“Then said one unto him, Lord are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able... And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13.23-24, 29).

These two sayings of our Lord, coming so soon after each other, and in answer to the same question, sum up one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith. On the one hand, the way that leads to life is a narrow way, and there are few that find it; on the other hand, John sees, in the Revelation a great multitude who by the grace of God have found it: “After this, I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

Here in England, at least, we feel this keenly. Christians of any description are very much in the minority, whilst those who hold to the doctrines of grace are fewer still. Many find themselves worshipping in small congregations, and perhaps travelling some distance in order to hear the truth. We could get very discouraged. However, we take comfort in these grand Scriptures that assure us, we will not be lonely in heaven!

But how can we reconcile these two facts - our present fewness, and the multitudes in heaven? There are several factors to take into account.

One factor is history. How many have been saved already? We do not know, but clearly, there have been times in history when the gospel has prospered. Consider the 3,000 converted on the Day of Pentecost; and there were many more in the days that followed. Already in Acts 4, “the number of the men was about 5,000”; in Acts 6.7, “the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Consider also, the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, and then, through a great army of missionaries, throughout the world. Consider also, the many revivals of the past - many thousands have already been saved.

A second factor is geography. There are other parts of the world, where the church is stronger than it is in England. It is astonishing to see the African bishops standing up for the truth in the Anglican Church. There is much confusion, it is true, but also many genuine believers, and many vibrant churches, especially in the Third World.

A third factor is the future. Your expectations for the future will depend, perhaps, on your prophetic views, and there may be varied views amongst our readers, but it is surely at least possible that the Lord may yet bring many more into his kingdom before the end comes.

The articles in this issue have been chosen to represent that great multitude, from all ages and from all nations. From the past we have a 17th century response to a national disaster, and two 19th century sermons, from a Strict Baptist Englishman, and a Free Presbyterian Scotsman. From the present, we have two articles, from the USA and South East Asia. The last two were obtained via the internet; there are many Calvinistic websites out there! (I have anglicised the spellings and used the Authorised Version for quotations.)

The authors might not all have agreed on everything. Whether Ebenezer Wilmshurst and Donald Macdonald knew of each other, I do not know. They lived at the same time, though at opposite ends of the country - one in the south east of England, the other in the north west of Scotland. They might well have had some interesting discussions if they had met - on baptism, for example. I hope they would have been friendly discussions! But I am sure they would have recognised one another as fellow-servants in the kingdom of God, with a common love for the doctrines of grace. Likewise with all the authors in this magazine.

And that, of course, is what binds the readers of this magazine together. May the Lord make these articles a blessing to your soul.

Not every disaster is a judgement from God. Luke 13.1-3 establishes that, not to mention the disasters that befell Job. We might do well, however, to consider the humble response of this godly writer.

“By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us” (Psalm 65.5)

God speaks sometimes to a people by terrible things. These few last years have given sad instances hereof in England, especially the last two years in our city of London.

The voice of the Lord hath been in the city, it hath been loud and full of terror; the Lord hath come forth against us with armed vengeance. Frowns have been upon his brow, death and desolation in his looks; thunder hath been in his voice; flames of fire in his hand: “the pestilence hath gone before him, and burning coals at his feet.” (Habakkuk 3.5) He hath sent forth his arrows, which have scattered us, and shot forth his lightnings which have discomfited us; the Lord hath thundered in the heavens, and the highest gave his voice, hail-stones and coals of fire.” (Psalm 18) “The Lord hath visited us with storm and tempest, and great noise.”(Isaiah 29) Yea, he “hath caused his glorious voice to be heard, and shewed the lightning down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flames of devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hail-stones.”(Isaiah 30) “Then the furrows of the earth were seen, and the foundations of the city were discovered, the earth also shook, because he was wroth, and the inhabitants of London trembled, because of his fierce anger; then the snares of death encompassed us, and the fears of hell gat hold of us, and our hearts were moved within us, as trees when they are moved by the wind.” (Isaiah 7) Dreadful have God’s late judgements been in London, the noise of which hath gone forth, not only throughout the land, but also unto the uttermost parts of the world...

