“To God’s Glory” : A Practical Study of a Doctrine of the Westminster Standards.
by Rev. Leonard T. Van Horn

THE SUBJECT : A Biblical View of Sin.

THE BIBLE VERSES TO READ : I John 3:4; Rom. 14:14; Gal. 3:10; Psalm 32:5; II Tim. 2:19; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23; James 4:17; Eph. 4:18.

REFERENCE TO THE STANDARDS : Confession : VI; Larger Catechism : Q. 21-29; Shorter Catechism : Q. 13-19.

There is a low view of sin affecting the evangelical world today. In too many cases the sins of the unregenerate world are approved and adopted. Often evangelicals are found using as their examples those who are not only in the world but are of the world. The vileness of sin is not proclaimed.

If there is a message needed today it is the message : Sin is not a joking matter! A Biblical view of sin is needed today to meet the onslaught of the devil and his cohorts. And a Biblical view of sin is a view that is not at all dim. Nor is it a view that allows a believer to treat it lightly.

We have been taught, many of us, from early childhood the definition of sin : “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” (Shorter Catechism, Q. 14). We have been taught that the Bible alone must determine what is sinful. And yet many times we find in evangelical circles a low view of sin. Often a humorous approach toward it is even used in the pulpit. Especially among leaders of the youth is this done. Whether it is done to attract attention, or to be “one of the crowd,” or to be popular and draw crowds, it is still wrong. It is not a Biblical view of sin; it is in opposition to Philippians 4:8-9.

A grave, solid, and weighty doctrine does not allow for levity in regard to the doctrine of sin. Rather, the Psalmist states, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” (Ps. 97:10). There should be a deep hatred of sin on the part of the believer, whether he is in the pulpit or the pew. A Biblical view of sin calls for Biblical war against sin in any form!

If there is one result to a low view of sin it is that of carnality. Certain sins become easy to tolerate in our lives. It becomes more important to present a Gospel of fun instead of a Gospel that has a Holy God and His glory at its center. It is time that we come back to a high view of the Church and a high view of the presentation of God’s Word. When that happens we will be much more prone to view sin as sin against a Holy God.

The Bible tells us that we are to put aside any sort of sin from us. The Bible tells us that sin is evil, yet it is a transgression against the law of the Holy God. And yet too many times we persist in dealing with sin lightly. How can we be certain that we will have a Biblical doctrine of sin in the days to come? Let us list some principles that will guide us in this holy calling.

1. Let us be certain we understand that a Sovereign God saved us and that we dare not think in any way there was anything in us to deserve salvation.

2. Let us be certain our relationship with Christ was begun in a Biblical way. Too many times “easy believism” is our trouble. Did we come to the Christ of the Scriptures with a recognition of His holy law, of our own polluted sinfulness, and of the terrible guilt of sin under which we were buried and which made us sorrowful?

3. Let us be certain we recognize the power of sin (Jer. 17:9) and that it can rule over us in devious ways. Too many times we mistake participation in the “proper” things of this life as good, when in reality they are the works of the flesh. Sin, with its devious power, thus wins another victory.

4. Let us be certain we stay very close to our Lord, even Jesus Christ. There is no better treatment for the disease of careless living than a long and deep drink from the well of Christ. The closer we stay to Him and His Word, the more we will separate ourselves from this “present world” (II Tim. 4:10). The carnal wisdom, acceptance, reasoning, prejudice, affections, etc., of the world are sin before a holy God.

5. Let us be certain we hide His Word in our hearts. David said, “Through Thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” (Ps. 119: 104). This will cause us to forsake sin in every form in our lives.

6. Let us be certain we guard our thoughts (II Cor. 10:5), our words (Ps. 34:13), our actions (Titus 3:8), so that we might not sin against a Holy God.

Certainly, there are many more principles that could be cited. But if we would concentrate on these principles in our lives our view of sin would be Biblical. That is, we would look upon it as vile and offensive to a Holy God. It is no joking matter!

