfill his part of the covenant.       in my eternal grace.      I incorporate thee in Jesus
This too Prof. Veenhof writes in his Appel, as follows!         Christ. And, I give thee the living faith. I cleanse
    "It stands to reason  that we may not forget for            thee from `all thy sins and forgive all thy transgres-
one second that  (God speaks His Word of promise                sions. I give thee my Holy Spirit. And I apply unto
never alone and never in separation from somethiiig             thee all the blessings of salvation, sanctifying thee in
else.                                                           Christ Jesus, until thou shalt appear in the assembly
    "He says with and in the  bromise  always also              of the elect in life eternal." Now, mark you well, it
something else.                                                 is not the minister that speaks these words, but God.
    "When He gives His promise, He calls us at the              And the Word of IGod is surely always effi&cious,  in
same time to love Him with all our heart, to believe            distinction fro& any word of man. If this were true,
His Word in child-like faith, and to walk in His ways.          therefore, it follows that Carl is surely saved. But
When the Lord says to Abraham: I am the Lord $IUT               according to Prof. Veenhof, Carl is not necessarily
God, then He adds, as it were in one breath: Now walk           saved, but only conditionally. In other words, grace
always before my face and be upright.                           is not necessarily efficacious;  .a-nd the Word which
    "But this command, this dkmand, does not make               God speaks may be niade of none effect ,by Carl,. thai
the promise poorer or weaker!                                   is, by mere man.
    "No question about it!                                         But there is still more. Prof. Veenhof does not
    "The  detiand which by the Lord .is  alwgys being           hesitate to include the. Holy Spirit and His work in
entwined in .His promise and which comes  with the.. the promise of salvation which is addressed by G&l
promise is exactly a calling to  b&eve  His  prom&et            to Carl. And this promise, according to Veenhof, is
and therefor'e to trust in the promise and to live out          conditional. From this it follows that also the prom-
of the promise."                                  .             ise of the Holy Spirit is coqditional. And we ask : con-
                                                                ditional upon what? <Can man before He has, been
    The promise, according to Prof. Veenhof and also            regenerafed  and before the saving faith has been
according to Dr. Schilder,  is therefore conditional.           implanted in his he&t, do anything  .at all to make
    Let us see where this lands us.                             himself .worthy  of the promise? This would lead us
    Iti- the first place, it must `be very eiident that if      right into the error of Arminianism and Pelagianism.
this is true and the promise of God is conditional,             We know what ?Ieyn's  soliltion is `to this question. He
it certainly cati mean absolutely nothing for that little       distinguishes between the work of the Father and the
child, for the simple reason that an  infant of;  say,          Son on the one hand, .and the work of the Holy Spirit
eight  days old  canndt possibly fulfill any  conditidns.       on the other, and separates them.         ,The promise,
He knows nothing of  ,c&ditions. .&-+I therefore if it according to him, then means : the objective bequest
be true that lG.od  says to that little infant, say his name    that Gdd establishes His covenant :of grace with us,
is Carl, "Carl, I am your <God forever. I establish my          makes us His children and heirs,  .,ljrovides us with
everlasting covenant with you. I wash you .from `all, every .gbod thing, and averts all. evil dr turns it to our
your sins and iniquities, I give you eternal life alid. profit; that God  the Son incorporates us, into His


          ~                           T H E   STANBAR-D  B E A R E R                                              273

death and washes us- from all -our sins. But when           ations of believers; that  theyefore,   as+ in the Old
it comes to the work'of the Holy Spirit, he emphasizes      Testament the generations of Abraham were- circum-
that the Spirit WILL dwell in us and apljly all bles-       cised, so in the new dispensation the generations of
sings' of salvation to us.  But whether this will be        believers must .be baptized.
realized depends upon the covenant  child himself               In the fourth place,, however, we must maintain
when he comes to years of discretibn;  And he invents       that not all that belong to the carnal seed of Abraham
the theory of a certain prepara$ory.grace; as we well       and. that belong to the carnal seed of belieyers  are al-
know, that enables the covenant child either to ac-         so to be  counted as the spiritual seed.      For this is
cept or to reject the promise. I do not know how -very evident from Rom. 9 :6-8 : "Not as though the
Veenhof, and- for that matter also Dr. Schilder, soives     word of `God hath taken none effect:        For they are
this problem. And I have never seen a solution df it.       not all Israel, which ,`are of Israel : Neither, because
It is again the sanie problem :' is the Holy Spirit and     they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children:
the gift. of faith included in the promise that is given    but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they
to every chiid, head for head and s.oul for soul? And       which are the children of the pramise  are counted for
is  t&s promise of the Holy Spirit- conditional upon the seed." .
anything that man  must' do or can  do?        This, of         Finally, it is.the will ,of. God, therefore, that not
course, is the Pelagian solution. But if this is not the    only the children of the  -prqmise,  but also the  eaknal
case, and- if, Prof. Veenhof and also Dr. Schilder ad-      seed, not only the elect, but also the reprobate shall
mit that the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of        come under the dispensation of the covenant and under
faith are first and absolutely unconditional, so that       the dispensation of the promise. `God certainly does
man can do absolutely nothing in order to obtain            not lie when. He brings the carnal children under the
that Holy Spirit; and if they still insist  that  ,Gocl     seal of baptism. For after all, baptism, like circum-
nevertheless pron@e's His Holy Spirit and His grace         cision, is a seal of the righteousness which is by faith.
and the gift of faith to` every individual child that is    In baptism therefore <God ,does not give the promise
baptized, the inevitable question is: does God lie?         to every child, head for head and soul for soul, but only
For it is absolutely certain that there is carnal seed      seals the inseparable connection between faith and
among the spiritual seed of the covenant, that there        righteousness. In baptism, therefore, He declares that
are reprobate tinder the dispensation of the covenant.      the believer in Christ shall certainly be-justified and
And it is also absolutely certain that God will not ful-    receive all the blessings of salvation. And that be-
fill His promise, will* not give His Holy Spirit, and       liever in-Christ is the spiritual `seed only, that is, the
will not give His grace and the gift of faith to the        elect. And if you ask the question: why then does
reprobate, but on& to the elect.                            God continue Hia covenant in the line of generations
    I wish that Dr. Schilder would answer tltis ques-       so that even the carnal seed co&es under the dispen-
tion, and explain to us how the promise of IGod can be      sation of the covenant and of the promise, so  that-
to N. N., to Tom, Dick, and Harry, even though it be        even the reprobate come into closest contact with the
a conditional promise.                                      promise ? my answer is : God wills that they shall be-
    IOn our part, we would. offer the following  solu-      come manifest as profane, as violaters of His covenant.
tion.          '                                            It is in the sphere of the dispensation of the covenant;
  In the first place, I would insist that the promise       that sin becomes manifest as sin in the highest sense
of  {God, which includes the pro&se of  tile gift of        of the word. And it is from those that live under
the Holy Spirit, the promise of [God's grace, and the       the dispensation of the covenant that Antichrist, the
promise of the gift of faith, is absolutely uncondi-        Man of Sin, must come, and that the mea`sure of in-
tional and only for the elect. Then, and then only,         iquity must be filled:
can we niainitain that little infants- have the promise        This is alsg my answer to the question: Mill; must
of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the gift of faith.    Esau be firstborn? Why must he whom God hated
    In the second place, I would insist that God never      have the birthright and be placed by :God in the posi-
lies, but surely fulfills  Fis every Word of promise,       tion of the elect, -of him whom God loved?
so that He ac+ally  gives the Holy Spirit and implants.        But, and it seenis to me this is the chief difference
the gift of faith in the hearts of all the children that    between us aid Dr. Sehilder  and the Liberated, if we-
belong to the spiritual seed of the covenant, that is,      do not see and ho not want to see th& `God cuts the '
the el.ect.                                                 sharp line df election and reprobation righ,t through
    In the third place, I would emphasize that it is        the dispensation of the  covenatit,  we  certailily  will
God's own command and  revelat&n  that He estab-            never agree on the quistion concerning the promise.
lishes His covenant in the line of the continued gener-                                                       H.H.


