by the late Rev William Maclean, M.A.
Preached on Sabbath, 23rd October, 1966, at a communion in Auckland, New Zealand.
Continued from page 40 of the last issue.
Text: Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart, (Song of Solomon 3:9-11).
IN the previous part of the sermon the preacher said: “It is clear that in the Song of Solomon a greater than Solomon is brought before us: even the New Testament Solomon, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom King Solomon was a type… We believe that the chariot in our text may be described as the chariot of salvation which Christ prepared for lost sinners. No other chariot can bring us safely to Immanuel’s land but the chariot of His preparing.
“First, we may consider the need for preparing such a chariot; secondly, what is said about the making of the chariot; and thirdly, the invitation that is given…” Editor
THIRDLY, we shall notice the invitation that is given in connection with this chariot. “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” Now it is evident that it is Christ’s church, His spouse, His people, who are in the chariot and are giving this invitation to the daughters of Zion to go forth, and behold Christ when He is passing by in the chariot of the everlasting gospel.
In connection with those in the chariot, we may notice what is written about Noah and the ark. The ark is another type of Christ and the salvation that is to be found in Him. As there was no safety for Noah but in the ark of God’s providing so there is no safety for us, nor hope of making heaven of it, but to be found in the chariot of salvation. We read that the Lord closed Noah into the ark.
First, Noah was closed in to the warning that God gave him of the judgement that He was to bring upon that generation for their sins. So it is true that those in the chariot have by the teaching of God the Holy Spirit, been first closed in to the conviction that their sins deserve eternal death, and that in themselves they are hell-deserving sinners. Their confession is, (and David was in the chariot of salvation when he made the same confession), “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” They confess, “O Lord, although my
iniquity would not break out into actual sin, thou lookest upon the heart and knowest the abominations that are there.” With the Psalmist they must say,
“Thy servant also bring thou not,
in judgement to be try’d:
Because no living man can be,
in thy sight justify’d.”
But they also acknowledge that just as Noah was closed into the ark, so they were closed in to Christ, and closed in to the salvation that is in Him, as their only hope for time and eternity. Like another they must say,
“I’m a poor sinner and nothing at all,
but Jesus Christ is my all and in all.”
They are poor sinners in themselves but are closed in with their understandings, their consciences and their wills to God’s way of salvation by Christ. They desire no other way of salvation, but are willing to be saved in the way that He has set forth in His truth so that He would have the glory. Their confession is, “Shame and confusion of face belongeth unto us, but glory belongeth unto thee.”
“Not unto us, Lord, not to us,
but do thou the glory take.”
They are closed in to Christ as their only hope because “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The language of their souls is, “To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Now, this is the fruit of grace and of regeneration in the soul. Some may be able to tell when they were closed in to condemnation: that was made clear to them, as in the case of the Philippian jailor. But those in the chariot were closed in to the Saviour also. However secret the work may be, this is the two-fold evidence of persons being in the chariot and under the shelter of the blood. On the one hand they believe what the Lord declares, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,” and like the publican they take the blame and the guilt to themselves. On the other hand they are closed in to the One who says, “In me is thine help.”
“Our sure and all-sufficient help
is in JEHOVAH’s name;
His name who did the heav’n create,
and who the earth did frame.”
They are closed into Christ, and do not seek to cover themselves with the fig leaves of their own works of righteousness. They believe that nothing else can cover them, but that they be found in Christ, in the chariot, and under the shelter of His atoning blood. They are closed into Him as their only hope.
Furthermore, they are betrothed to Him. They prove that they are betrothed to Him by their seeking to be obedient to Him. As the wife is to be obedient to her husband and as the church is obedient to Christ, so they seek to show
obedience to Him. It is their desire to walk in obedience to His revealed will. “If ye love me,” Christ says, “keep my commandments,” and it is their desire that they will be found running in the way of His commandments.
By being obedient to His rule they put the crown on His head. The invitation is, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him.” The word “mother” is just another name for His people. Christ says, “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” And this is the will of God: that we should believe in the name of His Son whom He has sent.
