     VOLUME  XXIX                                 APRIL   1,  1953  -,GRAND   RAPIDS,   MICHIGAN                      NUMBER   13


  .:. ,-I-,-,,-,,-`,-,-`,-~,-,,-~,-`,-`,-~,--,,-,-,-~,-~,-,,-,.~'              Did it not really imply that he was considered out-
            M E  D IT  A  `I'  I  .Q  N                              1.. side of the circle of those that were worthy still to be
  i.~)-OH-`N`,HM,-(,--`--`-,,-~,-,-~-,-,-~,-`~,-`~~. called disciples of Jesus the Christ?
                                                                               And was, from this viewpoint, Peter not worthy
                        . And km!                                         of the distinction?
                                                                              *Oh, how.he had distmguished himself, indeed !
               (`. . .  TeU his disciples and  Peter!? -Mark  16:`7b.
     And Peter!                                                               He had plainly separated himself. from the rest of
      Tell his disciples ar& [Peter!                                      the disciples; first of all by his self-confident boast.
      Thus the angel had commissioned the women, when How the Lord had-warned, "Simon, Simon, Satan hath
  they had come to perform a last service upon the body                   desired to sift you as wheat, but I have praye,d for thee
  of their beloved Lord, but found the grave where He that thy.faith fail not.`" And again: "All ye shall be
  had been laid vacated.                                                  offended." - And lastly : "Thou shalt deny me thrice !"
     And thus, it is evident, the angel had spoken- to                   But Peter had given no heed. Boldly, strong in self-
  the amazed woman, not on his own authqrity, but" as                    confident courage,  he- had contradicted the Lord.
  they were enjoined by the Risen Victor over death.                      "Lord," thus. he had boasted, "I am ready to go with
  Glearly, `his first thought, as He awoke from the sleep                 Thee into prison and into death." I He had exalted
  of .death and issued forth from the rock-hewn sepul- himself openly above all the rest of the disciples when
  chre, had been of His disciples, and the memory of he had maintained: "Though all should .be off ended,
- His disciples had fixed-His mined with special distinc-                I shall never be off ended !" He had cast the last warn-
 tion upon*Peter.  .And so He had ordered: "When the                     ing to the wind by the boastful exclamation: "Though
 first visitors approach my vacated sepulchre, let- them                 I should die with Thee. I-shall never deny Thee !"
 tell my disciples . . . and Peter, that I have risen !"                    Thus he had distinguished, himself by boasting!
     And no doubt these women visitors, still amazed                        ~- And as high as had- been the imaginary rock of
 and little understanding the full significance :of' that                his self-confidence, so awfully deep had become the
 blessed morning, had carried the message most lit-                      precipice of his fall!
 erally and reported how the "young man"' that was                            For, also by a most shameful and cowardly denial,
 sitting in the empty grave had enjoined upon them to                    Peter had distinguished himself from the disciples!
 tell His disciples . . . and P,eter! And years afterward In the dark hour of his Master's humiliating trial he
 that marvelous distinction still stands out boldly be-                  had forsaken Him, denied that he ever knew  Hi,m,
 fore the consciousness of the disciple, thus singled out ;              sworn with an oath that he would have nothing to do
 and he must have impressed it upon Mark, the author                     with Jesus of: Nazareth ! Not `before overwhelming
 of the second gospel  .narrative:  When thou writest forces of` the. enemy, and after a desperate attempt
 in order the things Jesus began both to do and to                       to remain faithful to the end, but  bef,ore  a simple
 teabh, f,orget  not to aecord that first blessed message                damsel .and upon the very first inquiry as to his re-
 from the Risen Saviour : Tell His disciples and Peter!                  lationship to. Jesus of Nazareth had Peter denied his
     What a `distinction !             ..           :.                   Master and abjur.ed his part with the Lord of glory!
     How siinple, yet how pregnant with significance !                    I  -And now? T&--his disciples . . :' and,. Pete?!
     How it must have. cut Peter to .the quick, to be thus                 No, Peter had not forgotten his sin ! Deeply wound-
 ,distinguished  from the rest of the disciples!                         ed was his heart because of his shameful denial. Even


 29'0                                        T H E   STANDA&  B E A R E R

 in that dark night of his fall the Lord had not forsaken             And there was  shame: self-condemnation, darkness,
 him. He had continued to pray for the' disciple that unspeakable soyrow in his heart!
 his faith fail not.  _. That prayer, the single look of              Had not the Lord declared: he that denieth me,
 wounded love the SaCour had cast uponhim, the crow- shall be denied by Me? And what, if that word is to
 ing of the cock according to the word of the Master-              be applied to him, who had in strongest terms repeat-
 these all had  Gorked  to save the disciple from the              edly denied Him in the dark night of His suffering?
 abyss of destruction into  which he would cast  him-                 And then . . . .
 s&:~:.And   he had gone out of the court of the high
Ij'l;&t's  palace to weep bitterly in heartfult sorrow and d          The message of the worqen.carries  to him the love
                                                                   of Jesus! To the disciples, yes, but also distinctly to
 l&(,:;pf$itence. And the following days had brought Peter! Had the message been melrely for the disci-
 h'&&~re&. Miserable he had been and his sin was                   ples the wretched Peter might have concluded still
 continually before him. He had not forgotten !
         Yet, the first message of the risen Lord must have        that it was not for him, seeing he`hacl excluded him-
 cut into that heartwound still more deeply: "Tell my              self from their fellowship. But now there could be' no
 disciples . . . and Pl&er  !"                                     doubt. The Lord remembered him, thought of him as
         Thus is the gospel of salvation.                          soon as He opened His eyes from the sleep of death,
         It cuts before it heals!                                  remembering him distinctly, remembered him in love,
                                                                   and realizing the need of His wretched disciple. had
                            fx.*  r$  *                            emphasized: My disciples . . . and Peter, do not for-
                                                                   get to bring him my love!
         And Peter!                                                   How easily can Tive realize the need' of this distinc-
         My disciples . . . and Peter!            b                tive message of the Saviour in' the soul of His wret-
         What a distinction! A distinction not  only re-           ched disciple !
 minding the wretched disciple of his fall and miser-                 -Who does not know the times when one's sins seem
 able faithlessness, but also carrying a m&sage of in-             so numerous, one's unfaithfulness so' great, one's
 finite love! ,                                                    transgression so deliberate, that he would exclude him-
     IGod's love is always first!                      *           self frdm the communion of those that love the Lord
         Not only is it first in time, seeing He loved us from     Jesus Christ, that he dare not deem himself worthy
 before the foundation of the world. Suu~ly, that too              to be called a disciple any more, that the rich promises
 is true. He loved us in His everlasting good pleasure. of the gospel he dare not apply to himself?
         But it is first in nature, it is always first in rela-       Times  wher, we would fain have the Lord single
 tion to our love of Him. The root, the infinite source us out, call us by name, assure us individually, per-
-of our love it is. For He does not love us because we             sonally, directly, that He still loves?
 loved Him. Neither did He choose to love us because                  That. distinctive message is here!
 we loved Him. Neither did He choose to love us be-                   Tell my disciples . . . .
 cause He foresaw that we would love Him, but-freely,                 And Peter !
 sovereignly, for His own Name's sake. We love be-
 cause He- loves first. Our love is rooted in His love,
 i,$  never more than a reflection of His infinite love,,
 a return of the beam of light it pleases Him. to send                Peter !
 forth into our hearts. It is never our love but His that             How the Lord took care to convey His l&e- to His
 is-first in character, in nature, in principle . . . .            wandering sheep in the few words of the message!
         That is why His love remains, is immu$able;  can             It is Peter now, not Simon.
 "stand alone !                                             ~_        What a comfort for the disciple even in the choice
         Tell My disciples . . . a& Peter!                         -of that name ! Well he knew that the Lord chose His
         Blessed distinction !                                     words not carelessly, but so that each syllable carlried
         It tias the message of `which Peter had need!             its  own~meaning. Deeply he felt how the Lord had
         The message of immutable, living; seekilig,  saving,      inten%ionally mentioned his new nam.e,  the name that
 folrgiving love !                                                 denoted not what he was of himself, in his own
         As far as Peter's manifestation .was concerned,           strength, but what he had become and could only be
 the relation betw;een  the Saviour and himself had b&en           through'the grace .of his Lord. The Rock !
 broken forever. He had severed. all bonds of fellow-                 Just- as carefully the Lord had called him by his
 ship. M&t eJnphatically  had he expressed it, had he __ old name, not many hours before this morning of the
 declared it under oath and repeatgd  it till the third            resurrection, when all that was of Pet& had been hid
 time t&& 1le was none of His!                                     behind his empty boast and all that was of the old


                                                                                                                                                                                     291

      Simon had revealed itself : Simon, @imop, Satan hath                                                                                                                                 -*
      desired to sift you as wheat! . . . .                                                       THE   STANDARD  BEARER
          And ..Simon had fallen into the abyss of shame and
      sin !                                                                             Semi-monthly, except monthly during  July and August
         Would that ,earlier word of Christ now still be true!                   Published by the  REFORMED   FREE  PUBLISHING   ASSOCIATION
                                                                                                Box 124, Station C, Grand Rapids 6, Michigan
      Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock will I build my                                            Editor  -  REV.   HERMAN   HOEKSEMA
      &hixch ?. . . . .                                                       Communications- relative to contents should be addressed to Rev. H.
          Tell Peter! Those were the' very words of the                       Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin  St.,  S.E.  Grand Rapids 7, Michigan.
                                                                              All matters relative  to  subscriptions should be addressed to Mr. J.
      Saviour ! And they carried-to the heart of the sorrow-             `Bowman, 1350 Giddings Ave., S.E., Grand *Rapids 6, Michigan.
      ful disciple a world ,of comfort-and cheer. So, then,                   Announcements  ahd Obituaries must be mailed to the above address
      the L:ord would still consider hiti the Rock. .-Though                  and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each notice.
                                                                              RENEWALS:           Unless a definite request for discontinuance is received,
      all that he was by nature had sunken in the mire of                     it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscription to continue
      sin and faithles@tess, though sinful Simon had openly                   without the formality of a renewal order.
      and emphatically beliea the glorious confession that                                             Subscription price: $4.00 per year
      onoe graced his lips: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of                      Entered  `as Second Class matter at Grand Rapids, Michigan
      the living God," though according to his old name he
      was not worthy to be called a disciple any more and
      he had broken all bonds of fellowship with the Maste,r
      he loved ;.yet he was &ill the Rock, still he stood, still       )-,II)YI"
                                                                                           II)-(I-`
                                                                                                          ,-,,-`
                                                                                                                      ,-,,--,,-,~--,-~,-~,--,,-~,-~,-,,-


      the powerful grace of the Saviou? upheld him. Still                                                      C O N T E N T S
      he was  Peter!  s                                                MEDITATION-
          Tell him what ?.                                                       And Peter! . . . . . . . . :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
               The grave is empty. The Lord is. risen. Tell my                           Rev. G.  Vos
      disciples . . . and Peter, th@ I live-and that all that is EDITORIALS-
      implied in the blessed message of the Iresurrection  is                     Conditions in the Light of Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
                                                                                         Rev.  H. Hoeksema
      wholly for them, for them all, for l?eber  !
               No, even now, on this beautiful morning of eternal      O F   Boons- .
                                                                                  D e   B i j b e l   Toegelicht   voor  h e t   Nederlandsche  Volk . . . . . . . 293
-     gladness and joy of salvation, the disciples would not                     `Hkfdlijnen-in  de Dogmatiek-Rev.  S. G.  De  Grmf . . . . . . . . . 293
      and could not fully comprehend what oceans of heaven-                              Rev. H. Hoeksema
      ly joy were opened  up  before  th.em in that glorious
     message. The Lord `is risen ! He is not in the grave !            OUR   DOCTRINB-
                                                                                  The Triple Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..c...... 294
      He is not dead' but. He liveth ! It is the message that                            R e v .   H .   i+xksema
      spells the victory of the cross, the righteousness of            THE  DAY  OF  SHADOWS-
      Zion and her redemption, the swallowing up of all the                       Absalom Slain . . . . . . . . . . . .                                           . . . . .  .  ..  .  .  . 297
      dark night of sin and transgression, of death and hell.                            R e v .   G .   M .   OphoE
               It is the message of our justification, of complete I.N  HIS  FEAR-
      forgiveness and adoption !                                                  That Fifth Sparmw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... . . . .                             . . . . . 301
               It is the beginning of eterna! joy, the first fruits                  R e v .   J .   A .   H e y s
      of an entire harvest of redeemed of ,God in Christ Je- FROM   HOLY  WRIT-
      sus, our Lord!                                                     _        Exposition of Isaiah 53  :8,9.  `. . . . . . .......... . . . . .  . . . . . . 303
               A great light has arisen ! A light of righteousness                R e v .   G .   L u b b e r s
      and  holifiess and wisdom and complete Pedemption!               THE  VOICE  OF  OUR   FATHERS-
               Tell them all, that their sins are forgiven, however               The Canons of  `Dordrecht  . . . . . . . .                                                  . . . . . 305
      great, however numerous, howev& shameful they be!                                  Rev. H. C. Hoeksema
      The bloody tree and its blood blotted out Peter'sdenial,         CONTENDING   FOR   THE  FAITH-
      swallowed up all the dark sin of %hose whom the Fa-                         Why Doctrines Have A History . . .                          . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . 307
      thetr loved before the world's foundation!                                         Rev. H.  Veldman
               Let the message go forth ! Let it gladden still the     DECENCY   AND  ORDER-
                                                                                  Good Order `. . . .~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . .                                        . . . . . 309
      hearts of all that are bowed down. ,,_                                            -Rev. G.  Vanden  Berg
               The %ord is risen ! Zion,. thy righteotisness shines    ALL   AROUND  Us-
      forth as the morning!                                                       Hoeksema's Foolish Binding? . . ...* . . . ..*......... . . . . . . . . 311
                                                                                  Woman  Sufferage in the Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
         Tell His disciples!                                                      Prayers for the Liberated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
               And Peter!                                                                 Re;.  M .   Schipper
                                                           .---H'H;     emml-m-r- -uHII)I-I--MR
                                                                                          -.


