Preached to his Congregation in the Free Presbyterian Church
there, on Sabbath, 22nd March, 1908.
(Taken down by a Hearer.)
“But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow into it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”—MICAH iv. 1, 2.
(Continued from page 12.)
WHEN speaking from these words in the afternoon we stopped at considering the height of the mountain and the views to be seen from the top of it. Before leaving this point I may say that one looking down from the top of this mountain will see the things of this world very small. Houses and castles, and other things that appeared so big to him when standing on the low ground, now appear to be very little indeed; and men who looked so great in the eyes of their fellows now appear to be just like little children. As this is true naturally, so it is true spiritually. Before conversion, and before ascending this mountain of the house of the Lord, the sinner looked upon this world as the greatest thing in existence; but now, being changed himself by the Spirit of God, he views things in the light of eternity and in the light of God’s Word, and, like Paul, he counts all things loss—yea, he reckons them as dung—compared with the knowledge of Christ Jesus, his Lord. Before conversion he sought his happiness in the pleasures and amusements of this earth—labouring to draw happiness from broken cisterns which can hold no water; but now, being savingly changed, he views the pleasures of this life from the top of the mountain as nothing compared with the pleasures that the Holy Spirit imparts to his soul—the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. If you ask those who seek happiness in amusements—“innocent amusements” they call the theatre, concerts, and dances—why they do not give up such things, “Ah,” they will say, “we shall be dull and without happiness if we give up all our amusements.” That is their answer. But the Christian would not exchange his joy in the Lord for one moment for all the pleasures derived by the people of the world from their amusements. The Psalmist says—
“For in Thy courts one day excels
a thousand; rather in
My God’s house will I keep a door
than dwell in tents of sin.”
I am not going to dwell upon this, but it gives pain to my heart—knowing the things of eternity and the preciousness of immortal souls—when I see and read of young boys and girls, and even their fathers and mothers, going to the dance and to the theatre at our very doors.
II.—The promise concerning the Church.
I now proceed to the second head, viz., the promise concerning the Church, and you will observe that this promise is twofold. It has respect (1) to what God promises to do concerning the Church itself, and (2) concerning the flowing of people and nations into the Church.
(1) What God promises to do concerning the Church itself.
Well, the promise as it relates to the Church itself is this—“It shall be established on the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills,” and this was to take place “in the last days.” Though God had a Church in the world during the Old Testament dispensation, yet it was not so established as not to give place to a Church in a new form, for you remember that the Apostle Paul quoted from Old Testament prophecy—“I will shake not the earth only, but the heavens also. Here the earth means the political state, and the heavens the ecclesiastical state; and Paul quotes this Scripture as an argument why the old dispensation should pass away to give place to the new. The Church state under the old economy was changed, but the Church state under the new is established in such a way that it shall never be moved till Christ comes to shake the heavens and the earth, and to judge the world. This was accomplished when the canon of Scripture was completed, and when the doctrines of the Church were fixed and the mode of worship settled; so that the state of the Church now, with regard to doctrine and mode of worship, is the best that can be on this side of glory. People who desire change in these matters ought to give good heed to this.
The Apostle Paul, in the same epistle to the Hebrews, brings forward another argument in the seventh chapter. “The law,” that is, the ceremonial law, “made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.” That is, the Gospel made things perfect. Perfection came not by the Levitical priesthood, but perfection came by the Priesthood of Christ. The sacrifice He offered up was perfect; the satisfaction He rendered to divine justice was perfect; and the mode of worship He has appointed in the New Testament Church is so perfect that it is finally fixed, established, and can never be removed to give place to a third dispensation. It is remarkable that any changes that are made by people in the way of worship are backward movements. The change from the Old Testament to the New Testament was a forward one. Why is it that, when people make any change at all, it is a change for the worse? Ah! just because it is impossible to improve upon the mode of worship and doctrine appointed by Christ, and any move from that must necessarily be a retrograde and not a progressive one. People ought to have their eyes opened. It is to be feared that this generation is blindfolded.
They shut their eyes willingly, and do not try to think of spiritual things at all according to Scripture. They act like children. When changes are proposed people ought to ask themselves if what is proposed is a new thing, and if it ever existed in the world before? If people exercised their reason and knowledge in this way they would find that the so-called “new” ideas are nothing but a backward movement to modes and doctrines that existed during a previous dispensation which is abolished. Christ not only gives His people a spiritual understanding, but even in natural things God’s people are more intelligent than those that are still in a state of nature.