It is also the desire of those in the chariot to put the crown of their salvation upon Christ’s head. They do indeed put the crown of their salvation upon His head. They are not putting the crown of their salvation on their own heads, but are taking a low place at His footstool, confessing, “Shame and confusion of face belongeth unto us, but glory belongs to thee.” The church (spoken of in the text as Christ’s “mother”, “sister” and “spouse” in order to show how great is the love between Christ and her) shall be putting the crown of her salvation upon Him through endless ages. Her song shall be, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
They crown Him in His offices as prophet, priest and king. They crown Him as the Prophet by accepting what He has revealed in the Scriptures, and submit to that revelation. They do not sit in judgement upon the word of God, but seek that the word would judge them. They put the crown upon Christ’s head in acknowledging that He is “the faithful and true witness” and that His word is truth. They put the crown on His head as their Priest; the One who offered the necessary sacrifice for their sins when He offered Himself without spot unto God; the only one who can cleanse them from their sins. Also, they put the crown upon Him as their King; the One who subdues their enemies; the One who reigns in them and over them, and makes them loyal and faithful subjects to Himself in their day and generation.
Now, the desire of those in the chariot with regard to others outwith the chariot is that they would be saved. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” Their desire is that others would go forth to “behold king Solomon.” In giving this invitation, “Go forth,” the church is bringing before the daughters of Zion, that is, before sinners in the visible church, that this is the day of Christ’s espousals, the day in which He is betrothing sinners to Himself. Now is the day of salvation! Now is the accepted time! This is the day in which Christ is making an offer of marriage to your own soul. Should you be the blackest sinner out of hell, you are among the sinners in the visible church to whom the gospel comes. This is the day in which He is
betrothing sinners to Himself, and is saying to you, “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord.” This is part of the gospel that His church proclaims: “This is the day of Christ’s espousals,” and, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.”
May you, sinner, be found this day giving a bill of divorcement to every other lover that will bring your soul to hell. May you be receiving Christ in the offer of the everlasting gospel, when He is offering to betroth you to Himself. If you reject that offer you shall have an eternity of weeping and wailing in hell, to bewail the sin of rejecting the Christ of God in the free offer of the everlasting gospel. The Lord will hold you responsible for your rejection of Christ. Your rejection of Him is your sin and guilt, and Christ Himself says that for that rejection you shall be damned. Heed the church giving the invitation to sinners and saying, “This is the day of his espousals; the day in which He is receiving and betrothing sinners to Himself.”
In giving the invitation she also says that it is “the day of the gladness of his heart.” This is what His heart is set on and what He says upon His oath, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” It is the day of the gladness of His heart, the day of salvation. The church is making known not only Christ’s power to save, but also His willingness to save. She says, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him,” that is, wherewith she herself, the church, crowned Him. In putting the crown of her salvation upon His head she is saying in effect, “Ah, when Christ saves such a sinner as I am, there is hope for any sinner. You go forth! Go forth from the ways of sin. Go forth from the ways of the world. I was enabled by grace to put the crown of salvation upon His head. When He has saved me, He shows that there is hope for every other sinner.” On His head there are many crowns; multitudes of sinners in every age and generation have put the crown of their salvation upon Christ’s head. Therefore go forth, O ye daughters of Zion. Go forth! The way is open! This is the day of Christ’s espousals, the day of the gladness of His heart. The church is testifying to what the Lord did for herself, just as the woman of Samaria did when she crowned Him. She put the crown of salvation upon His head, and gave Him all the glory, saying, “Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
Would not this communion Sabbath day, in which Christ’s death is to be commemorated, be a day to be remembered if your own soul was betrothed to Christ? Instead of being lead and deluded by Satan and allured to everlasting
destruction by the things of this world, may you hear the glad tiding of salvation and the joyful sound of the everlasting gospel. May you comply with the invitation of the church in the text: “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” The Spirit and the bride are saying to you, “Come!” “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
This question was put to others: “How long halt ye between two opinions?” How long do you, sinner, hesitate between two opinions? When God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, and the church that He hath purchased by His blood, are appealing to you to go forth from the ways of sin and the world, and to behold king Solomon, may you go to Him as the leper of old did, crying, “Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” The leper believed in His power, but Christ made known to him His willingness also, for He said, “I will; be thou clean.” This is the day, says the church, of His espousals, and the day of the gladness of His heart. She mentions both His power and His willingness. “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” Today, after so long a time of rejecting Christ in the gospel, today if ye will hear his voice, then harden not your hearts, but give ear to what God the Lord doth speak:
“O daughter, hearken and regard,
and do thine ear incline;
Likewise forget thy father’s house,
and people that are thine.