  2         7    4                           .THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                 _  ' Tht  Mater Is  Simple             ,          ship and friendship between God and His people in
                                                                   Christ.
            In the last Cowcord& the Rev. pe Jong promises            But, as .to my interpretation of Gen. XV, let me,
  to give us an explanation qf the matter `concerning              rather than present my own interpretation once &tore
  the letter Prqf. Holwerda wrote to the immigrants in             present the view of others, in order to corroborate
  Canada.                               ,                          my interpretation that, in ;Gen. XV, the unilateralness
            Of this I am glad.                                     of the covenant. ?s emphasized, and that this is in-
                                                                   dicated Py God's passing through the pieces alone.
            For I like to have full confidence in the brethren,
  and this is  simbly  `a spiritual impossibility as long             Keil, in loco, explains as follows :
  as the statements which Holwerda alleges `that th.e               "From the nature of this covenant, it followed,
  ~brethren  De Jong and Kok have made are not contra-             however, that (God alorie went through the pieces in
  d i e t e d .                                                    a symbolical representation of Himself, and not Abram
            In his introductor:y article the. Rev. De Jong ex-     also.. For although a covenant always established -a
  presses the fear that his ,explanation may evoke more            reciprtical relation between two individuals, y&t in
  controversy.                                                     that covenarit which God concluded with a man, the
            I do not .see why it shotild.                          tian did not stand on equality with God, but  ,God
            The matter, it seems to me, is very simple.            established the relation of fellowship by His promise
            It simply concerns the question whether or not         and His gracious condescension to f;he, man, who was
                                                                   at first purely a recipient, and was only qualified and
  they made the statements which Holwerda reports                  bound to fulfill the obligations consequent upon the
them to have made.                                                 covenant by the reception of gifts of grace."
            `Or: whait did they say?
            Brethren, give Holwerda the lie. That is what I           ,Gerlach, in  D&chs,el's   Cowymen&rry,  explains (I
  sincerely hope the Rev. De Jong will do.                         translate) :
            If not, inform us, at least, what you said..           r "That IGod alone, and not Abram, passes through
  . Thep we will have no controversy.                              the pieces of the sacrifice, occurs, because He here est-
       Otherwise, we surely  m&t have.            .'               ablished a covenant of grace, and He Himself begins
                                                        H: H.      to promise, before He demands ; for the purpose was
                                                                   to instill into Abram a firm congdence  in the certain
       :                    -~-~-                                  fulfillment of the promise.",      '
                                                                      Bavinck,  Geref  o,%eercle  Dogmat&k,  III, 210, ix-
                      The Unilateral Covena&                       plains (I translate) :
                                                                      "But also when `God and man conclude a covenant,
            ;Brother  Cammenga has some difficulty with my         it is but natural that the unilateral character of the
- interpretatipn  of Genesis XV, especially, according %o          covenant appears strongly on the foreground ; for
  hi&, if I maintain that thk covenant is strictly uni-            there are no two equal parties ,here, but God is the
lateral, in its establishment so that we cannot  speak             iSovereign;  who imposes his ordinances upon the crea-
  of parties in the covenant  -qf  ,God, "the name  cbve-          tures. When `Gtid in Gen. XV :8ff., concludes a cove-
  na& becomes then so unreal, SO out of order and God              nant with Abram, this covenant is not really a pact,
 is a God of order." And he "cannot imagine a cove-                but a promise ; God gives his promise, and binds him-
  n&t with only one party."                                        self to fulfill it, and passes through the pieces. Else-
            In  .answer,  I would say  that. I cannot imagine      where he swears by himself, Gen. 22 :16, by His life,
  either a -covenant with only ,one party, or that is es-          Deut. 32 :40, by His soul, Am. 6 :8, Jer. 51:14, in order
  tablished by only one party if: 1. we conceive of the            to prove to man the tmchangeableness of His counsel.
  covenant as a sort of a contract, or alliance  ; 2. if           This unilateral character of the covenant `had to ap-
  we think -of a covenant between `men.                            pear ever more clearly in history. For, indeed, the
            But neither can I conceive of the possibility that,    covenant of #God also imposed obligations upon those
  1. there can be parties in the establishment or even             With whoin it was concluded ; obligations, not as con-
  in ..the continuance of a covenant of the. infinite and          ditions to enter into `the covenant, for the covenant
  soverei'gn  (God and mere man ; 2. that such a covenant          was established and rests only in the'mercy of God,
  could be: established at all if we conceive of the cove-         but as the way, which those `who were received into
  nant, not as a contract with mutual promises and stip-. the covenant, henceforth had to walk."
  ulations, but as an intimate relation of living fellow-             I could quote much more, but the above quotations


                                        T H E   Sk4NSiRD  B E A R E R                                                               2%
  -       _. .      _ _

 ought to be sufficient to prove that I do not stand                 Refor-mecl  teachers, is hardly woythy  the p*archment ii            .
 alone in nip interpretation of Genesis XV.                          it is written on. In fact, they will admit, I am  suy`e,
        And' Reformed theologians generally -teach :            '    that much of the training they have received, while
        1. That the covenant of God is unilateral  (pne-             formally it may have been good, was from a material
 sided) in its establishment: God alone establishes His              standpoint, from .the viewpoint of its spiritual prim-
 covenant, and that, too, unconditionally.                           ciples, (or,' if you will, from the viewpoint of its un-
                                                                     derlying philosophy), more of a deterrent tha&n  aid.
        2. That the covenant, when it is first established b$ And the reason for this is not difficult to se+. In.. any
 God alone, becomes, not bi-partisan, but bi-lateral (two            of the existent schools for teacher-training,  wh.&her
 sided) : in all covenants there are contained two parts.' church-controlled or state-controlled, the principles
        3. That the fulfil!ment  of our part of the covenant         which  we hold dear will not be applied to the. sub-
 is the fruit of God's establishing His covenant with us
                                                <                    ject material nor inculcated in the future teachers.
 as rational moral creatures.                                        But make no mi+ake. That means. that the training
                                                     H. ,H.          is based upon other principles, tihether-  of a pseudo-
                                                                     Calvinism or any. bther pseudo-religion, or whether
                                                                     they be  >the out  .and out modern principles of  ,tJ~e
                                                                     ,worldly  college or university. It may be claimed that
                                                                     you learn something by contrast in such a  case, if                  I
                                                                     you are strong enough to stand on your own feet and
        I N   H I S   F E A R                                        to think independently. The fact remains that you re-
                                                                     ceive nothing positive, and that contrariwise' you face
                                                                     the obstacle of overcoming much wrong training. Agd                            _,
                   Looking To The Future                             it certainly must be ver; $ain that the training of the                   o
                                         . .                         existent normal schools is not producing Protestant
                                                                     Ref orTed teachers.
                           Chapter 2                                    All of this  do&  not cut off the possibility of ob-
                THE  TE AC HER  PROBLEM                   .'         taining teachers that are qualified  $0 teach in our
 (As to Teacher& Qualified for Prot. Ref. Schools)                   own schools, however. I certainly #believe,  first of ali,
                                                                     that .there is many a` potential Protestant Reformed
        The closing remarks of our last article were `not            teacher ,in our midst. I believe too that many of our
 `calculated to espouse the idea that we neither have                present teachers are potentially qualified to teach  iq
.  ior can, obtain teachers that aie qualified to teach              our schools. And I also (believe that such potentially
 in  a Protestant Reformed `School. If such were our                 qualified teachers, as they enter upon their work in
 contention, we  would also have to  .contend for the                opr own  schools, can and will develop and are  &en
 closing of our schools, or at least f,or the removal of             now developing into.fullfledged and fully qualified and
 the "Protestant Reformed" from their name. We                       capable teachers in our owlj. schools, so that the fruit
 rather meant to emphasize the idea that this matter of              must be ultimately that they teach a full-orbed Pro: .
 Protestant Roformed teachers is not a,s simple as we                testant Reformed  cours& of study. But let  neitJ-&
 sometimes imagine. The- recipe is not: mix one Pro-                 our people nor our teachers underestimate,  the task.
 testant Reformed person with a desire-  to teach plus               This work is strictly in a pioneering  stagg' as. yet.
 two, three, or four years of a normal course in any                 There is much to be done. The field of the application
 of the numerous colleges, plus some practicerteaching.              of our principles to the education of  OUU; children
 The result may be a teacher,-and, from a formal as-                 has barely been entered. And our teachers have ,i
 pect, a good teacher too,-but it is highly doubtful                 hard row to hoe. At present they must be selfltrained,
 whether the outcome will be a Protestant Reformed                   and must exert-  themselves to get ,out of many a rut
 teacher. And I believe that any of our teachers whq -into which they -have been led by their own for&al
 conducts a lbit of honest self-examination will be ready            education in the normal schools which they have at-
 to admit this, and that when they have their college                tended. .                                           ?-
 diplomas in hand and then face the task of teaching                                                               `.
 a room-full of our Protestant Reforined children their                                 L-.        -    :    -                 . . .
                                                                                                                               _
 grammar and spelling and history and geograehy and
 arithmetic from a Protestant  Ref,ormed viewpoint,                  What Constitutes A Qualified Teacher?               `.
 that diploma, as far as signifying that they have re-                  I suppose one could write a whole book on that
 ceived the training and equipment to be Protestant                  question and offer a'whole course for teachers `on only


       276                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER

       that subject. Neither of the two is our intention here.        ly more than a high school education. Elsewhere a
       Rather is it our purpose here merely to point to some          teacher is. required  to take more training even after
     d  s$lient requirements, especially with a view to  our- he `has. met the requiremeilt  of a four-year, college
       o w n   s c h o o l s .                                        course and received his teacher's certificate. Perhaps
              First of all, from a purely formal viewpoint, we        at this stage of our own school movement it is dif-
       must bear in mind that teachers are `born,. not made.          ficult to say what should be the requirement., Cir-
       In other words, teachjng is not everyone's callihg. A cumstances may often force us to use teachers %vith a
       certain amount of nati%e ability is requisite. To use `minimum of Mining. But we should not fall into
       a very  Iblunt example, the person who is of a very the error of being satisfied with the least. , Just as a
       mediocre or poor intellectual ability should certainly         rough and uneut diamond is not acceptable until it
       not conside?  himself called to be a teacher. One who is polished, so a born teacher is not acceptable unless
       gets by the eigth grade by "the. skin of his teeth" or         he is trained. And all other factors being equal, the
       maybe on the good, graces of a softhearted teacher             more: thoroughly trained teacher is the better teacher.
       should not think of the teach&g profession. One who            We should not be satisfied with teachers who have
       has a difficult time passing his mathematics courses,          taken a "`quickie" course in education, in order to get
       while he is perhaps an A-student in histbry, should            a position as soon as possible and make some money.
       not aim at becoming a high school algebra instructor.' But we shopld strive, both as teachers and as schools,
       One who himself has trouble differentiating a sub-             for a  thorou&hly  trained teaching staff. And if ever
       ject and a predicate will not be qualified to teach            the, time comes when our Schools are well-established
       grammar even on the grade-school level.                        and- no longer forced by circumstalices  to accept any-
                                                                      thing but the best, the school boards should set a high
          . But more such native qualifications may be men-           and rigid requirement in that respect.
       tioned. A teacher must lbe agood disciplinarian, to be
       sure. .A school without order cannot function. And                What specifically, however, are the requisites` of
       while training is necessary iq this respect, the fact re-      teachers- in our P.r&estavd  Reformed schools?       .
       mains- that not everyone has the natural ability that             In the first place, such a  te'achw must certinaly
       is necessary in ,order to keep order in thk.class-room.        be a  con,fessing member  .of a Protestant Reformed
       A teacher must`also Ibe able "to get ,along" with chil-        Church. In other wordsj he must be ,openly and pub-'
       dren. And a teacher must be able to get down to the            licly committed to our Protestant Reformed doctrine.
       level of children. A teacher must have the gift of ex-         Nothing less will do. *One certainly cannot be a Pro-
       pression, must be able not only to think clearly but           t&ant Reformed teacher and be allowed to teach
       also to express .a thought clearly and concisely. And          our Pr,otestant  Reformed children who is not himself
       undoubtedly more of these native characteristics of a          committed .to qur principles, .and that not merely in *
       good teacher could be listed.  My point is that we             his own mind, but publicly. As long as the pos-
       need Such teachers. Young people should bear that              sibility exists that one will say No. to the question,
       need in mind for themselves, both in order that they           whether he believes the doctrine of the (Old and New
     _ do not mistakenly attempt to become teachers and in            Te&ments  as taught here in this Christian church
       order that, if they seem to be so qualified, they do not       to be the true a$ perfect doctrine <of salvatjon, he
       miss their calling to become teachers. And.our schools         may not be entrusted .with our children.                     I
       should seek such teachers, and, if they find them,                In the second place, such's teacher must be very
       value them highly. Such a born teacher is an in-               definitely committed to  ithe ideal of Protestant Re-
       valuable addition to a  school.          On the other hand,    formed education.     We must not be satisfied with
       a school board should not be too long-suffering if it          teachers to whom it would make no difference whether
       discovers on its teaching staff one who does not seem          they,  tauiht in  a public school, one of the existing
       qualified to teach. A board does `<both itself' and its        Christian schools, -or a Protestant Reformed schooi.
       school and the would-be teacher a favor-by not keep-           Such teaehers will  never  lbe thoroughly Protestant
       ing him "on the string". An entire class of graduates- Reformed teaehers. And I believe  OUT  -:hool boards
       can be damaged and retarded in its education, if not           should be very, insistent and inquisitive son that score.
.      spoiled, by being subjected to a teacher that is not a         (Our teachers must be among the leaders in our school
       teacher.                                                       movement, and must  $e zealous supporters of the
          In the second place, also from a formal viewpoint,          ideal of Protestant Reformed education.
      /the value of a  co~~@&&y  tr+tied teacher cannot be               And in the third place, I would like to stress that
       emphasized too much.       State requirements on this          we need teachers who are whole-heartedly consecrated.
      `score differ. In some states one can teach with scarce-        to  teaching  Protestant Reformed principles in  ogr
                                          `\

