THE Apostle, in his touching farewell address to the Ephesian elders, told them that he shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God. That was a noble testimony by “a soldier of the heavenly camp not the poor dust as we are of,” as Augustine fittingly characterised him. The danger of shunning to declare the whole counsel of God may arise from various causes: (1) Fear of man; (2) Unpopularity of certain doctrines; (3) A mistaken notion that because certain doctrines have been mistakenly preached we should not refer to the true teaching on these doctrines. For instance, because the doctrine of personal assurance of salvation has been wrongly set forth by certain sects is that a reason why the true scriptural doctrine should be held back? Such was not the teaching of the Westminster Divines.
Again, the great doctrine of Christ’s Second Coming should not cease to be declared because pre-millennarians are so aggressive with views we cannot accept as the true doctrine on the subject. How seldom one hears a sermon on the Second Coming, though the New Testament is full of this doctrine, and what a fine text is presented to the preacher: “Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
The late Rev. D. Macfarlane shunned not to declare all the counsel of God—the Second Coming with the rest. Dr. David Brown, who wrote the ablest Scottish book against pre-millennarianism spoke of the Second Coming as the Pole Star of the Church’s Hope. The shunning to declare certain truths because of their unpopularity is a practice that has a long standing tradition. Such doctrines as predestination, separation from the world lying in the Wicked One and eternal punishment are doctrines which the natural heart abhors, and preachers of the time-serving type are ready to meet such of their hearer’s wishes who detest these doctrines. To hold back the truth to please men is a betrayal of the preacher’s commission and open disloyalty to the Master whom he professes to serve.