To the Congregation at Brucefield before they entered the Union Church in 1895.
ALTHOUGH I have not been worshipping with you for some time, I have not been an uninterested spectator of what you have been doing, and I have noticed that every move that you made was bringing you a step nearer to the Union Church; and for a long time I have been convinced in my own mind that by and by you would go over to that Church altogether, and the intimation that I heard read in the Church last Sabbath showed me that I had not misjudged you.
Now, while I do not claim, or pretend to have any right to dictate to you what you ought to do, I hope you will bear with me when, as your friend, I ask you to pause a little before you take the final step, and calmly look at the situation from some of its most important standpoints. And first: Why did we not go into the Union when it took place in 1875? Answer—Our principal “reason of dissent” was because the Church would not allow it to be inserted in their “Basis of Union” that the Lord Jesus Christ is the King of nations, and so determined were they on that point that, rather than allow that doctrine a place in their Basis they would, and did, let us leave their Communion altogether. And second: Although, in a kind of way, He is acknowledged Head of the Church, yet, practically, He is disowned there too. In proof thereof, see how the mode in which He is to be worshipped is not decided by the Word of God (which is the law of the King), but by the voice of the people; for it is decided by their vote whether the Lord shall be praised by singing the Psalms of the Bible, or by singing hymns of human composition. The same again with regard to the organ, and the same again as to whether they shall sit or stand when praying. It is the vote of the people that determines all that, and not the law of the King. What a different estimate was put upon that doctrine by Presbyterians in days gone by, when they let their blood flow as water in defence of “Christ’s Crown and Covenant.”
And it is also within the memory of a good number among ourselves what sacrifices were made at the time of the “Disruption” for Christ’s crown rights.
But, although the Church has a lower estimate of Christ’s Royal Prerogatives now than she had then, has Christ lowered His estimate of them? Are they any less valuable in His sight now than they were then? To ask that question is to answer it. For Christ is the unchangeable One: He is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. For He is still King of kings and Lord of lords, and He must reign until all things are put under His feet. Well do I remember the scene in Montreal when we had to decide whether we would unite with the multitude upon that Basis that we considered so dishonouring to the name of Christ, or whether we would stand alone. But, by God’s grace, we were enabled to stand alone, for there were only four of us against the whole “Canadian Presbyterian Church.” But, although we were in such a small minority, we believed then, and I believe now, that we were on the Lord’s side. And when the question was taken up and dealt with in Brucefield, you, too, declared that you believed that we were right in the stand that we had taken, for you took your stand with us, and refused to enter the Union.
Now, if it was right to keep off the Union then, can it be right to enter it now? Is the Basis changed for the better? No; it is not changed at all: it remains the same. What, then, has changed? Is it you? Are you now prepared to go back on your nineteen years’ testimony, and by your action declare that you have been wrong all these years that you have been professing to testify against the error of the Union Church? It is true that your testimony has been weak and feeble since you took to living on the Union Church. But you are yet in a position to assert yourselves: you are yet free to take any road you like; and before you bind yourselves hand and foot, examine the whole question carefully in the light of God’s word and in the light of eternity, and choose that side now that you will wish you had chosen when eternity dawns. In a crisis like this it is well to remember that when the King will come in glory and attended by His holy angels, He will then treat us as we treat Him now. If we confess Him before men, He will confess us before His Father and before the holy angels, for He has said so Himself. But, if we deny Him, He will deny us—and that Union Basis is so like a denial of His name that, for my part, I dread to have anything to do with it or to come near it.
And, moreover, is not He who is “the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only wise God,” worthy to receive all the honour that we can give Him? Does He not deserve it at our hands, when for us He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, and for which God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven and things on earth, and things that are under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father? Let us, then, beware of doing any indignity to that glorious name that God has so highly exalted. Rather let us emulate the sturdy Presbyterianism of our forefathers. They would suffer any loss, and brave any danger, in order to set Christ, the King, on His throne, both of the Church and the nation too. Now, this doctrine of Christ’s Kingship over the nations is not a mere sentiment; it is intensely practical, and the rejection of it is bearing bitter fruit in this Canada of ours. Do you ask in what way? Well, I will tell you, even at the risk of bringing a little politics into my story. You all remember that episode in our history known as the “Pacific Scandal,” and how quickly the parties that were guilty of that scandal were driven from place and power by the force of public opinion, and another set of men appointed in their stead who administered the affairs of the country as honestly as men could do it. But during the time of their administration, the question of the Union of the Presbyterian Churches came up for discussion, and the great difficulty was to get a Basis on which they could all stand. At last a Basis was found on which all (with a very few exceptions) could unite; but the great defect of that Basis, or, I might say, the criminal defect of it, was the notorious way in which Christ, as “King of Nations,” was rejected by it. Well, this Union of the Churches, and this rejection of the King, was consummated in the year 1875, and mark what follows:—The first general election after that was in 1878, and the most honest government that Canada has ever seen was swept from place and power as with the besom of destruction, and all the heroes of the “Pacific Scandal” were restored to their former places with all their sins and crimes condoned.
Now, how can we account for this sudden and startling revulsion of public opinion by which a set of men were driven from place and power as rogues and criminals, and in five short years were again restored to their former places of trust, only to follow on in the same line of corruption until the affairs of the country have reached that deplorable and debased condition that recent investigation revealed them to be in? I will put it in the form of a question, and let you answer it yourselves. Is there any connection between these two events—Christ disowned as King of Nations, and the King leaving the nation to fall into the hands of thieves? I shall leave the question for each one to answer for himself.
For my own part, I do not expect any permanent reform in either Church or State until we bring back the King. I once heard Mr. Ross say that if we would agree to that basis he could not pray to Christ the King in behalf of the nation when it was in danger. But one thing is certain: He must reign until all things are put under Him. For the Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool.
And all the mighty kings on earth
Before Him down shall fall,
And all the nations of the world
Do service to Him shall.
For He the needy shall preserve
When He to Him doth call;
The poor also, and Him that hath
No help of man at all.
Then, instead of dragging along after the Union Church in the irregular way that you have been doing, cast yourselves on the care of the King who has all the resources of Omnipotence under His control, and can supply your wants out of His fulness: for in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the God-head bodily. He is able to make all grace abound toward you. Then seek the Lord and His strength: seek His face evermore. At one time the Lord made a very large promise to Moses, so large that Moses seems to have thought that it was too large to be fulfilled, and he began to reason with Him about it. And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt now see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” No, the Lord’s hand is not shortened yet. And none that trust in Him shall ever be put to shame.