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

schools. We must have teachers who will devote their
lives to such teaching, whb will be content not merely                      T  n 0  RI  H  (9 L  -Y  .w  Et I-T
to instruct a certain number of hours per day, and
days per week;. and weeks per month, and months
per year, for-a certain number of dollars. Teachers                                   E&sition of Matthew k&t3                            --
we need sorely who will consider their- task not merely
a "job", but a God given calling. Teachers we need                                                      I.
who will be satisfied not merely to teach and to mark                          To properly understand this rather well-known pas-
papers  an,d to hand out report cards. Teachers we                          sage of the Word. of ,God we must not lose sight of
need whb will be content not merely to weed out of                          its place in the S&mon on the Mount. It is found in
a text book some evolutionism or  Arminianism.  or                          that section of Jesus' teaching; in which He-sets forth
common grace-ism. Teachkrs who will devote all their                        in detail the righteousness of the Kingdom of  IGod
ability, all their thinking, all their labors, first of all,                in the hearts of the meek, the poor in spirit,`the pure
to inculcating into our -children the Protestant Re-                        of heart and the peacemakers. None must think that
formed way of life as much as they are able and as                          such meekness, and being poor in spirit can be brought
well as they are equipped to do so now; and secondly,                       to perfection apart from the law  of.,God. It is  -true
who will strive mightily, devote much effort, and put                       that no one is justified by works of law. Neverthe-
in long  hburs at developing themselves  int,o better                       less the reborn saints, the church, have this. law writ-
equipped teachers for a Protestant Reformed school,                         ten in their hearts, and must .constantly,  in this life,
who will strive toward the goal of a complete Pro-                          be kept activated in -faith by the precepts of the Gos-
testant Reformed course of study. And among them                            pe#Z, and by'the warnings with which the Gospel con-
may  .God grant us that rarity, someone who is not                          fronts us.- ~Such was the ease in the Old Testament
only a teacher'but a real educator, to give us leader-                      dispensation. Toda$  this is still true for us, the church
ship and guidance in this wonderful and blessed ven-                        of the New Dispensation. -Not orie iota or tittle of the
ture.                                                                       law -shall fall t,o the ground till all be fulfilled. The
                                                       H. C. Hoeksema       law is our guide through life.
                                                                               Let this truth sink deeply into. your hearts !
                                                                               For this precept of Jesus in  this passage is not
                                         --El                               merely a matter which gives material for dogmatic
                                                                            formulation to be written on paper and then forgotten,
                                                                            (but it is the charter and compass of our life as we
                                                                            `must steer through the narrow gate-way that leads
                           ATTENTION  CONSISTORIES                          to life and joy, to our `being,fu&  sons of our heavenly
   By decision  of. Synod  each congregation is  re-                        Father! .                         \
.quested to take two offerings a year for Foreign Mis-                         Well may our Bible be worn thin in &s pages at 3
                                                                            this section of Scripture as an indication of our con-
sions. May our people give liberally so that we as                          sultation of it in our prayerful `struggle against sin
Churches may also in this fulfill the mandate of our                        and unbelief. For all those who wish to press on to
Lord. Matt. 28 :19,20.                                                      perfection this passage  will be a treasured- gem. Here
                                                   B. Kok, Corr.-Sec'y.,    we exclaim; why does .Jesus preach thk law so strictly
                                                 The Mission Committee since no man can . in  -this life  keep  it perfectly ! ?
                                                                            Here also we always and again say to one ,another and
                                                                            to our own souls: Since we cannot do this in our own
                                                                            strength, so let us call upon the Name of the Lord
                                        *  *  *  *                          for strength, for pardon, for the  &suranc&  of some-
                                                                            day attaining this perfection fdy in a life td come,
                                                                            and  in.  this  .Zife in an ever greater measure! Here
                                   -
iyL.
     `
        ,..
            -7i.-
               ..  . .                                                      the  Saint exclaims with the Psalmist: "When Thou
                          .Jesus, my love, my chief delight,                saidst, Seek ye My' face ; my hebrt said unto Thee,
                            For thee I long, for thee I pray ;              Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek!" For Jesus' precept
                                                                            of the Gospel; as the -Fulfillment of the, law and the
                          Amid the shadows of the night,                    prophets asks of us nothing less than that -we be per-
                            Amid- the business of the day.,                 fe&d in lwe.


              278                                        T H E   $TANDARD  BEABE'R                                                -  _  .__  .._-

                ;Such is Jesus' clear teaching here.                            love and life wit&out  fear and anxiety ! Perfect meek-
                     In the verses that we shall try to- explain in these       ness, perfect hnngering for righteousness is rooted in
               essays we read the following : "Y,e ,heard that it was           the perfected l&e that casts out all fear!
               saild, Thou shalt love Thy neighbor, and hate  thine                Let this love be perfected in, you. q
              .enemy: but I  sai untb you;, love your  enem&s   and
      _  i                                                                         Here is t]he bread of life in the form of the' pre-
               pray for them that persecute you; that ye rnny ble sons          cepts of the ~Gosp&l. Let us not give out our `money
              -of ydur Father Who is irz heckn: for H.e rnaketh J9i.s           to that which cannot satisfy. All that is not conform-
               sun to rise on the evil ad the good, and v&neth on               able to this teaching of Jesus concerning perfected love
               the juit and the unjust. For if yei love them.that love          is nothing else than broken pitchers and empty cis-
               you, that reward hav,e ye! do' not even the $ubZicans            terns that. hold no. w&ter. Here in these precepts is
               the same. And if ye salute your br.ethxen only; what
.'                                                                              bread for ou~~souls ; it is the broken bread in Christ
         ._ clo .ye mane than others? do not> even the Ge%kiles the             crucified.
               same ? .Ye therefore be perfect, as your  hkavenly                  Hence, to the law and to the prophets!
               Father is perf!ect."                                                This is exactly what tlie ,Scribes and Pharisees in
                     In our expositj.oti  it, is well to bear in mind the       Jesus' day were unwilling 6 do. They could not find
               last, sentence of the above quotation. Says  jesus:              rest in the Gospel of .blood,  the blood of atonement.
               "Be ye therefore' perfect as your heavenly Father                Neither did the law o$ God as it, demanded perfection
               is perfect." Certainly this sentence is not only to be           give them satisfaction and peace of heart. What
               our  guic@g-star  in our Christian life of sanctifica-           did they. do? They corrupted the law as they did all
               tion, but it is also the crux ,and substance of the teach-       of the Scriptures to their own destruction.
               ing of Jesus in this ,entire interpretation of the law,             What! did they not read:  Thou  shalt love thy
              which Jesus came to fulfill, in. general, `and of these           neighbor ,as thysjelff
               last verses in particular.           =                              Forsooth, they did. But this word was too hard,
                     Now, wha,t does Jesus mean when he says `"be ye            they  say.. And so, without admitting that they do
               perfect" ?                                                       not love this law of God and still boasting in this law,
                     The idea of perfection is not that of perfect sin-         thky  nev&theless  corrupt it. The result is: they do
               lessness in this life .as an attainable reality. It rather       not really see the law in its fulfillment in the last iota
               means : that which is the fully developed life, the              and tittle as meant and. maintained by IGod,, but. they
              fully developed fruit. `Thus, for instance, a perfect&d have their own invention of the same. Listen to this
               apple is not merely one without  defects,  free from             Scribe and Pharisee teach the- people, when he says :
              being worm eaten, etc., but it is the apple that is fully         "Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy."
               developed in all its potentialities in perfect ripeness,            Now what is wrong in this "interpretation" of the .
               flavor, color. It looks at the perfection from the view-         law ?
               point of its attainmknt.      When that point is atta_ined        Two things. In the first place, the Scribes left off
         ' it can from its very nature rise no higher. That is                  the very important addition "as thyself". That was
               perfection in the creature. We cduld cite'many more              not simply a shift in emphasis, but it took the very
               eases, but we trust that this one example conveys our            heart out of this commandment. The Golden Rule,
               meining.      This idea of perfection is also applied in         the entire law and prophets simply went by the board.
               Scripture to our life of sanctification; our life of love.       It is only two words, one will say. Yes, that is cor-
              And the acid test of perfected love is given in our               rect: But on these two words hangs all the "Law and
               text by Jesus. It is the test which must show whether            the Prophets". That,was the first and principal cor-
               love is perfected in us, whether it has taken over in            ruption. And it is such a corruption, that even when
               our mind and will. This text is: that we  love-  ou?             reading it at first, `is  $unnoticed. The text looks  ,so
               enemy and pray  for  him!  Love in  -the saints  can-            genuine that way. And the simple are deceived. But
               n,ot rise higher than praying for the enemy. Such is             it is n corruption of the-greatest magnitude nonethe-.
               the very) essense  and nature of love. Here the last             less. Secondly, the term "thy  neighbor" is made to
               iota and tittle of the l?w is fulfilled. For love is the ful-    mean "thy friend". Thus the<law is really not even
               fillment of the law,! As long as we cannot do this,              applicable  anymore  as given and intended by  IGod.
               that is, pray for  Qur enemy, fear will  veeds  filly our        It is no longer a correction of the erring, and it is no
               hearts. No, we do not need to go to a psychiatrist to            guide to our feet. It is really no longer necessary.
               have our soulsi-our emotions analyzed. To the law                Man has become a measuring rod to himself ! It is the
               and the -prophets  as these are interpreted ,by Jesus,           sin of Paradise come to full perfection: man has be-
               otherwise we shall never .have the dawn of perfected             come like  unto Us determining good and evil! It is


