THE history of our native land may be said to be largely a history of contendings for civil and religious liberty, and though for shorter or longer periods our forefathers groaned under the heel of the tyrant and the oppressor, yet, on the whole we had a longer period and a larger measure of both civil and religious liberty than any other country in Europe, or perhaps in the whole world. In these struggles the Church figured conspicuously and God honoured her contendings by granting to the people of this nation great and precious privileges, and the professing church used to remember that to the honour and glory of her great Head. It is not the purpose of this article to dwell on these contendings, but rather to notice part of the fruit of them in the form of great privileges which we enjoy, and that should impress us with a sense of our responsibility.
We have the privilege of having the Bible translated into our own language. In this Book the water of life has been brought near to poor perishing sinners, and that in the face of great opposition. Part of the creed of the Church of Rome is that “ignorance is the mother of devotion” and in perfect harmony with the creed, she not only kept the Bible locked up in dead languages but hurled her anathemas against any attempts to translate it, and preach its life-giving doctrines to the people. Thus for centuries the pure river of the water of life was walled up so that no one ignorant of these dead languages could have access to it. However, when God’s time came He raised up men to translate and to preach His Word to poor sinners. What a great boon God conferred upon our poor world when He made men like Tyndale in England, Luther in Germany and Knox in Scotland, instrumental in breaking down the wall of Rome, causing them to stand on its ruins, and to give the Scripture invitation, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!” Many in Scotland and England heard that invitation and as a result are on Mount Zion above singing the praises of redeeming love, and although the Lord’s people were persecuted, and the persecution was so close that to be in possession of a Bible was enough to condemn a man to death, yet the Bible has never been banished from our shores, and permission to preach a full-orbed gospel is one of the great and precious privileges of our beloved land in our own day.
The proclamation of a full-orbed gospel is in a special manner the privilege of Free Presbyterians. The great majority of the people of Scotland have despised this privilege, and have proved beyond doubt that the judgment has come upon them to which the Apostle refers in writing to Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables,” II. Tim. iv. 3, 4. However little the effect the gospel message has upon our people yet God has preserved us as a church so that there is no general desire among us to go after those fables to which many have turned, and therefore there is yet among us a declaration of the whole counsel of God. Let us not think lightly of this privilege but let us seek to improve it, and let our prayer to God be that He would give us a lasting benefit from it. In this proclamation of a full-orbed gospel there is faithfulness to immortal souls, both in rebuking sin, and directing to God’s great and glorious remedy. This is done without fear of frowns and without desiring to court favours. One outstanding example of faithfulness in rebuking sin may be seen on a comparison being made between the Loyal Address to the King, annually sent by the supreme court of our Church, and the addresses sent by the supreme courts of other religious bodies in Scotland. In the address sent by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, His Majesty’s attention is faithfully and respectfully drawn to glaring instances of national sin, and to any share which he, and our rulers may have in these things, together with warnings as to the consequences of not repenting of them. These are matters which are conspicuous by their absence in the addresses of others who make great professions of their faithfulness and their orthodoxy.
There are also the privileges of a Christian home, wherever such a home is to be found. Such homes were once the glory of Scotland; for God was acknowledged in them. The day was begun with family worship, where God’s Word was read and sung and the family and all its concerns committed to God reverently and trustingly for the day. At the close of the day the family altar was again encompassed by the inmates of the home, thankfulness expressed to God for His gracious preserving during the day, and a committing of themselves afresh to Him during the silent watches of the night. Happy is the family who thus worship God in sincerity, for to them is the promise, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Prov. iii. 6. Great is the privilege of the children who are brought up in such homes. This, however, is not their only privilege. Pains are taken by their parents or guardians to instruct them as to their lost and ruined condition by nature, their need of a Saviour, the suitableness and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour, and the absolute necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit. These are privileges which some have, even in our dark and cloudy day.
These privileges which we have, and many more which are not mentioned, are the measure of our responsibility, and the mention of them ought to make us think seriously of our position, for more is expected of us than of such as have not these privileges. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke, xii. 48. Let us take the man or woman, who was brought up with liberty to read the Bible, who heard a faithful declaration of the whole counsel of God, who was brought up in a religious home, and who was carefully and prayerfully instructed in the doctrines of God’s Word, and who will dare say that much is not required of such a one. Sad is the condition of any such who has entered on, and continued in a course of sin after receiving such privileges. Miserable is his condition in time, and if his conduct is not repented of, inmeasurably more miserable shall his condition be in eternity.
Again let us take one who may not have run “to the same excess of riot,” whose life was orderly and who might have been blameless in the eyes of his fellow-creatures, yet who is a stranger to vital godliness. In the enjoyment of privileges he was surrounded by God’s mercy, and salvation came very near him, but in his heart he rejected Christ, and chose rather to make a saviour of his own orderly life. How terrible must be the gnawings of the “worm that dieth not” in the conscience of such a one when he realises that the privileges of which he lightly thought are the measure of his responsibility. Let this be a lesson to all of us who have great privileges for if we do not put them to a right use it were better for us that we never had them.
As this is true of individuals it is equally true of nations who, like our own, had great privileges. God singled us out from other nations, and was pleased to deliver us from the darkness and power of Popery. Our rulers were possessed of such a wholesome fear of the pretensions of the Man of Sin that laws were made having as their object the curbing of his power, in order to make sure that he would never again be able to enslave us. Thus we made sure that the Bible would have the highest place in our midst, making it the foundation of our Constitution and our Throne. To all who love our native land it is a source of grief to see the Bible despised and the emissaries of the Man of Sin received with open arms, and in the measure in which that is done a corresponding weakening of our Constitution and Throne. Oh! when will rulers and ruled in Britain realise that our privileges which are great are the measure of our responsibility? Let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.” Matt. xi. 23, 24.—J.C.