Free Church Presbyterianism, by Rev. James Begg, D.D.
Closing Address: SPECIAL DUTIES AND DANGERS OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Part 2: (Duties)
DUTY OF PERPETUATING FREE CHURCH PRINCIPLES.
IN formerly addressing the Assembly, I referred to the great and permanent
importance of our distinctive principles.
Our struggle was a part of
the great "Conflict of Ages;" and the necessity for maintaining our
principles against those who would either deny or under-value them will
remain equally great till the end of time; for Christ must ever be "a
Prince" as well as "a Saviour." The prominent maintenance of this truth
by our church has become all the more essential, both because of the
erroneous and defective views or total silence of some other Churches
on the subject, and because of the open support of falsehood on the
part of the civil government. This is exactly what might have been
anticipated.
Civil governments can no more be indifferent than
individuals to the cause of Christ. "He that is not with Christ is
against Him. He that gathereth not with Him scattereth abroad" Of this
we have now abundant demonstration.
Gibbon, speaking of the old
religions, says: — "The common people thought them equally true, the
philosophers equally false, the politicians equally useful." Such an
infidel spirit seems manifestly to be too prevalent in high places in
the present day. Whilst this may well reconcile us to our own
separation as a Church from such entangling alliances, and make us
value our perfect liberty to serve Christ, according to his own word,
we ought to feel with all the more force the obligation to proclaim our
principles aloud, and to hand them down to coming generations. This
will require much prayerful consideration on the part of our leading
men.
The great Moses of our Exodus was, in the holy providence of God,
very soon removed; and the experience of the world and the Church
unfortunately proves that the greatest principles are apt to be
forgotten, unless wisely embodied in permanent institutions; nay, that
the deepest impressions will soon be worn out unless constantly renewed
and perpetuated by diligent care.
Whitefield in his day, for example,
probably made a much more powerful impression upon the world than
Wesley, and the principles which he maintained were, we believe, more
entirely in accordance with the truth of God. But Whitefield had little
genius for construction, whereas Wesley was constructive as a beaver. [Laughter.] Hence the one man and his system are almost forgotten in
the South, whilst the other has given name to probably the largest and
strongest dissenting system in England or the world. We will do well to
apply this lesson to ourselves.
The impulse of the Disruption struggle
is passing away, and the Disruption ministers and men are gradually
being removed into eternity; and it ought to be our earnest desire that
nothing should be left undone to secure that our principles shall be
embodied in imperishable institutions, and that the burning and
unconsumed bush, which we have inherited as our emblem, shall truly
represent the future of our Church in Scotland.
We may well acknowledge
with gratitude to God the much that has already been done in so short a
time, the men of singular and various gifts with whom He has graciously
blessed us, the missionary spirit which is the glory of our Church, the
means placed at our disposal, the general appearance of permanence and
solidity by which our ecclesiastical system is already marked; but we
must not rest satisfied with this so long as anything remains doubtful
or undone, and, if I may be allowed to speak freely in this place,
there are some matters which seem to me still to call for the most
serious attention.