PROFESSOR D. M. BAILLIE, D.D., Convener of the Committee on Inter-Church Relations, presented this Committee’s report at the Church of Scotland Assembly in May. He said that not only theological differences separated Churches from each other, but also inherited prejudices absorbed from the environment in which they were born. We ask, is it only now that Professor Baillie is discovering this for himself, after long years of association with the Church of Scotland—or is it a new found argument for closer relationship with, say, the Church of England. He argued, “The fact that I was born a Presbyterian does not prove that Presbyterianism contains the whole truth.” But Professor Baillie was more than born a Presbyterian—he became one by personal choice, assumed the office of the ministry in a Presbyterian Church, and accepted a professorship in the largest professed Presbyterian Church in Scotland. It seems to us that he appeared to believe in some way that Presbyterianism was nearest the truth in an imperfect world. Now he argues further, “We do not realise that we are entrenched in our position, not because we have thought out its principles in an honest search for the truth, but because we have been conditioned by our inherited tradition.” So that Professor Baillie’s Confession of Faith and ordination vows and the terms thereof were not, many years ago or now, thought out and pondered in an honest search for truth. In fact there has been no such search. Tradition has done everything! He further declared, “The sentiment—’My Church, right or wrong,’ can be as dangerous as ‘My Country, right or wrong.'” We agree that there is no infallibility in Church or State. But where is Professor Baillie leading the public by this line of argument? Where he wants the people of his and other Churches to be led, if they are agreeable and willing. And where is that? Into a state of mind which will accept that there is good and bad, truth and error in all the Presbyterian Churches, the Anglican, the Baptist and the Lutheran Churches, both theologically and in practice. Professor Baillie himself mentions these different Churches. He thus at one sweep postulates that there is really no branch of the visible Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to-day which may satisfy a genuine,
* This article has been held over.—Editor.
God-fearing, enlightened Christian, more than any other. In other words, we ought all to collaborate, the Presbyter and the Bishop, in these days. To the feeble and unenlightened professors of Christianity in Scotland to-day all this may conceivably be sound, Christian and charitable argument. But with the Scriptures of Truth in hand and true humble prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let everyone be persuaded in their own minds, where the most consistent adherence to sound doctrine, Scriptural worship and government, and practice according to the holy gospel of Christ Jesus, is to be found. This will be, as it has been in the past, the exercise of the Spirit taught and exercised believer upon the Lord Jesus Christ, having Christ and His infallible Word as the foundation and centre of their religion.
The Free Presbyterian Church, for instance, was and is grounded and founded on the Word of God, having as its main subordinate standard the Westminster Confession of Faith. Our doctrines we believe to be consistent with Scripture and our Church practices we humbly assert to be derived from the same; albeit we discern imperfections to be mourned over and departed from. The Disruption of 1843, and at the time of the passing of the erroneous Declaratory Act, by the Free Church, in May, 1893, when the Free Presbyterian Church was formed under the banner of Truth and the late Rev. Donald Macfarlane’s protest in that Free Church Assembly, were events in the divine mercy and providence to conserve for us a pure Cause of Truth unto the praise and honour of the divine Head and King of the Church in Scotland. Human traditions had nothing whatever to do with the coming into existence of the Free Presbyterian Church, but divine truth and divine superintendence had everything to do with it. And what about the Covenanting history of our beloved forefathers? Were all their contentions and sufferings in vain with respect to Episcopacy? And must we write off much of their testimony as born of tradition and prejudice and not altogether of Truth?
The fact is, that Church divisions in Scotland have been conceived and brought into existence by unfaithful men to the Lord and His Word, and by men who embraced doctrines and views inconsistent with New Testament and Apostolic doctrines and practices, and who have propagated the same and thus led multitudes of the people of Scotland astray. And this evil propaganda is still being put in operation to carry the people of this land away from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and the scriptural Presbyterianism of our godly and intellectual forefathers and fathers. “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah” (Isaiah i. 9).
At the close of the General Assembly, at which Professor Baillie spoke, the Lord High Commissioner, the Duke of Hamilton, in his final address, uttered these words, “It was lamentable how few were really acquainted with the history of Scotland, and with what was
once described as ‘the stormy but gallant story’ of its Church.” Well might the Duke of Hamilton have had partly in mind the long past struggles to throw off the powers of Prelacy and to settle and establish the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. But the past is nothing to some as to spiritual things. We must move with the times, they assert. But Hezekiah, King of Judah, did not think it beneath his kingly dignity to follow in the footsteps of the Church of God, who went before, as we read of him, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done” (II Chron. xxix. 2). He lived about three hundred years after David. But this by the way just to illustrate. “For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children” (Psalm lxxviii. 5).