     292                                `.  -+jfg.E   $,TA.N~AA~)   BEARER
                                                                                                           .--
                                                           ,
.~*,~m-,~,-,-~~c~~~-~~~~~~~l~l~~ol~~~~~~,~`.~                               miniahs can admit, either in words pr in effect. Far
     I                                                                      if  #by salvation by grace Calvinists understand  l&at
                E  l-J-1  $0  R.1  A  L'
                                                                $      4
     I                                                                 1    faith and obedience have no ,connectio.n whatever with
     . .i ..-.-,-l,-`-l-,,-~-~-`,-,-~,-,,-~,-~,-~~`,-,-,-,-,,-,,,~.         salvation, either as conditions or otherwise, this view
                                                                            bf salvation by grace must be rejected by Arminians,
          ' Coniktions  in the Light of Scripture.                          as directly contrary to the Scriptures. And this, we
                                                                            are persuaded, is the sense in which salvation by grace
            We must agree, therefore, that the tel:rn con&&ion              is understood, when it is said that the Arminian sys-
     ah0 in theological and dogmatical parlance Certainly                   tern  does in eBect destroy it  ~2
                                                                                     7          7           .
     means a requisite, or prerequisite, ,in order that some-
     thing else may take effect.                                               Here. is another quotation :
                                                                               "The plain difference between, Calvinism and Ar-
            When, for instance, we say that God promises us                 minianism, on this subject, is this :- Calvinists cannot
     salvation on condition that we .believc:,  the meaning see how salvation can be of grace, if it have any re-
     can only be that unless we fulfill the condition' or the apect to faith, or anything else as a condition ; where-
     prerequisite of `believing, the promise of ~God `&n take as Arminians, while they understand that repentance
     no effect. IOur act of believing is first, and the effect toward IGod, and faith toward our Lord <Jesus. Christ,
     of the promise, follows.                                               are indispensable conditions bf salvation with all to
            When we -say that God promises us forgiveness of                whom the gospel is addressed, understand at the same
     sins on condition that we repent,  the only  men@g time, that salvation is entirely from beginning to- end,
     can p&sibly be that our act of ,repenting  is a requisite              a work of God through grace."          _
that must precede ,God's  a& of forgiveness. Or again,
.                                                                              How closely the ATminians se&m to approach the
     If we say that God gives us the assurqnce of forgive-                  Reformed conception of sovereign grace, while yet the
     ness on condition that we repent, it certainly means two views are as wide apart as east is distant from
that ~God's act of giving'us assurance -follows upon our the west, may be gathered from the following quota-
`act of repentance.  &Ian must do  sbmething before  tion.                                                        .I
     God will do something.                                                    "If it still be. insisted that salvation cannot be as-
          Again, when we say that God will ,give Us Hi'! Holy               cribed to grace, if it be suspended on a condition, then
     Spirit on condition that we pray, it. -certainly means the charge of inconsistency or heterodoxy must be
that we must fulfill the requirement  of prayer before                      made upon the Bible itsel'f ; for nothing can be plainer
     God will give us His Holy Spirit.                                      than ,that God has promised to save the believer on
            When we say that God will preserve us unto sal- the condition of faith, and threatene'd to punish the
vation on condition that we persevere in the way of                         unbe!iever  in consequence of his unbelief and volun-
obedience, it means that our act of perseverance pre-                       tary rejection of the gospel. Notwithstanding,  sal-
     cedes  God's work of preservation.                                     -vation is thus suspended upon conditions, and, in a
            Once more, if we say that ,God will regenerate us certain sense, man by his own agency must determine
     on condition that we believe and accept Christ, it  his eternal-destiny, yet it may -easily be shown that
means  .that our act oft believing precedes God's work                      salvation is all the work of God through grace.
of regeneration.                                                               "1. Man is by nature utterly helpless, incapable
            From all these illustrations, .it is evident that the           of any good whatever, only as he is visited and streng-
term condition always refers to ati, act of man which                       thened by divine grace.
he must fulfill before any work of God can take ef-                            "2. It is attributable to grace alone that a plan of
feet.                                                                       mercy has been devised and. proposed to man.
            That, to say the-least, we may well be very much                   "3. Ndthing  that man can' do can avail anything
     afraid pf using the term condition is evident from the toward purchasing= salvation .by merit ; for when we
fact  thtit  so?e Arminians present  the  .difference  be-                  have done all that we can do, we are unprofitafile ser-
tween the Reformed and themselves as_hinging,upon vants.
                                                    . .
the use of this term.                                                          "4. The work of salvation, in all its stages, can be
            This is evident from the following q\lotations, for             performed, either in whole or in part, by none but
, which I am `indebted to the Rev. Ophoff, and which                        God; and this is ceitainly the work of grace, for none
     are quotations from a dogmatical work by Thomas N.                     can claim it at the hand of God as a matter of right,
Ralston. Writes he :.                                                       and it is of mere grace that `God has promised to save
            "That salvation is of grace, iti the sense in which the sinner, according to the plari of his own devising."
the term may be. explained, is perhaps. more_ than Ar-                         That all this sounds very orthodox and may even


                2                      T H E   STA.ND,ARD   BEARER-                                                                    293

appear to many-to be thoroughly Reformed, while yet
it has nothing to do with the Reformed faith of uncon-                                      O f   B O O K S
ditional election and unconditional salvation and un-
conditional promise, is evident to all that have &e Re-                DE BIJBEL  TOEGELZCHT  VOOR HET NEDERLANDSCHE
                                                                         VOLK. (The Bible explained for the Dutch people). Pub-
formed power of discernment.                                             lished by J. H. Kok, N.V., Kam.pen,  the Netherlands.
       -For it is not so much the question whether salva-              EXODUS, by Dr. P. N.  Kruyswijk.?
tion is of mere grace in the sense that it is entirely un-                In an introduction the writer points out the purpose or can-
.merited,  as whether God irresistibly and uncondition-                onical significance of Exodus as follows: "What is the purpose
ally works salvation in the heart of the sinner, ac-                   of the divine revelation in Exodus ? It purposes to proclaim the
cording to Eph.  2:8: "For by grace are ye saved                       continuation of God's redemptive work, whereby God  full'fills  His
through faith ; and that -not of yourselves : it is the                promises in the adoption of His people, and with a view to the
                                                                       coming of Christ."         '
gift of  .God."                                                           This volume in the series "De bijbel" etc. appears more in
,      I will cl&e these quotations from Ralston by an the nature of a brief commentary than some of the other vol-
interesting dialogue bet6een him and a Calvinist.                      umes in the same series. There is more exegesis here. And
       "Calvinist : Nay : but are not all the promises Yea             the  interpretatioti  of the text is sober, sound, and scriptural..
and Amen?                                                                 He  who wants  ,a brief commentary and can read Holland
       "Ralston: They are firm as the pillars of heaven. will ,do we1 to procure this book.
Perform the cgnditiops  and the promise is sure. Be-                   JElREMiIAH  I, by Rev. H. A. Wiersenga, Price f.2.85.
lieve and thdu shalt be saved.            __                              The introduction to this  first volume on the prophecies of
       `Zalvinist:  But many  promises  are absolute and Jeremiah confines  itself to a review of the historical back-
unconditional.                                       -                 ground of these prophecies.
       "Ralston: In many the condition is not expressed.                  Also in this volume  we find a little more than mere para-
                                                                       phrase of the text, although often we would liked to have seen
But this does not mean that none is implied, No pro- a little more explmation.  Considering, however, that a det,aZed
mise can be expressed in a more-absolute form than commentary was, evidently, not the purpose of redactors that
those from the 89th Psalm. And yet, as wf? have seen, conceived the plan of this work,  the Rev. Wiersenga has  ad-
a condition is implied even there, though none .be ex- minably quitted himself of his task. fie interpretation of the
pressed."                                                              text is usually sound. The  (style  is  clea?.
                                                                          I ,cannot  agree with the author's interpretation of ch.. 14:19-
     It therefore is not only an interesting, but also a               22, as if the carnal element of the people and not Jeremiah and
very import&t study, to find out whether Scripture the elect remnant are praying here.
really teaches conditions and conditional theology.                       Heartily recommended.
       In order to make this investigation, we shall nec-
essarily have to follow a certain order. knd the or-                                           -z-;-
der will be as follows :
       1. First of all,. we will follow the order of what is
called the regular.  Scri~~urcce,  that`is,  the answer to the         HOOFDLIJNEN IN DE DOGMATIEK (Outlines in Dogma-
                                                                         tics), by Rev. S. G. De `Graaf. J.H. Kok, N. V. Kampen,
question, Is cond.itional' theology in harmony with t&                   the Netherlands.  Price f.2.95.
current teaching of Scripture concerning  oilr  salva-                    This book was originally designed as a textbook to be used
vation ?                                                               in the "gereformeerde gymnasium." IIt is  extactly what it is
       2. Secondly, we hope to make study of what are designed to be: an outline of  dogmztios. ,
grammatical conditional sentences in Holy Writ.                          The author is afraid that, because of its abbreviated style
       3. And thirdly, we shall study some `other texts                and contents, the book may not always be clear to the reader.
that may be construed as teaching conditions.                          This fear is, to my mind, ungrounded. The author writes a
                                                                       very clear style, and the  contetis of the book should readily
                                                          - H . H .    be  g&sped,  especially by those for whom it is  sspecia1ly  de-
                                                                       signed, the advanced classes  of the "gymnasium."
                                                                          On p. 35 the  authoi   diaousses  the pro  ald con of' infra and
                                                                       supra without committing himself. Although what he writes
                     ---   /q                                          about the Son's being ordained as Logos would lead one to the
                                                                       conclusion that he must assume the supna-position (especially
                                                                       in the light of  ,Col.  1:15ff.),  from other passages it, neverthe-
                                                                       less, becomes evident that he agrees with the infra-standpoint
               MEETING JOF CLASSLS  EAST                               of the confessions. We prefer supra.
                                                                          We heartily recommend this little  volume to all that are
      Classis East meets Wednesday, April S, 1953 in the interested in refdrmed  dogmsatics  (and who should not be  ?).
Hope Protestant  Reformted   lChur&                                    and that can read Dutch.
                            Rev. G. Lubbers, Stated Clerk                                                                         - H . H .


       294                                  T H E   SThNDARD  B E A R E R
0                                                                                                      _.---
                                                                        m$de, even his eternal power and godhead; so that
       .~.,H,HI-(I-,Q)(NI,-,-~-,-,o,~,e`
                                               ,-,-"
                                                    -~-,,-,--,,-,.:.
      -1  OUR  DOCTIiINE  f they are without excuse." Rom. 1:20. - But do not
       P..~,--tU,-IUIMI(Q~,-,,-~,-~,-,,-~-,,--~,-,-,-"-,-,,-~:.         forget that through these things that are made "the
                                                                        wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ml-
                                                                        godliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
                  THE  TRII'L.ji  KNOtiLEDGE   -                        truth in unrighteousness," Rom. 1  :I% No natural
                                                                        theology can ever be constructed by that fallen man,
          AN EXPOSITION  C?F THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM                   so darkened in his understanding that he will always
                    PART III  - OF-THANKFULNESS                         `lie about the living God, and by that man as he stands
                                                                        in the midst of a cursed creation. There is indeed a
                            LORD 'S  DAY 35                             <revelation of God in all the things that are made, but
                                                                        this cannot be understood properly except by faith
                      3. God's Revelation (&.,t.)                       in Jesus Christ and in the light of that other, that
              Originally  IG o d revealed Himself in paradise higher, revelation which  *God gave in and through
       through the things that are made, in the Holy Spirit,            Him, and which we have in  tk;e Holy Scriptures.
       t6 the man as he stood in the image of IGod in the               There is, .therefore,  only one recipient of the revela-
       state of original righteousness. ,God had called out of          tion of God : the new man in Christ Jesus. In the light
       nothing; by: thB Word of His power, the whole b:eau-             of Christ do we see the light. He not only revealed
       tiful `universe. And every creature in that universe             the Father, but. He is the revelation of the God of our
       was indeed & Word of `God, a symbol by which God                 salvation. And this revelation we possess only in the
       ;revealed Himself to man. The whole creation spelled             Holy Scriptures.     In  Him the revelation of  ,God: in
       the name pf the Creator. For "the heavens declare the nature and in Scripture are one, even as God is One,
       glory of God ; and the firmament sheweth his handi- but always so that we can receive the former only ip
       work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto               tile light of the latter.
      night sheweth.  knowledge." Creation. was indeed an                  Standing by faith and through grace in the light
       elbgant  bodk, in which every creature was's Word of             of Him Who is the light of the world, and therefore
       God, declaring His glory, and spelling out His name.             taking our firm basis in Holy Scripture, we can hear
       And in the midst of that beautiful creation as-it stood          and understand the Word of God also in creation and
       in all its pristine clarity stood -man, who was capable          hi,story. In God's light w!e see the light. For then we
       of reading that book. Adam was formed after the                  not only discern: God's eternal ppwer and godhead, nor
       image of God. --And throdgh His Spirit God gave him              do we only behold *God's wisdom in the design clear-
     - the light of the true knowledge of Himself, in order             ly manife&in  all the works of His hands ; but we also
       that he might enter into the.fellowship of his Creator hear and understand the Word of His wrath in all the
       and glorify His'holy name.                                       groaning creation,-in. the howling storm, the roar-
              But  what did  nian do? He forsook the revela-            ing thunder, the devastition wrought by earthquake
       tion of his ,God, and turned to the lie of the devil. He         and volcano, by hail and fire, in the silent speech of
       proposed to say of himself wl-@ and how  -and what               the baPreq desert, &he thorn and the thistle, the groan-
      6.od is. The rresult. was darkness. For his mind was. ing creatuke,  the din of, the battlefield, and the cry of
       corrupted by the darkness of.the lie, so that he always          suffering and dying men. But even more: we see the
       loved the darkness rather than the light, and always             essential unity  df the so-called general  and special
       turned a deaf ear to the Word ,of [God, ,in order to fol-        #revelation  of God also in this, that the whole groaning
       low  after the lie  of. his own imagination. Through             creation as with uplifted head stands in expectation
       the fall the-recipient of `God's revelation was so chang-        of its participation in the glorious liberty of the chil-
       ed and corrupted  that he can no longer truly hear the           dren of God. For we see things happening in a parable.
      -Wol"d  .of .God. And not .only was the recipient of the          Adam is an image of the One that was to come and
       revelation changed, but also. the medium of that reve- that is to come again. The earthy is a picture of the
       lation through the works of God's hand in creation, heavenly.                 The sower that casts his- seed into the
       as- well as in.`providence,  was fundamentally altered.          ground,. the. seed itself that dies and lives again, the
       This dare  .never be  ,overlooked,  for the -creature is         sun in the heavens and the stars in multitude, the
       made to bear the curse of God and is  subjlected to              lion and the lamb, day unto day and night unto night
      `vanity. Man himself pines and dies through  the fierce then are heard to pour out the same speech, the pro-
      wrath of ,God upon him. It is true ,that,  "the invis- mise of redemption to be -realized in the kingdom of
       ible thin& of him from the creation of the world are             heaven that is at haizd. In that kingdom revelation
       clearly seen, being understood by the things that are            shall reach its highest possible level, in the tabernacle