Well, then, it was promised that the Church should be rooted in the earth, and fixed in regard to doctrine and mode of worship. It was to be established on the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills. Not on the top of one mountain, as it was of old—on Mount Zion—but in Gospel times the Church was to be established on the top of all the mountains of the earth and exalted above all the hills. Mountains and hills are here spoken of figuratively. As mountains are greater than hills, so mountains here may mean kingdoms; and this means, as far as we understand it, that the kingdoms of the world shall give its proper place to the kingdom of Christ. Instead of lifting their heads above it and despising it, they now submit themselves willingly to the government of Christ, and give the highest place in their minds to the cause of Christ. Oh, what a glorious day! This is the promise, then, and faithful is He that promised, who also will perform. The promise is absolute. It does not say, “It may be,” or “It will be on such and such conditions.” No; there are no conditions or qualifications. It is an absolute promise, and as sure as God gave the promise, it shall be fulfilled. The Church of Christ shall be acknowledged by all the kingdoms of this world, and they will consider themselves under the law of Christ and not above it. The great majority of the kingdoms of the earth have raised their heads above the cause of Christ, and despised it, and persecuted it; but ah! in the last days (and we are, in a sense, living already in the last days, which began when Christ rose from the dead, and shall continue till He comes again to judge the world) the promise is to be fulfilled concerning the mountain of the house of the Lord. Christianity will be embraced then not only by the mountains, or kingdoms, but also by the hills, or all the other parts of the earth. All the kingdoms of the world shall be made the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The prophet Micah had to deliver this comforting message at a time when it was much needed. When the mountain of the house of the Lord was a plowed field and made heaps and a desolation, Micah was commissioned by God to declare this message, and we declare it at second hand. It is not the less divine, it is not of less authority because we deliver it at second hand. It is the truth of God that never changes. The promise was far from being accomplished in the time of the prophet Micah, and although it is partially fulfilled in our day, yet it is far from being completely fulfilled; but it is our privilege to declare it; and it is indeed a consolation to ourselves that there is such a promise in the Scriptures. As mountains may represent kingdoms, hills, which are less than mountains, may represent smaller communities, such as the inhabitants of our large cities. It cannot yet be said that there is a city in the world of which all the inhabitants have submitted to Christ and His government, and have given the place to His cause that it ought to have in their hearts. No doubt there are kingdoms and cities that profess to submit themselves to Christ’s government, and one of our large cities, i.e., Glasgow, adopted as its municipal motto, “Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word;” and Glasgow did flourish. But now there is a change, and what do you think of the action of the Glasgow magistrates? They held a meeting concerning the motto of their city, when it was proposed, put to the vote, and carried, that part of the motto should in future be dropped. That part was “by the preaching of the Word”; so that the official motto is now the bare “Let Glasgow flourish!” Ah! those councillors were very foolish, because, apart from God’s word, Glasgow will not flourish. This kingdom is nominally a Christian kingdom, but are we not coming again under the mist of error to which I referred in the earlier part of the day? Ah, my friends, those magistrates of Glasgow who dropped that part of the motto are the enemies of Christ, and Glasgow cannot prosper while they are opposing Him. There is the promise of this life and that which is to come given to godliness, and when people put off godliness there is no promise of prosperity. If you are made godly by God Himself, and cast all your cares upon Him for everything you require during your time in this world, depend upon it you will never lack; but those who cast off the fear and authority of God make themselves liable to be deprived of the temporal blessings they need during their time in this world. “Godliness is profitable in all things, having the promise of this life and that which is to come.”
(2) The coming of people and nations into the Church.
The next part of the promise is the coming of people and nations into the Church. It begins thus:—”The people shall flow into it,” and then “many nations shall come.” That is the order. People first—perhaps the people of one nation—and then many nations, till all nations of the world shall flow into the Church. But, you say, “It is far from being so in this age, though the Gospel has been preached for nearly two thousand years now.” Ah! but I have already pointed out that the promise was absolute and sure, and God will fulfil His own Word in His own time. But this is our time; we are passing on swiftly to eternity, and it is now that God is dealing with us with His Gospel, now He is inviting us into His Church. Well, the manner they come is that they flow, and this implies that they come willingly. Not that by nature they are willing to come into the Church or to accept of Christ, but they shall be made willing in the day of God’s power, as David says, “A willing people in Thy day of power shall come to Thee.” None are willing by nature. Those taught of God found out that they would require to have their will renewed as well as their mind enlightened. An ancient heresy has been revived in our age—that man is willing to repent and to believe in Christ. One of these freewillers was arguing with me on the subject, and holding that man had perfect power of will to receive Christ, but I asked him how it was that although ministers were preaching the Gospel and pressing their fellow-sinners to believe in Christ, yet there are so few that do believe, and, of course, he could not answer. One argument these people have is that if you deny freewill, you discourage the sinner to make any effort to be saved. But there are duties enjoined by God which do not mean that man is able by nature to obey any of the commands of God. We are commanded in Scripture to make us a new heart. Can we do that? No; but God means that we should go to Himself to work in us the new heart we need. The freewillers do not understand the Word of God at all. They twist Scripture to their own destruction. They ask, “Would God command so many duties if man were unable to obey?” But though man, by sin, lost his ability to obey, surely that does not mean that God lost His right to demand obedience! That is the manner in which the subject should be understood. A bankrupt cannot pay his creditors, but surely that does not mean that the demands of his creditors are unjust.