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .-                                      279

 the leaven of Phariseeism th.& leaveneth the whole             That is perfected love. It drives out all fear. Un-
 lump!  :  t'                                                   less this- is seen and practiced there is no dawn of.
     And this is the interpretation that the people `had        joy and happiness in our  so&. God is not  .mocked.
 been taught as being the real truth of t'he matter!            Think not that Christ  cam'e to  des'troy  the law and
   :  But.-o"veragainst  this comes the great ,Gospel   pre-    the prophets. The last iota, iota,~iota  !
 pece : "but I say unto you:, Lpve your enemies and                Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is
 pray for them that persecute you ; that ye may be              perfect. Such is ,the very practical, `indispensible les-
 the sons of your Father in heaven . . ."                       son of the precept of the :Gospel  in which the whole
     We should notice, first of all, that thus the `Gospel      Eaw is-summed up in such a way that we may be ad-
a precept is the very precept of the law of loving  OZLY        monished to the perfect obedience of perfkcted  love.
 neighbor  a+ okmd~ties. .- The text as given by Moses          Do you have this love? L&ok for the continuation of
 is left to stand in all of its scope' and application.         this subject' in the next issue.
 The matter of "neighbor" is not made "friend", but                                                   G. C. Lubbers
 it includes ,also "our enemies", that is, it means euepy-
 one  whose life touches  qurs. We make no selection.
 The Providence of God sets a man or woman on my
 path who is my enemy. I have but one thing to do.
 What is it ?' Love him ! Love him as I -love myself.
 ,Such is the precept of the  IGospel. Such is the  per-                 S I O N ' S   ZANGEN  ,
 fectecl.  love that casts out  nil  fear.  Such is Jesus'                                                                    a
 Gospel precept. Here is the last iota and tittle. The
 matter is very concrete and real.                                               De Lo$ang Der Liefde
     And now that we have seen who this `our neighbor                            (Psalm 116  ; Tweede deel)
 is, namely, the one whom God places next and nearest
 to me, let us also ask: Who is my enemy? According                Ik heb lief, zong de dichter  van dit lievelingslied.
 to Jesus' teaching he is the one who persecutes me,               We hebben gezieh, dat dit allereerst en meest van
 who speaks all kinds of lies about me, he reviles me, he       toepassing is op Messias. En sindsdien Messias in
 hurts my reputation ! `Oh, it cuts to the quick, what          ,Gods volk woont, zingen zij ook : Ik heb lief !
 he says and does ! That <man I must love ! I must love            En waarom?
 him as I love myse!f and am concerned about my own
 salvation !                                                       Omdat Hij mijne stem hoort, mijn smeekingen-en
     Let us try to understand this just a bit better.           mi jn klagen.
     What is the meaning-of the term "love" in our text?           Waarom?
 We are sure that in our text `Yove" means more than               qmdat Hij  Zijn `oor tot mij neigt. Dies zal ik
 simply "like", to have a kindly feeling for. One c&n           Hem in mijn dagen aanroepen.           _
 like a friend, but cannot like an enemy.  When one                Ziedaar het schoonste  werk des Ch$istens. 0 neen;
 does me.wrong  the feelings of "liking" aie no longer          zijn  g&en  vah geld en  goed  aan  ,God en  &or  God-
 present. Then it is either. a question of "hatred" or          delijke diensten is niet de maatstaf waarnaar Chris-
 of "love"! Now love is not a question of the feeling;          ten  gemettin moet  worden.  Hoe zou het ook?  Wa';
 btit it is a matter of the mind and will as rooted in          kon die arme Lazarus Hem geven ? De stakkerd had
 the. heart. It is the earpest `desire to be pepfeet. Love      niets. Bovendien zijn er duizenden geweest die groote
 is the bond of perfection.which  is like a tie colinect-       schatten gegeven hebben aan `God, en die. tech buiten
 ing all the ,Christian  virtues of forgiveness and bowels      stonden, en voor eeuwig buiten bleven. Ik heb  ge-
 of mercy. Such love cannot rest except it seeks .the           hoord van een man die een millioen dollars gaf tot
 well-being of the "neighbor". It does not rejoice `in          den lb&w van een kerkgebouw, en tech: zijn leven ge-
 iniquity; but it rejoices in the truth. It beareth all         tuigde dat hij buiten stand.,
 things, believetli all things, hopeth all things, and it          Neen, maar het aanioepen van God is, de maatstaf
 never fails to bring a well-spring of joy to our hearts.       van het geestelijk  leven. En ook dan moeten we voor-
 It removes all  fear and tensions. It is a balm of             zichtig zijn. Want God zegt immers ook: Dit volk
 Gilead in all OUT- wounds.                                     nadert tot Mij met hunnen mond, doch hun hart houdt
    -With this love we seek the well-being, the salva-          zich verre van Mij! Het gebed is maatstaf van het
 tioll of our neighbor.  .We never  see& his ruin, his          geestelijk leven, doch dan het gebed des- hnrten. En
 downfall, but are happy in Ris salvation, `and have            het hart is het diepste in den mensch.  Zooals  zijn
 grief  and sorrow in his  iin even when he hates  US.          har,t is zoo is hij. En`dan zal `t gaan.


      280             I                            THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

             A+ mijne dagen zal ik God aanroepen.                           schuld. Die toerekening van onze schuld is zoo  ab-
             Dat is ook teekenend.            Christen heeft  <God   van    solu& .geweest,  dat ,God met Jezus Christus handelde
      noode alle de dagen zijns levens. Hij weet niet van                   zooals Hij gehandeld zou hebben met ons, indien er
      een roepen  naar ,God op Zondag alleen. Of bij  ge-                   geen verlossing geopenbaard was in Immanuel. Doch
      zette tijden. Hij  za_l Hem aanroepen  alle de dagen                  hoe nu  ,Jehbvah  aan de eene zijde op  Christus kon
      zijns levens. En dat is teekenend. Was  bet  Luther                   toornen, en aan de andere zijde Hem kon verlangen,
      die zeide, dat men vaak tot `God bad met-de pef; op ?                 zie, het antwobrd op die vraag, de oplossing van dat-
             00k~ behdeft dat niet altijd met woorden, zelfs                dilemma kan ik niet benaderen. We houden vast aan
      niet in woorden- die men denkt. Dit aanroepen kan                     beide waarheden: 1. Jezus Christus heeft den last .van
      zijn, is  va'ak, een biddende stemming: een  aan  ,Gbd                den toorn Gods ten volle gedragen en weggedragen ;
      denken. "Mijne overdenking  van Hem zal ,zoe$ zijn." 2. (God heeft Jezus grootelijks begeerd en liefgehad,
             En dan zal deze zangel- U verhalen +.n dat dage-               ook toen Hij hing te kermen aan het kruis.
 lijksche aanroepen.                                                            Nu terug tot de eerste vraag: hoe kon Jezus ge-
             `"De  banden  des doods  hadden mij omvangen, de bonden zijn door de banden des doods? Dat dit plaats
      angsten der  he1  hadden mij getroffen ; ik  vorid  be-               vond is duidelijk. Later zou Petrus immers zeggen f
 nauwdheid en droef enis."                                                  "alzoo  het niet  mogel,ijk was dat Hij van denzelven
             Dan is het erg.          j  3                                  dood zoude gehouclen worden." De opstanding uit de
             Dit  vers~vooral  doet mij  aan David  denken.  Hij            dooden is immers  juist, dat die  banden  en koorden
      z+d,e immers in II Samuel  22:5: "Want  baren des                     des doods losgemaakt  wierden'?' Al wat ik er van
 doods hadden mij omvangen, beken  Belials verschrik-                       zeggen kan is dit : Jezus Christus, alhoewel Hij de
 ten mi j ." En in het volgende vers lezen we: "Banden                      geheel  Heilige was en bleef, moest behandeld als de
 der he1 o&-qingden mij, strikken des doods bejegenden                      Verworpene ; Hij moest ervaren wat de verworpenen
 mij." En ,ook in de volgende verzen worden  we .her-                       tot in der eeuwigheid Gullen ervaren. En die eryaring
 innerq aan Psalm 116.                                                      is de dood. En de dood is conflict met God, de  er-
             Doch wie dan ook dezen psalm gedicht heeft, het                varing van het tegenstaan van den Almachtige, bet
 was erg met hem gesteld.                                                   verlaten zijn van God. En dat laatste met een eeuwige
             Uit den geheelen  psalm. blijkt, dat deze zanger               intensiviteit.
 niet zoo zeer ibeangstigd  was vanwege zijn vijanden,                         ,Gij  allen begrijpt, dat we heir stamelen, en  ik
      doch dat zijn ziel in groote smart verkeerde. Immers,                 stem dit  v&n harte toe.      Een wijs mensch schreef
 hij spreekt van een  terugkeeren  tot de rust zijner                       eens :    Wie den  dichter  wil verstaan, moet  mnaar  .`s
 ziel; `van een uitgeteerd  zijn; van een ziel die bevrijd ..dichters land toegaan! Als ge dit  nu al  bevende toe
 moest  worden.  Er was duisternis over zijn ziel  ge-                      wilt passen op de zaak waar het over gaat, .flan zouden
 komen; er was iniinking in zijn- geestelijk leveil. &l                     we eerst met Messias onder moeten gaan in den oceaan
 die toesland  wordt in schrille kleuren geschetst.                         der eeuwige smarten, naar de hel. En ja, dan zouden
             "De banden des doods hadden mij omvangeh" !                    we meer kunnen zeggen van die omvanging der banden
      De dood heeft band&. De dood is slavernij.  LDe                       des doods.
      dood is de slavernij der zonde. En de dood heeft                      En  tech  weten we er iets van. Want wij komen
      daarom dan ook groote smarten voor zijn slacbtoffers.                 ook in aatiraking met den dood. Evenwel het is maar
 En de smarten des doods zijn de stra'f Gods over de
                                                                  _1        een klein beetje. We weten immers niet wat het zeg-
 z b n d e .                                                                gen wil om van God verlaten te zijn, om onder te gaan
             Want we  moeten  we1  versta,an,  d?t die dood een             in het absoltite  duister, om in de he1 te .liggen en een
 oordeel Gods is. God doodt alle dagen.                                     eeuwigen toorn Gods te smaken.
             En hier rijst een  -groat   probleem:  We hebben in             . En we mogen, we moeten het dan ook zeggen; de
 ons eerste artikel over dezen psalm gezegd, dat eerst                      dichter van Psalm 116 heeft het ook slechts in  be-
 in Jezus deze zang ten voile vervuld is. Dus Jezus                         ginsel geproefd wat het zeggen wil om omvangen
 zegt dan ook hier, dat de banden des doods Hem om-                         te zijn met de banden des doods. Het is er mee als
 vangen had.den.. Doch we we&n ook, dat Jezus nooit                         n$t David in Psalm 22. David `zong: `M,ijn God, mijn
 z3ndigde. Het is er mee als de vraag: Hoe kon Jezus                        IGod, waarom hebt ge mij .verlaten?       En Jezus zong
 den toorn  &Gods  dragen, terwijl er  no0i.t een  oogen-                   het hem na  toen.-Hij   aan het kruis hing.  Doch een
 blik geweest is, dat God Hem niet liefhad?                                 iegelijk gevoelt direct, dat David er slechts iets van
             Ik denk niet, dat we dit probleem aan deze zijde               gevoeld heeft, terwijl Jezus die vreeselijke woo?den
 van dood en graf geheel en al zullen kunnen oplbssen,                      geheel en al en tot- in  al  hmine  diepte doorleefd
             Het antwoord op die vraag moet gezocht worden in               heeft. (Eiginlijk had ik moeten  schrijven, "doorstor-
 de Bijbelsche leer van. de  tberekening  onzer  zonde-                     v&Y"  h e e f t ) .