                                       T-H%  S T A N D A R D   BEARER                                               295

  of God. There we shall see Him face to face, and              And therefore we must hear the Word that comes to
  know even as ,we are known.                                   us through the second co'mmandment  and in the whole
     `And to those that are redeemed and delivered `by          of Scripture : "Thou shalt ndt make unto thyself any
  the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, but who are        graven image of the God of thy salvation in Christ,
  still in their. sinful -flesh and in this world of dark- but hear and believe Hi! Word, the gospel concerning
  ness the God of our salvation comes through the law,          His Son."
  and says: "My people., I am J-ehovah your God, that
  delivered you otit of the land of Egypt, out of ,that ter-                      -     - E-1:
  rible bondage of sin and death in which you refused                  D
  to listen to my Word and followed after the lie of your                     4.  (God Is A Jealous God
  own imagination. I am IGod alone, and there is none
  beside me. I am the infinitely glorious Jehovah, exal-           The second commandment is motivated by a ter-
  ted above all that is called creature. And I am jealous       rible threat and a-.glorious  promise: ;`For I, the Lord
  of my honor, and will give it to no .other.  `Now; then,      thy dG6d,  am a jealous God, -visiting the iniquity of
  as I revealed myself to you in the face of my @on as          the fathers upon the children, unto the third and
 - the ,God of your salvation, listen to my speech. Re-         fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing
  ceive my revelati-on. Diligently hearken, unto my Word,       mercy unto thotisands  of them that love me, and keep
  the Word of the gospel of Christ. Do not speak, bLit          my commandm&ts."
  listen.. Be silent, and hear my Word. Never say any-             Jealousy is rooted in love. We are not jealous of
  thing of yourselves about the Christ in Whom I reveal         strangers, that bear no nelatibn to us or to those whom
  myself to you, but listen to my Word. For I am not we love, but only of those that &and in love relation
- a creature like you. I am not like anything you see           to us and whom we love. Thus, a man is jealous of
  or hear or touch or taste or handlie or even imagine in       his wife, Numb&s 5:12,ff.: "Speak unto the children
  your heart. I am God, Jehovah, the infinitely `glorious       of Israel, and say unto  th.em,  If any man's wife go
  Lord. What ever you think or  ,speak about me in              aside, and commit a trespass against him, And a man
  yourselves must surely be a lie, an imagej a product          lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of
  of your darkened mind. Therefore be very still, and . her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and
  let me speak to you through my Word and Spirit con-           ther.e be no witness against her, neither she be taken
  cerning myself in my Son Jesus Christ, and you shall          with the manner; And the spirit of jealousy come
  be saved."                                                    upon him, an'd. he be jealous of his wife, and she be
     Such is. the Word of <God  to us in the second com-        d&led : or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and
  m a n d m e n t .                                             he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then
     We must  therefore diligently hear the Word of             shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he
  God.                                                          shall bring her offering for. her," etc. That indeed
     If we fail to do this and to heed. the Word of God         also in God jealousy is rooted in His lovk is evident
  as revealed in the Holy Scripteres,  the result is dis-       from the  secoqd commandment itself. For in His
                                                                                       .+. . . :
  astrous. `This you may ascertain for yourselves by            jealousy He not or,ly vlslts the iniquity of the fathers
  simply looking round about you in the modern church,          upon the children unto the third and fourth gener-
  and by taking note of what mere men make of the               ation, but He  a'lso shows mercy u&o thousands of
  revelation of Christ and the gospel of God concern- them that love  &im and keep His commandments.
  ing His Son. the moment they forsake the Scriptures `That both wrath and mercy can be rooted in- the love
  and make their own image of the )Christ revealed in           of God is explained from the fact that  `God always
  the,ti. Then they deny that He is the Son `of God, the        loves Himself, and all  crea%ures  only for His own
  only begotten God in the flesh, and redude Him to mere        name's sake. Hence, He is jealous of His own. glory,
  man. Then they look upon Him as a good man, and               and will never give it to another.
  an' ideal man, who died for his principles ; but they            That this motivation ocsurs with the second com-
  trample the blood of atonement under foot. Then they mandment must be explained from the fact that it is
  deny that God raised Him from the dead, that He is            especially image worship that is an attack upon the
  the exalted Lord at the right hand of God, and that           glory of God and that denies His infinite majesty.
  He shall come again to judge the quick-&d the dead.           This, however, does not mean that the jealousy of God
  Just as in Adam we forsook the Word of `God our Cre-          is limited only -to the second commandment. It has
  ator, to speak and rely- upon ou?  own' word, so we           been correctly remarked that it concerns especially
  once more then trample under foot the".revelation  of         also the first commandment. _ We read in Ex. 34 :12-
  the God of our salvation, and deny His power to save.         14 : "Take heed to thyself,- lest thou make a covenant
                                                                                                            J


  296                                       I+HE  STANDARC  B E A R E R
                                                   \
  with the inhabitants of the land tihither'thou goest,           that ever. came and shall come out of his loins. In
  lest it -be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall      this sense (God surely visits the sin of our first father
  destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down          upon all. For "by one man sin entered into, the world,
  their groves: For thou  shait worship no other god:             and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men,
  fdr the  L'ord, whose name  js Jealous,  .is a jealous  for that all have sinned." Rom. 5  :12. But even in
  iGod." And in Deut.  6:13-15: "Thou shalt fear the this case the sin of the father is not visited  upon his
  Lord thy God,  and serve him, and shalt swear by his righteous children. For by that one sin all men have
  name. Ye shall not go after  ot@er  gbds,. of the gods become corrupt, totally depraved, incapable of doing
  of the people' which are round about you ; OFor the             any good, and inclined to all evil, so that the Word of
  Lord thy  (God is a  j~ealous   IGod among  you, lest the       &ripture is applicable to all men, "There is none
  anger of the Lord i.hy IGod be kindled against thee, and righteous, no not one ; there is none that understand-
  destroy thee from off the face of. the earth."` . ..l$ore-      eth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are
  over. it must be remembered that the first, .and alsd the. all gone out of the w.ay, they are altogether become
  second commandment are basic for the whole law,                 unprofitable:  th&e is none that doeth good, no not
  arid that therefore this motivation that God is a jeal-         one." Rom. 3:10-12. The result is that all the children
  bus God applies unddubtedly to all the T.en Words.              of Adam actu$ly do sin. They all corroborate and show
         In His jealousy God- shows Himself, fir& of all, as      in their whole life that they heartily agree with the
  a IGod of wrath and a consuming fir& He visits' the             sin which Adam committed, so that if they stood a-
  iniquity of the fathers upon their chilclren-in the third       gain before the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
  and fourth generation.                                          they certainly would commit the same rebellion against
         The question is: how must this be understood?            .God: "Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their
         It is evident that this cannot mean that God ever        tongues they have used .deceit-; the poison of asps is
  punishes righteous children for the sins of their wick-         under their lips: Whose `mouth is full of cursing and
  ed fathers. Even though it may be true that the con-            bitterness : There feet-.are  swift to shed blood : De-
  sequences of certain sins run in the line of genera-            struction and misery. are in their ways : And the way
  tions, according to Scripture it. certainly is not true         of peace have they not known : There is no fear of
  that God punishes innocent children for the sins which' IGod  befor,e theii eyes." Rom.  3:13-M. Hence, even
  the .fathers have committed.         This is very  _ evident in the case.of the relation of the human race to Adam
  from Eiekidl 18. There we  `!&ad: "The word of the              it cannot.be said that God visits the iniquity of the
  Lord came unto me, saying, What ,mean ye that ye                wicked fathers upon the righteous children.
  use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,                                                             H.H.
  *he fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's
  teeth are set on edge? As I live, saibh.the Lord God,
  ye shall not have occasion any mor.e to use this pro-
  verb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine ; as the soul                                   Is'
  of the father, SO also the soul of the son is mine: the                                                       _'
 -.c*
  soti1  .th?t sinneth, it shall die." vss. l-4. And in the        _
  same .chapter,  vss. 14-17: "Now, lo, if he beget a son,
  that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done,
  and considereth, and doeth not such like, That hath not                 ,God is known among His people,              L
  eaten upon the mountains, neither bath iifted up his                       Every mouth His praises fill ;
  eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not de-                  From of old He hath established
  filed his neighbor's.  wife, Neither hath oppressed any,                   His abode on Zion's hill ;
  hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled
  by violence, but hatli givell his bread to the hungry,                  There He broke the sword and arrow,
  and hath covered the naked with a garment, That                            Bade the noise of war be still.
 hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not -
  r`e`ceived  usury nor increase, ha.th executed my judg-                 Excellent and glorious art Thou,
 .mlents, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die                       With Thy trophies from the f&y;
  for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live."-
         It is' true, of course, that there is such a thing as            Thou hast slain the vali$&hearted,
  organic and corporate responsibility. [God created the                     Wrapt in sleep of death are they ;
  whole race in Adam as the *head. The first sin of                       When Thy anger once is risen,
tAdam  tias imputed to -every  individual`human being                        Who can stand in that -dread day?


                                          T H E ` S T A N D A R D   ..B,EARER  -                             !               297
                                                                                                                               -
  5                                                                       .Absalom  was the inspiration and leader of the in-
                                                                 surrection. As with him dead there could be no point
  I     7iTiE DAY  .OF  SHAl)OtVS'  1 to continuing the carnage, the sign for the cessation .
                                                                 .of hostilities was now given. _
                         Abselom~Slain   :.  _                            "And  b.lew Joab the trumpet,  and  the people  re-
                                                                 turnad from pursuing after Israel : for Joab restflained
             -          II  <Samuel  18:14-M                     the  people.,,'  i6.           ._
       As was said,. "the mah's" words were cutting. All                  Absalom's dead body the!y cast into a great pit in
  that Joab could manage in the way of seply was that the. forest and buried it under a great heap of stones
  he would not thus tarry with "the man" wasting time            ,that  -was madi to rise f.rom the earth *a pillar. The
  in useless  argument. Absalom in the meantime might text makes me&on of another ljillar in this connec-
  escape by himself or some of the people with as lit-           tion. It was the one Ehat Absalom in his life had reared
  tle courage as "this man" might r&lease him- from the          up for. himseIf in the king's dale to keep his name in
  tree and deliver him up to David alive. Unable to              remembrance, seeing that. he had no son, and upon
  understand David's attitude, he was determined to see          which f,or that -purpose and reason he called his own
  to it that Absalom did not Igave that forest alive.            named.
       And jqab said, Not will I thus tarcry with thee [amd               Two pillars then.  What-  majr be the difference?
  said Joab, Not may I thus tarry with the.e]`. 14.              Abialom's pillar, the  one reared` by Absalom, signi-
       "I will not tarry," is correct. For the form of the fied Absalom as he stood out in his own mind, a ma&
  verb in the Hebrew-the cohortative-shows the di-               a great one in the earth, with a  name above every
  rection of the will.       "I  will  not tarry" also agrees    name in the kingdom, opposing and exalting himself
  better with the character. of the unscrupulous and             above all that is called `God and sitting in the temple
  self-willed Joab.                                              of ,God, showing himself that he is (God. So Absalom
       If there was ever a mortal that deserved to die,          wante.d  himself remembered.
  it was Absaloti. But it wasnot Joab's-place to execute                  The other pillar, the-one in the forest, signified this
  judgment over Absalom. David was king and judge ' same Absalom as he stood out in IGod's mind, seated
  in Israel and not he. Had David been lenient with              in the temple. of God indeed, lout Only for a moment
- the: traitor by allowing him to live, that would have -z@d because God put him there and sustained him by
  been his responsibility. Joab should also have searched        His power, and thus a man shortly cohsummed with
 -his heart whether he was being activated by the prin- tl:e  .Spirit  .of God's mouth, and destroyed with the
  ciple of true love of God or by a natural attachment           brightness of His coming, and %or- whom hell was re-
  for David and by the mere consideration that it was moved from beneath to-meet him at his coming; So
  altogether ,expedient  that he rid the land of Absalom.        Absalom actually was remembered. For [God wanted
  In the latter case, he was about to commit another             it  s o .
  murder.         Btit God willed, also, certainly, to spare
  his servant ,the agony of being. torn between his de-                   The defeat  and.  destru&iop  of Absalom and his
  sire to spare Absalom, whom,he couldn't stop loving,           government and army is indeed prophetic of the de-
  should he have been delivered up to him alive; and the feat and destructi6n.  of the antiichristian  world-power
  duty devolving upon him as judge to inflict upon him           of this present dispensation of the world-a power                   _
  the punishment of  d_eath;   _                I                that in -allegiance iyith the false church rises and op-
       Hastening with his-ten armour  bearers to the spot        erates in countries nominally Christian. And this
  where Absalom was suspended from the tree,  ,and               makes kbsalom a: forerunner of the antichrist,. which
  finking that he was still alive, Joab thrust through           indeed he was, seeing that he had lifted his hand
  his heart the three spears with which he had come              against David and. against Christ,
  supplied. Still not satisfied, he  orctered his ten  ar- , Ancl they, took Absalom and cast him in the forest
  mour bearers to follow his example. Surrounding their          in. tc great pit an$ set. Upon him,`a very great heap of
 victim they smote him until there could be no doubt             stones,  .and all  Is?ael  fkd  every  man to his tent.
 that he was dead.                                                                                     .-
                                                                 17..        - .      _
       And he too.k three spears'&  his hand and thrust           Ancl A-bsalom hdd taken and  rear&l to himself in
 them through the heart of Absalom, while he was. yet            his lifetime ,a ,pillur which was in the king's dale : for
  alive in the heart of the tree.,,. Amd surrounded hifi
  the ten young men, bearers qf ,the arms of Joab, a&l           he saicl; ..TheW  is not to me .a son to keep in remem-
 they smote Absalom and killsd him. 14, 15.                      brci,nce my nake. .~.And `he called the pillar after his