Concerning these judgements, I might speak of the judgement executed, August 24, 1662, when so many ministers were put out of their places; and the judgements executed, March 24, 1665, when so many ministers were banished five miles from corporations; the former by way of introduction to the plague which some time after did spread in the land, but chiefly raged in the city; the latter by way of introduction to the fire, which quickly after did burn down London, the greatest corporation in England. These judgements having been so lately, and general in the land, and I presume so generally known, with all their circumstances, it would be needless to give here a narration of them. But I must say, I could wish they were as generally believed to be judgements, and accordingly laid to heart; for I fear that the great insensibility which people have been under of these judgements, because they have not reached the flesh, and their sottish inconsideration of God’s dreadful displeasure herein, hath provoked the Lord to send such judgements as have come nearer to sense - that they might perceive God was angry...

Let London seriously consider whether her Gospel privileges were not her best defence against temporal calamities; and whether, since her slighting, abuse and forfeiture, and God’s seizure and stripping her of so much of these, she hath not been laid naked to those heavy strokes of extraordinary judgements which she hath lately received.

London had the Gospel ordinances, powerful, pure, plentiful; ministers excellently qualified and rarely furnished with ministerial abilities: London had as many burning and shining lights as any one spot of ground under the cope of heaven.

Not to speak of their abilities for preaching and defence of the truth; such gifts of prayer London ministers had, which were no small defence of the city, as I believe no city in the world could parallel.

O what prayers have there formerly been in London pulpits, especially on days of solemn humiliation! How have the spirits of ministers been carried forth sometimes in prayer for several hours together (without tautologies and vain repetitions) in such variety of affectionate enlargements, and with such raisedness and transports of spirit, as if they had been just leaving the body, and going to live and abide with God, and would converse no more with men or worldly things! In their confessions of sin, how have they raked into the dunghill of a rotten heart and laid abroad its inward filthiness! How have they traced the footsteps of its deceitfulness, through the maze and wilderness of it many windings and turnings... In their supplications for the pardon of sin, for spiritual and heavenly riches, O with what feeling did they express themselves! O with what faith and importunity did they wrestle and plead at the throne of grace for such favours... yea, how did they besiege God, as it were, and seem as if they would scale the walls of heaven itself... In their supplications for the church and land, they had behaved themselves as if they had no private concernments. But how did they bear London upon their hearts when they came to the throne of grace! What yearning bowels had they towards and for the city! How many tears have they shed in bewailing her sins! How have they stood in the breach, when the Lord hath been coming forth against this place...

Gospel ordinances and Gospel ministers were the safeguard of London, the glory and defence. But when the ordinances were slighted and ministers were mocked and misused by some who call themselves professors, and both were fallen so much in the esteem of the most, and London did not yield the fruit which God looked for... God is provoked not only to call some of his messengers home to himself, but also to suffer the rest which were more conscientious, to be thrust into corners.

This did presage London’s near approaching ruin and desolation, though few did believe it; and because they did not believe it, and were insensible of God’s wrath in his judgement, therefore their danger was the greater of the other judgements which have come upon them; when so many stakes were plucked out, no wonder if the hedge be broken; when so many pillars were removed, no wonder if the building tumble to the ground.

“But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.” (Isaiah 64.8)

The Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s field, and there he should receive a message from heaven, in respect to that which he beheld in the potter’s field. If we have a message from heaven we shall all have to know what it is to go down. Zacchaeus thought to see Jesus by climbing into the sycamore tree; but the Lord, when He came under the tree, said, “Come down,” and Zacchaeus had to come down in order that he might know his helplessness. I believe that divine teaching in the soul has ever been the same through all the ages of the Church’s history. God’s people must know what it is to come down very low in the dust, and the Lord says He will raise up the poor out of the dust, and lift up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among the princes of His people. Jeremiah had to go down to the potter’s field, and we read in the text that Isaiah had to go down to the potter’s field to learn, and the great Apostle to the Gentiles had to go down to the potter’s field and learn. I hope we may learn today by a visit to the Potter’s field - not an earthly potter, but the heavenly Potter. May we be able to realise that He is our Potter, and that we are in His hands; that we are being fashioned by His hands; and, above all, may we be able to realise that He is our Father, and that we are in His hands; that He is fashioning us, not as vessels to dishonour, but to everlasting honour.