Sermon.
“THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME” (Luke xxii. 19).
Sermon preached by REV. J. R. ANDERSON, of Glasgow,
October 19th, 1851.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST is clothed with supreme authority, and He speaks in His Church with a power answerable thereto. It is His to command, it is His people’s to obey. And everyone who possesses any true knowledge of Him, is disposed to recognise this principle and to hold himself bound to act upon it in all cases, and to the utmost possible extent. It is His Voice from which the words of our text come. “This do in remembrance of Me.”
1. THOSE ON WHOM THIS COMMANDMENT IS LAID.
Although in one sense the command is obligatory, upon all to whom the gospel of the grace of GOD is preached, so that no one can live in neglect of it, and be guiltless, yet it is one of those commands that comes to men indirectly, being preached by others which lead the way, and which must be taken up and complied with ere this command can be fairly and legitimately got at. No one now present is at liberty to trifle with the command of the text. No one can lawfully despise it. Whatever you be, wherever you are, this command is entitled to respect at your hand, and you are bound to consider in what way that respect is to be paid. But whilst in this sense it is obligatory on all to whom the gospel is preached, it seems very evident that it addresses directly, not all, but only some, and who are these? Those that are truly converted to CHRIST. There are sundry things included in this general expression that we require to glance at in order to obtain, and set before our minds, a definite idea of the complex truth.
Firstly, They are savingly enlightened. We are, by nature, in the dark. We are blind, and this blindness will be the death of us, if it is not removed. It is a heavy loss, it is a grievous sin. It is the consequence of sin, and is itself sin. By nature we are thoughtless creatures; we will not be at pains to consider; we are in a great hurry and bustle about trifles. We are very proud, and do not like our complacency to be disturbed. We put things far away. If we prevail, and keep in this condition, then we are ruined, for ever ruined under our own hand, and we shall perish through self-destruction. But GOD in the infinite riches of His mercy, moved by His own bowels of compassion, and with the view of manifesting His own love, hath purposed (and who shall dispute it?) to break in, in certain cases, upon this state of things and effect a change, to open the blind eyes, and to introduce saving light into the soul. These people are savingly enlightened in the law. Men by nature are ignorant of the law. Sometimes they remain marvellously ignorant of it, under the best means of instruction, and may remain in this condition for years, so dull, stupid, and careless are they: and then, when a man sets to study the law, it is natural knowledge after all. But they of whom we are speaking are savingly enlightened in the law: they see the glory of GOD in it. They esteem all its precepts in all things to be right, whether they condemn them or not: and sometimes they have the highest esteem of them when themselves are most severely condemned by them. They become reconciled to the law. They would not have it other than it is. They say the law is holy, in the general, and looking into details, the command is holy, just and good. Three lovely attributes, each lovely in itself, and when combined form a constellation of excellence and sweetness. Where are the people that have knowledge of the law? They have so far a warrant to go to the table. They who are strangers to it have nothing to do there. They are savingly enlightened in the gospel.
The gospel presupposes the law. If there be no law, there is no gospel. Where no law is preached, no gospel is preached. Yet it is a rare thing in our day to meet with the gospel preceded by the law. Indeed, in most cases, you get what you can, neither call law nor gospel. You have no knowledge of the gospel unless you have knowledge of the law. The gospel presupposes the law: it makes no provision but for those under the law, of relief for those that are burdened under the law, of forgiveness for those that are condemned under the law, of salvation for those that are lost under the law: those who are savingly enlightened in the gospel approve of it. They are satisfied with all its provisions, and are led by faith to appropriate them to their own souls.
Secondly, There is genuine humiliation. We see the occasion of this by advertizing to our native pride; we are exceedingly proud. We have in us the venom of the old serpent, and the infant brood are actuated
by the selfsame spirit as him from whom they spring: and so, every one of them, would be as GOD, as the Most High. Nor do men naturally know this pride of theirs, nor will natural light show it to them, so as to prepare them for deliverance from it, nor will spiritual gifts show it to them. In all these conditions men may be in their pride, yea, have it nursed and fattened with the very things which they profess to hold in opposition to it.