Then of the king desired shall be
thy beauty veh’mently:
Because he is thy Lord, do thou
him worship rev’rently.”
How can you, sinner, leave this solemn service rejecting the Christ of God. What guilt! what fearful guilt you are bringing upon yourself by rejecting Him. You are still in the room of mercy, while millions of others are now in hell. Archibald Cook, a godly minister in Scotland, said, “There are millions in hell who would give all that they ever saw, for one other offer of Christ.” But there are no other offers of Christ or of salvation in a lost eternity.
It is in virtue of this chariot of salvation that He made, that he is able to save to the uttermost, and that such an offer and invitation is extended in the everlasting gospel to us as sinners today. “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.”
May He bless His truth.
Why Psalms Only?
Rev G. G. Hutton
A lecture given on New Year’s Day, 1997, at Struan Free Presbyterian Church
WHY Psalms only? This is a valid question, considering that those who hold that only the inspired Psalter should be used for congregational praise are a minority today. Even in a body like the Free Church, we can detect a mood change when an influential figure like Professor Donald MacLeod is publicly heralded in the press as a “reformer” because he is reported to desire, along with other changes, the introduction of “hymns” into Free Church worship. It is to be expected that his ideas will have a long-term effect upon a sizeable section of that denomination. Why, some may ask, should we continue this practice which is considered by many to be antiquated and unpopular, and thus add to the difficulties of the Church when it appears to exercise a decreasing influence in society? We shall endeavour to present you with some answers, in the hope that your resolve to unashamedly defend and continue this hallowed tradition will be fortified. It is a tradition, I firmly believe, which is established and required by the authority of the Word of God, and one which has served the church well in some of the darkest days in her history.
It would be useful, before going further, to remind ourselves of what the Westminster Confession of Faith has to say regarding the acceptable way of worshipping God, which of course includes the element of praise. In chapter 21, section 1, we read: “The acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.”
So, as a Church and as individuals, we must look to Holy Scripture, God’s own Word, in order to learn what is required of us when we assemble together to worship Him. As you know, the Scriptures are the only rule to direct us how we may glorify God. Our inquiry then is about what we are taught, by precept and example, from the Scriptures, concerning the mode of public praise. What songs should we sing? How should we sing them? Who should sing them? When should they be sung? These are not questions to be dismissed as irrelevant. If we are to worship God in a manner that meets with His approval, these questions must be addressed. These questions exercised the minds of our Reforming fathers, and it ought to be beneficial to us to recall their attitude to the worship of God. What we refer to as the regulative principle, was the principle by which they arrived at the position that it should be “Psalms only” in the congregational worship of God. We can partly answer the question, Why psalms only? by
saying, We are Reformed and Protestant. We appreciate the tireless labours and self-denying efforts of those who under God wrestled with these issues and handed to their children the fruits of their labours. As our Protestantism weakens, so does our appreciation of their accomplishments. If however, we are guided by the same principle as guided them, I have no reason to doubt that we shall arrive at the same conclusions as they.
I think Calvin gives us the gist of reforming thought when he writes: “Such is our folly, that when we are left at liberty, all we are able to do is to go astray. And when once we have turned aside from the right path, there is no end to our wanderings, until we get buried under a multitude of superstitions.”
John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation, when refuting the Romish mass, indicated the foundational principle of worship in these questions: “What has the Lord required? not, What has He not forbidden?” He also says, “This principle purified the Church of human inventions and Popish corruptions… All worshipping, honouring, or other service invented by the brain of man in the religion of God, without His own express commandment, is idolatry.”
The views expressed by Calvin and Knox are perfectly scriptural and in keeping with the spirit of the great commission given to the Apostles by Christ: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:…” (Matthew 28:19).
Throughout the nations of the earth, the ambassadors of the Redeemer are under a solemn obligation to emphasise the necessity of observing what has been commanded by the Saviour. The Lord Jesus did not say, “You may teach them to observe whatsoever is not forbidden.” Many people, I fear, appear to suggest that He told His Apostles, “Anything not explicitly forbidden is acceptable.” No one can read the New Testament seriously without becoming aware of the efforts of the early Christians to adhere, along with the Apostles, to the principles of our Lord’s commission. Take, for example, what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, (in chapter 11 of the first epistle), “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” He also wrote with reference to the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.” Under the ministry of the Apostles, the Church was forbidden to depart from what the Saviour Himself commanded. The language of the Apostle John is very emphatic: “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” (1John 2:3-5.)