Now in looking at these words, and viewing the potter at work, let us notice, going down to the potter’s field, [firstly, that] the potter works in a sovereign way upon the clay. The clay does not command the potter, but the potter commands the clay. The clay does not fashion the potter, but the potter fashions the clay. The clay is helpless, the potter does everything for it. He shows his sovereignty by taking one lump of clay, and leaving another lump of clay. We find very early in the Church’s history that people did not like this doctrine, that God, in His divine sovereignty, chooses one and refuses another. All God’s dealings with His people are according to the sovereign hand of the divine Potter. If I am speaking this morning to any who have felt enmity against this truth that runs through the whole of God’s precious Word - “I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy;” “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of God that showeth mercy” - if any of you are feeling enmity against this doctrine, I would pray to God to show them the truth of divine sovereignty, and to manifest them as vessels of honour. If you say, “The great concern of my heart is this: Am I a vessel of honour? O that it might be made manifest that I belong to Him!” - now I sympathise with you. For years I have been under the same exercise myself. I saw God’s sovereignty in blessing Abel, and not Cain; He chose Isaac and not Ishmael; He called Solomon, and gave him wonderful wisdom and grace, while He did not manifest any work in Absalom. I saw God’s sovereignty run through the Word of God. Had He chosen me?

     “Though God’s election is a truth,
          Small comfort there I see,
      Till I am told, by God’s own mouth,
          That He has chosen me.” (Joseph Hart)

I read a remark about the unpardonable sin, where it is said that if a soul was mourning over sin, and mourning after the Saviour, that they had never committed the unpardonable sin. It may equally apply to a poor sinner mourning over their sins and after a Saviour - it is a mark that they are elected. These words were a help to me. “For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” Saying prayers is not calling on the Lord. If a tradesman calls after anyone in the street, he is in earnest about it, he is anxious that the person should stop, he wants to communicate with them. So Paul says God’s calling proves election; and David says, in the verse I just quoted, that the sinner calling on God proves his election. Paul says, “Whom He did predestinate, them He also called.” That was their proof of election. So if God has put in your heart desires after His blessing, it is a mark of election. It is much better to be seeking after a manifestation of your election than to feel enmity and be kicking against the divine truth of God’s election. Those whom God has elected are real mourners over sin, and want to know that their sins are pardoned. God’s election causes them to mourn over sin, and “we love Him because He first loved us.”

My experience has not been so deep as some. I was not brought into such great terrors, nor lifted up to the third heaven of joy. I felt, O I want to be one of these people! I wanted these marks of my election, and it troubled my heart. When I was here before, I said to a friend of yours, “I hope I had the words with a little softness of spirit; I hope they came from the Lord.” He said, “I do not know a better mark of their coming from the Lord than some softness of spirit.” Do you know what a little softness is - to come like a gentle dew with a softening effect upon the spirit? When I was wondering if God had chosen me, though my experience had not been so deep, or so joyful, or such a full manifestation as some, these words came: “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.”

I had a customer at my place of business the other day. I had never had any conversation with her before, and I did not know what her feelings about religious matters might be. She came down to me, and said, “I am sorry you are going to leave Blackheath. I thought I should like just a little conversation with you.” She began to tell how she had had considerable distress of soul, and she had been blessed with some assurance of her interest in Christ. She had been groping for the wall like the blind. One morning she read these words in Nehemiah, that the Lord hears the prayers of those who desire to fear His name. She had felt sometimes afraid that she did not fear His name, but she said, “I do desire to fear His name.” She had been going from church to church, but she could not find anyone exercised and tried just as she was. “Those who desire to fear Thy name” was a help to her, and may be a help to some of you.

Secondly, if we go to the potter’s field again, and look at the potter at work, we shall see not only the sovereignty of his hand, but also the power of his hand. The potter’s hand is a very powerful hand.

If you go into a pottery they will show you the material that the potter has to work upon. They will show you a lump of clay; also stones of different kinds, and bones. They will say, “These are the materials that we have to work upon.” They will bring you a beautiful dinner-service with a lovely pattern upon it, or a tea service with some very fine design, or a vase with different flowers upon it, and say, “Those are the materials of which these are made - stones, clay, and bones; this piece of china was fashioned out of those materials; these handsome things were wrought under the power of the potter’s hand; his hand formed these beautiful designs.”

