Given in the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, Rose Street, Aberdeen, on Sabbath evening, 9th November, 1913.
The Need of the Times.—“Thy kingdom come.”—MATT. vi. 10.
BY the Fall, we lost communion and fellowship with God, and all the happiness here and hereafter which would flow from such communion and fellowship. We were deceived by the wiles of Satan, the greatest enemy of God and man, and have, as a race, yielded ourselves ever since too willingly to his evil domination and influence. But God in His great mercy has opened up a way of deliverance in His Son, Jesus Christ, unto which we would do well to take heed. The truth as to our Fall and loss, and God’s way of salvation, is well stated in our Shorter Catechism. See the 19th, 20th, and other Questions. The 19th Question is, “What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?” Answer, “All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and the pains of hell for ever.” The 20th Question runs, “Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?” Answer, “God, having out of his mere good pleasure from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.”
To show how men naturally oppose the doctrine of election and the desirability of reminding them of their responsibility under the gospel, I may here mention a simple incident of a good many years ago. One day I met very near where I live, an old friend who was rather sceptical in his opinions. He was very pale in the face as if drawing near his latter end. I at once spoke to him, remarking that he looked very unwell. He said that he felt very unwell, and that he was not to be long here. Then I said that death was an ordeal we all had to pass through, and we ought to seek the needed preparation. He said, “I never could get my mind reconciled to the 20th Question and Answer in your Shorter Catechism,” to which I replied, “It is of God’s good pleasure that you and I are here, but that does not prevent you and me seeking eternal salvation as earnestly as if for the seeking, we should obtain it, and if we perish in that position, we do so in the best possible circumstances—in circumstances in which none has ever yet perished.” Then I asked him to come into the house to have some refreshment which he seemed to greatly need, and on finally parting with him at the gate, I told him to think seriously and prayerfully over the things which belonged to his everlasting peace, and added, “You may find that this very Question you object to explains your surest way to be eternally saved. It is God’s work from first to last, and His must be the glory.” This was the last interview I had with this friend, for he died a few months after. See Larger Catechism, Questions 27 and 30, which you can study at your leisure.
The times in which we live are remarkable for departures from “the faith,” and are very vividly described in the second chapter of the second Epistle of Peter. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” The influence of false teachers is very wide-spread in our day, and we see many people led astray in a vast variety of ways—
(1) Observe that the Bible has been removed from its honourable place in our schools, and that there is open and wide-spread disregard of our Christian Sabbath in its devotion by multitudes to pleasure and amusement.
(2) Ritualism in various forms is getting into our Churches.
Instrumental music is becoming very common. One of the minor penalties that is following it is, that it is proving, especially in country congregations, a rather expensive and costly burden. Again, it is found that organists and choirs domineer over congregations, forbidding them to join in the praise for fear of disturbing the organist and choir. Our Reformer, John Knox, has been blamed in some circles for turning out “the box of whistles,” but he did a great and good work, and there is much need that history would repeat itself in this respect.
(3) Several fundamental facts are being called in question by religious teachers—relating to Christ’s finished work, His sufferings, death, and resurrection, and future retribution.
Some go the length of denying everlasting punishment in the world to come. If they were correct, this would be a fine deliverance for the wicked! The everlasting destruction, of which we read in the Bible is not, and cannot be annihilation, because man was made for immortality.
(4) Matters in the State are in a bad condition.
During the bygone weeks, the case of the men of Ulster has been before our country in view of the Home Rule Bill for Ireland. They are justly alarmed with anxiety for their civil and religious liberties. And we may be sure that if the Church of Rome succeeds in taking these from them she will next endeavour to deprive us of ours, and we shall have to blame ourselves for not taking warning. Let us consider our ways and repent, ere it be too late.
Many are the signs of the times that should make us earnest and diligent in prayer, seeking that God’s kingdom would come in the arrest of the enemy and in the gathering in of many souls to the fold of Christ.