These examples of Apostolic teaching serve to remind us of the obligation we are under, to introduce nothing into the doctrine and practice of the Church, or into the worship of God, for which we have no Scriptural mandate. Lest any should think that the act of praise in the Church is not included in the matters upon which Apostolic authority is stamped, we simply point to what Paul wrote, again to the Corinthians, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also,” (1Cor. 14:15). Why, we may ask, did Paul speak in this fashion about praising God? Surely the most valid reason is that Jesus Christ Himself taught; “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” The Saviour’s words show that worship is to be with the spirit and with the understanding. Paul himself desired to worship God in this manner, and he would have the Corinthians also to worship God in like manner. This is an important lesson as to how we are to render praise to God: though it has to be said, few care much for it nowadays.
In answer to the question, What should we sing when worshipping the Lord? we state without hesitation, The divinely inspired Psalms. The first reason we give in defence of this position is that in the Psalms we have a portion of the divinely ordained Scriptures written poetically in order that the words and expressions would be used for singing praise to God. No one can argue with the fact that the Psalms have a unique literary style, clearly indicating that they have a purpose beyond what other parts of the inspired Word have. The Bible is God’s book, the literary styles of which were chosen by Himself for the purposes He has wisely ordained. It is designed to meet particular needs in the experiences of His people as they endeavour to serve and worship Him, and is altogether sufficient for that purpose. What an insult to Divine wisdom, even to suggest that the Book of Psalms is not sufficient or that it is in any way inferior to the uninspired productions of men.
In The Imperial Bible Dictionary (edited by Dr. Patrick Fairbairn) we read in connection with the design and use of the Psalms: “It is Israel’s book of song and prayer for public worship, serving for the worship of God and for the edification of the church. What the church in her various conditions has to bring before the Lord: complaint in distress and temptation; supplication for forgiveness, for comfort and help; praise and thanks for experienced manifestations of grace; praise of the greatness and glory of God; prayer for the fulfilment of the divine promises; and again, what serves the church, when she approaches the sanctuary of God, for comfort, for instruction, and for warning, has found its expression in these songs.”
Because of the unquestionable purity of the doctrine in the Psalms, there is no need to doubt their being acceptable to God. It is His own doctrine. Here is a perfect manual of praise. If we doubt this, then we must look for something
better, but where in the universe shall we go to find it? The Rev. George Laverty, minister in Poyntzpass, Ireland, in the early part of this century, stated, “In the Psalms the Divine character is portrayed by God Himself. One attribute is not mutilated and another misrepresented. Mercy and truth meet together, and also mercy and righteousness at the same time. Man could not find out the acceptable way of approaching into the Divine presence: man utterly failed to find the way of truth. ‘The world by wisdom knew not God.’ ‘No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.’ God hath been pleased to give us the revelation of His will through His Son, and it is our duty to receive and accept that revelation in all that it teaches and enjoins. And it is presumption in any man to add to what God has given: it is an assault upon Divine wisdom, implying that God’s Word is defective, requiring man’s art and ingenuity to perfect and adorn it.”
What those who resort to hymn singing fail to understand is that by rejecting God’s manual of inspired praise, they are actually rejecting the sovereignty and wisdom of God. They will not permit God to dictate to them nor impose upon the Church what, according to His wisdom, is best suited for praising Him in His worship. This is an act of gross folly. When singing the Psalms, we are singing the truth. When singing hymns of human composition people are singing what is often erroneous, and what, in any case, God has neither approved nor required for worshipping Him.
To be concluded
Obituary
The Late Alexander MacLennan, Elder, Glasgow
ALEXANDER MACLENNAN was born in Fernamore, Applecross, on 17th June 1919, the eldest son of John and Lexie MacLennan. Another son and daughter completed the family.
Alick’s father precented in the Free Church prior to 1893. He was one of the first in the village to join the Free Presbyterian Church, where he also acted as precentor when it was formed in that year. His wife was a sister of the eminently pious William MacBeath, who was an elder in the congregation in Applecross, and a faithful witness for Christ in his day and generation.
