The United Free Church of Scotland

What a history in these words! And this Church now brought to the bar. The bar of conscience. The bar of her own Church Courts. The bar of God.

In Edinburgh ipio the author commences his book by pointing out the fitness of the Conference being held in a place so rich in memories of what had happened there in connection with the Kingdom of Christ. At the close of the book he might have suggested the significance of what took place on one of the last evenings, when Dr. Denney used such strong words in regard to the United Free Church. Strange that Scotland, which has always stood during the past century for zeal for missions and for loyalty to Christ’s service, should have had brought against her the terrible charge of the decrease in membership and in applicants for the ministry, as a proof of that low spiritual life which unfits her for responding to the call for a new consecration to the service of the Kingdom.

Listen once again to the words: “I speak only of the Church to which I myself belong, but some thing similar I believe is true of every Church in Christendom. The United Free Church has 1700 congregations, and during the last five years the average increase in its membership has been about 850; that is to say, every second congregation has added one, and every other congregation has added none. The number of candidates for the ministry is much smaller at the present time than it was a good many years ago; it was hardly a sufficient number to keep up the staff at home, to say nothing of supplying men abroad. Men are not coming forward as ministers, nor coming forward as missionaries, because they are not coming forward into the membership of the Church at all. Something must happen to the Church at home if it is going even to look at the work that has been put upon it by the Conference.”

To judge fully of the meaning of these statements, one would require still further information. Since when has this decline in membership begun? What was the annual increase in membership

1 In Edinburgh 1910, the author gives the impression of what would make things far worse. Dr. Denney is understood to have said that “the communion to which he belonged had increased its membership only by one person for every two congregations in five years.”

before this decline began? Is it to be found on an average the same throughout the Church, or are there special spheres where it prevails? Are there congregations in any number where the increase is normal, bringing up the decrease in other congregations to a much higher average?

But without this information, there is food enough for thought and earnest inquiry. Seventeen hundred ministers, the shepherds of Christ’s flock, sent by Him to seek and to save the lost, reporting that each of them has gathered in at the rate of half a member for the year’s work. Some could tell of a greater increase; that only makes the case worse with the larger number who cannot tell of any souls won, but only of so many more that they have lost during the year. Just think of an Assurance Society, or a Commercial Company, counting up the clients that it has succeeded through its agents in gathering in during a year, and receiving such a report. What an urgent call there would be at once for a thoroughgoing inquiry, and a review of all the methods and men under whose charge the failure was reported.

And what can be the reason in the Church of Christ that for five years this process of decrease has been allowed to go on? In his address, Dr. Denney spoke of people who will not part with money or pleasure for the good of the Church, and then said: “I say the world is full of people like that, and what is worse, whoever is to blame for it, the Church is full of them too.” In every investigation in connection with a business undertaking, the great aim is to lay the blame on the guilty one. Who is to blame here? The ministry as a whole? Or the individual ministers who are responsible for the decline? Or the congregations who, by their worldliness and lack of spiritual life, hinder the ministers? Or the Church as a whole, with its Presbyteries and Synods and Assembly, because they have allowed things to come to such a pass, and not sounded the alarm in the ears of minister and people?

We have asked questions that we do not know how to answer. God only knows what the full answer means as to blame. But God is willing to give us the courage and the honesty to find out and make confession, each on his own behalf, of what share we have in this sad condition of the flock of Christ.

But apart from the question of blame, there is still the deeper question as to the spiritual significance of the situation. To what is the decline owing? Is it that the Gospel has not been faithfully preached? Is it, as some think, that the Higher Criticism is beginning to do its work? In religious matters it takes more than a generation for error to work out its evil consequences.

Or is it true that Christ is preached, that the doctrine is sound, but that it is preached with persuasive words of human wisdom, and not in demonstration of the Spirit and of power?

Or is it simply that the worldliness and selfishness, the pleasure-seeking and money-loving spirit, have so poisoned the whole atmosphere, that the Holy Spirit cannot reach through to win young hearts for Christ and His service? Can it be that there is a name to live while men are dead, and that the whole Church is suffering from that low vitality which is not deep or intense or living enough to attract men to Christ and His service?

There is still another question that leads us deeper into the real condition of things: What does God think of it? When Joshua saw Israel = defeated before his enemies, he felt at once that it was a sign that God had withdrawn His presence? from His people. And God confirmed his? thought. “Israel hath sinned; I will no more be! in the midst of you except ye put away the! accursed thing from among you.”

The decline in membership has this most ’ solemn aspect — it is a token of God’s dis- 1 pleasure. The promise by which the Church alone can live, of the power of His Holy Spirit and His grace working with His servants, is not c fulfilled. He has turned away His face in grief and great sorrow. That is the meaning of the dearth of conversions. The Church may rejoice in what it considers all the tokens that there have been of God’s favour in the past; the lack of conversions, of spiritual power, is the sure sign that He has withdrawn what is the real proof of His presence — His saving power in the conversion of sinners. God, Who answered Joshua when he fell on his face at the loss of God’s presence, will come near to us as we wait for Him, and reveal what the cause is of our discomfiture.

And now the last and the crucial question, What is to be done? These five years have been allowed to pass on without any definite, full, and final dealing with the question. God waits to hear what we have to say, and what we propose doing to put away from us the evil, before there can be any hope of our restoration to the position of a Church in which He can dwell and work mightily for the honour of His name.

Ten years ago what enthusiasm there was in the union of the two Churches. What high expectations were entertained of the increase of power through the union for carrying on God’s work. And here God comes and reveals to us how little that power has been sanctified and used by the Holy Spirit, and how possible it is that a union in which men’s hearts were stirred with great joy, may be lacking in that one thing which Christ longs for, and the angels rejoice in, the salvation of souls.

Let us turn to God, each one for himself. Let us ask Him to give the spiritual insight into the true state of things we so much need, the spirit of penitence which has been so lacking, and the spirit of faith, a strong and living faith, that takes hold of Him and will not let Him go until He bless us.

NOTE

“How can we impress the imagination of the Church as a whole? The rank and file of the Christian Church will never grasp the truth that the evangelisation of the world is the primary task, the central duty of the Church, until a more definite lead in a more definite manner is given by those in a position of leadership in the Church. How can they give that lead? First, they must be possessed of the truth themselves; they must be obviously full of it. They must be absolutely enthusiastic and in deadly earnest themselves. Secondly, they must afford opportunities to their people for intercession and praise for foreign missions. How much regular intercession and praise for foreign missions is there in the regular wor ship of our Churches? Thirdly, it surely should, if it is the greatest task, dominate the assemblies and gatherings of the leaders of the Church whenever they come together to consider the things of the Kingdom of God. There are other matters of importance, but not so important. First things first, when we are gathered together.” (Rev. C. Bardsley, Assembly Hall.)