OH, but God hath been a good God to Scotland, and oh, but Scotland hath been an evil ungrateful Scotland unto Him! If it be enquired, who is it that will bring on God’s judgments upon us, if they be coming? It may be answered, it will neither be profane atheists, nor malignants, but professors that will bear the blame of it. Professors, yea, there are professors, and blessed be God that many have gone up to heaven through that door. But there are a kind of professors that take unto themselves that name, and they will come to communions, and they will propose questions to good folk that they have heard others propose, and yet, if the Lord prevent not, they will call us Baal’s priests. They are growing fond of a religion which neither the prophets, Christ, nor His apostles knew of.
The Lord help you to keep your feet this slippery time. But they that will be honest shall have all Christ’s heart. He will take a poor mourning sinner all in His arms, and say, “Child, I mean thee no harm. According to your faith so be it unto you.”
“That night wherein He was betrayed, He took bread and brake it.” Yes, He brake it. And ye must know, that through His breaking of it, we are healed. His dividing was our binding together, and, when Satan hath broken, He heals us. . . . Because He wanted us to have full nourishment, He took the cup; “and after He gave thanks saying, Drink ye, all of it.” Neither hath He done with you yet, nor have you done with Him. He will never let your heart alone, until He get you up unto Himself at the throne.
“To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, that is in midst of the paradise of God. And he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it.” Believers, I am now reading your position to you. It may be (though we have no mind to speak hard things unto you) that ye may get no other preaching but your Bible, stolen out to a barn-side, moor-side, or the back of a dyke, there to read your Father’s Testament. There needs not many words, for if ye be ready He is ready, and if ye be not ready, He is both ready Himself and ready to make you ready on such a day as this. Looking upon these elements hath done more good than many sermons. Says the soul when the elders are coming with the flagons, “Is Christ coming in a flagon? And shall I drink eternal life over in a cup.” “There is My body which was broken for you: take ye, eat ye all of it.” And what think ye of this entertainment? What think ye of the wine? Is the wine good? Take another drink. I do not mean that ye need to do it externally oftener than once in one day, but your doing it once says that ye should do it believably always. “In like manner He took the cup.” So we take it. May such a word be spoken! And if it be rightly taken, then drink your service, your hearts service unto Him, as being ready to take off your doublet, and to lay down your head upon the block, and there drink your last service in this world unto Him.
Suffering is like to wear out of fashion in Scotland, but may be it will come in fashion again. It is a little thing for folk to get a sore case, but if ye be robbed in the dark for His sake, that is suffering. It may be there are blackened faces amongst us, but let it not be our practice to search out the ways of others, but I say for our warning what should be our wish. If they who have a prejudice against the gospel and religion can find out a way to get it and the ministers of it away, that will be suffering. Now, sure I am, these should be some of our wishes:—Lord, lead us on to Heaven without snapping.* Lord, let me suffer, ere any of thine suffer for my sake, and ere any of thine have a sad heart for my sake.
* Stumbling.
There are many dead ministers now in Scotland. Not to speak of those that are called Quakers, there are many betrayers of Christ amongst us, and some will not have a good minister when they can get him. Some think Christ is going out of the land; but while He is as it were going out, He is looking back over His shoulder, saying, “Will ye let me go? Will ye let me go.” But let it be your reply, “No, if we can hold or detain thee.”
“That night wherein He was betrayed.” He made out many writs that night. He may say unto us, as a friend, or midwife, so to speak, to a child, “I slept none that night thou wast born.” And yet for the haste He sat down and encamped with His disciples. “Take ye, eat ye. Do this in remembrance of me.” Where will ye be all this day hundred years? I trow, many of you wot not that the substance of the whole Bible is in these sacramental elements—the whole covenant, a whole Christ in a state of humiliation and exaltation.
- This is the John Livingstone of Kirk of Shotts fame.