So what is the material the Lord works upon? He comes and works on the stony heart, once lifeless and dead as the dead bones. The Lord saw Manasseh following after all kinds of idolatry and sin, and he forsook all the godly counsel of his father, Hezekiah. Manasseh made the streets of Jerusalem to run down with innocent blood - probably offered his children as sacrifices to idols. Who would have thought that such a hard, lifeless, dead sinner, could ever become in grace like unto a David? Yet God took that Manasseh, and fashioned him into a gracious soul like unto His servant David. The Lord took the mad Gadarene, who lived amongst the tombs; no man could bind him - he broke the bonds, and was a terror to the whole country. Who would have thought that out of such materials as that could ever be formed a minister of Christ? But when the Lord took the mad Gadarene under His powerful hand, he became one to minister to others. When he was clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the Lord’s feet, he wanted the Lord to let him be with Him, but Jesus said, “No - Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee.” You see the power of the Potter’s hand in taking the most unlikely and fashioning them into vessels of mercy. This was one that He used for His service, for His glory. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Some of you may say, “I was a lifeless, hard sinner indeed, but this wonderful Potter took me in hand, and fashioned me into one who sought His face and loved His name. ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’”

In the pottery, before the potter works upon these hard, rough materials, those materials must first be put into a mill, and they are ground in that mill, perhaps for a day, it might even be for weeks, and the material is ground until it becomes like liquid cream, so that it can pass through a strainer with 4,000 threads to the square inch, which liquid the potter can use as he pleases. What do you know of the Lord’s hand preparing you? Do you know something of being put into the mill? What mill does the Lord use? The mill of the holy law. The mill of God’s holy law grinds the sinner down, and brings him down to perfect helplessness - into perfect submission to the Potter’s will. I believe it is necessary to have some law-work in order to prize the mercy of our God. But though I say that, I do not set up a standard as to how long or how full of terrors that law-work must be; but I know that generally the great Potter works until the sinner is brought down as a bankrupt into perfect submission to the heavenly Potter’s will.

Now if I said, I know a famous physician, he can cure even cancer, the man who had not anything the matter, as far as he knew, could say, “I hope the poor things who are suffering from cancer will have the benefit.” He does not think any more about it. But one day the doctor comes, and says, “I do not like that swelling on your hand; I feel you ought to have further advice,” and they say it is a cancer. Then, if I came along, and said, “I know a physician who can cure cancer,” the man would be all ears at once; he would say, “Tell me where he lives. What evidence have you that he can cure cancer? What does he charge?” because the man wants to be cured of the malady. So it is with regard to Jesus. You may talk about Him, but those who do not know themselves, who do not know their need, may be interested to hear about Jesus, and may be pleased at the account, but nothing more. But the poor sinner that is brought condemned and guilty by God’s law which says, “Pay me what thou owest!” feels, “I have nothing to pay with - I am ruined and bankrupt,” when he realises the Lord Jesus fulfilled that law (He had no need to do so for Himself; He did it on purpose for His people), that He paid all the debt, that He procured salvation for such as he - this is welcome news.

      “Mercy is welcome news indeed
          To those that guilty stand;
      Wretches, that feel what help they need,
          Will bless the helping hand.” (Joseph Hart)

They will indeed! Under the Potter’s powerful hand, poor sinners are brought down in the mill of His law to feel their need of mercy. How long this may take I cannot say. I have known some under that work for years. The late Mr. Eli Page, who used to preach a few years ago, has told us that he was an ungodly young man, and the day his father was buried he stood by the open grave and looked at the coffin of one he had known so long, and now was dead and gone into eternity - the arrow of conviction entered his conscience, and he was persuaded that he was a sinner before God; and before long he was encouraged to hope in Christ, and that there was salvation for him, all in about half an hour (and He is able to do so still, if His heavenly will), though he had much to learn afterwards; and he became a useful servant of the Lord.

Thirdly, we will look at the potter’s separating hand. The clay which has been brought down to a liquid needs separation. What does it need separating from? There is iron in the clay, and that iron must be separated from the clay. This is done with a magnet that draws the iron out. So you find the Lord, when He is at work upon a poor sinner, takes away their strength - they are stripped of that strength, power and wisdom to make themselves better; they are brought helpless in the matter of salvation. They are brought down to feel their perfect weakness and helplessness to cause themselves to come. They cannot save themselves by their own strength, prayers and tears. That is the iron God draws out.

