A Sermon. By the Rev. D. Macfarlane, Dingwall

“And they said, every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.”—JONAH i. 7.

WE have here an account of Jonah—given by himself—fleeing from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent a great storm to arrest the fugitive. Perhaps it was quite calm before the boat left port, but as soon as it left, the wind blew and increased in force, so that the mariners were in danger of being drowned. The circumstances in which they found themselves were so extraordinary that they suspected that Jonah—perhaps the only passenger—committed some great crime, which provoked God to raise the hurricane to punish him by drowning. But in order to be sure of the cause of the storm they cast lots—which was, in doubtful cases, an appeal to God—and the lot fell upon Jonah. When God sends trouble on individuals or nations it is proper to inquire as to the reason why He does so. In view of the present European War, in which our nation is involved, I shall direct your attention to three things, viz.:

I.—The evil.

Besides other evils connected with war, there are many men killed. In the present war it is computed that about two million Germans have been killed since the war began, five months ago. If we add to this the many thousands of Austrians, British, Belgian, and Turkish that have been killed, the total must be very great. War also causes much suffering to non-combatants. Take Belgium, for instance. The people of that country had to flee for their life to other countries—to Holland, England, Scotland, and other countries—leaving behind them all the goods they possessed; and they are now dependent on the charity of others for lodgings, food, and clothes. Surely all this is an evil which must be deeply felt. This universal war causes a sense of insecurity to life and property on sea and land which paralyses trade, not knowing what devastation a day may bring about. But as we are more concerned at present about the cause of the war than about the evils it brings on men, I shall proceed to consider:

II.—The cause of the evil, or the reason why God deals with us in this awful manner.

There is a difference of opinion among men as to the cause of the war. Popish writers say that this war is the fruit of the Reformation in the sixteenth century—the evil effect of Luther’s teaching in Germany; that it made the Germans so brutish and cruel, as indeed they now are. But all who know history know that the Reformation is not the cause of the war or of the cruelty of the Germans. The condition of Germany and other countries in Europe—spiritually, morally, and socially—before the Reformation was deplorable. The Reformation made a great change for the better in Germany and in all other countries that came under its benign influence. It is observable that the countries that remained un-reformed, under the domination of the Papacy, are more ignorant, more cruel and criminal, than Protestant countries. Take Spain, for instance, as an example of ignorance. Of a population of nineteen millions, thirteen millions are illiterate—can neither read nor write—and that in the twentieth century! Statistics show that there are, by far, more criminals in Popish countries than in Protestant countries. And as for cruelty, history abundantly testifies that the Papacy was the most cruel religious system that ever appeared in the world. Its history is written in the blood of God’s saints.

So long as Germany adhered to the principles and doctrines of the Reformation the Emperor and people were not cruel. Nor were they aggressors in waging war against their neighbours; but when they were attacked by enemies they, as a matter of duty, defended themselves, and the Lord of hosts made them victorious in the conflict. In 1866 the Church of Rome caused Austria, a Popish country, to wage war against Germany, with a view to crush Protestantism in that country. But because Germany was then Protestant, Austria was defeated. Again, in 1870 the same Church stirred up France to war against Germany, to overthrow Protestantism in that country; but God took the side of Germany and France was defeated, and the Pope lost the temporal power. But Germany is not Protestant now. A large proportion of the people are Papists, others are rationalists or atheists, and the Emperor is in league with the Pope. It is this that accounts for German cruelty and hatred of Britain, and not the Reformation. The Kaiser came under the influence of the Jesuits, who have made a tool of him in order to overthrow Protestantism in Britain — “its stronghold,” as Cardinal Manning called it. The aim of the plot in the war is to restore the temporal power to the Pope, and the Kaiser is employed for this end, and is promised a world-wide empire under the Pope as his reward. There can be no doubt that the Papacy is largely responsible for this great European War, and that it was planned long ago. Cardinal Manning said that “he would be willing to deluge the whole of Europe with blood, in order to destroy the unity of Italy and Germany and to recover the temporal power of the Pope. Protestant England (Britain) is the main hindrance to the Pope’s universal rule.” Therefore the destruction of Britain is the great object in the war, although other nations are allies to Britain in the conflict. But as sin is the deserving cause of the war, the Kaiser is but a rod in God’s hand to chastise and punish the nations of Europe for their iniquities, as Nebuchadnezzar was the rod of God’s anger to punish the people of Israel and Judah for their sins, and especially the sin of idolatry. We shall point out some of the particular reasons why God has brought this evil of war upon us.