_-


                                       THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  281

   En  iNij`? Wij ervaren er iets van. Er zijn perio-             er gezien wordt. En dat is  goed. Men moet er niet
den in ons leven, dat het danker wordt voor het oog               mee te koop loopen. Zeide Jezus niet; dat men schreien
 der ziel.    En dat kan geschieden vanwege  *eel  en             moet en klagen in het verborgene, en als men dan naar
velerlei.     E,&l van de oorzaken is vaak de z&de. Dat           buiten treedt moet men eerst zijn aangezicht  was-
kan  ;de oorzaak geweest zijn met den  dichter van                schen, en zich zalven met glinsterende olie?
 dezen psalm. Daar. spreekt veel voor die gedachte,                       Maar Jezus  heef.t  cjeze  benauwdheid   en droefenis
want hij zingt keer  op keer van &jn verlossing.         Het      gesmaakt zooals niet  &n mensch of duivel die zal
kan geweest zijn zooals we zingen in psahn 65: "On-               smaken. Jezus heeft meer droefenis en ben%uwdheid
gerechtige  dingen hadden de overhand over mij`!"                 gesmaakt ,dan Satan ooit zal s&x&en. _ E&x voor allen ;
    En als het d&n donker wordt en de floersen over               de Heilige behandeld als millioenen onheiligq ; een
ons geestelijk oog trekken,  dan wordt het bang. En               eeuwige  he1  satiengeperst in drie-en-dertig  jaren !
dat schijnt hier het geval te zijn geweest.                       Nooit zullen we weten hoe vreeselijk het verbrijzelen
    "en de angsten der he1 hadden mij getroffen !"                van  Jezus geweest is. Nooit  zullen we  weten hoe
    Ja, ik kan het niet helpen:' ik denk hier weer aan            heet \de tranen van Messias geweest zijn.
Jezus. 10 zeker, wij zirigen  h&t  oqk. En als  we het                    "Maar `k riep de< Heer -dus aan in al'mijn  nood:        .
zingen  denken  we vaak  aan  momenten  in ons  eigen             Och Heer, och, tYierd  mijn ziel door U gered !"
leven, waarvan wij 66k kunnen spreken van een getrof-                     ,Gelukkig!  Het  gebed  blijft. Als het  -water tot
fen zijn van de angsten der hel. Doch hoe flauw, hoe              aan de lippen gekomen is, dan l!omt er de zuchting  des
zwak is onze ervaring ervan, vergeleken bij de angs-              Heiligen Geestes die naar `God voor de heiligen bidt.
ten der he1 die Jezus ervarq moet hebben.                         Als wij niet meer weten hoe het moet; als er nergens
    De he1 is het sheool, het rijk der dooden.                    meer  ui.tkomst schijnt te zijn, dan komt God. Dan
    En dat is' een mistroostig, triestig gebied. Leest            komt God- door Zijn Heiligen Geest  en door Zijn lief-
psalm 30 :9, 10 ; 69 :16 ; 88 :4-8 ; 143 :`7. In die gedeelten    lijk Woord en zet ons aan `t bidden, aan `t smeeken,
van  ,Gods Woord kent ge lezen  Van dien sheool. Als              aan `t zuchten tot ,God, Dat kan achter het stuurrad
de .kuil zijn muil otrer  ons sluit, dan is er geen loven         van Uw auto. Dat kan in de nachtwake. Dat kan
van God meer.                                                     achtef de ploeg in `t veld. Dat kan onder `t beluisteren 0
    En die sheool is voorportaal van de hel, van hei              van een preek.
geheena,  de plaats der eeuwige foltering.                                Ik riep den naam des Heeren aan.
    En ja, liet gebeurt, dat de angsten van dien sheool                   En in `t  roepen is alreede verlossing. Bidden is
en van het geheena onze .ziel verstoren, verontrusten,            `t lieflijkste werk des Christens. Het is de uiting der
doen schreien. Wie van  ,Gods volk  heeft  `nooit   stil-         .reiriste liefde, der liefde IGods..
lekens voor zichzelf gezongen: "Wijl `d' angst der he1                    Hoe triestig moet tech het leyen der goddeloozen
mij  allen troost deed  missen"?. In zulke ervaringen             zijn. Hen treft  we1 niet de benauwdheid der ziel
-zien we het  zoqlicht   van  SGods liefde niet meer. We          waarvan in mijn psalm sprake is, doch ze hebben we1
missen dan het juiste  gezicht op  ,Golgotha's- kruin.            smart. Er is groote  smart onder de goddeloozen, ook
En zuchten, zuchten.                                              smart der ziel. Het is millioenen malen geschied, dat
    "11~ vond benauwdheid en droefenis."                          de har,ten  van goddeloozen gebroken zijn vinwege de
    Benatiwdheid  is als de  plaats die we beslaan te             slagen des Almachtigen. Ik heb een moeder, een god-
nauw is voor oils. Dat is erg als het ons lichamelijk,            ,delooze  moeder, zien schreien bij het sterfbed van  '
physisch treft, want dan  w&den we. letterlijk  ver-              een goddeloozen zoon. En ik moet U zeggen, dat het
brijzeld. Maar het is erger als ons hart, als onze ziel           hartverscheurend is om zulk een smart te zien. Maar
benauwd wordt.. Want dan kunt ge bet .n-ergens  meer              ze kunnen niet bidden. ,Ze weten niet wat bidden is.
vinden. Uw eten en drinken smaakt niet; er is'geen                Ze zeggen nooit: o Heere, verlos mijne ziel! Ze. ken-
slaap voor  U%e oogen,  rust en kalmte zijn  wegge-               nen God niet : hoe zouden ze dan `zeggen : o God ! Ik
vloden.                                                           heb diep medelijden met de goddelooz?n  in hun smar-
    En het' einde is droefenis. Daai* kdmt men einie-             ten.
lijk tot het  zingen van de  treurmark: `k Heb mijn                       Maar Christen gaat naar God en roept Zijn naam
tranen onder `t klagen, tot mijn spijze dag en nacht!             aan.
    Nog eens : wie van Gods volk kent die tijden niet i                   In Zijn NAAM zien we het  WEZEN.
Voor het oog der nienschen is zulks vaak verborgen.                  En zoo kan de Kerk bidden: Verlos ons door Uw
Ik denk, dat eigenlijk ieder Christen boven zijn stand            Naam!
leeft. Er is veel meer benauwdheid en droefenis dan                In de openbarihg van Gods lieflijken  NAAK is de