The potter separates the iron, and the water as well. What does the water represent? The Lord said concerning Reuben, “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.” This instability may not easily be removed, it may be a long and difficult process. Look back, you that know what I am talking about. What a drawing there was after your old companions, and the allurements of the world in your early religious days. What instability. You seemed to be after the Lord one day and after man another. After the truth one day, and another day after some error. Drawn by the things of God one day, and another day by something in the world. Unstable. “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.” The Lord draws the instability out, and brings His children more firm, more stable in the truth. How much this is needed. When a man is stable he is not moved about with every wind of doctrine; when he comes into trial and difficulty, he is brought to learn stability, and will find in tribulation what resting there is upon God Himself. How the Potter’s hand is needed to separate from false strength on the one side, and from instability on the other side, so that they receive all their strength from the Potter’s hand as seemeth Him good.

Shall we go down to the potter’s field, and ask the Lord to teach us something more? There is [fourthly] the potter’s forming hand. He takes that clay in his sovereign hand, in his powerful hand, has it ground in the mill, brought into a plastic substance, separated from the iron and the water; then that clay is put upon his wheel, and he forms it into any vessel that may please him.

I remember once watching a potter with great interest take a lump of clay to form upon his wheel; first he formed it into a flower pot, then into a jug, then into a tea-pot, and so on, and made different articles as it pleased his forming hand to work upon the wheel. So God fashions His vessels on the wheel just as He Himself sees best. There are a lot of wheels on which the heavenly Father places His clay, His children; but I must say the Lord uses two wheels oftentimes to mould and fashion His people. One is the wheel of His providence. You remember Ezekiel saw the Lord’s dealings with His children; he saw a wheel very high and very terrible, and full of eyes; it was so terrible that when he looked it was cried in his hearing, “O wheel!” - the Lord’s dispensations with His people rolling through the earth, full of eyes great and terrible. The Lord uses some providential wheel to put His children - His clay - on, to form and mould them. Look at Ruth. We can but feel that it was a providential wheel that God used to mould Ruth. What was that? Death came into her house, came into her home, taking her husband, her husband’s brother, and her husband’s father. Three deaths! What a providential wheel Ruth was placed upon, and eventually she needed better comfort than the old religion of Moab could give her. One beneath her rood could tell her of the God of Israel, even good Naomi, and on that wheel Ruth was formed into a vessel, which was a vessel of honour and glory.

I dare say I have told you before that it was the death of a young sister, taken away suddenly when I was an apprentice boy in London, which was the providential wheel used in order to form me into a vessel. I saw she had been taken so soon, and something said to me that I was unready for the great change.

Our heavenly Potter has another wheel that He works with. Ezekiel saw a wheel within a wheel. He uses the wheel of His Word. He speaks to poor sinners, and moulds them on the wheel of His Word, as well as the wheel of His providence; He uses one with the other. You will find the Word of the Lord search through you at times, because of His moulding power. What does He make with the wheels of His Word and providence working together? Not a full vessel, but He makes an empty vessel. All God’s teaching makes us empty vessels.

You know air always goes where there is a vacuum; if there is an empty vessel, there air goes. Where God makes an empty vessel, there the Holy Spirit is sure to be found. When your child hands a plate and there is something on it, you say, “Take your plate back, you have got something in it.” But let the child have an empty plate, and say, “Please will you put something in it,” and it is not long an empty plate, but has something put into it. The Lord intends to empty the plate, or cup, but He means to fill the empty plate, or cup. The work of the Lord in providence and in grace is a wheel within a wheel. He empties of pride and creature wisdom. Just like Jehoshaphat the king, when the three great nations came against him, he said, “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do.” No wisdom - empty vessels. “But our eyes are upon Thee.” God sent an answer of peace.

May the Lord’s rich blessing rest upon what has been said, for His name’s sake. Amen.