First.—Instead of devoting their time, strength, and talent to the seeking of God’s glory and the salvation of their own souls, as their chief end, the people of this nation, particularly the young, with few exceptions, have indulged in all kinds of amusements, plays, and carnal pleasures. It is computed that thirteen millions of money have been spent annually on amusements, seven millions of which were spent on football. The young men who spent much of their time at football are now called to “the front,” and many of them are killed in action. In the town of Dingwall there used to be, before the war broke out, a dance every week, or oftener, in the winter time and a theatrical performance occasionally. The war put a stop to these vanities, and the halls in which the people used to gather are now residences for soldiers. As these pleasure seekers would not listen to God’s voice in the Bible, they must now listen to His voice in providence.

Second.—A sad departure from the doctrines of God’s Word by many churches in England, Scotland, and Ireland. This departure was caused by the Higher Critics, who cast doubt on the truth of the Bible. The error began in Germany, and was imported to Scotland by the late Professor Robertson Smith and others. As a retribution, Germany is now employed by God to punish our country for adopting the error.

Third.—Non-attendance on the public means of grace. There is a population of one million and a quarter in Glasgow, and it was reported in the newspapers recently that half of the people of that large city never attend church. This is the effect of the preaching of ministers who denied the infallibility of Scripture, and held and taught that there were errors in the Bible. The people said, “If the Bible is not a reliable book, as our ministers tell us, we need not go to hear its doctrines preached ; we will stay at home.” This is the main cause of lapsing, of which many ministers complain. They are the cause of it.

Fourth.—Sabbath desecration of various forms—a sin partly for which God sent the people of Israel into a long captivity in Babylon.

Fifth.—Idolatry. To worship the creature is idolatry. The Church of Rome worships the Virgin Mary and other saints. She worships even their pictures. She worships the picture of Christ, and the bread in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. All this is gross idolatry. God’s command is, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke iv. 8). Protestant Churches, that cast off Romish idolatry at the Reformation, are now returning to that abomination again. The late Rev. Lachlan Mackenzie, Lochcarron, predicted that the time was coming when Popery would be taught in Protestant Churches. This prediction has come to pass. In the Church of England there are about thirty-six thousand clergymen, and it is computed that twelve thousand of these are, in their views and practice, Roman priests, doing the work of Rome, and eating the bread of the Protestant Church ! In order to convert Protestant England to the idolatrous Church of Rome, they are trying, with the approval of the two Archbishops, to change the doctrine and worship of the Church. The same Romanising work is going on in so-called Protestant Churches in Scotland. In 1910 there were five hundred and three ministers, in the Established Church, members of Romanising Societies. There are now, in 1915, we are told by one of themselves, eight hundred members ! The same Romanising process is carried on in the United Free Church. It is for the purpose of strengthening them in their idolatrous work that it is proposed that the two Churches should unite. (“Union is strength.”) This is, of course, concealed from the people. Dr. Wallace Williamson, addressing a large gathering at Dingwall on the subject of union, is reported to have said that if the union between the Established Church and the United Free Church took place, they would be the true followers of the Church of the Reformation ! Did Dr. Williamson believe his own statement ? I do not think that he did. For Dr. Williamson knows the history of the Reformation as well as any minister in Scotland. He knows that the Westminster Confession of Faith was the creed of the Reformed Church in Scotland, and he knows that both the Established Church and the United Free Church disowned the Confession of Faith as the confession of their faith. He knows also that there was no organ used in the service of praise in the Reformed Church in Scotland, and that such an instrument is now used in both Churches. He knows, moreover, that there were no uninspired hymns used in the worship of the Reformed Church in Scotland, and that such hymns are now used in both Churches negotiating for union. Knowing all this, how could he prove his statement that if the two Churches united they would be the true followers of the Church of the Reformation? It was impossible. It would appear that Dr. Williamson took it for granted that his hearers were ignorant of Church history, although there were several ministers among them. (It was reported in a Protestant periodical that Dr. Williamson was responsible to some extent for erecting a picture of the Virgin Mary and a picture of Christ in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh, when he was assistant in that church. The faithful Protestant, the late Pastor Jacob Primmer, repeatedly brought the matter to the Assembly, in order that these idolatrous pictures might be removed. But the Assembly, by a majority, refused to do so, which shows that the majority of the members were Romanisers.) No wonder, then, although God visits our nation with the evil of war. We should take warning from God’s dealings in judgment with the people of Israel. When they turned to idolatry He brought the sword of war upon them, by which many were slain.