282'                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER

verlossing van zondaren. En de openbaring van dien
NAAM is Jezus.                                                        THE DAY OF SHADOW
   Bevrijd-mijne ziel!
   Ja, dat is alles wat bevrijdt word$ hier op aarde.
We zullen moeten wachten tot ons lichaam ook verlost                          T h e   Covenant of Sinai
en bevrijd zal  worden.         Ons lichaam ligt besloten
onder  den dood, en die dood doet zijn werk totdat                  Let us take notice. Speaking of the new Cove-
ons lichaain in de groeve nederdaalt, en dan zullen          nant, the Lord says to His people: "For this is the
we moeten wachten totdat de Heilige IGeest  van Chris-       covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
tus ook ons lichaam bevrijden zal uit dien dood. Do&         after- those days, saith the (Lord,  I will put their laws
onze ziel is principieel bevrijd. Do& .moet nog meer         in their  mifid . .  ." This, "I will put my laws in
bevrijd  wordeli.  En moet gedurig bevrijd  worden.          their mind," is a declaration that tells what the Lord
In ons diepste hart zijn we vrij, maar de bewegingen         will do. We deal here then with a promise not of a
,der zonde  waren nog rond, en die  tbewegingen,  die        shadow salvation but of +he true. By this promise
oude .hebbelijkheden der zonde en des doods spelen           the Lord binds Himself to the house of Israel and
ons vaak parten. En dan bidden we met den zanger:            Judah`to truly save them. The first Coverant (better
Heere! cbevrijd mijne ziel !                                 said "testament,  `Greek  ,diatheekee,  thus testament,
                                                             not  sunthee,k~e,  contract) had no such promise. It
   En Hij deed  het. Want onze zanger van dit lied           was a  <covenant, that is, a testament, certainly. It
is nu in den hemel  daarboven bij God.                       had promises to be sure, but promises that  held-
   En Hij doet het. Gij zijt er ge:tuigen van.               forth and pledged things that were symbolical-typical
   En Hij zal het doen, totdat we allen in den hemel         -typical'atonement  and typical rest in a typical hea-
zijn, geheel en al bevrijd van de banden des doods, van      ven, the earthy Canaan. That is all this testament
de angsten der hel, van de benauwdheid en de droe-           could possibly promise ; for as the writer of the He-
fen&.                                                        brews emphasizes, the sacrifices . of that testament
   En we zullen zingen, zingen van gena!                     wer.e  but a type, shadow, figure.       Hence, as was
                                                             stated, the Lord could not put his laws in the hearts
                                                 G. Vos.     of the heirs of this first testament on the ground of
                                                             its symbolical-typical sacrifice. And He did pot. He s
                                                             would have denied his own righteousness had He done
                                                             so.
                                                                    Seeing that the Lord did not write His law in the
                                                             heirs of this first covenant  on the  growad of their
                                                             being  i;iz  t&is  covenant, these heirs, the-house of Is-
           Submissive to thy will, my God,                   rael and the house of .Judah,  did not remain, abide,
             I all to thee resign;                    A      continue  ip it, says the sacred writer (Hebrews).
           And bow before thy chastening rod ;               "Because they continued not ,in my testament (dia-
             I mourn but not repine.        '                theekee)  ". This has reference to the House of Israel
                                                             and Judah according to the election. Whether it also
           Why should my foolish heart complain,             must. be made to apply to the house of Israel accord-
           When wisdom, truth, and love                      ing to reprofbation  we `shall see presently.
    ,      Direct the stroke, inflict the pain,'                    That the house of Israel, and the house of Judah
             And point to joys above.                        did not abide in the first covenant is evident. Israel,
                                                             including certainly the Israel according to election
           How short are $1 my suff'rings here,              was finally plucked from the soil of Canaan and per-
             show weedful  ev'ry cross:                      manently dispersed among the nations. And there-
           Away my unbelieving fear,                         after the house of Judah was exiled to Babylon for
             Nor call my gain my loss.                       a duration of 70 years. But Israel and .Judah accord-
                                                             ing to the election were true children of  IGod. Can
          .Then give, dear Lord, or-take away,               this people, too, be charged with having forsaken the
             I'll bless thy sacred name:                     first covenant? This was also their sin, though it
         My Jesus, yesterday, today,                         be true, to be sure, that +n principle and on account
             Forever is the same.                            of their being at once iti the true covenant of grace


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R               *!I.                    2 8 3

they had indeed continued also in the "first" covenant,      which this statement can be taken.
the symbolical-typical covenant of grace. But accord-            But this question also arises. How could the true
ing to their sinful flesh they made thetisklves  guilt?      Israel become quilty of the sin of not continuing in
of the sin in not continuing. in the first covenant and      the first covenant seeing that, according to the Scrip-
accordingly God in His love applied to them His chas-        tures, the  s&nts do not fall away. There is no dif-
tening rod ; he banished them for a season from His          ficulty here, if it be considered tkat the true Israel
country ; and as was stated, Israel's exile was per-         and Judah must certainly be held to have continued
manent. Not that the Israel and Judah according              in the first testament in principle.
to the election  m&t be included in' the  Baa1  wor-             As, to the Israel and Judah according to the re-
shipper's and that tog&her with the reprobated Israel        probation, certainly all through the years of the Old
and Judah they had been crowding Baal's temples and          Dispensation they did nothing lbut rej,ect, `despise, and
prostrating themselves before Baal's shrine.         But     trample  this first Covenant. Yet it may not be said of
they had sinned as <God's believing- people-the true         this Israel and Judah that it did not continue in this
Israel and Judah-are always wont to .sin in times of         first covenant ; for this would imply that this cove-
great  apostacy  and material prosperity.      (`The two     natit included also the Israel and Judah according to
always go hand in hand). The lesson of chur&h&-              reprobation. B.ut this is not true. This can be shown
tory is that in such time  ,God's true people become         from the Scripture passage with which we here deal
careless spiritually. At such times their light is so --Hebrews   8:8-13. The people on  whom this entire
apt to be under a bushel. -Instead of witnessing for         passage concentrates is the house of Israel and Judah.
the truth and rebuking  t$e evil-doers they live on          And it presents these houses to -our view as sinful,
much too friendly a footing with their apostate bre-         ,depraved,  lost arid undone in themselves abut yet loved
thren and close their eye to their abominations. And         (by God, and saved and forgiven for Christ's sake. Who
through their silence they become co-guilty. In Israel       klse then can this house <of Israel and Judah be but
gross sinning was punishable by death. Such offen-           the Israel and Judah according to the election?
ders had to be cut off from the commonwealth of. Israel          IS[owever,  the  `sacred writer is not arguing here
through their  ,be&g put to death.  Yet, of course, it       election and reprobation, but he gives all his attention
was rarely done and through this negligence the guilt        to the two covenants and the reasons why the first
of the atrocious sinnejrs  in the land became commun-        covenant waxed  ?id and vanished away and  accord-
al. It therefore must not be regarded as a strange           ingly- was superceded by the  new:        These are the
thing that in the Scripture passage under considera-         matters on which he wants to concentrate and thus
tion the whole house of Israel and the whole house of        he speaks simply of the house of Judah and the house
Judah are charged with the sin of not abiding in the         of Israel as the people included in  thgse covenants         '
first covenant, and that on this account Israel and          without entering into the ,distinction between the Is-
Judah were exiled from `God's country.                       rael and Judah according to the election and the Israel
   That the charge "because they continued not in            and Judah according to reprobation. However, when
my covenant" has reference also to this Israel and           it is a question of who were included in these cove-
`Jydah-the  Israel and Judah according to the election `n&s, the Scriptures, including the scripture passage
-is substantiated by the promise, "And I will put `rriy      from the Hebrews with which we are here occupied,
laws in their mind . . . and I will be to them a God,        allow but one answer : the people included in these
and they shall be to me a people . i . and I will be         covenants was the Judah and Israel according to the
merciful to their unrighteousness,  and their sins and       election.
their *iniquities will I ,remember  no more." This cer-          That the Israel according to reprobation was not
tainly can have reference only to the .Israel  and the       included even in the first covenant-the covenant of
Judah according to the election. For only the elect          ISinai--with its typical promises such as the promise
are forgiven. And what was the sin and inilquity for-        of the earthy *Canaan is plain. `Consider' the follow-
given in this Israel and .Judah? Their sin, according        ing :                           ,,
to the preceding verse was that of their not abiding             First, what is said of .this generation in the Scrip-
in the first testament. And the reason?' The: Lord           tures at Hebrews 3 :8-19; "Harden not your hearts
had ndt put his laws in their heart. How this state-         as in the provocation, in-the day of temptation in the
ment is to be taken has:just been explained. The Lord        wil-derness:  when your fathers tempted me, proved
had certainly. put His laws in their heart, so that in       me saw my works forty years.            Wherefore  1 was
principle they were His children. But He had not             grieved with that generation and said,  .They  .do al-
put His laws in their heart on account of their being        ways err' in their hearts ; and they have not known my
in this first covenant.. This is the only possible way in    ways. So I  sware in my  ,wrath, They shall not enter


        284                                      T H E   S.TANBARD  B E A R E R

        my' rest. Take heed, brethren.- lest there be in any           and thus the-legal right to enter that rest, To them,
        of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing  from           too, the Lord said: I love you and in my love I give
      the  living God.  ,But exhort one  anothei daily, while          also to you the promise to my rest and thkreby be-
       `it is called. today; lest any of you $e hardened througli      stdw upon you all the right to all the blessings of
        the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers            the atonement. Thus this reprobated generation, too
        of Christ; if we hold the beginning of our confidence          was included in the promise &nd in the covenant.
        steaclfast  unt.0 th,e erid; While it is said, Today if you       But what happened. This reprobated generation
        will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as 3n the' sovereignly  ihose not to be saved. And that had to
        provocation. For some when they had heard, did pro-            settle the matter for God. For God was powerless.to
        voke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.         incieate in them the choice to `be saved. Hence He
        But with whom was he griev.ed forty years?- Was it             could not give to this evil generation what, he had
        not with them that had sinned,' whose carcasses feil           promised it, n$mely His covenant, salvation and rest.
        in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they              Hence all there was lkft for God to do is to resolve
        should not enter into his res'c, but to them that be-          finally to reject, reprobat`e this evil generation and in-
        lieved not? So we see that they  co.uld  .not enter in         flict upon it the punishment of an everlasting da&
        because of unbelief."                                          nati6n.    Thus, as the passage under consideration
           The padsage  speaks of what it calls "that genera-          states in verse. 19, this r.eprobated  generation did not
        tion". Let us take notice of what is said of that gene-,       enter.  into typical rest of Canaan because of its un-
        ration.                                                        belief  fn the sense that its unbelief was the sover-
               a) They do always err in their heart (verse 10).        eign ,cause  thereof.
               b) They have not known God's ways (verse 10).             This' is the Arminian explcgmtion.'
               c) The Lord was grieved with them for forty                The true explanation.  *
                   years (verse 17).                                      Certainly, as the passage at verse 19 states, that
-.             d) They sinned.                                         ieprobated generation could not enter into the typical
               e) Their carcasses fell in the wilderness' (vs. 17).    rest of. Canaan because of its unbelief. However ithe
               f) The  iL,ord sware that they should not  enter        Scripture also teaches a. sovereign `election and re-
                   His rest (verse 18).                                probation.    Thus  .t.he fact that the Scriptures  `must
               g) They  conld not enter in  because of unbelief .always be interpreted in the light of the Scriptures,
                   (verse .,19).                                       compels us to place above unbelief-of "that evil gener-
           Cer!tainly in the light of what is said in t.his pas-       ation" the sovereign reprobation of *God as its sove-
      ,, sage of that generation it was reprobated.                    r.eign reason, cause, necessity, and thus compel us to
           This  reprokated  generation, accordi-ng to this Scrip-     say  tha;t the  soyereign   reason  ,that this "evil  genera-
        ture, did not enter with the Lord into the typical rest        tic& did not enter into the `typical rest of Canaan
        of the  earthy~  (Canaan.       The question is : why not?     was not its unbelief .but the fact that IGod, according
        That is, what is the primary, sovereign reason accord-         to His sovereign reprobation, did not want to enter
      ing- to Holy Writ. `There are two explanations : 1)              with them into His rest and accordingly also sove-
        The Arminian and the true explanation of the Scrip-            reignly  h.ardened them in preparation of the death
        tures.                                                         and destruction to which He sdvereignly had appointeil
           The answer of the Arminian.                                 them.
           The sovereign reason that this reprobated genera-              Rere you have the two explanations why the Lord
        tion did not etiter into the typical rest of ,Canazn is        did not enter with that "evil generation" the typical
        its'unbelief. For the passage states at verse 19 that          rest of the earthy ,Canaan.
        they could nbt enter in because of unbelief. For, says..          A third explanation there is not
        !he Arminian,  Fan as to his choices is sovereignly               Now if it is true that God according to His sove-
        free, meaning that he originates his own choices, his          reign decree of Teeprobation  was the sovereign neces-
        choice  td believe, his  dhoice to make the right use          sity of the  unlbelief of that "evil generation," if in
        of the grace that :God gives hiq as an aid to salva-           addition He sovereignly hardened that "evil' genera-
        tion ; thus ,his choice to be saved.      This choice is of    tion" in preparation :of the death and destruction to
        man and not of (God, .so. that if a man once makes of          which He sovereignly had appointed it, how tlien can
        his ,mind not to believe and be saved, all God's efforts       it at once be true in the light of these facts and thus
        to save him are vain.             :                            in the ligh6 of. the very Scriptures that God included
           This was precisely the  c&e of the men of "that             also. this evil generation in the promise a;nd in His
        generation." The, Lord. wanted bad enought to, enter           covenant and thereby bestowed also upon this genera;
 ,-with them into His rest. He gave them the promise                   tion the right to Christ and all His benefits, thus