Well, the nations shall come willingly into the Church, and it is very likely that during the millennium this shall be fulfilled with respect to all the nations of the world. Comparatively few nations of the earth have received Christ yet, but during the millennium it will probably be true that all kings and queens of the earth shall be submissive to Him. With the probable exception of one sovereign, as far as we know, there is not a godly king or a godly queen in the world to-day, and the noble exception, we trust, is Gustavus of Sweden. Read his speech to his subjects. Ah! how different from the speeches of the other sovereigns and rulers of Europe, and how different from the speeches of our own king! Indeed, it ought to put us to shame to read such a speech that contains so much of the glorious Gospel. I think everyone should read that speech, and preserve it as a memorial of that king. It is to be found in a recent issue of the English Churchman or the Protestant Observer. It is more like a sermon from the pulpit by a Gospel minister than a speech from the throne by an earthly sovereign. Long may the Christian king of Sweden live!
There is only one mountain spoken of here, and as all nations shall flow into this one mountain, there shall only be one Church. Now, we speak of many Churches. What has been the cause of so many denominations existing in the world? Just a departure from the one doctrine and mode of worship which God set up on earth. There are now many branches of the Christian Church, and so far as these adhere to the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, they are to be recognised as such; but there are other branches that, although holding by some doctrines about the person of Christ, and even about His sacrifice, yet by their own inventions they overthrow these doctrines, and such cannot be called branches of the visible Church. If there be anything of the Word of God in such Churches, there may be individual Christians there; but so far as a testimony for the truth is concerned, we are assured by those who have made enquiry into the state of matters that, for example, the Episcopal Church of Scotland cannot be regarded as a branch of the visible Church, and yet we see people flocking to that Church.
We feel as Micah did in his own day. He had to testify against error, against the priests and the princes and the leaders of the people who were leading them astray. There is much need in our day of warning people against error. I do not see many being brought to Christ through my ministry, but I think I recognise that a great part of the work God has assigned to me is to warn people of the dangerous tendency of this age towards error in religion. I endeavour to show you the way of salvation, but I feel impelled to speak of the mist of error that is coming down upon us, not from any ill-will towards my fellow-creatures, but because of my love to God, to His truth, and to His cause, and of my desire that His kingdom should be advanced, and that the kingdom of Satan should be destroyed. For these reasons I speak so often of these errors.
When you go home you would do well to read the whole of the prophecy of Micah. It is not long, having but seven chapters, and on Sabbath night you will not be long in reading them. You will see how great are his denunciations of those things that destroy souls and that make desolate the Church of God, and then how he turns round to comfort the people of God by telling them what great things God is to do for His Church in the last days. The people flow into it like water. You do not need to ask water to flow; it flows naturally and of its own accord quite freely, and this will be the case when the Spirit is poured out from on high, and when the Gospel is preached: sinners will be made willing, nations will be made willing, in the day of His power. A nation shall be born in one day! We would rejoice over one sinner repenting; yea, there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. But what joy will that be when a whole nation shall be born in one day? Not only do they come willingly, but they exhort one another, saying, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord.” It is not of individuals merely, but of nations, that this is spoken. The nations will be exhorting one another. Britain will be exhorting France, France will be exhorting Italy, Italy will be exhorting Spain, and so on from one kingdom to another. No kingdom will refuse to comply with the exhortation. Ah, what a glorious day! This is promised, and the promise is sure, for God is faithful. We shall not see it, my friends, but in the midst of many discouragements we rejoice to proclaim this message in your ears.
We are told the object for which they come to the mountain of the house of the Lord. They come for instruction, and that not about the things of this life, but regarding the things of eternity—the things that belong to their peace. When the sinner is awakened he begins anew to attend the means of grace. He went before because others went, not because he felt his need; but when awakened he goes to church for the first time for instruction. Now his ears are open he will not lose a word of what he hears; he watches all the time to see if there is any hope for such a sinner as he is. Well, my friends, it will not be one here and there throughout a kingdom of which this will be true, but it will be true of whole nations that they come for instruction. And who is the teacher? It is God. Not but that there will be men employed as His instruments. Ministers were never so numerous as they will be when this promise is fulfilled—”And they shall all be taught of God.” It is not likely that there will be even one unconverted minister throughout the world during the millennium. And what is our warrant for that? Read the thirteenth chapter of Zechariah, about the man that was asked to act as a minister. He replies, “I am not a minister. I am an unconverted man. I will not take upon myself to preach. I am no prophet; I am a husbandman.” In our day hundreds of unconverted men boldly come forward to the ministry, while those whom God Himself has chosen are often afraid to come forward to that holy office. Ministers are earthen vessels. It is God alone who supports them. The Psalmist says, “Were it not that I believed to see the goodness of the Lord, I would have fainted.” Ministers are weak, earthen vessels, but when God speaks through them they are like the box that contained the ointment with which Mary anointed the head of Jesus. When it was broken “the house was filled with the odour of the ointment;” and it is when God’s messengers are broken in heart that the savour of the Gospel flows forth from the pulpit.