Rev. Donald Macdonald was one of many godly ministers with whom Scotland was blessed in the latter part of the 19th century. Readers of the Free Presbyterian Magazine will have enjoyed a recent series of articles, telling his life story. Born in 1825 in North Uist, he was orphaned at an early age. He was brought under conviction at the age of 18, under the preaching of Rev. Alexander MacIntyre, during a time of revival, but went through great agonies of soul before finally finding peace in Christ some six years later. Having studied in Edinburgh, he ministered in various parts of the Highlands and Islands, before finally settling in Shieldaig in 1874. When the Free Church divided in 1892, Mr Macdonald took his stand with those who were to become the Free Presbyterian Church, and suffered accordingly the loss of church and manse. He continued to minister, however, preaching on the hillside and renting a cottage until a new church and manse were built. He died in 1901. The following sermon is taken from the “Memoir and Remains of Rev. D. Macdonald” by Rev D. MacFarlane. Although mine is an old copy, I understand it is still available from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom, and I do recommend it. - RD

“Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” - Jeremiah 8.22

The prophet Jeremiah was deeply grieved on account of the sins of God’s highly favoured people, for whom He had done so much in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan. He blessed them with temporal and spiritual mercies. He was also offering Himself to them as their personal Saviour to make them happy for time and eternity. But alas, instead of loving Him faithfully, they became exceedingly ungrateful, forgetting His former deliverances, and were guilty of covetousness and idolatry. This was the disease (Jeremiah 7.17,18)

Most of the prophets were false, telling the people lies, urging them not to believe Jeremiah, who told them the truth; and also promising them they would have peace and prosperity when God’s judgements were hovering over their heads to consume them. Had they told the people that God was to visit them with such grievous judgments, they might have returned unto God with confession of sin and repentance.

It is the case in our midst that men, women, and children are constantly sinning against God. Are there not aggravated sins committed in our midst, such as drunkenness, Sabbath-breaking, cursing, lying, and uncleanness? There are many false teachers also in our pulpits saying Peace, peace, when the people are on the way to perdition. There is no peace out of Christ. Sin is an agreeable thing to those who live in it. But the bitterness of the judgments of God that follow it is intolerable and eternal.

The Jews refused to have Christ, and so do many in our midst; they refuse to believe and to deny themselves to sin. Alas, how few there are who love God and follow Him. If you follow God it will be known upon you. The love of God will be breaking out in your conversation and in love to His people. It is the character of true believers that they love God’s people. False preachers and people heal the wounds of sinners slightly; they try to lull their consciences asleep when the guilt of sin is not removed and they have not given up their sinful courses. Like physicians that know not the disease nor the remedy, they apply something that gives temporary relief. It is the case with some who know not what sin is, that they declare it is easy to be saved by good works. But those who know the true character of sin will never cease telling its evils because they have felt them in experience, and they will never cease also directing sinners to the blood of Christ as the only remedy.

Some die in remote places and islands at a distance from physicians. Perhaps bad weather might prevent them from getting the physician. What glorious news it is to one about to die of a disease that there is a good physician at hand! In Gilead there were trees eminent for balm, which either flowed or dropped from them of its own accord. The juice was fitted to dissolve hardness and to clear and close up wounds. The physicians in Gilead were therefore skilful to heal all that would come to them. They were well acquainted with the healing nature of the balm or juice.

There is a Physician held forth in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is in the offer of sinners that they may be healed from the malady of sin. As the trees in Gilead were pierced and healing juice was flowing out of them, so it was with Jesus Christ. His body was pierced with the nails and spear, and healing virtue flowed forth in his blood to heal sinners.

The juice that flowed from the trees in Gilead was naturally powerful to melt hard things. So doth Christ’s precious blood melt the hard heart into repentance. It cleanses and cures all spiritual diseases.

Notice some of the reasons why the people were not healed. Some think that they can heal themselves, when they do not understand the nature of the disease nor of the remedy. Sinners think they can heal themselves without going to the blood of Christ. Some sick people, again, do not go to the physician, fearing that the charges will be too high. But Christ’s skill and healing are free to all. Sinners are not healed because they will not come to Christ. Some say, “I am so old a sinner that I do not expect healing from Christ.” Although Satan and unbelief try to persuade sinners to believe that because they are old Christ will not save them, He is as able and willing to save old sinners as young ones. Others are not healed because they do not make use of the medicine prescribed, so are dying in their sins. They do not believe they can be saved in the way Christ has shown in His Word. They are spiritually dead, and consequently do not feel the evil of sin nor their need of Jesus Christ (Matthew 9.12)

The diseases of men’s souls are many, and unless we are healed from them, they shall bring upon us a more awful judgment than the temporal judgments God brought on the Jews. We are guilty of the sins which they were guilty of, although we do not make dead idols of wood or stone. The objects which we love more than God make us idolaters. Are there not many guilty of uncleanness, cursing, lies, Sabbath breaking, covetousness? Do we not say by our actions that we will not have Christ to rule over us? Alas, how few among us that give evidence that they have embraced Christ! But I make myself believe that there are some among you that are in Christ, though not known by the world. Christ was never without private Christians, but their language will betray them that they are in Christ.