  298                     d               THE.  ST.AND&R'D   ..BEARE;R

  own name. And it  is called to  this day the  h&d  of          six thousand were placed in different  distyicts over
 Absalom.  18                                                    the land as officers and judges ; twenty-four thousand
                                                                 were appointed to set forward the work of the Lord,
                                                                 and four thousand were porters; while the remaining
                                                                 four thousand were appointed to prais,e  the Lord with *
                                                                 the accompaniment of  - instrunients of music. All and
         To  mlderstand fully the  significancie of the issue    much more was his work, the details of which  ar`e
  of this conflict, so full of  .,Gospel  for David  and all     contained in the First Book of Chronicles.
  the saints, we must go back to.David's  deep fall into            But to his enemies he was a hypocrite still. And
  sin, to his adultery and murder of Uriah the Hittite.          they  refusgd to change their mind about him. Also
         How this sinning of David inust have shocked and        that as king in Z.ion-he had subdued all of Israel's en-
 `pair&d  the true children of' ,God in Israel, when they        emies far and near left them cold. They  sitiply in-
  learned. about it, can well be imagined. We may be             sisted that he was reprobated and nothing of ail that
  certain that they had always esteemed him as a great he said or did could change their  atti$+? toward
  man of God.~_ But it would not have be&n St&Tie, -if           h i m .
  now they found themselves wanderifig  whether they                And how these people abused him. Quoting at
  had not been mistaken in him. But taking hotice of             random from  hid psalms, their words to him were
  his self-abasements dnd tears of contrition, and also          drawn swprds,  their teeth spears, their tongue a sharp
  hating  ,learned from Nathan the prophet that- the             sword. They came to` eat his flesh, fought against
, Lord had forgiven him, they again took him tb their            him, without a cause hid for him their net+ sought af-
  bosom and f.orgave  him as the Lord had. done. And             ter his soul, mewarded  him good for evil, gnashed upon
  their old confidence in h-is `integrity  `ieturned. He. him with their teeth, open&d wide their mouth against
  was again their revered and beloved king in Zion; the          him and said Ha ! Ha ! sought his hurt continually,
  anointed of the Lord.                                          shot out the lip to him, shook their head and' swal-
         But. there were others among the people, and their      lowed him up daily. And finally they. got back of
  number must have been considerable, who insisted that Absalom, who was after his throne, and drove him
  a man could not sibm-ply do the things that he had,done        from the holy city, as though he were one accursed.
  and still be a saint at hesrt.  [Of this they were cer-        Even his `own ;familiar friend, in whom he trusted,
  tain. -And all his conf.essions  of sin and tears of con- which did eat his bread, lifted up his heel against  -,
  trition,. as  .reflected  in  his penitential psalms, that     him. And seei::r his calamity, they mockingly said,
  were regularly being sung or chanted by the choirs             He trusted. in Go,d, let him deliver him, seeing that he
  pf the sanctuary, ..for  *hose use he had composed             delighted in him. They parted his garments among
  them, were but so much more.evidence  to these, people them, and cast lots upon his vesture, and  thei? ex-
  that he was the yilest of men, a consummate hypocrite,         pressed hope was that he would die, and his name
  an accursed one, whose portion was with the damned.            perish.  Overw.helmed  with the horror of their tor-
  His tears were not sincere. He was simply &ying to             ment, he wished that he had wings like a dovIe, that
  make an impression in order to have men forge't all he could fly &way and be at peace.
  about his past gross sins, and again think well of                tit
                                                                            a.  h h
                                                                             we ave ere in the total of these statements              .,
  him. So they said. And the deep&r he debased him-. is the description of a carnal hatred amazing in its
  self, the harder they mocked. To quote him, "When intensity.+                                                                 `.
  I `wept and chastehed my soul with fasting, that was              And. as .they treated him, so they treated his great
  to .my reproach. I made sackcloth also my garment;             Son, the ,Christ of.sGod,  when l?le walked among them.
  and I became a proverb to them. They that sit in the           Being the holy Son of [God, He gave them no occasion.
  .gate  speak against me; and I was a solig to the drunk-       But what they could not get from Him-occasion,
  ards." (Ps. 69). Being his sworn enemies, they sim- pretext, excuse for reviling Him-they simply supplied.
  ply wanted him wicked.                                         -Because He came eating and drinking, they called `Him
         Nor did his zeal fbr God's house make any difier-       a glutton and a winebibber. When they saw Him cast
  `ence with these people. He had brought the-ark, which out devils, &y concluded against all reason that He,
  was the glory of Israel, and which had been-for a long         Himself, must -be devil-possessed. His mingling with
  time at Kirjath-j`earim,  to Jerusalem, and had danced         sinners, whdm He cam@ to save, was to them proof
  before it as  drkssed in an  ephod.  He arranged the           enough that he was a low character. Why should He
  priests into twenty. foul: courses, giving to-. each its       -
  order by lot.. The'Levit&; o,f which there w*ePe  thirty-        "The   psalb  of  Da& on which I drew  for these statements
                                                                 a?e the following: 22, 27 31, 32, 35, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 55, 56,
  eight thqusand men of thirty years old and upward,             57, 62, 64, 69, 70.


                               .


                                           fEi%  STANDARD  B%AQ%R                                                       299

       otherwise want to be seen with such people? , They               But I a& a worm, and no man ; a reproach of men,
       accused Him of blaspheming God on the ground of His       and despised of the people.'
       affirming that He was God's Son.                !                All they that see me laugh me to scorn ; they shoot
          And what did not they do to Him on the basis of        out the lip, they shake the head, saying,         0
     these trumpt-up charges when  His hour was  come,             - He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him:
       and He had delivered Himself up into their hands!         let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
       They. spit on Him, and they mocked and buffeted Him              But thou art he that took me out of the womb:
       and smote Him in the face and scourged Him, and           thou didst make me hope  when I was upon. my
       then they expelled Him from the holy city and nailed      mother's  bseasts.
       Him to a cross. And what didn't they' do to Him even             I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my
       as He hung there f?om that @ross ! We well knoti. It      God from my mother's blelly.
       all has been recorded. They mocked and reviled Him.              Be- not far from me; for trouble is near; for
       They shook th&ir heads and railed on-Him. They de- there is no helper.
       fied Him to  come down from that Cross, if He  was               ,Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of
       the king of the .Jews.  .' kll this and much more they Bashan have beset me around.                                .:, -1
       did to Him. And mark yo$, He was the sinless Christ.             They operied their- mouths against me, as a raven-
          It speaks well f,or David. It completely exonerates    ing and a ,ioaring  lion.
       him and throws all the blame on his tormentors. True,            I am. poured out like vyater,  &cd all my bones are
      `he had sinned grievously. And his faults and fail-        out of joint ; my heart is like wax ; it melteth in the
       ings were many. For he was but a sinful man. But          midst of my bowels.
      he confessed and forsook his sins, didn't he? And                 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my
       he put on Christ so that the life df the Saviour was      tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; and thou ha& brought
       manifest in him. And God forgave him. And it -was me intb the dust of death.
       known to. all including his enemies that his sins were           For dogs have compassed me ; the assembly of the
       pardoned and that iti him they beheld a new creature wicked have inclosed me ; they pierced my hands and
     . in IChrist, holy and blameless before <God in love. But my feet.
      the . trouble with these people was that they hated               I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon .
      Christ and His Father.. For they  -were proud  men.        me.
       The conception of a :God capable of loving in Christ        They part my garments among them, and cast lots
       men lost and undone in themselves-sovereignly lov- upon my vesture.
       ing, .such men despite all their sins and inborn cor-            Be not far from me, 0 Lord f 0 my strength, haste
       ruption and abdmiriations-was to these men too ab- thee to help me.                              :
       horent. And they reviled David for putting his con-              Deliver  my soul from the sword; my only. from
-      fidence in such a God. They were not really disturbed     the power of the dog.
       by his sins and faults and failures. They were sim-              !Save me from the lions mouth; for thou hast heard
       ply using his sins as an excuse for persecuting him. me from the horns of the unicorns. <Ps. 22 :l-22. . .
       For their own works were evil and his righteous. That            Thus he prayed. And in answer to his pleading,
      ,was their trouble.                                        IGod  .arose  and His enemies were. scattered. They that
                                                                 hated Him, fled `before Him. As smoke is driven
        . :But in that, very God whom they loathed, Q?vid        away, so they were driven away. I As wax melted be-
       Was putting all his confidence.                           fore hhe fire, .qo the wicked perished at the presence
          My God, my ,God (so he prayed in his  gre&t  dis- of ,God (Ps. 68)`. Absalom was defeated. `The wicked
      tress), why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so opposition was destroyed, and thereby David delivered
       far from saving me, and from the words of my roar- from its clutch.
       ing?                                                             David's triumphs of faith, aGod's coming to his res-
          0 my aGod, I cry in the ,daytfme, but .thou hearest cue in his distress and in answ'er to his cry, is gospel,
      not; and in the night season, and ani not silent.          good news for all the saints and this for the following
          But thou art holy, 0 thou that inhabitest the reasons: first, God cannot'despise or abhor the afflic-
      praises of Israel.                                         tion of the afflicted- otie that trusteth in him. He c,an-
                                                                 not hide His face from him, but for His name's sake
          [Our fathers trusted in tiee ; they trust&d, and thou must h@ar his cry. This precis&ly was David's confi-
       didst deliver them.                                       dence to which he also gave utterance ,even before God
          They cried unto thee,  afid were delivered: they sent  deliyeraice.: These  ,`we?e' his words (Ps. 22.:
      `trusted in thee, and were not confopnded
                                           _. .1. *              23,24) :


       300                                     I`HE,  f&&NDA'Rj+`BEAR;~~

              Ye that fear the Lord, praise him ; ali ye the seed                                He was driven from his throne and expelled from
       of Jacob, glorify-him ; and fear him, all ye the seed of the holy city. His wives were taken fjrom him before
       Israel.            -.                                                       his eyes, and given to his neighbor.
              For be hath not despised nor ,abhorred the afflic-                                 The Lord did this evil to*him because he had sinned.
       tion 6f the afflicted; ne,itiher hath.h'e $id his face from                 Her6 the  enemieB   ,enter'ed in as  IGod's  agents, and
       him; but when he cried untd hi&, he heard.                                  Davidts  sins as a secondary cause.  -It was God's
              IGod cannot  be  &f&i&l  to His covenant. This work. But He did it all in His love of kis servant
      being true, He hilped David. And He would and did to sanctify him through suffering.
       help Christ. He heard His cry and delivered him out                                       But as using his sins ,as a pretext, the enemies did
       of all His troubles.                            . . .     .-.,              hii t,his evil, too, because they were wicktid  and he
              That the` sufferings, trials, and triumphs -of faith. was righ:eous.                                             `It .was their act, and their purpose
       of David are typical of the suffering and triumphs of was,. to- destroy ;him.
       faith of Christ is literally' stated, at John -19 :23,,  si pas-                    --maf the two. purpos&.  the one to be achieved was
       sage that reads, "They said among -themselves,  Let. us                     that of the Lord. For He is God .and none else. So,
       not rend it (Christ's  garment)~ but cast lots for it,                      though the enemies did their worst, the faith of David
       whose shall it be : that the scri$w-es-might be fulfilled, abided, for Christ prayed for him. Under the mighty
       which saith, they parted my. raiment afiong them, and                       hand of ,God he humbled himself. Brought to the dust
       for my vesture they did cast lots." Ac,qording to the                       of death, .he said, "Behold,  here I am, let him (the
       sentence in italics, the same ~complaint as uttered by                      Lord) do to me as ieemebh  good  unto him" (15 ~26).
       David was prophecy. The same is true of all that he                         It, was like saying that, though the Lord slay. him, He
       suffered as king of Zion. ~lt is true of the .deliv.erance                  would still love him.                                               D
       sent him and of his restoration to the thrpne.                  1                         Thus he endured chastening. His stifferings :were
              That; he could typify Christ h&s its groUndS in the `a good                                                   indeed
                                                                                                                    work                . -Yet, as was stated, he was but
       following : first, the reaction of the wicked to Christ - a mere man and a sinful man, a shadow
                                                                                     .,                                                                           ,of the true.
       and all such .who are ,Christ's is always the same ; and- H
,                                                                                          ow muoh more excellent, therefore, the sufferings
       David  was-,Christts.   Sticond,  the  spikitu&l.`posture  of of Christ. -His chastisement. was our peace, and by.
       Cprist and His believing people is always essentially                       His stripes we  were healed. His blood cleanses from
       the same. Their suffering  iS a good work. For they                         all sin. Bi His knowledge He justified many ; for He
       endure as activated by the love of God .shed abroad `in bear their iniqllities.                                                         -
       their hearts. When they are -reviled,` they revile not                                                                                               -G. M. Ophoff
       again ; wfhen they suffer, they threaten not ; but com-
       mit themselves to Him that judgeth righteously. Not
       that every believer of the first covenant properly typi-                             I
       fied in his sufferings  ,Christ.  That  David:did so' was                                      -`-                   ---pJ
     due to his position in the typical kingdom of Christ of
     the  `Old Dispensation. In that kingdom he  was God's
       anointed king in Zion.                                   ,.          ,.
              It was as type or shacltiw that' David in his suf--                                                                       IN MEMORIAM
       fering pr,eindicated  sCh.rist.  For he was but a mere`man.                  It pleased the Lord to take unto  Himself,' Tuesday, March
       His sufferings could not merit with `Go& Apd he was a 10, our beloved Wife, Mother and Grandmother:                                                          '
       sinful man. Though essentially a good work, his suf-                                                  MRS. ED. VAN` MAANEN, nee Maggie Mulder
       ferings were tainted with siti.. They were occasioned, at  the  age of -61 years, 2 months and 8 days.
       b;Y his misdeeds.\ Quoting Nathan "by this' deed t&oU                               The assurance that all the suffering of this present time is
       hast given great ,occasion to the <enemies of-the Lord not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be  re-
                                                                                                 .
                                                                                   vealed  comforts us in  o,zlr deep bereavement.
       to blaspheme." He hdd provided his eriemies with a                                                    ,                             `Mr.  .Ed Van Maanen
       pretext for reviling him. What is m&e, .his suffering                                                                                Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Meendering
       was a stroke laid upon him by the-Lord  because of                                                                                   Mr. and Mrs. Bert Van Maanen
                                                                                                                                            Mr. and Mrs. Roy Van Maanen
       hisQgross sinning. To quote Nathan onde more, "Now                                                                                   Mr. ahd Mrs. Tom Van Maanen
       therefore the sword shall never `depart from thine                                                                                   Mr. and Mrs. Ted Hoekstra
       house ; because thou hast despised tie, and ha& taken                                                                                Mr. and Mrs. Edward Van Maanen
                                                                                                                                            Mr. and Mrs. Don Hoekstra
       the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus                                                                                   Harold
       saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee                                                                            Jane
                                                                                    ,`.  :                         -~            . .        and 24 grandchildren
       out of thine own house . .  ."                                             H u l l ,   I o w a .                         -              ..           _