Undoubtedly Alick had a good example set before him in his home, but sadly his father died when he was only thirteen years of age. He left school the following year and went to work on a farm at Glenelg. He remained there until
he was called up for war service in 1939, serving in the Royal Navy, where he was on convoy duty for most of the time. He was discharged in 1946, having been safely preserved in the midst of the dangers of that terrible war.
After his discharge he spent two seasons fishing at sea. He then joined the Merchant Service, where he served mostly on foreign ships as a seaman, and eventually as a bosun. When he left the sea he obtained employment as an insurance agent, and served his company faithfully until he retired. He was married on 17th May 1954. His wife Dina, a native of the Island of Raasay, proved a true helpmeet to him in every way. There is a family of three sons from their marriage.
Alick appears to have been a considerable time under concern for his soul. He was deeply impressed with the holiness of God, and in the measure that was good for him, the Holy Spirit gave him a taste of the experience of Isaiah when he exclaimed, “Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts,” (Isaiah 6:5).
While under concern he was visited with a very severe temptation. Satan, making bad use of the parable of the prodigal son, tempted him with the thought that, as he was the elder brother in the family, there was no hope of salvation for him. The temptation was so vivid that he was quite certain there was no hope for him. While in this state of mind he was further tempted to think, on a particular Sabbath, that since there was no hope for him, there was no point in his going to church. Instead it was suggested to him that he should take his wife and family for a car run down the Clyde Coast. How strong and cunning are the wiles of the evil one, to keep souls away from the means of grace! Alick was prevented from acting on this temptation by the thought painfully entering his mind, that although there was no hope for him, yet his wife and family should not be denied the privilege of going to hear the gospel. So he took out his car and went to church as usual.
During the course of the service the preacher broke away from the particular subject he was dealing with, and referred to the deliverance of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. In the course of his remarks he said that if anyone, among the families of Israel, had the greatest cause for rejoicing, it would be the first-born in each family. Under the shelter of the blood of the Paschal Lamb, he had been delivered from the destroying angel, while the first-born in the families of the Egyptians had been slain. The Holy Spirit used this part of the sermon to break the power of Alick’s temptation.
Alick now began to seek the true Paschal Lamb with great earnestness. There is no doubt but that the time came when, through the faith which is by the operation of the Holy Spirit, he began to feed upon the Saviour, and to find a
resting place for his soul under the shelter of the blood that cleanseth from all sin. He could now say with the church in the Song: “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste,” (Song of Solomon 2:3). The services of God’s house were now his great delight, and the people of God his chosen companions.
In November 1978 he appeared before the St. Jude’s Kirk Session, seeking to be admitted to the Lord’s Table for the first time. The Session had much pleasure in granting him his desire, and he took his place with the people of God in keeping in remembrance the death of the one who, having loved His own, loved them unto the end. He became a well-known and very welcome visitor at Communion Seasons throughout the Church, when his prayers and his speaking to the Question were much appreciated.
In December 1980 he was ordained and inducted as a deacon, and in 1985 as an elder. In both these offices he discharged his duties conscientiously, and he ever kept in mind his ordination vows. His fellow office-bearers looked forward to enjoying his warm fellowship for many years, but that was not to be.
In May 1995 he suffered a severe stroke and was taken to hospital, where he received excellent treatment. By the blessing of the Lord this treatment led to a return of sufficient strength for him to be allowed home from the hospital. He continued to progress to such an extent that he was able to attend services in the church, to his great pleasure.
At the April Communion in Glasgow last year he gave out this verse as the “question” at the fellowship meeting on Friday: “He that believeth on the Son hath life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him,” (John 3:36). He said these words had been much on his mind while he was in hospital, and he obviously had resolved to give them out at a fellowship meeting, if he was spared to be present. He was in a very happy frame of mind during the communion services, and was able to take his place at the Lord’s Table, although he did not know that it was to be for the last time.
Another person sitting at the Table on that occasion was also there for the last time, although she knew it not. Miss Mary Nicolson, who had been a communicant in Glasgow for fifty-nine years, passed away the following August, her sister Joan having predeceased her by five months. Both these sisters were well-known in the Glasgow congregation, and throughout the Church, as true and faithful witnesses on the side of Christ and His Cause. They are greatly missed in the Church below, although we believe that, as to their souls, they are now in the Father’s house, with Christ, which is far better.
On the Monday of that communion, after the Sabbath services, Alick seemed his usual self, but early on Tuesday 30th April he took a heart attack and passed