ADDRESS DELIVERED BY JOHN PARKER, M.A., ABERDEEN, TO
THE REMNANT OF THE DECEASED’S CONGREGATION IN
THEIR HALL, 7 MARGARET STREET, GLASGOW, 10TH
JANUARY, 1909.
WE are, every now and then, hearing of public celebrations, and our meeting here to-day to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the death of our late pastor recalls a crisis in the history of the Church of Christ in our land, the effects of which we realise at the present moment. The friends and enemies of the late Mr. Anderson have, with himself, mostly passed away from the field of time to await the final judgment of the great day, and their works follow them. God, in His all-wise providence, visits with retributive punishment the prosperity of fools, and the effects of the folly of the Free Church, in face of warning, in not only discouraging but endeavouring to put to silence such men as our late pastor and those who befriended him, are clearly seen in the lamentable state of matters which exists among the Presbyterian and other Protestant Churches in our land at the present time.
The United Free Church, accepting, by way of open question, the voluntarism of the United Presbyterians, and having, in face of warning, rushed the Union, holds its property under the “Churches Scotland Act, 1907,”—a creature of Statute—thereby more closely tied to the chariot wheels of the State than the present Established Church itself, thus stultifying their Protest of 1843. So we have the spectacle of endowed and unendowed voluntarism. It may also be observed that the Free Church of fifteen years ago unjustly ejected two faithful ministers, with their congregations, from their churches and manses, namely, the Rev. Donald Macfarlane of Raasay, and the Rev. Donald Macdonald of Shieldaig, Lochcarron, for righteously resisting the faithless majority in passing the Declaratory Act of 1892, and thereby breaking the ordination vows, to which these two ministers and their congregations were faithful. These ministers and their congregations ought at least to have been allowed the use of their premises, to which in equity they were entitled. In the recent Church property dispute the legal Free Church has not shown, in my opinion, a conciliatory spirit towards their brethren in the United Free Church. If they had done so, there is a possibility that the United Free Church might have seen it wise to rescind the Act of Union, and to return to the old paths. Golden opportunities have been lost, and the question now arises, “What is to be done?”
In answer, we say that the plain duty is to return to and abide in the simplicity that is in Christ, and to see what can be done to get hold of those who go to no church at all. We are called to remember the example and exercises of the disciples and the godly women associated with them from the time of Christ’s crucifixion to His ascension, as recorded in the Gospels and Acts, first chapter. We have also a good example in the procedure of this congregation, when they left Knox’s Free Church in 1852, and met in a Railway Hall in Bridge Street, Sabbath and week day, shortly before calling anew our late pastor in their and his new position, where he preached till the “Tabernacle” in Margaret Street was built in 1856. There were some in the early sixties (1860-65) who were very glad to look our way, and died in our fellowship. I have been astonished at the stand taken by some who seemed quite indifferent in spiritual matters, and learned the lesson from the parable of the sower regarding the seed sown in good ground (Matt. xiii. 23).
The advancement of Rationalism, Ritualism, and Romanism in our country is a very manifest fulfilment of the warnings given by our late pastor, neglected and rejected by churchmen, or most of them, at the time. Not only Mr. Anderson, but the late Dr. Duncan of the Free Church College, Edinburgh, said that “Great Britain will have to bow to Rome,” or words to that effect. The indifference to the faithful preaching of the Gospel, yea, even the discouragement of it by the generality of the clergy and laity in the churches in our land, has contributed in no small degree to account for the Rome-ward state of matters with which we are faced at this moment. In the English Churchman of 24th December last (1908), page 849, the article headed “Roman Catholic Ascendancy,” is a very seasonable warning at this present time. The Government got into power chiefly by the Protestant vote in this country, and we see how ready it is to play into the hands of the Romish hierarchy. The stoppage of the Romish procession on Sabbath, 15th November last (1908), is doubtless a redeeming feature, but that is a small matter when we consider the passing of Mr. Birrell’s notorious Irish University Bill. The article in the English Churchman above mentioned would be too long to quote here, but a few sentences may be given:— “Our inquiry however is, How would the power of Rome probably be exercised under a concession of the freedom to which she aspires? One of the first designs would be, we suspect, to impose some restriction on the circulation of the Bible. The canon law, of course, would be enforced little by little, as the ecclesiastical authorities felt it possible. But Protestants would soon find that when they attempted to assert their liberty, the law was against them, and that when they invoked its aid the priest would triumph. If we look around us, do not we see both political parties willing to meddle with the Royal Declaration and then to tamper with the Protestant Constitution of the realm? Do not we see members of Parliament—pledged as candidates at the hustings to oppose any such policy—absent from the House when the subject is under consideration, or voting in support of Mr. Redmond’s Bill? Is there no fear lest the worldliness of the day, the love of pleasure, the spiritual indifference, the exigencies of political parties, and the restoration to the Church of mediæval ritual prevalent in many parishes at this moment, may provide a favourable opportunity for the designs of the Vatican?” More might be quoted, but let warning be taken from the whole article. “The enemy is coming in like a flood.” Let us pray that “the Spirit of the Lord lift up a standard against him.”
