We see from the title of this psalm that it is a “Maschil of David,” that is, a psalm fitted to give instruction. The Asaph who was the penman of it was of the tribe of Levi, and was both a prophet and a poet. Like all the other true prophets of God he was a true patriot, holding forth the duty of the nation to cleave to God, and mourning over its apostacy and the consequent desolations of Sion. He could look back on times of spiritual and temporal prosperity which accompanied adherence to the true worship of God, but now it was his sad experience to witness the “perpetual desolations” which overtook the land. The psalm may be taken as both descriptive and prophetic, that is, describing what actually existed in his own day and what, by the spirit of prophecy, was revealed to him as that which was to take place. By most interpreters it is accepted that prophecy has many stages of fulfilment, and, thus, we may apply the words under consideration to the history of the Church in Scotland down to our own times. In doing so we may notice three matters in particular: I. The Carved Work; II. The Breaking Down of the Carved Work; III. That This is a Loud Voice to Scotland.
I. The Carved Work of the First Reformation
To set up carved work requires knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. We read that when Moses was to set up the Tabernacle he directed the attention of the children of Israel to what the Lord had done. “See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.” Of him and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach it is said, “Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer in blue, and in purple, in scarlet and fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.” (Exodus 35:30-35).
Christ, as the skilful Builder of His Church in Scotland, used men to whom He had given wisdom, understanding and knowledge. By His Spirit He taught them so that they were not only able to see the fair face of the Church of God in the Scriptures and to build according to that pattern, but they were enabled to set it up in a manner that brought conviction to the hearts of men that this was the work of God. We read that “Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed thee in the mount.” This was the principle on which the Reformers acted in Scotland when setting up the Church of God. They had their pattern in the Bible. Thus we find that only what was expressly commanded in the Bible was allowed in the Church, which makes it different from the Church of England, for the English Reformers went on the principle that what was not forbidden was allowable. The result was that the Church of Scotland in its doctrine, worship, and discipline, presented a beautiful carved work, unique among the churches of the Reformation. In the Scots Confession of Faith, presented by Knox and other ministers of the Reformed Church, and laid before Parliament, we have a document which agreed with the Confessions issued by other Reformed Churches. It condemned the errors and idolatry of Romanism and emphasised the Fall of man, and the sinfulness and misery of man by that Fall, by declaring that by “original sin was the image of God defaced in man, and he and his posterity of nature became enemies to God, slaves of Satan, and servants of sin;” that “all our salvation springs from the eternal and immutable decree of God, who of mere grace elected us in Christ Jesus, His Son, before the foundation of the world was laid;” and that we must “apprehend Christ Jesus, with His justice and satisfaction, who is the end and accomplishment of the law, by whom we are set at this liberty, that the curse and malediction of the law fall not upon us;” that “as God the Father created us when we were not, as His Son, our Lord Jesus, redeemed us when we were enemies to Him, so also the Holy Ghost does sanctify and regenerate us, without all respect of any merit proceeding from us, be it before, or be it after our regeneration, — to speak this one thing yet in more plain words, as we willingly spoil ourselves of all honour and glory of our own creation and redemption, so do we also of our regeneration and sanctification, for of ourselves we are not sufficient to think any good thought, but He Who has begun the work in us is only He Who continues us in the same, to the praise and glory of His undeserved grace.” The foregoing is an example of the carved work of the Reformation and was so convincing, because it was based wholly on Scripture, that “Parliament abolished the Papal jurisdiction, prohibited, under certain penalties, the celebration of Mass, and rescinded all the laws formerly made in support of the Roman Catholic Church, and against the Reformed faith.”
On the Head of Doctrine, the Reformers showed clearly that the carved work which they were instrumental in setting up was a complete reformation from Popery, as the following clearly proves:—”By preaching of the gospel, we understand not only the Scriptures of the New Testament, but also of the Old, to wit, the Law, Prophets, Histories, in which Christ Jesus is no less contained in figure, than we have Him now in verity: and, therefore, with the Apostle we affirm, that all Scripture inspired of God is profitable to instruct, to reprove, and to exhort. In which books of the Old and New Testaments we affirm, that all things necessary for the instruction of the Church, and to make the man of God perfect, is contained and sufficiently expressed. By the contrary doctrine we understand whatsoever men by laws, councils, or constitutions, have imposed upon the consciences of men, without the express commandment of God’s word, such as be the vows of chastity, forswearing of marriage, binding of men and women to several and disguised apparels, to the superstitious observation of fasting days, difference of meat for conscience sake, prayer for the dead; and keeping of holy days of certain saints commanded by man, such as be all those that the Papists have invented, as the Feasts (as they term them) of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins, of Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, Purification, and other fond Feasts of our Lady.”
Of this document, Professor Alex. F. Mitchell, D.D., of St Andrews, after stating that we are not to look on the one hand for “an exhaustive and logical elaboration of the several doctrines of the system and a nicely balanced statement of complementary truths, or on the other for a careful avoidance of incidental expressions which seem dogmatically to determine points not fully or directly handled in the places where we should have expected them to be so,” says:—”Yet, if we make such due allowance, look at it from the proper point of view, and peruse the work not only in the now obsolete Scotch, but also in the neat Latin version which often accompanies it, and is said to have been the work of Archbishop Adamson, we shall not hesitate to own that it holds a distinguished place among the Confessions of that age, and is a credit to our Reformer and his associates. Coinciding not infrequently in expression and agreeing generally in its definitions and doctrine with the other Reformed or Calvinistic Confessions (an agreement which its framers explicitly testified by inserting among the subordinate standards of their church, first Calvin’s Catechism, and a few years after the Later Helvetic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism), the Scottish Confession of 1560 had characteristics of its own, — a framework rather historical than dogmatic, and a liberal and manly, yet reverent and cautious spirit. It probably contributed to mould the early Scottish theology into a form somewhat less minute and rigid than the Swiss, yet considerably less vague and indefinite than the earlier English.” (The Scottish Reformation, p. 102-103).