III.—That which is necessary on our part that the evil might be removed and peace restored.

Seeing that it was for sin, as already pointed out, God brought the evil of war upon us, there are several duties required of us as necessary in order that the evil may be removed.

1. Repentance. “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” The people of Israel were suffering in captivity in Babylon, but they were not delivered from their bondage till they repented. To repent is to turn from sin to God, or at least this is a great element in repentance. They repented of their idolatry, the chief reason for which they were delivered into the hands of their enemies. We hear them say, as with one voice, “What have I to do any more with idols?” They renounced their idolatry; they turned from idols to serve the living God. And no sooner had they come to this state of mind and practice than their deliverance came. Have the idolatrous Ritualists in the Church of England, with the two Archbishops at their head, repented of their idolatry? No, there is not the least sign of it as yet. Therefore God’s anger against them shall continue to be manifested till they repent. But if they repent not, they shall be eternally destroyed. Have the so-called Protestant Churches in Scotland that are going back to Popery, repented of their idolatry? No, there is not as yet the least appearance of it. Therefore God shall continue His controversy with them till they repent and renounce their idolatry. But if they repent not, He shall destroy them in eternity, and raise up another generation to serve Him according to the rule of His Word, “in spirit and in truth,” as He did at the Reformation.

Father Gavazzi, an Italian converted priest, who was for years in the Church of Rome, gave a faithful and solemn warning to the people of England to stand fast by their glorious Protestantism. We may quote his words :—“Englishmen, remember that your very name is Christian, and therefore, for yourselves, for your children, for your country, and, moreover, for the European nations, stand fast by your glorious Protestantism. If Protestantism is lost in England, which is the bulwark of the European Reformation, Protestantism is lost on the European continent, and our efforts at the evangelization of Italy, Spain, and other parts of the world shall fall to the ground. Let it not be said that when we in Italy are freeing ourselves from the grasp of Popery, England is rushing pell-mell into the embrace of Popery. Let England remain what it has been for more than three centuries : the beacon of pure Christianity—the light of the world. If you have received immaculate the inheritance of your glorious Reformation, it is your duty to transmit that inheritance immaculate to your children and grandchildren. Pray to God that, as He made England what she is—the first nation in the world—through the Reformation, she may remain what she is. Do not encourage, with your presence and your prayers, Popish idolatry in disguise. Be on the alert, because many bona-fide churchmen are entrapped gradually into Romanism by ritualistic traitors. Remember, I am an ex-priest, an ex-monk, and I know more of Romanism than all English Protestants put together, and I tell you that the ritualism which is now a leading feature in some of your places of worship is nothing else than the preparation, the forerunner, of Romanism in your country. Therefore, oppose it by your words and your prayers ; refuse to subscribe to it. Beware of Papists in Christian garb and Protestant disguise. If persons wish to turn Roman Catholics they have perfect liberty to do so, but we must condemn those who are not true to their Protestant profession. Stand by the Church of the martyrs ; by the Church of Latimer, of Ridley, and of Cranmer ; for the purity and simplicity of your Protestantism. Will you save your glorious Reformation, the mother of your civil and religious liberties? Englishmen, the Bible, and the Bible alone ; and your Reformation and your country are safe. Stay by the Bible. Shield the Bible with the mightiness of your nationality. Defend the Bible from all attacks, within and without.”

O, that the Romanisers in the Church of England, in the Church of Scotland, in the United Free Church, and in the Scottish Episcopal Church, would take this faithful warning to heart ! If they did, they would repent. They would cease to do evil and learn to do well, and the Lord would cease to smite our nation with the sword of war. There can be no doubt that idolatry is the main reason which provoked the Holy One of Israel to command the sword to awake and smite the nations of Europe ; and as we are under the seventh vial, it shall put an end to that provoking evil before it is laid aside to rest for a thousand years. If peace shall be concluded before the total destruction of idolatry in Europe, war shall break out soon again, for a complete end must be made of idolatry, as a preparation for the coming of the kingdom of Christ in power and glory throughout the whole world.

Is there any sign to be seen that our nation is repenting of its idolatry? No; but quite the reverse. For since the war began the Government, with the approval of the king, sent a Popish envoy to the Vatican, with full powers, which is contrary to the British Constitution. By doing so the King, according to the Bill of Rights, forfeited his crown, and might be deposed at once. Indeed, it may come to this, unless King George recalls the appointment and expresses repentance for his unwarranted action.