We will now observe the purpose for which they seek instruction. What do they purpose to do? They purpose, if God will teach them of His ways, through grace, to obey Him. “He will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths.” What a fine congregation that will be! How desirable for a minister to be ordained over such a congregation! He would be a happy man. He would find it easy to preach, and he would be supported by their prayers. If the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, how much more the prayers of hundreds and thousands of God’s praying people!
III.—The means to accomplish the promise.
The third thing in our text is the means to accomplish the promise, and what are the means? It is the gospel. “The law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This prophecy looked forward to New Testament times, and to the times in which the gospel was to go forth among all the nations after the middle wall of partition had been broken down by the death of Christ. It began at Jerusalem, but it did not stop there. The field was the world: “Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” “Make disciples,” Christ said, “of all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” So that Christ’s commandment was to be the rule of preaching and the rule of obedience; and what was not done in accordance with that rule was not acceptable to God. Nothing should be done in the worship of God that is not in accordance with that rule. At the time of the Reformation there were many efforts made to put down that glorious movement by the enemies of the gospel. Among them was one great man, called Dr. Eck. At a Council the Protestants were required to make known their views and the doctrines which they professed, and so they formulated a kind of Confession of Faith. There were many Roman Catholic dukes and princes present, and the reading of this Confession had such an effect upon them that they confessed they would not have missed being present for anything in the world. One young prince, the Prince of Bavaria, met Dr. Eck after the meeting and asked him: “Can you now confute the doctrines contained in that Confession?” Dr. Eck answered: “According to the Scriptures, no; but, according to the Fathers and the Councils, yes!” “Oh,” said the Duke, “I now see where we stand in the Church of Rome: the Lutherans are in the Scriptures, but we are out of the Scriptures.” And the Duke left the Church of Rome and left Dr. Eck. Many more of the leading princes and dukes of Germany also left the Church of Rome and joined the Reformation, after having heard that Confession read at the Council.
The Gospel, then, is the means for the accomplishing of the promise. The Word of the Lord—this book, the Bible—is the means. It is the preaching of the Gospel that the Spirit of God blesses. The Word, of itself, cannot change any sinner, but it is the means in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It has this power, and so the Apostle says “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” It is made effectual by the Spirit in convincing and converting sinners, and in building up believers in the faith. Ah, my friends, let us prize this Book—the Bible. There is great enmity against the Bible in our day, but it is the powerful means by which the kingdom of Satan is destroyed and the kingdom of Christ is advanced; and hence the enmity and hatred of Satan to the blessed Word of God. If he had his way there would not be a Bible in the world, and as he is a spirit he cannot destroy the Bible, so he uses as instruments men who can handle material things, and he keeps the Bible from the people, or tears it in pieces, or destroys it in every way he can. Satan is afraid of the Bible. Ah, then, my friends, if you got any good from the Bible, take good care of it. When you find it in leaves you ought to bind it up. Why? Ah, it was the means of bringing you to see your need of Christ, and of leading you to the Saviour. Ah, make good use of your Bibles. If you seek for salvation in the Bible, do not say “There is no hope.” It is the means of salvation. Read in it the threatenings against sinners that are under the law, that you may be convinced of your sins. When you have got that length, do not despair, for there is mercy in God. That mercy flows to sinners through the blood of His Son, and as long as the invitation of the Gospel is to you, do not despair. Ah, is there even one poor soul in my congregation brought to conviction of sin, brought to cry to God for mercy? After preaching to you for some years now, is my labour in vain? If you find out your miserable condition do not despair; remember there is mercy in God for the chief of sinners.
The glorious subject we have been considering is full of hope, and warrants us to sing with the Psalmist:—
“His name for ever shall endure;
Last like the sun it shall:
Men shall be bless’d in him, and bless’d
All nations shall him call.
Now blessed be the Lord our God,
The God of Israel,
For he alone doth wondrous works,
In glory that excel.
And blessed be his glorious name
To all eternity:
The whole earth let his glory fill.
Amen, so let it be.”—Psalm lxxii. 17-19.