                                            T H E   STANDA-RD   -BEARER                                           ii01

                                                            ment, could -buy two sparrows for the little flesh that
 1          I N .   H I S   F E - A   IX                    was upon them. Notice, however, that he would get
                                                            two .sparrows  for that farthing. They were not sold
                                                            for a Harthing apiece. Nay, so little value was there
                                                            attached to a sparrow that two had to be sold for the
                     That Fifth !&arrow                     smallest piece of money known in that land. Even
                                                            then, a man did not get his money's worth, and when
       Two plus two are five.          .                    he purchased two  farthing's  worth, that fifth one
       If your child came' home from school with that       would be added, not as a special bargain price, not as
 kind of arithmetic, you would not be surprised to find     an inducement to buy them in a larger number for
 a low mark on his report card. If he were actually         the benefit of the man that sells them (that is our
 taught that in school by his teacher, you would make a modern bargain sale motive) but to make the deal a
 certain visit to her and if that did, not avail, to the little more just.
-. school board for allowing such things to be taught          So little was the life of a sparrow valued in that
 your child.                                                ,day !. Today you could not shoot them down f,or that
 :     Two plus two are f,our;    -                         price. The little pellet required to bring down such a
       That-is what we have always been taught and prac-    little creature would well nigh cost-that price, to say
 tical life will bear out the truth of that statement. IAl- nothing of the middle-man's profit. We may make the
 ways when we add two things to the two we already          observation that the word sparrow as used here may
 have, we find that. we have four.                          refer to a large variety of small birds and could easily
      And, yet, in the Scriptures we  find what appears     be a creature somewhat larger than the English spar-
 to be `such a mathematical juggling. Only, this time       row we have- in our land. And we may observe, furth-
 it is not expressed by one man, but by combining thee      er, that these creatures were caught in a snare rather
 statements of two of the writers of the gospel nar-        than shot at individually. Even. then, the context of
rative there seems to be a mathematical error. Mat- this -saying of Jesus shows that the life of such lit-
 thew in the tenth chapter of his gospel narrative          tle creatures was of little value in man's .estimation.
 quotes Jesus as saying in verse twenty nine, f`Are not        Man would hardly give his smallest coin for two
 two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them          of these creatures. And Jesus divides yet these two
 shall not fall. on the ground without your. Father." and says that o%e of them.cannot  fall without our heav-
 Luke, however, differs from. Matthew and quotes Jesus      enly Father's  w-ill. The man with a  farthing  in his
 in the sixth verse of the twelfth chapter of his gospel    pocket would refuse to buy one sparrow at such an in-
 narrative as asking,-"Are not five sparrows sold for       flated price of one farthing  apiece. But.the Lord does
 two farthings, and .not one of them is forgotten before    not charge even that sparrow a farthing for all the life
 God?"          '                                           and  f,ood it has received and enjoyed. And its life
       Two sparrows for one  .farthing. Five sparrows       cannot be taken from it, unless `God <brings it into that
 for two farthings. It does  not.add up correctly. So       snare. Sparrows often die also outside the snare, the
 it seems, but the faulty mathematics is only apparent,     trap set by.man.~ They die in- such a way that man is
 it is not real. It looks as though Luke must have mis-     not even ben,efited. They, die. so that man cannot even
 (quoted Jesus, for we would not dare to ascribe such       `use its flesh for food. That fall to the ground also
 faulty arithmetic to Jesus; would we? Yet rather than comes by IGod's appointment. And until the time that
 to misquote Jesus, Luke brings to our attention by a He brings about its fall to the ground asa dead creat-
 faithful quoting of Jesus' words a wonderful and com-      ure, it will receive all its food,' its feathery coat to
 forting truth which strengthens those who live "i.n His keep it warm, its life and its song from God. A pest
 fear".                 -                                   to man!c Lightly esteemed by man ! And yet it is the
       Two sparrows for one farthing. For two farthings object of ~God's care through all its life.
 we will then get four sparrows, except for the fact           What a lesson for us who so frequently waver in
 that he who buys two farthings' worth gets a bargain.      our calling to live "in His fear"!
 `Or does he?. We are accustomed (or we were). to the          Compared with that little feathery -friend, what
 5$ a bottle soft drink that you could buy also at the      a far more important creature on this earth is man !
-rate of 6 for a quarter. You get the sixth one free.       Man is a rational, moral creature.. He was created so
       That is not `quite the case here, however. A far-    that he could live in #God's fear. He could know God,
 thing was the smallest coin used in the land of Pal- The sparrow cannot know the God that feeds him. Put
 estine in Jesus' day. And that poor soul, who had but your bird-feeding station in your yard and fill .it daily
 a farthing  and desired a little meat for his nourish-     with bread. The sparrows will begin to pay youreg-


                                                   r'H~  S'I'ANDAiD   k~AB~~
            .Mi.

n           ular visits. They will even swoop down out of the               Put all your trust in Him and not in how many atomic
     j      trees and from off the roof tops to consume it the mo-          bombi tie have a;bbve the number possessed by oppos-
            ment you have  .withd-ra_wn a few feet from the ing nations.
            feeding staiion  you have erected. They will begin to               Fear Him ! And that means that no matter how
            look for you to come out and fill their "plates" with           fierce the pressure may become" that. men may bring
            food. More than this they will never see. God, Who              to bear upon us, we &ill confess Him.. He who fears
             gave it to you t6 give to them, they cannot see. But man will in that fear of man disobey the living God
            man can, and even the unr.egenerated  by the testimony and denounce Him either. by word or deed. Fear men,
            of the Spirit in their hearts knows that there is a ,God.       and yen will go the way man dictates ; you will join
              _ Still more, how much more precious in the sight with .him in his godless activities, you will say "no"
             of the Lord is the death of His saints ! If He watches         to God that you may say "yes" to godless men! Fear
          - over theineeds of the little sparrow that is so lightly         God, Who after killing is able to cast into hell, and
             esteemed-if not despised by man-surely, He watches             you will walk -His way. You will dare to differ with
            constantly over those whom He has chosen in Christ              godless men. You~will say "no" to man and ,"yes" to
            wh'om He has formed for Himself to show' forth His              God.
           upraises, for whom He sent His only begotten Son~and                 Fear Him, and you are not forgetting Him ! And
            who according to His word are the very salt of the              remembering Him you will remember that He does not
            earth.                                                          even forget the little-sparrow upon the housetop and
                    That the unbeliever is filled with fea'r and terror;    that you, being more precious than many sparrows,
            that despair grows in his breast; that the nervous ten-         will also be remembered by `Him. And you will have
             sion in their lives is mounting is to be understood.           peace..  .In His fear there is peace. He  who, lives in
            They db not live in the fear of the Lord. .-For them            the fear of men knows nothing but terror, anxiety and
            this life is everything. And when a few things, or even a troubled-soul. Men you cannot trust. Men depend
            one thing of the present seems to be slipping away,             upon the Living God for their strength and life, and
            the9 are filled with worry and f,ear. Life becomes one          outside of Him they are as helpless as they would
           _ extended struggle to hold on to -that  which can be en-        make YOLK believe that you are aver against their pow-
            joyed in this life and a losing battle to stave off the         er. -zOne:of our leaders once said during World War II
            .things which take the joy out of living here below.            that all we needed to fear was fear itself. How wrong !
              But what about you, the reader of these lines? Do             Fear God! The only ONE-we must never fear
            you appreciate this care .of the Almighty for the min-          things! !-we must fear is God. We must fear to
            atest of things? You worry and are anxious. Your                fear men. We must, indeed, be- afraid to fear men.
             soul is h.eavy. and trovbled.     Is it because you .doubt         Fear men, and you will still see sparrows fall &nd
            aGod's power or because you doubt -His love? Indeed,            fear your own fall. Fear God ; believe in Him ; put
            the days in which we live are filled with uncertainties         all your trust in Him, and you will understand that
             and there is no hope that they will get any better.            He Who causes that sparrow to fall- considers you to
             The `Scriptures tell Us that we are yet in the' beginning      be more precioL&  in His sight, that He loves you and
          ~ of sorrows. If we may borrow a colloquial expression,           that when it pleases Him to take your life from you,
            we haven't seen anything yet.                                   He does it in love. Live in .His fear and you will live
                    Surely you do not say of the things that we -do -see    in the consciousness of !&s love. You will have peace
            and experience that things must have slipped -some-             of heart and mind in the -midst .of war and persecu-
            what out of  ,God's  contra!. You do not  do.ubt His            tion.
            power to control all things. But, then, your heart has              Rememder that fifth sparrow. God does. And let
            not throbbed with the complaint that surely He does             that assure you that He remembers you also in love.
            not care about you and His church, has it?         *  n                                                    -J. A. Heys  `.
               "Fear Him, which after He hath kill"ed-hath powel
            to cast_ into hell" is w&at Jesus said in' connection with
            that quotation about the fifth sparr,dw. Fearful men
             are coming. Fearful men have it in their hearts to
             bring bloodshed  and extreme persecution upon the
             Church of God. And well may the flesh tremble at the                                                                  .-
            .awful things that the future contains for the Church                           The glorious gates of rightepu,$Ls.
             bf  #God as far as the flesh is concerned. But live in                         Throw open unto me        *c  i
             His-fear, not `in .the fear. of men.: Believe Him. Hqld          _.            And I.-&ill enter them -with praise
             firmly in faith's hand the promises He has given you.                        0 Lord;: my God to Thee..
                                                                                     _      ._..  _.         _


                                                       TtiE  S T A N D A R D - .   - B E A R E R                                            303
                                          ._-                                                                      _-
                                                                                        Such is the first consideration.
   f?FRsM   H O L Y   W R I T   1                                                       As for our second-consideration, we must remark,
                                                                                     that in studying Is. 53 it is of supreme importance that
  *:.1 1 )1 -0-1 -1 -,,-,,-~,-~,-,,-,,-~,-~,-~,-,,-,~-,,-,,-~,-,,-~,-, l z.         we do not view prophecy as history written in udvance.
                                                                                     There are those who thus biew history. And, especial-
                 Exposition  o f   Isaiall  53:8,  9                                 ly in the last part of Isaiah 53, interpreters often give
      In these days of "Lent" is may be doing the care-                              the .impre.ssion,  that they are controlled by the desire
  ful readera service by asking attention to the meaning to .read more historicalQstages  of the suffering of Christ
  of a portion of Isaiah 53.'                                                        into the chapter, than the text actually permits. One
      There are some fundamelital considerations to keep                             receives. the impression,. that they would read the or-
  in mind when we try to interpret this beautiful pas-                               der of the steps of Christ's state of humiliation and of
  sage in which the  sueering Servant `of the Lord is                                His state of exaltation into the text. This may nevel
  portray.ed  to us with such clarity that we see the                           b,e. Nor is`this the purpose; the meaning of prophecy.
  very `&sense  #of the Mystery of the Cross.                                        The  pr,ophets  saw, from afar. They  codld not read
    Fhe first consideration is, .that Isaiah 53 is a part                       history in detail. Enough is told us that when it does
  of the grkat' promisory prophecies concerning the cer-                        come to pass we may understand; meanwhile the
  tain and future redemption of Zion. Isaiah prophesies,                        church had to w&t and expect with patience.
  to be sure,' some one hundred and fifty years bef,ore                         .       What we do have in Isaiah 53 is, that ,God portrays
  the Babylonian Captivity. Yet, with the eye of the                            unto us the Mystery of Godliness in Calvary. Here we
  Seer, he portrays the captivity as though it were al-                         have pictured unto us the good-pleasure, the heart of
  ready accomplished history, as though the temple were `God. 0, God's ways are through the holy place ; Zion
  destfoyed,  Jerusalem in r.uins, and Israel in shame and                      is redeemed -through judgment ! `IGod's Son comes to
  enslavement. To that Zion, which is in bondage and                            stand in our stead and  -carries away our sins and
  crying for deliverance and  the. restoration of the                           trahsgressions,       Behold, the Servant- of the Lord !
  Kingdom, Isaiah directs his prophetic word. And                                       This too we are called upon to do in our study of
  wh.at  is it? It is that Zion shall be redeemed through                       the verses 8 and 9 of said Chapter.
  judgment and her converts  through righteousness.                                     We quote this passage from the K&g James Vey-
     L;et this not be misunderstood.                                            sion as follows : "He was taken from,prison  ar~cl from
      That Zion is to be redeembd  from her bondage" of                         judgment: and wh.o shall ,declare his generation? for
  Babylonian enslavement does .not merely m&an, that                            he'was cut off out  of  the  lard of the living: for the
  God will again rebuild the earthly Jerusalem to. its                          transgression of my people was he stricken.. And he
  former. glory as in the days ,of Solomon. Far be it made his .pruve with the wicked, and with the rich in
  from, this. Neither does this mean that  `God will again                      his  ~d&th;  becuuse he  hacl done no  tiiolence,  neither
  build the throne of David in earthly Jerusalem. This was any deceit in his mouth".
 never again happened. The prophet sees Zion as she                                     Although it always is -psychologically difficult to
  would stand according to the eternal good-pieasure                            differ with an accepted translation, especially when
  ,of God in glory, in ihe new and heavenly Jerusalem !                         writing for those who are `not acquainted with the
  Isaiah sees prophetically nothing less then the final                         original lsnguage in which the Bible was written, yet
resting place of.  ,God's  ark, when the Tabernacle of -we have very serious `objections to this translation of
  ,God.shall be with men.                                              .'       the King James vlersion of the Bible here. Without
      $@s shall be realized through the death of the going into too gpeat.detail  of the science of interpreta-
  Son of God. His visage is marred more than any of tion we must call attention to some serious objections
  the sons ,of men ; yet,. He ihall deal prudently  and rise, to this translation.
  and be exalted, and be exceedingly great. And Isaiah                                  In the first place, we are convinced that this trans-
  53 speaks not of :the prophet himself but of another;                         lation does injustice to the plain meaning of the ternis
  it speaks of no one less than of'the Son of God in our                        in  th1e  ,original Hebrew, as well as to the Hebrew
  flesh, the gr.eat  ,Servant of Jeh&ab se&-of -the Father
                                        -..                                     sentence constructi,on. In other words, the translation
  into this world.                                .                             does not translate. The meaning of the Holy Spirit
      Isaiah 53 is, th&efore, not to be viewed OS treated                       is. not conveyed in the translation as this was clear!y
  as some aphosistic passage, a piece of instruction all                        expressed in the Hebrew by the Prophet. The  psi
  by itself, but it must be viewed as al! the prophets saw                      spicuity in the Hebrew text is lost in the tr$mslati,on.
  it; that they looked for and searched out the suffeiings                      Instead q$:, clarity we have ambiguity.
  to come upon Christ and the glory to follow. It, is re-                               Secondly, this unnatural sense of the text leads Co,
  demption through suffering.                                                   and may be in part the  pesult of exegetical fancy.

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

 And not a few of the commentators see at this junc-             be able to verify this. See Calvin's, Commentary a-
 ture- of Isaiah 53 a new  stage  in the suffering of mongst others.
  Christ, rather than another aspect of the same sufier-             So m&h for `the translation of this passage. '
 ing! In the foregoing, it is alleged, the prophet por-              When reading. the text thus, it strikes us' that the
 trays to us the M'an of Sorfows, who is led as a lamb           Prophet does not give us here another. stage in the
 to the slaughter and who is dumb as a Bheep before suffering of Jesus, the passing from the state of humil-
his shearers, not opening his mouth.  But here, so               iation intq the state of exalt.ation, but that we still
 it is affirmed, thie prophecy takes a new turp. Here            have a description here -of Christ in His suffkng.. It
  Christ is ljietured not as the suff,ering  servant, but 3s     is true, always the suffering.of  Jesus is connected by
 the' servant who is snatchecl from death. It is  aske:l,        the prophet with the exaltation of  XChrist, That is
 in all candor, is that what the Holy  ISpirit would             tr& in every passage of `Isaiah 53. And may even be
 teach us here? Would then the prophet return  in                granted that in one passage this is stronger than in
 verse 10 to continue describing to us the Man of Sor-           the other. But the fact rem$ins, that Isaiah 53 shows
 rows `bruised by IGod% good-pleasure? We think nat.             us the- Man of Sorrows throughout! And, tLeref&e,
 And our reason i's that the plain meaning of the ori-           also here we do not have- a n,ew stage in the suffering
 ginal is against this.            -.                            of Chyist, nor a passing into the state of exaltation,
     Thai -the plain meaning of the text is against the          but we have the same suffering of Christ shown to us
 translation is also demonstrated, to our -mind, by the. in another light.'
 fact that on the basi,s of -the King James Version yan              Pray, and what is this other light?
 have almost as many interpretations, as far as the                 It is that here we see the Mystery of suffering of
  several details of the text is concerned, as you ha?,:         Chris& as it is pure judgment of ,God ! The judgment
 interpreters. The reason is that once having departed. of God strikes Christ and really- casts Him out of the
 from and/or failed to see the meaning of the text, the          land of the living bringing Him down to death and
 guess -of one man is just as good as that of the &l&r.          Shtiol.  .
     In our criticism of the text of the King James                  `That is the new viewpoint here.
 Version we are not alone.                                           Incidently,  in Isaiah 53 we do not deal with mere
     Iri the American Version of the revised I read the          monotonous repitition. There is .a very real and won:
 following translation of, verse 8 : "By oppression and          derful progression. The Prophet does not portray
 judgment he wns taken away; an&as for his genera-               externalities. He shows us (0, wonder!) the mystery
  tion, who `among them considered that he was cut off of the Cross,. so that we may see the fulness of God's
  out of the land of the, living for the trdnsgriessions of      love, and worship.
  my people to whom  the stroflce  was 2clueP" And of verse          Each time we see the Cro_ss  from a-certain aspect
  9. Calvin gives the f,ollowing excellent -transl%tioti  :      wte feel constrained to put on our beautiful garments
  "He (God) laid upon to the wicked men his (Christ's).          and garlands of- rejoicing in gladness.
  grave, and to' the rich miziz h+ (death, though he did           Does not the Prophet say: Awake, awake, put on
  not  vidence  (in&&y) neither  w& their  ~guilt in his         thy strength, o .%?i&  ; put on thy beautiful garmelits,
 mouth".                 .o                                      o Jerusalem; the holy city'; for henceforth there shall
     In favor of this translation may be cited the follow-- no more coine into thee the uncircumcized  and the un-
  ing facts.      In the first  place,  this translation does    clean.  .Shake   *thyself from the dust;  a&e and sit
 justice to the plain meaning of the terms in the text.          down, o Jerusalem ; loose thyself `from the bands of
  It is translation! We said : in the first place ! This         thy neck,. o captive daughter of Zion: For, how beau-
 means th&t all the other considerations are basled on           tiful upon' the mountains are the feet of Him that
 this first matter, the question of translation.                 bringeth good tidings ; that- publisheth peace ; that
     It does justice to the Hebrew mode of speech, to            bringeth good tidings of -good, that publisheth salva-
 wit, Hebrew parallelism. In verse 9 the phrase "He              tion that s&ith unto Zion : `Thy IGod reigneth !
  laid to the wicked his grave and to rich his death" we             Yes, He reigns in Calvary.
  have a very evident parallelism. The latter phrase                 He is in ihis -Servant on the Cross. *God was in
 more particularly explains the former. The subse-               Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.
  quent meaning of this in the actual interpretation we              Hence, here is no repetition, but a new viewpoint
 hope to show later.                                             each time of the wonder of the Cross as to it ,essense
     It also does justice to the very evident definite ac-       and nature !
  cusnt~ve  (eeth)  :in the text. We cannot  her6 go into                              (to be continued)
  particulars.      Those who understand Hebrew will                                                        -G. Lubbers