We have been, as yet, speaking of repentance as a duty. But the repentance that is saving is the gift of God—the effect of the work of the Holy Spirit in effectual calling. The description given of this repentance by the Westminster divines in the Shorter Catechism is founded upon Scripture, and is in accordance with the experience of God’s people. It is in the following terms:—“Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of and endeavour after new obedience.”

1. Humiliation is necessary. We find many examples of this in Scripture. When people were suffering for their sins and brought to repentance, they humbled themselves before God, and He delivered them from their distress. Some in our day think that because our part in the war is just—we are defending ourselves—there is no reason that we should humble ourselves. When it was proposed in the Church Courts that a Day of Humiliation should be appointed in connection with the war, a Presbytery of the Established Church in the south objected to the day being named a day of humiliation; and when a day was appointed by the king for a national Fast, the king objected to it being called a day of humiliation. But those that will not humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, when His hand is lifted up, smiting the nations of Europe for their iniquities, God will humble them and bring them low in time and in eternity. “For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke xviii. 14).

A day was appointed by the king, but not a day of humiliation, but a day of prayer and intercession. It was a Sabbath day that was appointed. In the past it was a week day that was appointed to be observed for a National Fast. It seems our king would grudge a week day being used for the purpose. He had no right to appoint a Sabbath day, for that day was appointed by the Lord of the Sabbath for the public and private worship of God. Another objectionable thing in this connection may be pointed out, viz., prayer for the dead was ordered by the king! Some say that it is not prayer for the dead that was meant, because it is remembrance of those that had fallen in the war that is mentioned. But the fact that the day was appointed for prayer and intercession shows that it is prayer for the dead—killed in the war—that was really meant, however Romanisers try to conceal it. Another proof of this is that it was the Archbishop of Canterbury that drew out the programme for the day, and it is well known that he is a Ritualist, and approves of prayer for the dead. He should be in the Church of Rome and not in a Protestant Church. No wonder that God is pouring His judgment upon our nation, when clergymen in high positions in the Church are so unfaithful to their ordination vows. They consider their vows—as the German Chancellor considers binding treaties—a mere “scrap of paper.” But that “scrap of paper” shall rise up as a witness to condemn them when they shall appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. The “scrap of paper” will speak then, and the breakers of solemn vows shall be speechless.

1. Confession of sin is necessary. Sin is the cause of every misery in time and in eternity. Sin is the cause of the great war in which the nations of Europe are now engaged. And in order that sin may be forgiven it must be confessed and forsaken. If sin is confessed and forgiven, misery—the effect of sin—shall be removed. Sin should be confessed to God and not to a priest or minister. It was against Him we sinned; therefore, it is to Him we ought to confess our sins. It is He only whose prerogative it is to forgive sin. Although the Jews were in error on other important doctrines, yet they were correct when they said, “Who can forgive sin but God only?” In confessing sin we should pray for forgiveness, and we are encouraged to do so, because it is written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John i. 9). He is faithful to forgive because He promised it, and He is just in forgiving sin because He does it on the ground of Christ’s atonement, by which satisfaction was rendered to His justice for the sins of all that shall be saved.

We should confess not only our own personal sins, but also the sins of our nation; yea, the sins of all our fellow-sinners throughout the world. Daniel confessed the sins of his nation (Dan. ix.) There are national sins as well as individual sins. There can be no doubt that the sins of our nation have caused that so much suffering has been brought upon us by this war. We have already pointed out some of these sins. The words of Daniel are applicable to us as a nation: “Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants, the prophets; yea, all Israel transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice: therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.” However others may act in this matter, we know that the Lord’s people throughout the world are confessing their own sins and the sins of others daily before God at the throne of grace, and some of them—perhaps all—have to say, “It is good for me to draw near to God.” Prayer brings them into fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and into fellowship with His people, however scattered they now are in the world.

A word in conclusion. Let us take heed to the Lord’s solemn voice to us in His holy providence, and say, “Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn and he will heal us; he hath smitten and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hosea vi. 1-3). It is to be hoped that the war will have this effect upon many, although it is to be feared that others—and especially the plotters of the war—shall harden their hearts till they are completely destroyed by the wrath of Almighty God, against whom they fight. He is sure to overcome them, for “Christ must reign till all his enemies are made his footstool.” Christ rules and over-rules the war for His own glory, the salvation of His people, and the destruction of His and their enemies. Amen; so let it be, and so it shall be.