NOTHING would afford greater satisfaction and pleasure to those who fear the Lord and have His glory at heart than to recognise any real and significant return to God on the part of the people in general throughout the nation. The heart’s desire and prayer to God of His people is that there would be an abandonment of evil and a turning back to the “Law and to the testimony” by all classes throughout the length and breadth of the land. But in the exercise of true Christian charity and good will, it cannot be honestly asserted that there is any improvement in this regard, with respect to Church or nation. On the contrary, there is no improvement in religion and morals, albeit, there are advancements in the standard of living, and in the increase of knowledge, in other than spiritual spheres.
As to the professing Church—in many quarters, the Bible which we regard as inspired and infallible, as the Word of God, is still said to contain myth; and what is recorded as fact, such as the account of man’s creation and sin and fall, is regarded as parabolic teaching. And doctrines, which are divinely revealed truths, such as that of “eternal punishment,” are ignored, discounted or positively condemned as unworthy of God. And if, as it is not, the whole range of Gospel truth was being preached by the most of professed ministers of Christ, there would not remain the deplorable state of affairs within the Churches, that of thousands of poor, deluded sinners declaring that they are Christians, having Church privileges, holding office, and conspicuously controlling the affairs of the visible Christian Church; while all the time they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians ii. 6), and know nothing of the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth. Multitudes of such persons, ministerial and lay, are much more at home at the dance, card-table, the theatre and all kinds of sport, etc. And again, revival campaigns, with a display of much evangelical doctrine, and involving the gathering and outlay of immense sums of money, and the expenditure of a great measure of human energy, have not left any perceptible spiritual benefit behind.
Indeed, where the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ is being faithfully, clearly and solemnly preached by sent messengers of God, “hearers only” are in the vast majority. And the fact is that true ministers of the Gospel to-day are going forth bearing precious seed and weeping, whatever the ultimate outcome will be, according to the divine purpose. Death is reigning throughout the land in the Churches. Then it is an indisputable fact that there is a sad indifference to and wilful neglect of the public means of grace and the acknowledgment of God therein, by all kinds of people who have even had a religious background and links with the Church. And one may meet one after the other of such persons on week-days going about their worldly business, who are absent from the public worship of God on Sabbath and week-day. In addition, there are the great masses of our population who live as if there was no God at all. And here there is no sign that people in general are turning back to the Bible and the Gospel of Salvation, among young or old.
Now in the midst of all this, there is a great cry for ecclesiastical union—union of large and small Churches. The present case which is outstanding is the move by the Church of Scotland and the Church of England to enter into close collaboration or union, the movement to include other denominations also. The “Low Church” evangelicals of the Church of England are already plagued and oppressed with their leaders’ lack of regard for Reformation doctrine and practice. And these are the leaders who are seeking to entangle the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in Episcopacy and then in High Anglicanism and then in a Romish trend. The leaders of the Church of Scotland seem to be more taken up with this than endeavouring to bring their people back to the faith and gospel of the Scottish fathers and divines. These movements are not concerned with the pre-eminent business of Christ’s Church, the salvation of lost, hell-deserving men, through the gospel of the Reformers, and the building up of true Christians in the most holy faith. They are bent on organised, formal, external, ecclesiastical union. They aver that this is the way which Christian charity should take, and so we see that there is no return really among us to unity (not union merely) and fellowship in the truth of God, and the practice which is after godliness.
Another feature of the situation is that in some quarters, ecclesiastically, where a loud and repeated profession of being orthodox and Calvinistic and Scriptural in doctrine and practice, there is the demand to be free to “come and go” in relation to the modernistic Church of Scotland, that is, for ministers to exchange pulpits and so on. We mean here the Free Church of Scotland. This is not the way to stand fast in the faith and to preserve the people of Scotland from the insidious influence of another gospel which is not another. Uncompromising devotion to God, His truth and the spiritual well-being of immortal souls has not increased or evidenced itself in greater measure, in general.
Then it is to be feared that among those who are true believers upon the Son of God, and have a hope of eternal life, that many such do not give themselves to prayer and secret prayer especially, as they ought. They are not praying that the gospel they hear from week to week, be really made a blessing to themselves and others, as fervently and frequently as they ought. They are not bearing the needs of ministers of the gospel, in regard to their ministry, to the Throne of Grace as they should do. In the case of some Christians, sermons are studied, prayed over, and delivered by the minister, and are then heard, and that is the end of the sermon as far as they are concerned, more often than not. There is the story of the pious minister who stated that he had lost his prayer-book. The explanation being that a godly woman in his congregation, who was given to prayer for her minister, had died.
