THE following is a quotation from an article by Mr. Spurgeon in The Sword and Trowel, at the time of the Dods and Bruce controversy. In view of all that has taken place in the Free Church since then—the passing of an erroneous Declaratory Act, &c.—and in view of present union negotiations, Mr. Spurgeon’s pointed remarks are worthy of serious consideration :—
“The Free Church of Scotland must unhappily be for the moment regarded as rushing to the front with its new theology, which is no theology, but an opposition to the Word of the Lord. That Church, in which we all gloried as sound in the faith and full of the martyrs’ spirit, has entrusted the training of its future ministers to two professors who hold other doctrines than those of its Confession. This is the most suicidal act that a Church could commit. It is strange that two gentlemen who are seeking for something newer and better than the old faith should condescend to accept a position which implies their agreement with the ancient doctrines of the Church; but delicacy of feeling is not a common article nowadays, and the action of creeds is not automatic, as it would be if consciences were tender. In the Free Church there is a Confession, and there are means for carrying out discipline, but these will be worth nothing without the personal action of all the faithful in that community. Every man who keeps aloof from the struggle for the sake of peace will have the blood of souls upon his head. The question in debate at the Disruption was secondary compared with that now at issue. It is Bible or no Bible, Atonement or no Atonement, which we have now to settle. Stripped of beclouding terms and phrases, this lies at the bottom of the discussion, and every lover of the Lord Jesus should feel himself called upon to take his part in an earnest contention for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. From the exceeding boldness of Messrs. Bruce and Dods, we gather that they feel perfectly safe in ventilating their opinions. They evidently reckon upon a majority which will secure them immunity, and our fear is that they will actually gain that which they expect. We are not sanguine enough to believe that they are mistaken. Unless the whole Church will awaken to its duty, the evangelicals in the Free Church are doomed to see another reign of Moderatism. Have they suffered so many things in vain? Will they not now make a stand?”