None of us need perish through the malady of sin, considering there is a physician, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for sinners, and who is ready to save us, if we trust Him with the salvation of our souls. The balm in Gilead then, is the blood of Christ, whose virtue is efficacious to heal all our diseases. Still we must come to Him through faith in order to obtain healing.

Why are not God’s people healed of their diseases? Because they forsook their first love; their zeal for God is not so hot as it once was; they are not so frequent in prayer, nor reading the Scripture, nor meditation. Original sin is breaking forth into actual transgression. God is angry; His chastisements are felt (Psalm 89.32). Then the disease of sin is deeply felt; conscience is wounded; God is chastising; and the soul is mourning on account of dishonouring God, and losing His favour; shut out in darkness from God, like Jonah without a ray of light in the whale’s belly. Jonah was perhaps almost suffocated with the nauseous smell of decaying fish. So the holy nature of the Christian becomes weary of the rotten breath of the carnal mind. They stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children, like David, who stayed there until the prophet said, “Thou art the man,” and then spoke a word of pardon, bringing him to repentance and renewed enjoyment of God’s favour.

The visible church is central to all of God's redemptive purposes. As Paul the apostle says in Ephesians 3:21, "unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen”

This verse is a doxology and a most revealing verse regarding Paul's Christian life and ministry. His entire Christian life and ministry revolved around visible churches. He did not dream of thinking of Christ without thinking of the church. He understood that Christ came to build the church (Matthew 16:18). He knew that Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28) and that He loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). The Apostle knew that Christ constantly nurtures and cherishes the church (Ephesians 5:29) and that He ever lives to intercede for the church (Hebrews 7:25). Paul comprehended, along with John the beloved apostle, that Jesus is in the midst of His churches (Revelation 1:11-13a & 20) and that He continually interacts with them (Revelation 2:6,9,16, & 24; 3:2,8,&18-19).

Saving religion and the Christian life, as defined in the New Testament Scriptures, demands the visible church. The ministry of the gospel and the Word of God, as found in the church, produce saving faith. The church's preaching of the "whole counsel of God" produces gospel holiness, sanctification, and growth in grace. As Dr. Wayne Mack says, "Attempting to grow in Christ outside the church is like trying to swim without ever getting into the pool." The church and its God-ordained leaders serve as a bulwark to guard believers from going astray and into apostasy. Godly pastors and elders are there as counsellors and friends when believers enter hard times and difficulties. Being a member of a church will give Christians the love and service of fellow members. Brothers and sisters in Christ will be there to weep when you weep, rejoice when you rejoice, and walk side-by-side with you in your Christian life. Paul knew to think lightly of the church is to think lightly of Christ. How contrary to the thinking of many Christians today!

In Ephesians 3:21 Paul teaches six important facts about the church.

1) In all its doings, the church is to be God-centred ("unto Him").

2) It is purpose-centred ("be glory"). In other words, the church's main purpose is that it exists for God's glory. The glory of God is central to Himself and it is central to the church's existence. Everything God does is ultimately for His own glory, and everything the church does should be for God's glory. 3) The church is organization-centred ("in the church"). In other words, the church is a visible, structured body with a recognizable membership. 4) The church is to be Christ-centred ("by Christ Jesus"). Christ is the full and final manifestation of God. Therefore, the church is to feature every aspect of His person and it is to focus on every aspect of His work. 5) The church is to be generation-centered ("throughout all ages," which is literally, from the Greek, "through all generations"). The church is to minister and declare God's truth to each succeeding generation. The church must not yield to the present generation and be manipulated by its whims and fancies. Each generation must yield to the truth of God as proclaimed by the church. The generations change, but God's truth does not! Beware of the person who says truth changes. 6) It is eternity-centred ("world without end" literally "from the age to the ages"). God has put eternity into the hearts of His people and the church lives out its life with eternity's values in view.