Nothing but the same grace which brings illumination to the soul is equal to the overturning of this natural pride. It will be brought low enough one day. It will not stand before the Judge at last, but that will not profit the poor creature: he will go down with it. How precious to get a putting down of pride, to the lifting up of the creature: a destroying of pride to the saving of the soul! Where are the people in this congregation that are truly humble? The way is open so far to such, to the table of the LORD. They that are in their pride, who have it not broken by grace, the communion table is barred against them.
Thirdly, They are brought to the faith of CHRIST. Here is the turning point between a state of nature and a state of grace. Between principles that lead to destruction and principles that involve salvation. Between a man’s taking the broad way that leadeth to destruction and going on the narrow way that leads to life. CHRIST is set forth in the word for the obedience of faith. An invitation is given to sinners to look to Him, as so set forth, and a hearty welcome is held out to all who shall comply with the invitation. We are, by nature, CHRISTless creatures. We have an invincible antipathy to CHRIST. If we had the power, we have the will, to crucify Him! Men do not believe this. They reckon the charge extravagant. If you were brought by grace to take home the charge, it would be well for you. But if you will not own you are murderers of the Prince of life, GOD will avenge Himself upon you as murderers.
In the case of those truly converted, illumination and abasement uniformly tend to, and terminate in the soul’s embracing CHRIST, with unfeigned faith. The soul in finding itself a poor blind creature sees JESUS CHRIST as alone able to give sight to the blind; finding itself rebellious and corrupt, it sees that JESUS CHRIST alone can subdue the rebellious. Finding itself unspeakably guilty, it is satisfied that JESUS CHRIST alone can remove the guilt and render it acceptable. Finding itself in the hands of manifold enemies, it learns that JESUS CHRIST alone can deliver. Finding itself exposed to nameless evils, it feels that from these evils JESUS CHRIST alone is able to deliver. And so, as He is set up and offered as a deliverer, the soul closes with Him for deliverance. Those of this congregation being formally members of it, who are believers in CHRIST, have so far their way plain to the table of the LORD. Those who are not are debarred from it.
THEY ARE PERSONS WHO ARE being edified. We cannot expect any progress without a commencement, it is here that a capital error is made in the day in which we live, both by preachers and people. It is assumed that a commencement is made, and all that is needed is progress and perseverance. No enquiry is made as to the commencement. They will not endure that that should be meddled with. The language that is stereotyped amongst professedly religious men is language which I am bold to say will be found out in a subsequent time as a devilish delusion.
The genuineness of conversion is manifested by a progressive work of grace. The soundness of a progressive work of grace is evidenced by conversion. What is edification?
First, It is progressive illumination. In those that are converted there is still plenty of darkness. Sometimes it possesses tremendous power. It sometimes looks as if it would darken everything within the range of the creature’s spiritual vision. Some of you may be ready to conclude you are not called to the LORD’S table because you are so much children of darkness and can speak of little, if anything, else, and you may be so especially if under it you can find the icy coldness of insensibility and the iron fetters of unbelief. But perhaps you will get an outgate here, when it is said those who are converted are exercised sometimes, deceptively and painfully, with darkness that sets in upon them. Hence the need of fresh communications of spiritual light. Hence the need of the soul’s being savingly enlightened. And what they need is granted to them. So much so that they who are not progressively enlightened have no evidence of their being disciples of CHRIST. We have to ask, not only if you have been once enlightened, but have you been so savingly enlightened as that you have fresh communications of light? And are these communications always the same kind? Is your light homogeneous, of one species? We have people who are in darkness and get light, a curious light it is. “Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth.”
Ever illuminating and yet never enlightened. Ever going on, yet never coming to the mark. Saving illumination is substantially the same in its nature throughout. Where are you as respects saving illumination? What are you engaged in? How are you getting on? Take the question and press it home. Do not suffer sluggishness, or carnality, or vanity, or anything to cheat you out of the profit to be got by the plain truth of GOD. Some may lay hold of the fact that they live in a time when there is a great forsaking in the land. A withholding of divine power, and say, how can there be illumination where there is the withholding of divine power? The LORD will take care of His own people and of His own work. Although He manifests the controversy He has with this people and generation.