I am glad to see in this month’s (January) Free Presbyterian Magazine, page 359, notice of number 62 of the John Knox Tracts, “The Outcasts Gathered,” by one of the ministers of the Church of Scotland, in the last paragraph of which he pays a just tribute to our late pastor. The very fact of this congregation having to-day a representation shows that God is not done with us. We have thus encouragement to, and would prayerfully consider how we can, influence the young and rising generation of our day by means of the open Bible and the Westminster Shorter Catechism, in which some of us were more or less drilled in our younger days. We now realise the value of the foundation then laid for a superstructure of right living, both for time and eternity. This leads me to notice that the present generation and the rising one are largely destitute of this sound moral and religious foundation, or rather fundamental training, and the temptations to sin are increasing in number and force. Hence the terrible crimes and cases of violent death, of which we hear and read so much in the newspapers; the disregard of our time-honoured Sabbath, on which the encroachments in the direction of pleasure and amusement are fitted to lead us and others to great thoughts of heart.
I am glad to see in the Free Presbyterian Magazine of this month, page 350, the article “What we have come to,” which bears on this subject. We should take warning from the history of God’s ancient people, the Jews, who, for their disregard of the Sabbath, were sent to the long captivity of seventy years in Babylon. The Lord’s Day International Congress, which met in Edinburgh from 6th to 9th October last (1908), has been a means of ventilating the subject of Sabbath observance, towards the restriction of labour on that day otherwise lawful on week-days. There was at the Congress some plain speaking on the increasing neglect of God’s claims on us to sanctify the Sabbath. If our Sabbath goes, we may rest assured that our country’s destruction will follow in due course. The recent earthquakes in Calabria and Sicily, of which we are hearing so much from the loss of so many lives, nearly 200,000, about a third of the population of Glasgow, and more than that of Aberdeen, are seasonable warnings to us to consider our ways in that and other respects.
The departure in our educational system, whereby, since 1870, the Bible has been deprived of its time-honoured place in our schools, of which we are reaping the fruits, is a sinful concession to the Rationalists, Ritualists, and Romanists in our country, and the sooner we restore the Bible to its wonted place in our Board Schools the better. It is not too late to retrace our steps in this direction, and I think the country has now an opportunity. This subject was ventilated some years ago by the Rev. James Smith of St. George’s-in-the-West, Aberdeen, in a Synod sermon, and Mr. Smith told me, “I have scholars in my Sabbath School whose parents, one or both, are Roman Catholics, and the priest dare not interfere.” I can mention a case which came under my own eyes in connection with Sabbath School work. A Roman Catholic boy asked me for a Bible, which I was quite willing to give, but he said, “You must not tell the priest,” to which my reply was that I had no acquaintance of priests here, and wished none, so that he need not fear my telling any priest. In course of a few days I called on his parents, was well received by them, and gave them the Bible for their son, advising them to read the Bible prayerfully and carefully themselves, and not to mention the subject to their priest. The father is a Presbyterian and belongs to the Established Church; the mother is a Roman Catholic. They, as well as their son, were very grateful for the Bible.
An analysis of the Confession of Faith, published anonymously in our late pastor’s lifetime, deserves favourable notice. It is sometimes wise to publish anonymously, for some persons who would not have looked at this book had they known who was the author, were quite delighted with its help in their Sabbath School work. It deserves a wide circulation in contrast to the “New Theology,” so called, and other forms of error now so prevalent, and, alas! so popular.
I mention these things for your encouragement. You know that when the ocean tide comes to its lowest it will rise again. Our extremity is God’s opportunity. Let us look to God, or as James puts it (iv. 8), “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
Useful Tracts.
The Imperial Protestant Federation has published a very useful tract—Roman Catholics in Office. It gives a very good idea of the rapidly extending influence of Romanism in official positions in the British Empire. Another very useful tract is Dr. Rumfitt’s Mass Vestments; it deals with the important question whether those Vestments should be legalised or not. All interested in the struggle going on in the Church of England should read it. Both these tracts may be had from D. Catt, 74 Strand, London, for 1½d. each.