                                                                                  .


                                                      I'HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   305

     .~)H)-(IIO-)H,-(I-,-,,-,-,,-`,-,,-,,-,,-,,-~,-,,-~,-,,-,,-,.:.                                       Article I
                                                                               Tha.t God, by an eternal, unchangeable purpose in Jesus
     1         The  V&ice Of  @.&Fathers  f Christ His Son, before the foundation of the world, hath
                                                                             determined,  out of a fallen,  sin&r1 race of men, to save
                                                                             in  *Christ,  for Christ's sake,  .and  through Christ, those who,
                   - -I-he CanOllS 0f  Dordrecht                             through the grace of the Holy Ghost, shall believe on this his
                                                                             L%n Jesus, and shall persevere in this faith ,and obedience of
                                                                             faith, through this grace, even to the end; and, on the other
                                 C H A P T E R   I                           hand, to leave the incorrigible and unbelieving in sin and un-
                       SWIFT DECLINE (concluded)
-                                                                            der wrath, _ and to condemn them as .alienate  from Christ, ac-
           In the interest of historical accuracy we furnish cording to the word of the gospel in John iii. 36: `He that be-
                                                                             lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth
     here side by side both the official Dutch text1 and an, not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
     English translation2 of the five Arminian articles.
                                          .                                  on him,' and according to other passages of Scripture also.
                                    A r t i c l e   I.                                                   Article II
           Dat Godt door een eeuwich, onveranderlyck besluyt, in Jesu          That, agreeably thereunto, Jesus Christ, the  Saviour  of the
     Christo,  synen Soone,  eer des werelts grondt  geheleydt was, be-      world,  ,died for all men and for every man, so that `he has ob-
     sloten  heeft, uyt het ghevallene sondighe Menschelyck geslachte,       tained for them all, by his death on the cross,  redemption and
     die ghene in  `Christo, om  Christus,  wille,  .ende door Christum      the forgiveness of sins; yet that no one actually enjoys this
     salich te maecken, die door de ghenade des  heylighen.  Gheestes,       forgiveness of sins except, the believer, according to the word
     in den selven synen Soone  Jesum ghelooven, ende gehoorsaem-            of the Gospel of John iii. 16: `God so loved the world that he
     heyt des gheloofs, ,door  de selve  ghenade, totten  eynde toe vol-     gave his only begotten  :Son, that whosoever believeth in him
     herden  souden: .en daer tegens, de onbekeerlycke, een-ongelovige       should not perish, but have everlasting life.' And in the First
     in de sonde, en onder de toorne te l&en, en  te verdoemen, als          Epistle of John ii. 2: `And he is the propitiation for our sins;
     vreemt van  ,Christo:  naer `t woordt des H.  Evangdij by  Jo-          and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.'
     hannem iii. 36: `Wie in den Sone  ghelooft; die heeft het  eeu-                                     Article III
     wighe leven, ende wie den  Soone  ongehoonsaem is, die en  sal            That  ,man has not saving grace  (shoul,d  be:  faith,  H.C.H.)
     het leven niet sien, maer de toorne Gods blyft op hem,, ende            of himself, nor of the energy of his free will, inasmuch as he,
     andere  plaetsen  der  s,chrifturen  meer.                              in the state of apostacy~ and sin, can of and by himself neither
                                   Article II                                think,  w+ll, nor do any thing that is truly good (such as sav-
          Dat desen volghende, Jezus  Christus de salichmaecker der          ing Faith eminently is) ; but that it is needful that he be born
     Were&s, voor  alle   ende yeder Mensch  ghestgrven is:  alsoo   dat     again of God in Christ, through his Holy Spirit, and renewed
     hyse alle door den  ,doodt  des  ,Cruyces,  de, versoeninghe ende       in understanding,. inclination, or will, and all his powers, in
     verghevinghe der  sonden  verwdrven heeft; alsoo nochtans dat           order that he may rightly understand, think, will, and effect
     niem*andt  deselve vdrghevinghe der  sonden   dadelyck gheniet,         what is  tnuly good,  amccording  to the Word of Christ, John xv.
     dan de Gheloovighe: mede naer `t *Woort  des Evangely by Jo-            5: `Without me ye can do nothing.,
     hannem, Cap. iii. 16: `Soo lief  hzeft Godt de Werelt gehadt,                                       Article IV
     dat hy synen eenighen  Soone  ghegeven heeft, opdat al, die in            That this grace of God is the beginning, continuance, and
     hem ghelooft, niet en vergae,  m.aer het eeuwighe leven hebbe.' accomplishment of all good, even to this extent, that the re-
     Ende in den  eersten  Brief  Johannis  int ii. vers 2: `Hy is de        generate man  h&self, without prevenient or assisting, awaken-
     versoeninge voor  onse  sonden;  en niet alleene voor onse, maer        ing, following  ,and-  co-operative grace, can neither think, will
     voor des gantsche  -Werelts  sonden.'                                   nor do good, nor withstand any temptations to evil; so that
                                   Article III                               all good deeds or movements, that can be conceived, must be
          Dat de Mensche `t salichmaeckende Gheloove van hem selven          .ascribed  to the grace of God in Christ. But as respects the
     niet en heeft;  noch  uyt cracht van synen vryen wille,  also0 hy       mode of the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible, in-
     in den stant der afwyekinghe ende der  sonden  niet goets, dat          asmuch  `as it is written concerning many, that they have re-
     waerlyck goet is (gelyck insonderheyt is het salichmaeckende            sisted the Holy Ghost. Acts vii., and elsewhere in many places.
     gheloove) uyt ende van hem sdven, can dencken,  willen ofte                                         Article V
     doen. Moar dat het van noode  is, dat hy van Godt;in  Christo;            That those who are incorporated into Christ by a true faith,
     door synen heilighen Geest, werde herboren en vernieut, in              and have thereby become partakers of his life-giving Spirit,
     verstant,  affectie, oft wille, ende  alle crachten, opdat hy het       have thereby full power to-strive against Satan, sin, the world,
     ware goet te recht moge verstaen, bedencken, willen,  ende vol-         and their own flesh, .and to win the victory; it being well under-
     brenghen, naer. `t w.oordt ;Chrlsti,  Johann. xiii. 5: `Sonder my en    stood that it is ever through the assisting grace of the Holy
     condt ghy niet  doen."                                                  Ghost; and that Jesus Christ assists them through his Spirit
                                   Article IV                                in all temptations, extends to ,them his hand, and if only they
          D#at dese ghenade Godts is. het beginsel, -de voortganck ende      are ready for the conflict, and desire his help, and are not in-
     volbrenginghe alles goets, oock soo verre, ,dat `de wedergeboren        active, keeps them from falling so that they, by no craft or
     Mensche selfs, sonder dese voorgaende ofte toecommende,  op             power of Satan, can be misled nor plucked out of Christ's hands,
     weckende, volgende ende medewerckende ghenade,  noch het                according to the Word of Christ, John x. 28: `.Neither  shall any
                                                                             man pluck them out of my hand.' But whether they are cap-
          1As quoted by  Schaff,  "`Creeds of Christendom," III,  545ff.,    able, through negligence, of forsaking again the first begin-
     from the 1st edition of 1612.
          `@hat% translation, op. cit., III,  545%                           nings of their life in Christ, of again Feturning  to this' present


      se                                         THE  STAblj?)AkD  B E A R E R

      goede dencken,  w+llen  ofte  doen  can,  noch  oock eenighe  tenta-    evil  woprld, of turning away from the holy doctrine which was
      tien ten quade wederstaen: soodat  alle goede  daden,  ofte             delivered them, of losing a good conscience, of becoming de-
      werckinghen die men  beden,cken  kan de  gh6nade   Go&s in              void of  grace, that must be  mdre particularly determined out
      Christo   moeten  toegeschreven  worden. Maer soo vele de  ma-          of the Holy Scripture, before we ourselves can teach it with
      niere van de werckinghe deaselver ghenade  ,aengaet, die en             the- full persuasion of our minds."
      is niet onwederstandelyck: want daer staet van velen geschre-
      vavn, dat sy den heyligen Geest wederstaen hebben. Actor.
      vii ende elders op vele plaetsen.                                         These Articles, thus set forth and taught, the  Remonstrant,s
                                   Article V                                  deem agreeable. to the Word of God, tending to edification, and,
        Dat die Jesu  Christo,  door  eeti ware gheloove syn inghelyft,       `as regards  thi,s argument, sufficient for salvation, so that it
      ende oversulcx  syns-  lcvendighmaeckenden  Gheestes  deelaehtig        is not necessary or edifying to rise higher or to descend deeper.
      zyn gheworden, overvloedighe  cracht hebben omme teghens den
      Isatan,  de sonde, de Werelt, ende haer eygen vleesche te stryden,        *Note: The expression "the  first beginnings of their life in
                                                                              Christ'! is not quite accurate, as a comparison with the  Dut,ch
      en de  overwinninge  te vercrygen. Welvemtaende   altydt, door          text will show. The original Latin version inserts the Greek
      den  bystand van de ghenade  :des heyligen Geestes: ende dat            expression, teen ardheen tees hupostaseoos Christou kataleipein,
      Jesus  Christus  haer door  sinen Gheest in  alle tentatien  by-        which only verifies the fact that "beginsel"is  correctly translat-
      staet, de handt  biet, ende, so sy maer .alleene  ten stryde bereyt     ed "principle", so that the expression should be translated
                                                                              "principle of their being in Christ." -H.C.H.
      zyn, ende in geene ghebreke xyn, staende hout,  also0 dat se
      door gheene listichheyt  noch   ghewelt des  Satans  verleyt, oft
      uyt  Christi  handen  conen  ghetrocken  worden, naer `t woordt         mind you, at a time when they were trying to over-
      Ghristi,  Joh. x: `Niemandt en  salse  nyt myne  handen  rucken.' throw the Confessions, but nevertheless had never
      Maer of de  selve  niet en  connen,  door  nadati,cheyt, het  begin-    entered a gravamen against them. Finally,. from the
      se1 haers  Wes&ns  in  Christo   verlaten;   -. de teghenwoordighe
      Werelt wederom  ,aennemen:  van de Heylighe Leere, hen  een-            conclusion of the articles it is evident that the Armin-
      mael  ghegheven, afwycken: de. goede conscientie verliesen: de          ians reveal a: haughty contempt for the deeper and
      ghenade verwaerloosen: soude eerst  moeten naerder uyt de               basic aspects of the truth concerning salv&ioti, and
      Heylige  Schrifkuere  ondersocht zyn, eer wy `t selve met volle         attempt to present their views in pointed distinction
.     verseeckeringhe onses ghemoets souden  connen   leeren.                 from the views of their opponents as "edifying" and
        Dese  pun&en   also0 voorgedragen ende geleert, houden sy             "sufficieent  for salvation". How modern they were!
      Rem,onstranten  den woorde Godts gelyckformich te  wes,en,              ,Or rather, how old is the method that disdains and
      stichtelyck,  ende in dese  materie  ghenoechsaem ter  `salitiheit,     condemns "deep" doctrine! And how right were 
      sonder dat hat  van  noode  zy, oft  oock  stichtelyck,. hooger te                                                                    pur
      climmen, ofte lager te  ,dalen.                                         fathers when they turned the accusation around and-
                                                       .         _            accused the Arminians of "deceiving the simple"- and
                            -:-::                                             attempting "to take away the comfort of the true be-
            It is not our intention to enter i&o a detailed &it-              lievers !".
      icism of these articles. The Canons themselves take                         As to the implied exegesis of the several texts
      care of that matter. And in order that we. may have w.hich the Arminians  {uote, it must be evident at
      b&fore us, iq an official document -and-in condensed                    once that it is characterized by. superficiality of the
      form, those errors which occasioned the comppsition'of                  shallowest sort, and that for the reason that it violates
     . the Canons we have taken the trouble to quote this the fundamental rule which must govern all exposi-
      product of the convocation at Gouda.                                    tion  of- the Scriptures, the  regula  Ucrijdzwae.   Also
            However, it will do no harrri to make some general                this our fathers expose in the Canons.
      remarks in connection with these five propositions and
      their  conclusi&. As to their method,  it- cannot es-                       And as to their doctrinal contents, it must be ev-
      cape the attention that the Arminians once more make                    ident to anyone who studies these articles in the light
      a crafty effort to sound Reformed and to he mild in                     of our  ,Con$essions that they constitute what was
      their criticism. They fr,eely employ not only expres- meant $0 be an underhanded, mortal blow at the very
      sions from Scripture, butt terms and expressions that                   heart of the Reformed faith, the doctrine of sovereign,
      have a Reformed sound.  The? speak, for example,                        elective grace. `,&far had the glory of the Calvinistic
     of God's unchangeable decree. At the same time it Reformation been bedimmed within the span of a cen-
      is  -to be noted that they carefully avoid any use of                   tury, and that by the enemy within the gate!
      the term conditiort.  or any literal mention of a condi-                    But ,God be thanked, Who never allows His truth
      tional election and salvation. In the second place, we and His cause to be vanquished! The rallying of the
      may notice that the Remonstrants  .piously  forsake                     enemy at Gouda only served the purpose `of further
      th'e tried and true method of an appeal to the Confes-                  uniting and alerting the staunch defenders of the faith
     sions. St;udiously they avoid any citations from either of our fat.hers, .and of causing them with, one mind to
      the, Heidelberg Catechism or the Belgic Confession,                     contend for the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
      and try to make an appeal directly to Scripture. This,                                                         -H.  C. Hoeksema