Second, A progressive work of genuine humiliation. We see the need of this because in the soul that is regenerated and truly converted
to CHRIST there is plenty of pride. It possesses amazing deceitfulness and power. There is a mystery in it that baffles the most prudent, eludes the most searching eye of man, and is capable of betraying the most watchful. The people of GOD know this and lament it. They can point to scars of wounds they have received from the subtle serpent dwelling in their own hearts, coiling itself round them, with the view of infusing venom into their soul, twining itself round the soul, and pressing it till its very life, if such were possible, were arrested in its progress and death ensued.
That is the testimony of the people of GOD, and they are prepared to say no one knows our pride as we do ourselves: no one has yet told us the thousandth part of the pride we have discovered in us; and after all we have discovered the Word makes it very plain that we see but the surface of it. The depth of the pride of the human race is known only to Him who searches and tries it. Wherefore is it that the pride of the people of GOD is suffered to work and prevail to such an extent as it does? The LORD overrules this as the occasion of humiliation, and to the dust the soul finds it necessary to come. And here is the proof of one truly converted, distinguished from all hypocrites; down he must come, if grace do not triumph to bring him down, his soul is ruined for ever—GOD’S covenant will fail and redemption will not reach its consummation. We insist upon it as a mark of all who are so far warranted to go to the table of the LORD that they be under a work of progressive humiliation. They may be far from thinking there is any humiliation about them. Sometimes they are humblest when they are most ashamed before the LORD because of their pride. They may not appear to others to be under any work of humiliation, for others have their own ideas of what humiliation is. But the LORD seeth not as man seeth. He hath His eye upon a very different point. He hath directed all the means and appliances of grace to bring them to a very different point from that to which men would bring them. It is accordingly by His judgment that the thing is to be determined. To that judgment we refer it.
But, mark, whatever they think of themselves, and whatever other people think of them, their eye is single on this head. They are never satisfied till, within their souls, there springs up that lovely plant of humility, which was bought by the Blood of the SON of GOD, and is the work of the SPIRIT. Where are you as to the estimate of humiliation? What think ye of it?
Third, There is a progressive acting of faith in JESUS CHRIST. Saving illumination and humiliation will not go for much unless people are brought evermore to CHRIST, “to whom coming as unto a living stone.”
- THE SERVICE REQUIRED OF THESE PERSONS. We may gather from the context what they are called to.
Firstly, “Take.” No one can take who hath not given to him. We accordingly find the Redeemer taking bread as the symbol of His body being broken for sin, broken under the power of the wrath of GOD, due to it. He broke the bread and gave it to those along with Him. They accordingly took it. The action on their part is correlative to the action on His. He gave, they took. What He gave was broken bread, what they took was broken bread, as the sign of His broken body. This is what those who answer to the character delineated are called to do.
Before they do it they must examine themselves whether there be anything in the way of their doing it. Ministerially his servants give the broken bread, and you are called to take it; they give it as the symbol of His body. They are to give broken bread as the symbol of His body broken for sin. You are to take what is thus given, under the same aspect.
Secondly, “This do in remembrance of Me.” It is to be a spiritual act. It is only the soul of those who are in the condition described that can possibly enter into anything spiritual in these actions. The spiritual meaning is only palpable to faith, the gift of the renewing SPIRIT. If there be no faith in the soul, the communicant can never get beyond the symbols, his soul and CHRIST can have no fellowship. But if there be faith in the soul, it eyes CHRIST set forth in the symbols. It embraces CHRIST as set forth, confides in Him, finds in Him what is suitable to its taste, and very agreeable to its capacities, and fitted to relieve its spiritual wants.
3. THE END TO BE CONTEMPLATED.
Firstly, There must be on the part of those who perform this service a remembering of CHRIST.
Secondly, A desire and aim at His being held in remembrance by all.
IN CONCLUSION—
Firstly, Learn the nature of the LORD’S supper.
Secondly, Learn who they are that are in a condition to observe the LORD’S supper, those truly converted and humbled, and who are being edified. Take up this standard, try yourselves by it, and see how it is with you.
Thirdly, The preparation needful for observing the LORD’S supper. Try yourselves whether you be in the faith (I Cor. xi. 28). “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.” Amen.
My joy is not founded upon the creature, nor upon external enjoyments, therefore let all things be brought into confusion here below; nay, let God Himself seem to stand frowning over us, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.—Calvin.