Then ministers, who may be truly called of God, may well be showing no spiritual improvement in their ministry to-day. There are influences and even duties of a lawful nature, which do not come within the immediate scope of the ministry, and if not guarded against, may mitigate against prayer, meditation, study of the Word, and the enjoyment of a suitable and right frame of heart and mind, for the spiritu and profitable discharge of gospel ministrations. Also, this office requires that a man be an example to others: “Be thou an example the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in fait. in purity” (I Timothy iv. 12). It is therefore desirable that those who hold this office, hemoan wherein they come short and lack improvement, and that they humbly seek that the divine Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, would make all grace abound toward them.
Throughout the nation—apart from the Church—there is no sign of a return from our sins and backsliding ways. “Our iniquities testify against us . . . our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee” (Jeremiah xiv. 7). These words of the weeping prophet in Jerusalem are suitable, sad to say, to our conduct still to-day as they have been for many years now, and few, relatively, recognise this serious state of matters as before the all-seeing eyes of the Lord.
A considerable section of tradesmen and other workmen, under certain circumstances, require and demand work on Sabbath Day as on week-days, with extra pay for transgressing the Fourth Commandment. The peculiar thing is that originally labour demanded double wages for being called out to work on the Sabbath to prevent employers demanding service from them on that day. And no doubt employers in certain cases offered higher wages to induce men to work on God’s Day. The strange thing is that we now witness the workmen of this country willingly working seven days a week, and their declared policy, not so very long ago, was to demand a shorter working week. The Government officials and contractors are encouraging this disregard for the divine law, when there is neither the element of necessity nor mercy present, and all this is bearing evil fruit, and God will punish this conduct in His own time and way.
Millions of our people think more of outstanding personalities in the respective realms of entertainment and sport, than they do of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We mean, in their extreme, inordinate and carnal adoration for certain personalities. Of course, man by nature sees no beauty in Christ that He should be worshipped. But millions commit the heinous sin of idolatry in the manner we have indicated. Their hearts, their money and their time are laid at the feet of their idols. The name of God is nothing, and the Lord Jesus is but a root out of a dry ground to such. The idolatrous Mass of Rome is also periodically given publicity on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Sound and Television services. All this goes on apace, and more of a like nature, and we officially and professedly a Protestant nation. Yet there are few sections of the people throughout the country who seem to be anxious or concerned at the boldness and the inroads of Roman Catholicism. This aspect of the matter reflects accurately the widespread lack of knowledge and appreciation of Reformation history and principles. We, as a people, are just not interested in the preservation of the foundation truths, practices and liberties, handed down to us by godly forefathers.
With all the talk of increased interest in religion, and revival movements, and “Tell Scotland” activity, we are much afraid that the Bible is wilfully neglected, and actually unknown as to its contents by the masses of the people in all walks of life. The Bible is still waiting for a place in the majority of homes in Britain. The fruit of this is evident throughout society, as the ruling law is “That which is good and right in our own eyes.”
Outstanding and heinous violations of the second table of the Moral Law are rife. Adultery, murder, and theft, etc., are common occurrences, and crime among the young is widespread. And all this reveals the continued drift away, by adults, and then children, from any thought at all about God, or the soul, or man’s accountability to the Judge of all the earth at last.
Yet, the people are after work and more especially increased wages, and business and profits. In other words we seek all the good things of a temporal nature; and which a beneficent God, in providence, allows, as He who causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust. We are a people “who mind earthly things,” and live for time, and not for God or His Son, or with a view to Eternity.
Our rulers at Government level, with all their national and world problems and anxieties, seem to be incapable of looking further than human wisdom and power for assistance and a solving of difficulties which affect millions of people. The Lord God omnipotent who reigneth, is not called upon nor consulted in our national difficulties and in connection with national and international conferences, as in the case of the Suez business and later developments.
“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isaiah i. 4). And so we are like the nation of Israel in Isaiah’s day, a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evid doers, children that are corrupters (Isaiah i. 4). And as the prophet further writes: “They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward” (verse 4).
Of course, the Most High still speaks to us as a nation through His Word, and by his providence, and by the witness of the remnant of His people in the midst of all the backsliding and sinfulness. But He has left us to a great extent; as far as the withholding of the powerful and saving operations of His divine Spirit are concerned. There can be no substitute for this. A multiplicity of religious and worldly activities attached to the visible Church of Christ, and large quantities of spurious Christian charity, etc., can never heal our backslidings.
Let the living and faithful Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the land, continue to preach the whole doctrine of the Gospel, and to pray “Thy kingdom come”; and set an example before all of the life that is according to godliness; and this by the strength of heavenly grace, and in face of every present discouragement. “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke xxiv. 49).