                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               307
                                             I_

       .~yI,IIIII(I-I)-(III,-,,-~,-,,-,,-~,-,,-`,-,,-,,-,,-~,-,,-,,-,;-,*~           much trouble and confusion be avoided and averted?
        i         Camtending' For The. Fziith                                        Would the Church of God not be spared considerable
        T                                                                       f
       .:.l-11-11o(1-1,-,,-,,-,,-,,-,,-,,-~,-,,-~,-"-,,-~~-~,-,~~,,-,,-,,.~.         confusion and distress if the Word of God were such
                                                                                     an encyc!opedia?    To this we answer in the first place,
                                                                                     that the child of God is not in need of such a doctrinal
                   Why Doctrines Have A History                                      --dictionary. The Spirit, Who.is the Author of the Ho-
                                                                                     ly Scriptures, also lives within the Church, and en-
        Scripture is no book of formulateld ioatrines.                               ables the Church of God to discern and recognize the
             Scripture, although not a book of formulated doc-                       true distinction from what  is false. The Bible is not
        trines, is, of course, the source of all. doctrines. The                     an encyclopedia bu.t a living Word; its truths live in
        Bible is not merely ti revelation of 8 truth. Christian-                     the heart and consciousness of the child of God, and
        ity, we understand, is not simply a religibn or another the Lord speaks to him through that Word. And,
        religi&. It is  not true, of course, that Christ pro-                        secondly, it -would never convince the carnal mind in-
        claimed truth, but that Confucius and Mohammed,                              asmuch as the natural man does not love the truth and
       etc., also proclaimed truth. The Bible is the- revela-                        will, of course, never embrace it.
       tion of the. truth. It is the Lord's own and only in-
       spired revel&ion of Himself as the #God of our salva-                         Wh.at is the Scripture?
       tion. The works of God's hands, which certainly re-                               We may define the Scriptures as the historic-or-
       veal Christ, reveal Him symbolically and can speak                            ganic revelation of the God of our salvation in Christ
     _ to us of the Christ only in the light of the Holy Scrip- Jesus.
       tures.  ,Hence,  the Word of God  alone contains the
_      truth. .Besides, it contains all the truth. Whatsoever                            What do we tiean with this definition? This means,
      is necessary for us to know how to live and conduct                            in the first place, that it has pleased the Lord to reveal
       our,selves in the midst of the world unto the glory of                        Himself in Christ Jesus as the God of our salvation.
       the'living God is contained for us in the inspired Word                       Christ Jesus is the revelation of the living God as He
       of God. Hence, it lies in the very nature of the case                         saves His people. Chr$t Jesus does not merely tell
       that all doctrine must be based upon Scripture. `This                         us Who saves us but also how He saves us. Jesus is
       applies also to `our Conf essibns. Conf e&ions. and Scrip-                    God as He saves us, in the way of death and the res-
       ture are not equal in importance. The Romish Church urrection and ascension, and this, we understand, as
       advocates the theory thit tradition is of equal impor-                        emphasizing the Scriptural truths  bf God's justice
       tance with-the Divine Scriptur&. However, the Scrip- and righteousness, unchangeable love and mercy. Je-
       tures alone are for us the rule of fai.th and life. This                      sus, savin.g His people, is the Revelation of God Him-
       -does not imply that- we may igtio?e our Confessions                          self.                                           ,
       or interpret them as  tie please. If tie do not agree                             Secondly, the historic-organic revelation of the God
       .with the Confessions or a church's interpretation. of                        of our salvation in Christ Jesus emphasizes the truth
       them, we are ufider the moral obligation to voice our                         that  God reveals Himself, as such, historically-organ-
       objections-in the  proper  ecclesiastical way. However,                       ically. From the beginning it is Christ Who, as the
       our Confessions must always remain our interpreta-                            eternal ,God to become flesh in the fulness of time, re-
       tions of Holy Writ and must therefore be weighed con- veals Himself throughout the -historical development
       stantly in its light. Confessions do not exist for their                      of God's covenant and -through the organism of the
       own sake ,but' -are the Church's interpretation and                           Church as the One Who is the sole Heir of the promise
       maintaining of the truths of the `Word of God.                                and  Redeem,er  of  I%s people.    He reveals Himself
              This, however, ddes /not alter the fact that _ the                     through the prophets, priests, and kings of the Old
       Scripture is no compilation of ready made doctrines.                          Dispensation.  He  speaks concerning Himself because
       I,t is no dictibnary  or encyclopedia. Neither is the .Bi- it is He Who, by His Spirit, .operates  in and through
       ble a Dogmatics. The Word of God does not present these Old Dispensational types. He speaks concerning
       to us a list of dogmatical distinctions and definitions.                      Himself in the shadows and symbols of Israel's cere-
       In fact, many of us are aaxuainted +ith the fact that                         monial life, in all the shadows and symbols of the tem-
       the word, "Trinity;" is not even found in, the Bible.                         ple service. And the purpose of this historical-organ-
       We cannot therefore turn to the Bible and look up' ic revelation is the revelation of (God as the God of our
       the definitions on various doctrinal subjects, such as:                       salvation in Christ Jesus.
       Election, reprobation, Trinity,` grace, mercy, truth,                             Thirdly, this historic-organic revelation of the God
     righteousness, atonement, the promise, etc. . Would it                          of our salvation is progressive, is characterized by
       not be interesting if this were possible? Would. not                          historical development. God's eternal and sovereign


308                          -        T H E   STANDAR.F  B E A R E R

purpose to save a people whom He loved from before             self. The W,ord of God does not give us a catalogue of
the foundation of the world  i.s not revealed to the           His perfections accompanied by their definitions. God's
Church at once in all its glory and fujness, but pro- historical revelation of Himself is always true  ancl
gressively, The veil is not lifted at once and cpmplete-       wholly in harmony with the central CScriptural  thought
ly so that the Church is immediately given a full that God is God alone and that He does all things for
glimpse of the salvation of God in Christ Jesus, but His Name's sake. Man is pictured as dead in sins and
gradually.  #God's covenant, we understand,  is the trespasses  $nd having fallen according to the eternal
same; The Lord does .not reveal Himself differently in will and counsel of the alone living God.  IChrist is
one period  `of the world's history than in another.           revealed as the sole Redeemer and Saviour of His elect
,There are, e.g., not various decrees of salvation as, the     people, Who alone saves us from the beginning even
remonstrants would have us believe. Salvation was              unto the end. The redeemed Church is held befoye  us
the same in the Old Diipensation as it is today in the         in Holy Writ as called by God out of darkness into the
New Testament. B,ut the reveZ&on of that salvation light to declare His virtues and to walk antithetically
does develop and becomes increasingly richer as the            in the midst of a world that lies in darkness. The ex-
ages hasten to their appointed conclusion.         This is alted Christ is described as the Lord df His own and
true, e.g., in the life of Abraham. -The Lord does not         also as the supreme Lord over all. .And all things will
reveal all His covenant blessin-gs to the father of be-        culminate in the new heavens and new earth. Any
lievers at once. First He reveals to Abraham that doctrine. which is not in harmony with God's revela-
He will make a great nation `of him and give him.the           tion of Himself (with the truth that the Lord is ,God
land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. Then,            al,one  and always reveals Himself as such) is neces-
the father of believers is told that his seed will be as ,sarily false and contrary to the Word of &God.
great as the sand along the seashore and the dust upon             This means, hawever, that, because Scripture is
the ground and the stars in the heavens. Thereupon no book of formulated doctrines, doctrines, therefore,
Abraham is informed that his seed must pass thrqugh            have a history. The  B,ible, we have observed, is no
a  periled  of affliction. And, finally, he is  told that catalogue. Inasmuch as doctrines are definitely formu-
p&d's covenant with- him and his seed is established lated truths as reflected in the believing consciousness
centrally in Christ ,J,esus,  and, unto that end, he re-       of the Church and `officially approved and adopted by
ceives the sign of circumcision. Throughout the Old the Church, these doctrines' pass through a historical
Dispensation the veil is lifted mor.e and more, and the        process. If it be true that God's revelation of Himself
revelation of `God in Christ Jesus beconies increasing- in Christ Jesus is characterized by progressive devel-
ly  richer.   Mioses and Joseph are not only historical        opment,.  it is equally true that the Church's under-
figures, but also types of the Christ. When Joseph is standing of this Divine revelation is also characterized
sold -by his brethren and exalted in Egypt to be the           by historical development. The Church does not see
govenor  ,of the land after he had been cast into prison,      everything at once. The  wonderf.ul truths of God's
and when Moses is rejected by his own brethren when            Word crystallize gradually in the believing conscious-
he thought the time had come fior him to deliver them,         ness of the IChurch. This is one reason why doctrines
then we have in these historical incidents a symbolical have a history.                   y
portrayal of the Christ  Who was to come. Finally,                                                           -H. Veldman
Christ Himself enters our flesh and blood. He reveals
to us more fully the secret counsel of God concerning
our redemption. He does this in,word but also in deed.
After His death and resurrection He inspires the apos-                              -  :--  :---
tles to write concerning Him as the Saviour of His
people, Whlo redeemed them through the blood of the
cross, is even now gathering His Church by His Word
and Spirit out of every tribe, nation, land, and tongue,                               IN  MElMORIAM
and will culminate His work of redemption in the new             On February 22 it pleased the Lord to take unto Himself
heavens and upon the  new earth.                               our bd,oved husband father and grandfather
       Finally, in this historic-organic revelation of the                     MR.  LAMBERT  BOUWKAMP
IGod ,of our salvation, #God reveals Himself. This means at the age of 63 years.
that the Bible is true to this Divine revelation of Him-         His testimony that he longed for the mansions above, com-
                                                               forts our hearts in these days of loneliness and sorrow.
self. - (God is the God of absolute Light -and perfectilon.      "Blessed are they  that, die in the Lord."-Rev.  14:13.
He seeks and maintains Himself as the highest and ab-                                           Mrs. L.  Souwkamp  and -family
sqlute Good. The Lord is never in conflict with Him-           Grand Rapids, Michigan


                                                     THE  S'I'ANDARf>   BEARER.                                                        308

       .~,,H,H,-o-l,-lln,-,,-~,-,,-,,-i~~,,-,,-,,-,,-~,~~,-,,-~,-~,-,.:.        so that in one the hands occupied the place of  the
       I                                                                        feet; in another the heart palpitated in the cavity of
I                 DECEP@lY   and.ORDER                                    f
     .~,-,,-,,-o-(,-~,-,,-,,~,,-,,-,,-,,-,,-,-,,-,,-,,-,~-~-,,-,,-,~~.          the brain ; and in a third the ears displaced. the eyes?
                                                                               . Life would be impossible. God has created orler and
                                Good Order                                      in it His creatures happily live. Further, do not for-
                                                                                get that the eternal counsel of God is the orderly ar-
                      "To him that ordereth his ,conversation  aright will      rangement of all things, small and great, and all of
                   I shew the salvation of God".-Psalm  50:23.                  history is simply the revelation of this great order
            It was once said that "the beauty of order never                    o f   G o d .                                I<  -.
       aopears  so lovely as when it is contrasted with her op-                    N,ow then,  `God requires order  evkrywhere. Es-
       ponent, disorder". The.. truth of this assertion will pecially is. this demanded in His Church and to attain
       become evident as soon as we apply it to reality. For unto this He has given to her several helps. Thus in
       example,' disorderred  sound is confused noisetbut when the first article of our Church ,Orde.r.  we read: "FOT
       variotis sounds are blended and ,put in their proper                     the maintenance of good order in the church of Christ
       order lovely music is  ljrodutied  ; disordered stone makes              it is necessary that there should b-e ofiois, assemblies,
       a rubbish heap but stones orderly arranged result in                     supervision of .doctrine,  sacraments ard ceremonies,
       beautiful architecture ; and disordered words are non-                   a?d Christian diwipline; of which matters the follow-
       sense but when set in order  they give expression to                     ing articles treat in due order.,' This indispensable
       rich ideas.               .                                              virtue must be established in the church and main-
            In a world that is torn by ihe disorder of sin, the                 tained. Without it the church is devoid of `beauty,
      beauty of good order is greatly obscured. In contrast                     strength and significance. She is like the heap of
      `to this tiniversal disorder it is the calling of the peo-                bricks that have  been constructed into a stately
      pl6 of God to.`reveal the beauty of the Lord their God building.
      upon them  dy establishing and maintaining  ,order.                          Do not understand this to mean that the church
      This must be done in our personal, daily conversation ; that has a "set of rules" is then an orderly church.
      in. our homes'and  family life; in our schools and chur-                  That conclusion would be folly, for one look into the
      ches ; and `in every department of life. To this the ecclesiastical world will reveal hundreds of institutes
      Word of God calls us repeatedly. Tbe  ,Corinthians                        with fine rule books but devoid of good  oyder. Also
      the apostle exhorts with these words : "iLet all ;things                  in our own circles `we -find evidences of sagging por-
      be done decently .and in good order". `(I Cor. 14 :40).                   ches, tottering dormers, and broken panes which mar
      The same word translated here by "decently" is ,ren-                     the beauty of an orderly constructed ecclesiastical
      dered "honestly" in Roman@ 13 :13, "Let us walk hon-                      structure. Again and again things have to be set in
      estly as in the day" and in I Tlhess.  ,4 :12, "That ye                   order and if this is not done the ultimate result will
      .may walk honestly toward them  th& are without".                        be that the whole building will ?a11 into ruin. (Order
      Paul rejoiced when he "beheld the order and  sted-                        is constructive' while disorder is destructive.
      fastness-of the faith of the  Cdiossians,,  (Col. 2  :5).                   Tthis necessitates our  facing the  queStion:  A`tiWhat
      The Lord shews, His salvation to those that order  their                 then is good order in the chu&h?,, The word for"der'
      conversation aright. (Ps. 50 :23).                                       has several connotations. In  -the Roman Catholic
            All of this God requires of us `because He is Him-                 Church, e.g., it is used to mark off the different dis-
      self a  ,God of perfect  ordler and He has  made  us in                  tinctions in rank and office among the clergy. They
      His  .own image and likeness. It is  itipossible that speak of Major Orders (bishops,  priests, deacons and
      [God, either in Himself or in His works of &e&ion and                    sub-deacons) and Minor Orders (acolytes, exorcists,
      providence,. would, do anything in a haphazard manney.                   readers and ushers). Akin to this the word may also
      Eternally He is the Rock Whose work is perfect.                          denote a rank or class in society. In the Old Testa-
       (Deut. 32 :4) . If we but look about us "we can see ment  the  word  used frequently in reference to the
      the beauty of the  ordlerliness  of  (God's  Work. He                    sacrifices had in it the idea of `arrangement' so that
      makes the sun to rise and set with precision every we often read that the wood and offering were order-
      day ; He brings the heat of supmer and `the cold of                      ed  tin the altar.    In parliamentary proceedure the
      winter in their, due seasons ; He creates the bodies                     term denotes a certain mode of proceedure according
      of` men and animals with thousands of individual                         to rule which is expressed when one makes a point of
      members giving to each one a place and function.                         order. Then, tdo, the word may contain the thought
      What a horrible monstrosity would  -result   if' God                     of `command' as when an authority .gives an order to
      would cease to be orderly. W.hat  if every body were his subjects.
      formed without an orderly arrangement of membeys                             In  .asoertaining  the meaning of  the word as  we