Out of the six facts about the church, perhaps the most important is that of being God-centred, which is theology-centred. What is theology? It is that which is thought, said, and believed concerning God, given in human terms by the Holy Bible itself as the divine revelation of God. Dr. Millard J. Erickson defines systematic theology as "That discipline which attempts to arrange the doctrinal content of Scripture in a coherent fashion, express it in a contemporary form, and relate it to issues of practical Christian concern." (Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology, p. 163)

Theology is paramount to the church. As A.W. Tozer astutely states, "We being what we are and all things else being what they are, the most important and profitable study anyone of us can engage in is without question the study of theology." Is this true? Just how important is theology to a local, visible church? Without theology the church would cease being the church. The church is not just a social entity like the Lion's Club or the Rotary Club. It is a body of baptized believers in Christ Jesus the Lord gathered around a system of beliefs. If theology is removed, the church becomes just another social organization sharing a commonality with all the others in the world. Instead, the church is unique in that it is theology-centred, and that is what makes it the church.

Without theology the church would have no stability. It would not be able to weather the storms of its existence or the fair sunshine times of blessing. Churches sometimes go through difficult periods, and when they do so they often waver. Other times churches go through seasons of great blessings and it becomes difficult to keep the right focus. Theology helps to maintain stability.

Furthermore, without theology the church would have no sense of spiritual direction. It would be like a traveller without a map, a ship without charts and compass, a journey without a destination. What is a church to do when confronted with certain issues? Respond to them? Know the way ahead? Correct theology gives a church a true sense of direction.

Yet, we are living in a day where there is not only a neglect of theology, but a disdain for it. Dr. Robert Godfrey, a noted church historian, correctly observes “...many evangelicals have developed a bias against theology and theological systems. They do not want theology; they want 'the simple gospel.' They believe that systems are artificial and are forced on the Bible. The Bible is their only creed. But they themselves end up with a system that is implicit, unexamined, and sometimes ruthlessly imposed on Scripture." (quoted in ‘Christ the Lord’ p.120) You often hear modern Christians say, "Don't gimme doctrine and theology, just gimme Jesus."

At the turn of the 20th century, every university had a department of theology, and theology was called "the Queen of Sciences." A person was not considered thoroughly educated if he had not studied theology. Today, universities have thrown overboard departments of theology and in their place erected departments of religion. The difference appears subtle and slight, but it is devastating.

To illustrate my point, let me give you an incident that occurred in the life of a prominent Christian leader of our day- Dr. R.C. Sproul. He was invited to speak at a prestigious Midwestern university. Before the lecture, he was shown around the campus by the Dean. Upon entering the faculty office building, he noticed one office door that read "Department of Religion." That evening as he spoke to the faculty, he addressed the matter: “I reminded the faculty that there is a profound difference between the study of theology and the study of religion. Historically the study of religion has been subsumed under headings of anthropology, sociology, or even psychology. The academic investigation of religion has sought to be grounded in a scientific-empirical method. The reason for this is quite simple. Human activity is part of the phenomenal world. It is activity that is visible, subject to empirical analysis.”

“To state it more simply, the study of religion is chiefly the study of a certain kind of human behaviour, be it under the rubric of anthropology, sociology, or psychology. The study of theology, on the other hand, is the study of God. Religion is anthropocentric; theology is theocentric. The difference between religion and theology is ultimately the difference between God and man- hardly a small difference. Again, it is a difference of subject matter. The subject matter of theology proper is God; the subject matter of religion is man." (Grace Unknown, p10, 11)

Every teaching about God in the Holy Scriptures is doctrine and theology. Every belief about God is the same. (The same is also true about Christ.) Theology speaks about the existence and being of God. Theology speaks of God's attributes and qualities. (Can you name ten attributes of God, besides Him being loving?) Theology speaks of His great, powerful, and glorious works: creation, providence, redemption, preservation, and consummation.

The church exists "unto Him" (God-centred; i.e. theology-centred). It is not to be people-centred first, as in "The Church That Loves People," but God-centred, as in "The Church That Loves God."

Theology is important to this church because it is important to God. Dr. Robert Reymond asserts "Every Christian will be either God-centred or man-centred." Which are you? Therefore, do not think it strange when you hear theology as the Word of God is proclaimed from this pulpit. If a church is to be biblical, it must be theology-centred. Join us as we mine the depths and riches of theology that are found in God's inerrant Word. See Romans 11:33-36. As one noted pastor often says, "Ultimately, all things are disciplined by theology. Amen.