By a FREE PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER.
It would appear to be the destiny of denominations, however pure and Scriptural they may be, to have always in their midst men and women members whose attitude towards their own church is like that of the Communist to his native land. It is characteristic of Communists everywhere, to profess to be against Imperialism, Capitalism, and Militarism universally, but whatever degree of tolerance they may have for these forms of politics as they manifest themselves in other countries, they never seem to have a good word for their own native land relative to these matters. In exactly the same way, there are members and office-bearers in denominations who always find something to admire in other churches, but who seldom, if ever, find anything good to say of their own particular denomination. The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland is no exception to the rule in this connection. We have always had in our midst those who found something to admire in the Church of Scotland, notwithstanding its degraded Modernism, Arminianism, and Scoto-Catholicism, while others had great admiration for the Free Church, despite the fact that even a short time ago a minister who prayed for the dead preached in a Free Church pulpit. Yet these strange so-called “Free Presbyterians never have a good word for our own church. On the contrary, they engage in perpetual, cantankerous, fault-finding, carping criticism of our church, yet they will never leave for the denominations they profess to admire, but continue among us a denominational thorn in our flesh.
This type of fault-finder becomes more evident every time there is trouble in the denomination. The recent upheaval in Glasgow brought this type of cantankerous critic to the front as a restless busybody. They have not left with the supporters and admirers of the Rev. R. Mackenzie, yet they complain bitterly that however far wrong and mistaken these “schismatical rebels” may be, there must be something far wrong with ourselves as a church when such things are permitted to happen.
It does not seem to occur to that type of critic that these siftings are permitted to try the fidelity of real Free Presbyterians. Denominational upheavals blow away the chaff that has accumulated, that the real grain of fidelity to principle may become all the more apparent: “That they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (I. Cor. xi. 19).
A favourite example of this type of unfounded captious criticism is that all our denominational troubles are due to the habit of some of our ministers (when thanking the Lord on the Mondays of Communions), of drawing attention to the deliverance from spiritual darkness involved in the testimony raised on the side of divine truth in 1893. Especially is fault found by this type of critic with the minister who points out in giving thanks on the Monday of Communions, the necessity of faithfully and uncompromisingly adhering to that historic and God-honouring testimony in our day. To justify such statements the minister, or ministers, concerned, are under obligation to quote instances of the glaring apostacy of the Church of Scotland and other Churches, and of the continued backsliding and latitudinarianism of the Free Church. The fault-finding critic cannot bear this on account of his or her imagined superior sanctity, as he or she only came to hear the Gospel, and not to listen “to a harangue against the Churches.” As if the pure Gospel of the grace of God and historic Scottish Presbyterianism had not to be defended as well as proclaimed. As if indeed these Free Presbyterian swingers-on-the-fence were more godly than the late Rev. Neil Cameron, Glasgow, and others, now in glory, who considered it their life-long bounden duty to refer to these matters as grounds for perpetual thanksgiving to God. There is a vast difference between carnal, maudlin sentimentalism and a sincere desire to hear the pure Gospel proclaimed and defended.
No, it is not for such faithfulness that the Most High is having controversies with us, but for the lack of it, and because we have far too many, though only a small, noisy minority, of that type of captious critic. Let these critics examine themselves, and let them ask themselves why they are labelled “Free Presbyterians.” So far from being a help to our faithful ministers and people, in so far as their undermining influence goes, they discourage and weaken the hands and efforts of those who realise that there never was a day when there was more need to heed the exhortation, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah lviii. 1). These so-called Free Presbyterians” create dispeace, disunity, and discontent among our people, when the loud call to everyone who bears the honoured name, Free Presbyterian, is to do everything humanly possible, by voice and pen, in the exercise of grace and by our prayers and witness-bearing, to create in our noble little Church unity, peace, harmony, spiritual warmth and fervent brotherly love. Our greatest need is an outpouring of the Spirit of grace, supplications and repentance, and for this we should solemnly, earnestly, importunately and perseveringly pray, night and day, in public and in private. May there be a constant waiting on the Lord to this end.