December 3, 1870, and You Are There.

A nice review in a newspaper of the time, covering an ordination in a Presbyterian church, not quite one hundred fifty years ago. Things haven’t changed much, though apparently on this occasion the Rev. Witherspoon brought both the charge to the pastor and the charge to the congregation. Today we would typically have one elder (usually a teaching elder) bring the charge to the pastor, and another elder (teaching or ruling) bring the charge to the congregation.

The Petersburg Index, Petersburg, Virginia, December 3, 1870

INSTALLATION OF REV RICHARD MCILWAINE

The installation of this talented young minister, (so well known in Petersburg) as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg, took place on Thursday night and was witnessed by a large congregation. The Virginian says of the ceremony.

The sermon was preached by Rev. W. W. Houston, of Salem, on the text “One Faith;” It’s object being to show that amid all the differences of Christian sects there is a oneness of faith.  This was illustrated by the fact that all Christians agree in that faith that has but one object, one fruit or result, and one issue.  It was a very solemn appeal and was listened to with close attention.

After sermon Mr. Houston propounded the questions that are required by the Form of Government, which being answered in the affirmative, the relation was declared as regularly instituted.

After this, Rev. Dr. [Thomas Dwight] Witherspoon delivered a most solemn charge to the Pastor, urging him to appreciate his work-to preach Christ – to be faithful to all his charge, and to cultivate spirituality in all his efforts.

After this, the Dr. proceeded to charge the people, first to love their pastor, then to care for his spiritual welfare, then to pray for him, and uphold him in every possible way as co-laborers in the great work of the ministry.  This charge was closed with an allusion to his visit here at the beginning of the war, when so many that received him so cordially, are now missed from the church on earth.  His allusion to these things melted the church to tears.

The whole services were then closed with prayer and the singing of a hymn, when many of the church came forward and gave a cordial welcome to their new pastor.

Words to Live By:
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17, ESV)

Entitled to the Benediction of the Savior
by Rev. David T. Myers

In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounced a blessing upon His followers in Matthew 5:10, 11 when He said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (NASB) There can be no doubt that the subject of our post today was entitled to the benediction of the Savior in her life.

Her name at birth was Margaret Wemyss, but through marriage with the Lord of Colvill, she was called Lady Colvill. From that union, which ended with the death of her husband in 1671, she bore two daughters. Our focus today is on this wife, and her son. The former was “A Lady of the Covenant,” and steadfast in her adherence to Presbyterianism in Scotland.

Her “crimes” were two-fold in the eyes of the Anglican government. When Presbyterian ministers were ejected in Scotland from their pulpits and parishes, they began to minister the Word and Sacraments in the fields and pastures of the people. Anywhere from mere handfuls to many thousands of laypeople would attend these field worship services, among them being Lady Colvill. To do so was to risk persecution, as the authorities frequently sent out troops of soldiers to fine and imprison and even kill these Presbyterians.

Her second “crime” was that she, being in a high and prosperous position in the realm, was frequently able to extend hospitality to these ejected Presbyterian pastors, providing for them with food and accommodations in her own home. When it became too dangerous to hold worship services in the fields, she opened up her home, holding services in the evening hours. From time to time, she, like hundreds of other Covenanters, was forced to flee to the mountains for safety.

Through all of this, to give her son a sound religious upbringing, she instructed him in the common doctrines of biblical Christianity, especially those of the Reformed faith. This especially met with opposition from the government, as Parliament had passed a law in 1662 that none should teach the second generation except those who had been approved by the Anglican bishops. When she insisted on teaching him herself, she was imprisoned  in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The order which was signed by the Lords of Session was signed on this day, December 2, 1684. It read, “The Lady Colvill is imprisoned in Edinburgh tollbooth (e.g. prison), by the privy council, for her irregularities, and particularly for breeding up her son, the Lord Colvill, in fanaticism and other disloyal principles, and abstracting and putting him out of the way, when the council was going to commit his education to others . . . .”