   use it in this connection we shall.be guided by the fol-       other ceremonies because of the presence of false
- lowing Scripture passages: Luke 1:8, I CO?. 14 :40,             teachers who- incessantly seek to introduce disorder.
   Col.  2:5, Heb.  5;1'6, IO;  6:20,  7:1.1, 17. Interesting     He provides the key of Christiali Discipline by which
   here is the expression "order of Melchisediec" found in        our evil ways arle -corrected and we are led to repen-
 - the passages from Hebrews ; for there we read of the . `tance.         All of these are extremely necessary in the
   priesthood of Christ which is after the order of Mel-          Fhurch for the maintenance of good order. In the
   chisedec. `This  .would indicate that there is in this         measure that any of them is neglected, the way i`s
   term the idea of "liken&s, harmony, cgmparison".  In           opened to disorder in the church.
   certain points the priesthood of Christ and  Melchi-            We  must, therefore, first of all insist that all `of
sedec  are  coniparable and harmonius.          They are of these things be properly used in our own local church
   the same order. When this thought  is,  .applied to I          where it is the calling of every believer to maintain.       '
   Cor. 14:40 where we are told that "all things are to           good order. We must guard against any deseoration
   be in good order (likeness) " the implication .ia that         of bhe holy offices arid must insist that the doctrine oF
   the church has a certain standard of conduct confor- the churbh be supervised with greatest fidelity. The
   mity to which is the essence of good order.           This     purity of, the  zs.acr3.ments  must be maintained and
   standard is the *revealed will of God contained in Holy those who w&l& disorderly must be barred from their
   Writ. All -things in the church must conform to and use. Discipline must be exercised according to the
   be harmonious with that Word and any departure                 command of Christ and the asseinbliies  `(Gonsistories,
   from it is disorder.                                           ,Classis7 Synod) must do their work honorably.
       Tlhat this is good order for every creature of God
   as well+s for His church follows from the very nat-               To aid us in this our Church O,rder is ah invaluable
   ure. of the case. God has crkated  every creature  ac-         guide. It deals in ~detail with all of these necessary
   cording to a certain unchangeable order (law) and it things laying down the principles and ?ules of Holy
  -is good for the  cr`eatupe to abide therein for within Writ according to which good orderlean be attained.
   the limitations of that order he has life and happiness.       It prescribes for us how the unruly may ble disposed
   It is, e.g., good ordler for a fish to remain in the water,    of and the  body- of Christ properly and  spir%ually
   for a tree to be implanted into the earth, and for the         built up.                                 . .
                                                                                                       _
   iion to r,oam in Dhe forest. There they live within the           Finajly, good order does not begin in the Institute       *
   limitation,s-  of God's creative ordinances, but if the        of the Church but its starting point is in the lives of
   fish and `iion exchange places-there is disorder in the        the members.     Tlhe purity and orderliness of the
   cieation; and both creatures perish.                           church is manifest in the godly conversation of her
       Equally is this true for His moral creatures. To           members. To establish and maintain good order in
   them the Lord has given His precepts and command-              our churches we must then begin by examining our
   ments that they  should obey them. Let everything              own personal lives in relation to the body as well as
   with the exception of nothing, be d&e according to             to those without. This first must be brought into har-
 them., Then we abide in good order and we will see               mony with the revealed will of God. This means that
   the salvation of ,God which is life. The sad fact, how- the old  natu,re  which is disobedient,  rfebellious and
  . ever, is that we are by nature entirely out of order.         disorderly must be crucified daily and we must walk
   We can in. no wise keep the law of #God but are prone          in a new and holy .life. From there we must examine
   to all wickedness. This natti,ral  disorder of our lives       our home life. There must be a peripdic  ho&e-clean-
   is very serious and is always visited by Divine judg-          ing.  -All  things must be put in order.  Worldliriess  i
   ment. The soul that sinneth shall die. The church              and makerialism must be cast out and the home' must
   that is disorderly must come to ruin. Nor will a set           be  l?e-established  about  God- and His Word.  TConfor-
   of human rules and regulations correct this fault or mity to the world is disolrderliness  with God.
   cure this malady. More  t&n this  .is needed.  If we              IOrderliness is unity ! Unity is blessed. Where
   are to walk in good order we must be regenerated by -brethren dtiill together in unity and good order, there
   %he- Spirit of God. Following this regeneration the            the Lord commands His blessing, .even life forever-
  Lord gives various helps to nourish that new lifie and          more. (Ps. 133 :3)    0
   to keep the church in good order., He institutes `offices                                                G. Vanden Berg
   thyough which His Word is proclaimed as .the savor
   of life unto life converting the soul. He ordains as-
   semblies through which the affairs of His church are
   r'egul,ated  -and the needs of His people provided. He
  orders the supervision of. doctrine, sacraments and


                                          T&E  STANDARD--BE.ARER                                                     311

                                                                 :means the Declaration of Principles adopted by the
             A L L   A R O U N D   U S   f Protestant Reformed Synod.
  i                                                                 I don't know if the reader of this article noticed
                                                                 t&e question mark  (?). which appears in the above
                                                                 quotation, but you should. It belongs there even if
  HOEKSEMR?,  FOOLISH BINDING?                                   it does not make good. sense. In our opinion the au-
         In  tlze  "Po~rtwalce", a weekly paper of the Girl's    thor of that question does not mean to ask a question
  Societies of the  Liberatied Churches in the  Nether-          at all, he rather attempts to spit out all his gall. He
  lan$ls, in the issue of February 6th, page 384, we came        is simply ridiculing Hoeksema's conception of pluri-
  across a little article under the caption: "Een Zioht-         f o r m i t y .
  bare Of  ;Onzlchtbare  Kerk", a Visible  or Invisible             But be that as it may, &hat right did the author
  Church; The article is reflecting on another article of "Drie  Stanren" have to call the Declaration of
  appearing in a Canadian paper, blso sponsored by               Principles "Hoeksema's foolish -binding"? Does he
  the Lib,erated  Group, written by a certain Rev. Selles        not know that not Hoeksema but our Synod adopted
  who is answering a question of a Girl's Society which this Declaration? Doesn't be know that the request for
  had to dti with the subject:- Is the Church Visible or         such a Declarafion  came pot from Hoeksema but from
  Invisible?                                                     ou& Missionary and Mission Committee?          Do& he
         We are not primarily interested in the answer of        not know that Rev. Hoeksema is only one member of
  the-Rev. Selles gives to this question, but more partic- the Protestant Reformed Churches, and when he is
  ularly in the comment the author of the department             delegated he is only one member of Synod? Why
  "Drie !Starren" makes in respect to Rev. Selles' article.      then attach to the Declaration the name of Hoeksema?
         He'comments that the question of a visible or in- All oar Churches, -Ministers, Cpnsistories and Congre-
  visible Church is-as  ti,mely in the American world gations adopted that Declaration, and should also sub-
  as.it is in the Netherlands. And he remarks fuyther- scribe to it and maintain it. Not one man, as the
  that "if there is any place in t&e world where they go         author of "Drie Starren" seems -to imply.
  out from a so-called `Church-pluriformity' viewpoint              Again, what right doe's he,have to call it a "foolish
  then it is in the American world."- `Tohe author then binding"? What's so foolish. about it? The author
  makes a statement which we could not leave unchal-             doesn't tell us except to say that it is a medium "to
  lenged. `He continues : "One of the reasons why Rev.           let go from his (Hoeksema's) Church a group of bro-
  Hoeksema through his foolish `binding' can so easily thers and sisters so they could quietly establish their
  let go from his Church a group of brothers and sisters         own Church -where they can teach what they want
  is the argument: they can quietly establish their own to ?,' But that's not  sb foolish, is it? Wouldn't the
  Church where they can teach  what they want to? /Liberated,  who claim tie be the `true' Church, do the
  Here lies one of those dangerous Teefs  our Canadian same thing if they had people in their membership
brethren and sisters will do well to steer clear of." who didn't want to agree with the doctrine of their
   (Th& translation is mine.-M.S.)                               Church, who persistently transgressed the Church
       You will notice first of all that the author of these     Order,  who without any pangs of conscience would
  lines is speaking of "a so-called `Church-pluriformity' alloiv their ministers to be put out on the street, `etc.?
  viewpoint." He mi?ans by that word ."so-called" that ,Or can everybody do what is right in his own eyes $1
  it is really not a viewpoint but it `is just called that.      their Churches ?
  He  evidentiy does ndt think much of the conceptioti              But I must say more. Does the author of "Drie
  of Church-pluii-iformity j on this side o$ the Atlantic.- Starren" not know that his  heretic'al  brothers and
  In the Netherlands they have. a better, the real con-          sistejrs in Canada were not dismissed from Protestant
  ception. Notice, too, that he is speaking of the Ameri-        Reformed Churches either by the Rev. Hoeksema or
  can world. That's pretty big, isn't it? That includes by the Declaration, but that they cut themselves off
  Canada too, doesn't it? Or, are the  Canadi,an Lib- from us before the Declaration was even adopted?
  erated excluded from the American world?                       Does he not know that they loved their Arminian
         And then with a sweep of the binoculars over the ,Covenant conception so much that they hated our
  entire Amtrican world the author of the above quo- Prot,estant  Reformed doctrine, and warited  to estab-
  tation suddenly pin poi$s his vision on a "so-called           lish their own Chulrches? Let's get the facts stiaight !
  Church plurifprmity viewpoint" of the Rev. Hoeksema.              In our opinion it's about time that the Liberatecl
  Hoeksema's viewpoint must be thkrworst  of .the bad.           people of the Netherlands and Canada cease: being so
  Hoeksema's conception of ~pluriformity`comes  to mani- conceited as to think that their conception of the
  festation in his "foolish `binding'," whereby the writer (Church is the  onl$ one that is Reformed. When I


        312                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                        -,-.                 -       -
        think back on the corrupt manner in which these erst-             H     e          &it&:"The  agenda contained  some  50 let-
        while members of the Protestant Reform,ed  Churches ters, overtures and petitions from Particular Synods,
        in Canada acted, how unethically they treated  oulr               consistori& and individuals  suggC?sting  ways and
        ministers, my blood temperatul>e rises. And then the              means whereby the breach can be healed. These and
        gall to tell the world what is wrong with our Church&             sentiments expressed by every minister we met reveal
        and pile the blame on the head of Rev.  noeksema.                 the universal desire f& aeunion." He points ont fur-
        Shame on them! And shame on everyone who can ther : "In every worship service we attended, in the
        give these people any sympathy!                                   prayers at Synod, in committee meetings and homes,
                                                                          the `burdened' were remembered at the  khrone of
                             ,i?  *  *  *                                 grace. It w&s evident from the ffat&nal spirit that
                                                                          prevailed at Synod and from t,he patient, sympathetic
        WOMAAN   BUFFERAGE  IN THE  ,NETHERLANDS                          hearing given each,appellant  that all are deeply grie%-
               In the Banner of -March 6th) the Rev. Henry Baker          ed that  brethren  who belong together live apart.
      delegate of the Christian Reformed Churches to the                  Mistakes have been made. Errors committed must
        Reformed Synod of the Netherlands in its 1952 ses-                be confessed, but 4t should not be difficult for Chris-
        sion, riports briefly on the agenda and some of the               tians to do that. When bitterness is laid aside and
        decisions of that Synod.                                          provocation is solemnly avoided we may expect that
               Among the items he reports was  the matter of brethr,en will it least attempt to resolve their differ-
        woman Suffrage in the Church. Rev. Baker writes                   ences and, `dwell in blest accord.' We in America
        as follows : "A notable decision, whether we are in look forward with eagerness to the day when reunion
       agreement with it or not, was that which allows con-               is effected."
        sistories to .grant women the privilege of voting at                   We, too, believe that the l%vo groups in the Nether-
        congregational meetings. What surprised all was. that iands belong together. We never understood why they
        the decision was made by a nearly unanimous, vote,                went apart -in the first place. What's the difference
        only three delegates dissenting. Although many be-                if you believe in `presupposed regeneration' or that `all
        lieved Synod ,would concur in the conclusions of the              children born under the covenant are in the covenant?
       .Committee, few, if any, anticipated such a large meas-            People that ,have conceptions like that shoujldn't live
        ure of agreement on the part of the delegates."                   apart.
7.             The R,ev. Baker tirites in the introduction to his              But when we read the report, of Rev. Baker we
        report very favorably of the Netherlands Reformed                 were reminded of the man who was so enthusiastic
        leaders. as. follows-: "We remain indebted to their past          in his missionary zeal to save the poor Chinese who
        and present leaders-men of -stature and great ability were miles from home, while at the same timle he was
        in the field of learning-who steeped in the Reformed              stamping  .on the head of his next door neighbor. If
       tradition will continue to make, an impact on our the Rev. Baker imbibed some of that "firaternal spirit"
        thinking and on the development  qf our Church."                  that prevailed at the Synod did he leave it on the boat
               IOne wonders when he reads the above decision              that. took him to our shores, or would he also offer a
        whether the- Reformed Churches in i&e Netherlands,                prayer for his Reformed brethren on this side of the
        which are so "steeped in the  Refdrmed  tradition",               ocean? Better still, would he admit that "mistakes
        have not decided to forget the traditions of the past.            have been made" in the past by the Christian Re-
        `One wonders also whether their "impact" on the                   formed Churches when they expelled faithful brethren
        thinking of the Christian Reformed ,Churches will not from tbeir midst? Would he be ready `to confess
        also lead the litter to break with the tradition. -We             these errors and seek for a reunion with the Protestant
        predict the mattier  will soon be settled in favor of the         Reformed Churches, the reunion the Rev. `Greenway
        Netherlands.  -,                                                  also longs for?
                                *  *  k  k                                                                           LM.  Schipper

        PRAYERS FOB THE LIBERATED                                                                  -:--.-:-
               In the same article in the Barmer above referred                                               ~
        to, under the sub-title, "Churches Maintaining Article
      31")  the  Rev.  Baker calls attention to the great con-                       While on My wasted form they stare,
        cern mahigested  in the Reformed Synod of the Net.h-                         The garments torn from me they share,
        erlands over the Liberated group t@at separated from                         My shame and sorrow heeding not,
        them under the leadership of the late Dr. Schilder.                          And for My robe they cast the lot.


