THE CHRISTIAN AFRIKANERS - The Works of F. N. Lee

Twenty-five lectures ago, we commenced looking at the faith of the fathers. We started with Adamin the Old Testament. Then, we went through the Apocrypha and the New Testament. Next, wesurveyed the early Church Patristics down through the Protestant Reformation. And finally, wetraced the development of subsequent Calvinism -- through Holland, and down to South Africatoday.That great Afrikaner Professor F.J.M. Potgieter urged me to go to America fifteen years ago. Hepointed out that many of these cultural treasures that we have imbibed by God's grace in SouthAfrica, are now concealed to many of the English-speaking people in the world.Well, humbly, I would now propose to export this faith of the fathers from Adam's thought throughAfrikaner thought -- to export it again from America, through Australia, and even to the uttermostparts of the earth. With apologies to Totius: "I am the White child of South Africa; trekking furtherto America; and then, yet further, to Australia. Trek on! How far? As far as God would have metrek!"I believe that the Calvinistic words of the last verse of the South African National anthem,composed by the Calvinist Rev. M.L. de Villiers and the great poet C.J. Langenhoven, areappropriate at this point. Let South African Calvinists and American Calvinists export to Australiaand everywhere else whatever they have to offer. Let each nation borrow from the other -- and giveto the other, in return. Let us together, as those that love God, go forward as one body --undertaking the Christian conquest of all the earth for our great Saviour King!In the words of the South African national anthem:"Op U Almag vas vertrouend, het ons vadere gebou.Skenk ook ons die krag, O Here -- om te handhaaf en tehou;Dat die erwe van ons vaders vir ons kinders erwe bly --knegte van die Allerhoogste, teen die hele wêreld vry!Soos ons vadere vertrou het, leer ook ons vertrou, O Heer--met ons land en met ons nasie, sal dit wel wees: Godregeer!"Let me attempt an approximate translation of the above into English. In closing, may these wordsthen be an inspiration to Calvinists everywhere -- so that God's true people may triumph from seato sea, and from the rivers of Ethiopia even to the very ends of the earth!"In Jehovah God Almighty did our fathers safely trust.Give us too, O Lord, the power -- to keep building firm andjust.May the treasures of our fathers for our children treasures be!We are slaves of God Almighty in the world, and so we'refree!As our ancestors have trusted, Lord, teach us to trust Theestill.For then Thou wilt rule our nation, and we'll gladly do Thywill!"