Translated for our readers, the above order means that Lady Colvill was imprisoned for withdrawing from her parish church, attending house and field preaching, and particularly for training her son in the principles of Presbytery and the Covenant.

Lady Colvill remained in difficult circumstances for several months in prison. In a rare exception, she was freed from prison so as to recover her health. But soon she was ordered back to prison. We lose track of her history at this point, but it is obvious that she endured much for her Christian Presbyterian convictions.

Words to Live By:
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for such affliction, the Savior reminds us in our text above. What present and future persecution we suffer for Christ puts us in the same line of the saints of the past who suffered for the Savior’s cause. Be in preparation now for such times. Their likelihood increases even in our nation of America more and more. While none have been killed in our land, there are those who for the cause of Christ have had their businesses destroyed because of Christian convictions. Pray for them and be in prayer that we will remain faithful to Him and His cause.

Licensed to Preach the Gospel
by Rev. David T. Myers

Having had one post already on John Paton, we consider another from his remarkable life. It was on this day, December 1, 1857, that he was licensed to be a preacher of the gospel by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It would be just four months later that he would be ordained as a minister of the gospel. But what is significant about this date in December is that he had already been faithfully carrying on the work of the gospel as  a home missionary with the Glasgow City Mission in Glasgow, Scotland.

The latter city mission advertises itself even now as the world’s first City Mission, having begun in 1826. His ministry with them was that of working in one of the poor and downtrodden neighborhoods of that city, seeking to lead its citizens to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Yes, temporal needs were to be provided to them. But as the slogan on the city mission states, “Providing hope for Today, Tomorrow, Eternity.” And clearly the need was great, for as Paton wrote on page 55 of his Autobiography, “in many of its closets and courts, sins and vice walked about openly—naked and not ashamed.”

Upon being assigned to his particular neighborhood, Paton sums up his ministry as “being expected to spend four hours daily in visiting from house to house, holding small prayer meetings amongst those visited, calling them together for evening meetings, and trying by all means to do whatever good was possible amongst them.”

After the first year of fairly exhausting labors in their midst, John Paton could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who attended his public meetings.  But then the site of those meetings was hardly inviting in that it was, in his words, “a hay loft under which a cow feeder kept a large number of cows, and which was reached by an outside rickety wooden stairs.” (p. 56). Finding so little spiritual fruit, the directors of the city mission planned to move the young missionary to a more promising neighborhood, but John Paton begged for more time, even six months longer. Thankfully the directors agreed, and within that time, attendance doubled and then doubled again. Particularly helpful was the move to buildings purchased for the ministry by Dr. Symington’s congregation, where Rev. Paton was a member.

Notice, dear reader, the following description of his work there: On Sunday morning at 7 am, Paton offered a Bible study, which was eventually attended by 70 to 100 people. No day off on Monday either! Another Bible study was offered on Monday night. Wednesday was the weekly prayer meeting. Thursday brought a Shorter Catechism class, which turned into a Communicant’s class for church membership. Seven members from this theological class eventually entered the ministry. Friday night was a Singing class, which taught church music to the attendees. And Saturday night was a Total Abstinence class for the many drunkards in the neighborhood. All together, some five to six hundred residents regularly attended meetings led by Rev. Paton. Whew!

And yes, during this busy schedule, John Paton continued on with his own education at the University of Glasgow, the Reformed Presbyterian Divinity Hall, and also classes in medicine at the Andersonian College. God’s Spirit was doing much with this young man, and would do much for him in the future.

Words to Love By: 
John Paton said, “I was sustained by the lofty aim which burned all these year bright within my soul, namely—to be qualified a preacher of the Gospel of Christ, to be owned and used by Him for the salvation of perishing [men and women].” ( p. 82)  Oh, how the visible church today, even the local congregation where you yourself are a member, needs people who have as their aim in life, that of being “owned and used by Him” for the salvation of others. Pray with us, will you, that the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into the fields.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.“—Luke 10:2, ESV.