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

the righ$ to enter with Him into the typical rest of        if God alone knows the heart, Reference here, of
the earthy Canaan and thus also the right to enter          course, is to the wicked who  through their evil do-
with Him into the true rest of the heavenly Canaan.         ings become known as-wicked.
This is impossible.                                             &&Z, when the carnal, reprobated seed were in
    One or two: Either God did include also &is f`evil      p6wer and ?vhen as a consequence the ho-use  of Israel
geeeration" in His promise and covenant and thereby         forsook,the  Lord, the Lord would lay upon His peo-
bestow also upon that generation the right to ,,Christ      ple His strokes. Then the Lord, according ito the pre-
and all His blessings, thus the right to enter with.God     dictions of Moses (Deut. 28 and 29) would smite the
into His typical rest and also the true rest of the hea-    -&&ion also with the blasting .and with mildue. Then 1
venly Canaan, but' then there can be no such thing          its heaven that was over their heads became `as brass
as a sovereign election-and .&hen the will of man  is- _.(`meaning that the sun would steadily with its heat
sovereignly free and (God is not IGod but man is `God;      bear down upon them from a cloudless sky) and the
or there is such a thing as a sovereign reprobation         earth under them would be iron (hard as iron  fo?
and election but then IGod did not include also that        lack of rain). Then- the Lord would make the soil
"evil generation" in the promise  and the covenant and      of their land like powder and dust (for lack of rain).
ther.eby  bestow .upon that generation the right to the     From heaven' it would come down upon them until
benefits of the cross and thus also the .right to enter     they were destroyed (the air would become laden with
with Him into His rest. We have to.chose  here. And         fine dust again for lack of rain). Then the Lord
there are only two ,choices not three.      _               would cause them to be smitten before their'enemies."
    Second, the symbolictil-typical  sacrifices by blood    Did. 28 :22-25.
did not avail for the gross sinners in the common-             In a word, when the nation forsook God's covenant
wealth of Israel. That is,. these sacrifices did not a- because of the presence of the reprobated, carnal seed
vail for all such who sinned with the "uplifted hand" `in it, the Lord would take His land aWay from His
thus, such is the meaning,:in want& defiance of God. . people and deliver up both them and His holy land
All such had to be cut off from the congregation of         into the hand of their enemies. How plain that lthe
God through the infliction of the punishnient of death.     holy land and  $he promise thereof was not for the
"And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul        Israel according to reprobation. How plain that this
that  sinneth  ignoran;tly,  when he sinneth by ignor-      Israel wa$ not included even in this first covenant..
ance before the Lord, to make atonement for him ;              Fowth,  when Israe;l, &gain because of the presence
and it shall be forgiven him . . . But the soul that        of the reprobated, carnal seed in it, had finally filled
doeth ought presumptuously (Hebrews, with an up-            its measure of iniquity, God uprooted Israel from His       -
lifted hand-that is, a hand lifted up toward heaven. land-the land of Canaan--and scattered the nation
in. defiance of God) whether he be born in the land,        among 4th; heathen permanently. This has reference
or a stranger, the same reproacheth' the Lord ; and         to the ten tribes. And thereafter He exiled Judah
that s&l shall be cut of from among His people. Be-         to Babylon, and only the remnant returned. Again,
cause h.e%ath despised the word of the Lord, and hath       how plain that the Holy land and the promise there-
broken His commandment, that soul shall utterly be          of was  noit for  lthe Israel according to reprobation.
cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him," meaning, he       How. plain that this Israel was not included even in
shall die in his sin and thus unforgiven. This, .cer-:      that first covenant.
tainly, can only have reference to lthe reprobated. The      It will do no good to come here with the following
Scripture we quote here is contained in Numbers 15:         counter argument :      The Israel according to the  e-
28-31.                                     ,. ..I           lecrtion was uprooted  fPom the land of Cahaan be-
   Thus the Lord excluded from -His holy land, the          cause of ifs  unfaitli"fulness; and yet this Israel was.
earthy Canaan, `not only that old reprobated generation     included in the covenant and the -promise. Hence, the
that perished in the  dese& but He  commandeg   l&s         fact  th&t .also the reprobate Israel was uprooted from
people to continue to !free, the, holy land-the heaven      the land of Canaan can serve as no proof that it was
of the Old Dispensation-from, this evil brood. The          not included in the promise and the covenant.
Holy land was not for them. It had not been promised        But let us consider this: That also the Israel ac-
them. The typical sacrifices by blood- had not at all       cording to the election was uprooted from the land of
been instituted for them. If now the sacrifices and         Canaan because  of its unfaithfulness, and the fact
the typical promises of the first covenant were not for     that previously_ `the land of Canaan, as was shown
them, it cannot certainly be maintained that they w&e       (Deut. 28, 29, 30-chapters recording the blessing  f'or          i
included in this ~first covenant. They w.ere not.           obedience and the curses for disobedience) was taken
   But how could God's people know  th.e reprobated,        away. even from the Israel according to  1 the election

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

as ofiten as it becime  unfaithful, certainly indicates,       May we say, that because he himself did not, actually
if it indicates anything at all, that the land of Canaan       en&r into &.e typical -rest of this earthy Canaan that
was not given to sinners and tias not for them; that           he did not inherit the promise. We may not say
thus it cannot be Itrue that the land of Canaan.wai by         that. yor the Scriptures speak otherwise. The Scrip-
promise given to the Israel according to reprobatioh.          tures at Hebrews 6 : 15 state that "after he had patient-
The itypical land of Canaan as well as its correspond-         ly  ,endured, he obtained the promise," that is, that
ing reality-the heavenly ,Canaan-was given by prom-            which the promise sets forth. And likewise Moses
ise, could Ibe given by promise only to men absolutely         certainly. After  he  had patiently endured, he obtained
righteous and holy. And that is what the Israel a&             the promise.
cording tp the election was and is-righteous aild holy            Fifth, let us take notice of the transaction at Sinai
not certainly in itself but in Christ. That is the only        with`regard  ,to the promulgation of the first covenant
reason that  <God can have  anything  to do with. the          at Sinai. Moses was called up into the mountain, and
Israel according to the election, include this Israel in       received from the Lord the ten commandinents writ-
His covenant and promise in His love and give it all           ten on two tables of stone, and in addition a number
things even Himself first of all as its great reward.          of ordinances bearing on the decalogue and. applying
Thus to maintain that also ithe Israel according to re-        it to Israel's national lif,e. Coming down to ~the peo-
probation, not  includkd in Christ, was actually in-           ple, Moses read this mass of legislation to the people
cluded in the covenant and the promise and blessed of          and with one voice they reply, "All the words which
God is to. deny the righteousness and the holin.ess of         the Lord hafh said, we will do." Moses wrote the
God  an'd the  necessiity of the atonement of Christ.          words of the.Lord and names the writing, "The book
The matter  really does run deep here. Fundamently             of the covenant". `Thereupon an altar is built; burnt
it is a question whether there is really such a being -offerings  are offered and peace offerings sacrificed.
as the God of ithe Scriptures and such things as the           Half of  the blood Moses sprinkled upon the altar.
true religion of the Scriptures.                               Thereupon he took the "Book of the `Covenant" and
       Nor will ilt do to appeal to the case of Moses here.    read in the audience of the people. `Once more they.
True Moses because of his one sin did not have the             respond, "A11 that the Lord hath said we will do and
right to enter the typical rest of Canaan. Btit from           be obedient." And then -we read, "And Moses took
this it does not follow that the reprobated generaition        the blood  and sprinkled it upon the people and said,
of the desert period ,did haTie the right td enter this        B.ehold the blood of .the covenant which the Lord hath
typical rest.                                                  made with you concerning abl these ~uords."
       John Henry has no right to the worldly goods of            The live in italics are of utmost importance. What
John Peterson.        But  ?rom  this it  ,does not follow     they prove is that the covenant of Sinai was certainly
that James Robinson does have a right to the worldly           a covenant of grace. For, as we here see, it was a
foods of John Peterson. He may or he may not have.             covenant, with blood typifying the blood of Christ.
       Moses did not enter !the typical land of Canaan.        But if this blood, as we have seen, could not atone the
But he did enter the rest- of the heavenly kingdom. He         presumptious sins of the wicked,  reprobate'd  Israel,
did so because he was included in Christ. Btit just be-        it can only mean that this Israel was not included
cause Moses was' bared from the earthly Canaan, it             even in this first covenant. And not being included
does not fdllow Ithat the Israel according to the re-          in this first covenant, it was not included in the new
probation had the right to enter this Canaan, and was          covenant- the  truf: covenant of grace-already given`
thus included  -in the promise and covenant. This              to the church right after the fall, and including the
logic will not do either.        I                             true Israel assembled there at the ,base of Mt. Sinai,
       And consider  also this. Abraham had the promise        and this Israel only.
of both the earthy and the heavenly Canaan. One text             How plain from the above mass of observations
to prove this.  <den. 13  :14. And the Lord  s$id unto         that the Israel according to the-reprobation was not
Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Lift up              included even'in this first covenant of. Sinai, and that
now thine eyes, and look from tlie place where thou            therefore this Israel cannot be included in the true
art northward, and southward, and' eastward, and               covenant of grace.
westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee              The Liberated nevertheless insist *that this Israel
will I give it and to thy seed after thee." Yet, though        according to- reprobation was included in this first
Abraham had the promise also of the earthy Canaan,             covenaqt  `and possessed all  its promises,  atid that
he did not enter the typical rest of this earthy Canaan,       therefore  this Israel must "also have been included
but his seed 400 years thereafter. Yet  he had the             in the new covenant.        ,.
promise and was included in it and in the covenant,              The fallacy of this  reamning should now be  ap-
                                                   i