Another part of the carved work was the setting up of church courts for the exercise of Scriptural discipline. The exercise of discipline was necessary in order that those who were unworthy should not partake of the Sacraments, and the Scottish Reformers did not appoint diocesan bishops for that end, because they found no authority for such an office in the “pattern” shown them in the Holy Scriptures. In that pattern they found authority for Church courts, and thus we find in the First Book of Discipline the appointment of elders to assist the minister of the congregation in the exercise of discipline. That discipline was exercised on high and low, from the monarch on the Throne to the meanest of his subjects, when their walk was not in accordance with the rule of Scripture. At the Assembly held in Edinburgh on 25th March 1596 notice was taken of the following items of disorderly conduct in the king’s household:—(1) The reading of the Word, and thanksgiving before and after meat, often omitted. (2) Week sermons often neglected, and he would be admonished not to talk in church with any in time of divine service. (3) To recommend to him private meditation with God in spirit, and in his own conscience. (4) Banning (cursing) and swearing is too common in the king’s house and Court, occasioned by his example. (5) He would have good company about him; Robertland, papists, murderers, profane persons, would be removed from him. (6) The Queen’s ministry would be reformed. She herself neglects the Word and Sacraments, is to be admonished for night-waking (revelling), balling (dancing) etc. also touching her company etc., and so of her gentlewomen. (Row’s History of the Kirk of Scotland, p. 171).
Their attitude to the Church of Rome is brought out with no uncertain sound when they say — “(1) As we require Christ Jesus to be truly preached, and His holy sacraments rightly ministered; so we cannot cease to require idolatry, with all monuments and places of the same, as abbeys, monasteries, friaries, nunneries, chapels, chanteries, cathedral churches, canonries, colleges, others than presently are parish churches or schools, to be utterly suppressed in all bounds and places of this realm, except only palaces, mansions, and dwelling places adjacent thereto, with orchards and yards of the same. As also we desire that idolatry may be removed from the presence of all persons of what estate or condition that ever they be, within this realm. (2) For let your honours assuredly be persuaded, that where idolatry is maintained or permitted, where it may be suppressed, that there shall God’s wrath reign, not only upon the blind and obstinate idolaters, but also the negligent sufferers of the same; especially if God have armed their hands with power to suppress such abominations. (3) By idolatry we understand, the Mass, invocation of saints, adoration of images, and the keeping and retaining of the same: And finally, all honouring of God not contained in His holy word.” First Book of Discipline, Chap. iii. sect. 1, 2, 3. In all their doings in connection with setting up the carved work at the time of the Reformation in Scotland our forefathers gave strict obedience to the Lord’s command — “According to all that I show thee, both after the fashion of the tabernacle, and after the fashion of all the ornaments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exod. 25:9).
The Second Book of Discipline.
The First Book of Discipline was compiled to meet the needs of the Reformed Church at the time when it threw off the heresies and superstitions of the Church of Rome, and was hastily put together. Some of its arrangements were of a provisional description, and were necessarily introduced to meet the exigencies of the time, while others, which subsequent experience showed to be of great importance, were omitted. These last were drawn up with great care by persons who had studied the subject, and who took leisure to compare and digest their views. The result was the Second Book of Discipline, which is stated to be “methodically arranged, and the propositions under each Head are expressed with perspicuity, conciseness, and precision.” Dr McCrie says, “Its leading principles rest upon the express authority of the Word of God. Its subordinate arrangements are supported by the general rules of Scripture; they are simple, calculated to preserve order and promote edification, and adapted to the circumstances of the church for which they were intended. It is equally opposed to arbitrary and lordly domination on the part of the clergy, and to popular confusion and misrule. It secures the liberty of the people in one of their most important privileges — the choosing of those who shall watch for their souls, without making them the final judges of the qualifications of those who shall be invested with this office. While it establishes an efficient discipline in every congregation, it also preserves that unity which ought to subsist among the different branches of the church of Christ; secures attention to those numerous cases which are of common concern and general utility; and provides a remedy against particular acts of injustice and maladministration, arising from local partialities and limited information, by the institution of larger assemblies acting as courts of appeal and review, in which the interests of all are equally represented, and each enjoys the benefit resulting from the collective wisdom of the whole body. It encourages a friendly co-operation between the civil and ecclesiastical authorities; but it, at the same time, avoids the confounding of their limits — prohibits church courts from ‘meddling with anything pertaining to the civil jurisdiction,’ — establishes their independence in all matters which belongs to their cognisance, and guards against, what is the great bane of religion and the curse of the church, a priesthood which is merely the organised puppet of the state, and moves and acts only as it is directed by a political administration. It is a form of ecclesiastical polity whose practical utility has been proportionate to the purity in which its principles have been maintained.” (Life of Melville, 1856 ed., p. 58). It may be said that in this Second Book of Discipline the “carved work” of the Reformation was brought out in bolder relief than ever before.
(To be continued)