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- -                                                                                                              _
parent. Fact is that the first covenant  cl& not in-                  While we personally would not care to be respon-
clude also the carnal Israel.- To say that it did is to           sible for every i,mplication  contained in this article,
fly-into the face of the Scriptures, definitely the Scrip-        yet with the basic  icl-ea  we certainly agree and can
tures with which we are here occupied.            .          .    .also be warned by it. Certainly Classes, Synods, Mis-
                                    - G. M. Ophoff                son Committees, Theological School Committees, etc;,
                                                                  are necessary but all too often they result in the local
                  7     Z-I.---                                   church and the individual member simply letting them
                                                                  go  ,and ignoring their work. We must once again
                                                                  insist on the importance. of the Con&tory and the
                                                                  work of the local church  and% through this also be  _
          P E R I-S % 0 P E                                       awakened to a renewed d.enominational  life. But al-
                                                                  ways the local remains and must remain the most im-
                                                                  portant.
THE PERIL 'OF ,ORGANIZATI~N
    From the Moody `Monthly we quote the following                                   -- ::-::
which in Turin is a quotation on their par,t.
    "The Church for some reason or other is able to               REPUELICAN OR DEMOCRAT             '.
turn out more organizational machinery than any in-                   Under the above heading  OLD attention was at-
stitution known to man. We can. draw up by-laws by `tracted  to a rather unusual ar.ticle in the Presbyterian
the ton and appoint committees; bureaus and depart-               Gxah!iun:  We quote it here:
ments . .  ., until it is no wonder that people day af-               "Bible-believing Christians are. conservative in
ter day are spiritually mangled in the wheels.                    theology; It is probably only natural that- they are
    "More and more I am convinced that if we spent                usually conservative in politics and economics. The
half the time with people :that we spend with bureaus American Council of Christian Churches not only de-
and departments, the world would marvel at the re-                nounces the National Council (formerly The Federal
sults.                                                            Council) for its moderism but also for its political
    "The above words are not from some caustic critic             radicalism. The American Council in its convention            ,
of the Church, but were spoken by the rector of Tri-              resolutions adopts a strictly conservative position in
nity (Episcopal) Church of Boston at the annual con-              the police-economic sphere opposing the. Fair Deal,
vention of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. A               the British Labor  Party and any and all manifesta-
national news magazine thought them of sufficient                 tions of what it regards as `Socialism'. Reading of
significance to head its religion department, under the           the Christian Reformed  BNarme~  indicates that it is
title, `Words of the OWeek.'                                      almost necessary to be a Republican to be a member
    "Probably, most of us who number ourselves among              in good standing in the Christian Reformed #Church.
evangelical believers will readily admit the truth of             The name of the great Calvinist party in the Nether-
the rector's comment-especially with reference to. lands is The Anti-Revolutionary Party.* Historically'
other groups. Yet seemingly these words apply more this means opposition to the principles of the French
and more, not only to Protestantism's hierarchy, but              Revolution. Yet the very name carries with it over-
to groups proclaiming a vital gospel message.                     tones of a conservative position. The Southern Pres-
    "The trend of the times-in government, in busi-               byterian  Jdurnnl,  organ of the conservatives in the
ness, philanthropy, education, welfare work and many              Presbyterian Church, South, may not have many Re-
other categories-is toward pyramiding organization.               publicans among its contributors but certainly `their
.Of such trends churches and gospel-bearing organiza-             political and social views are anti-administration. We
tions should certainly beware.                                    cite these instances as -evidence that usually Bible-be-
    "There is, of course, a place for organization in             lievers are against the socializing trend in modern
the efficient, orderly conduct of Christian affairs. But          times.
there is also grave danger of elaborating organization               `{On the other hand, religious liberals tend to be
to the point where Christian groups become merely                 liberal, or, if  YOLZ will, radical in their politics and'
well-oiled machines with better-than-usual motives.               economics. Many of them are influenced by Marxist                  -
God does not- work through machines ; He works thru               ideas on capitalism and the production of wealth.
yielded men and women.                                            Hostihty to capitalism' with its profit among them.
   "The church or other Christian groups concerned,               E. Stanley Jones has advocated a ,Christian socialism
betiause  of apparent loss of ,power, can well afford to.         and The World Council of Churches  at,  .Amsterdam
think along these lines,"                              Ii         in 1948 not only condemned communism but also


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                               .             T  H  E    s  $A~~#TR   j-j


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     capitalism for its. materialism. Until the  (last five         in an imperfect and sinful worlcl. He should be wedded
-years, apologists for Russian communism have been                  neither to the old or the'new but should be independent
     found among them.                                              in his -thinking. ' He should ,also allow considerable
         "Is this line-up good? It is necessary? Must a             ,!iberty to other Christians in their assessment of the
     cmservative in religion. be a conservative in politics?        political and economic'sitpation. And finally he should
         "Because this writer deplores any idea that the            no: do a' disservice to the dynamic gospel of Christ
     Republicans are on the side of the angels he would .by identifying it with political conservatism."
     point out:                                                        That there are many thoughts in the above with
_                                                                   which we agree and which we can well remember es-
        1. In religion we have a revealed Word, infallible          pecially this year goes without saying.
     and eternal. There are no new  r,evelations.  So we                          _-
     are conservatives in theology, holding to that which
     is given. We believe in progress in understanding                 ,I               - - :     - :    -
                                                                                             -
     of the Word but deny that interpreting the Word
     away, as do the liber.als, can bring new wisdom.               A  DIFFERENT SLANT ON THE RACE QUESTION
        "2. In politics and economics we have no revela-                                                                  ._
                                                                       In a recent Cnlvvin Forum an article appeared un-
     tion. Neither Karl. Marx nor Adam Smith spoke by               der the title "Some Factors Involved in the Problem
     divine authority. All systems in this field are man            of Race." Under the sub-title: ."`The Sins of the Fa-
     mad,e, hence imperfect and relative. This would. even          thers" a somewhat different angle is presented in
     be true of a system which sought to build on the               this matter: We quote the following:
     principles-of Scripture. Much more is it true of those            "The racial problem in general and the Negro
     which ignore Scripture. It follows that the old is             problem in particular is largely a matter of the sins
     not necessarily better than the new.                           of the fathers. visited upon the third and upon the
        "3.  ICapitalism as it has existed and still exists         fourth generation ; and `unless we whites begin by re-
     today is not ,Christian.  It  -is materialistic. The profit    cognizing something like corporate guilt, it is doubt-
     motive is its god. It is not interested in human be-           ful that the American racial problem will be solved at
     ings [but in money. It has produced the squalid slums          all. `For I  .Jehovah thy  <God  am a jealous God . .  .'
     of our great cities. It has reduced the workman to             And if the word jealous here means anything at all,
     a cog in the machine. . It has exploited the worker in         it means jealousy of unrighteousness. Once you ad-
     the past and perhaps would still do so were he not             mit that the Negro is a fellow creature made in the
     protected by the labor union and the government until          image of God; your course as a Christian is deter-
     checked by the state. It squandered the natural re-            mined; For you can't get  away.from .the fact that
     sources (God has given us. It has produced a -selfish          the white race has brutally disregarded- the image of
     and aggressive individualism. By these harsh and               God in  the:`Negro and has accordingly disregarded
     general criticisms we do not imply that capitalism is          God Himself; The Negro problem, however much the
     necessarily evil or that all capitalists are bad men or        practical details ,may continue to plague us, can be
     that mankind has yet found a better system. We are `worked- out only if we whites view it with utmost
     only saying that capitalism, as is, has often been evil        Christian humility.    And this means that we shall
     and unchristian. We hold that modifications of capi-           have to come as penitents to a wronged minority.
     talism are necessary and inevitable and should not be          Merely to say that you would' not mind sitting next
     opposed blindly by orthodox Christians.                        to a Negro brother in church is to betray an un-
        "4. If capitalism is not Christian, neither is pre-         conscious hypocrisy, for that is not the question. The
     sent day socialism. It too is materialistic. The `a-           question is: Can we reasonably hope that a sufficiently
bundant life' is full employment and old age security.              large number of Neg:roes. will be willing to sit next to,
     Its humanitarianism without the well-spring of ,Chris-         us in church? If and when we finally sit at the con-
     tian love turns out to be no humanitarianism at all.           ference table with the Negro to discuss practical mea-
     Its concentrations of power make the old time `trusts' sures, let us first acknowledge that the problem is of
     look innocent. It has developed so that government             our ,own making, apologize to the Negro, and then
bureaucrats can be as selfish and corrupt as the for-               pray to Heaven that there will be enough charitable,
mer {barons of privilege.`- It has increased the power' practical, and wise Negroes."
     of the state to alarming `proportions with serious                We thought you might be interested in this rather
threat to our personal liberties.                              /    unusual approach to the' race-question. '
        "5. The Christian should recognize that he lives                     4                                J. Howerzyl.

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