John Brown of Haddington

From the Introduction to The Systematic Theology of John Brown of Haddinton:

While I have been occupied in instructing you, your consciences must bear me witness, that my principal concern was to impress your minds with the great things of God. Now, when I am gradually stepping into the eternal state, to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, permit me to beseech you, as you wish to promote his honour, and the eternal salvation of your own and your hearers' souls, 1. See that ye be real Christians yourselves. I now more and more see, that nothing less than real, real Christianity, is fit to die with, and make an appearance before God. Are ye then indeed born again, born from above, born of the Spirit? created in Christ Jesus unto good works?—new creatures in Christ Jesus, having all old things passed away, and all things become new? Are ye indeed the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit, habitually reading, meditating, praying, preaching, conversing with your hearts, under the influence of the Holy you no confidence in the flesh, no confidence in your self-righteousness,your learning, your address, your care and diligence, your gifts and graces;—but being emptied of self in every form, are poor in spirit, less than the least of all saints, and the least of all God's mercies; nay, the very chief of sinners in your own sight? Has it pleased God to reveal his Son in you? and to instruct you with a strong hand, to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Lord, and to count them but dung, that you may win him, and be found in him, not having your own righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith,—and to know the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,—and to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, John 3:3,5-6; Eph 2:10; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Phil 3:3; Matt 5:3; Matt 16:24; Eph 3:8; Gen 32:10; 1 Tim 1:15; Gal 1:15-16; Phil 3:7-14. If you be, or become either graceless preachers or ministers of the gospel, how terrible is your condition! If you open your Bible, the sentence of your redoubled damnation flashes into your conscience from every page. When you compose your sermon, you but draw up a tremendous indictment against yourselves. If you argue against, or reprove other men's sins, you but aggravate your own. When you publish the holy law of God, you but add to your rebellion against it, and make it an awful witness against your treacherous dissimulation. If you announce its threatenings, and mention hell with all its insupportable torments, you but infeoff yourselves in it, and serve yourselves heirs to it as the inheritance appointed you by the Almighty. When you speak of Christ and his excellencies, fulness, love, and labours, it is but to trample him under your feet. If you take his covenant and gospel into your mouth, it is but to profane them, and cast them forth to be trodden under foot of men. If you talk of spiritual experiences, you but do despite to the Spirit of grace. [Heb 10:29] When you commend the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and invite sinners to new-covenant fellowship with them, you but treacherously stab them under the fifth rib, [2 Sam 3:27; 2 Sam 20:10] betray them with a kiss, [Luke 22:48] and from your heart cry, This is the the heart-transforming knowledge of Christ and him crucified, all your knowledge is but an accursed puffer up, and the murderer of your own souls. And unless the grace of God make an uncommon stretch to save you, how desperate is your condition! Perhaps no person under heaven bids more unlikely to be saved, than a graceless Seceding minister;—his conscience is so overcharged with guilt, so seared as with an hot iron, [1 Tim 4:2] and his heart so hardened by the abuse of the gospel.—Alas! my dear pupils, must all my instructions, all the strivings of the Holy Ghost, all your reading, all your meditations, all your sermons, all your evangelical principles, all your profession, all your prayers, as traps and snares, take and bind any of you, hand and foot, that, as unprofitable servants, you may be cast into utter darkness, [Matt 25:30] with all the contents of your Bible and other books,—all your gifts and apparent-like graces, as it were, inlaid in your consciences, that, like fuel, or oil, they may for ever feed the flames of God's wrath upon your souls! After being set for a time at the gate of heaven, to point others into it,—after prophesying in Christ's name, and wasting yourselves to show others the way of salvation, and to light up the friends of our Redeemer to their heavenly rest,—must your own lamp go out in everlasting darkness, and ye be bidden, Depart from me, I never knew you, ye workers of iniquity? [Matt 7:23]—Must I,—must all the churches behold you at last brought forth and condemned as arch-traitors to our Redeemer? Must you, in the most tremendous manner, for ever sink into the bottomless pit, under the weight of the blood of the great God, our Saviour,—under the weight of murdered truths, murdered convictions, murdered gifts, murdered ministrations of the gospel, and murdered souls of men!

Old and Wrong

God commanded us to honor our Fathers and Mothers and to respect the elderly (Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 20:29; Job 12:12). Those who have walked in the ways of the Lord are also worthy of our respect. Indeed, to tie the two thoughts together, the Biblical office of a man who leads the church is an “elder” (1 Peter 5:1-5; Titus 1:5). In a world where things work as they ought, mature men in the faith and men matured in years should be wise guides and steady hands for the young, immature, and those under their care. One generation guiding the next, careful to point others following in their footsteps along the surefooted path of righteousness. Each generation, learning the way of wisdom and forsaking folly’s quick and easy path, living together, following the Lord. The Lord’s ways are always the best ways.

However, being old doesn’t make you right. I’ve known a lot of old fools, with 70+ years’ experience. I’ve even had the terrible displeasure of knowing those honored souls who had the misfortune of being honored. Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:1-14, concerning the impending doom of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They were proud and hard hearted instead of hearing God’s Word and repenting, turning to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy. God said He would “cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.” The head in this metaphor were the, “ancient and honorable” and the tail was the “prophet that teacheth lies.”

The problem with the ancient honorable fool and the false prophet is people listen to them. Their age and their position give more weight to their words because they should know better. The consequence of their folly is found in verse 16, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” These elders were leaders and the prophets preached, but they led them to error and doom. Which is why you must be discerning. In our fallen world you cannot just assume the man with the grey head is wise and the man behind a pulpit is showing you the right path. I saw a meme recently that said, “If an old dude ever gives you advice while peeling an apple with a pocket knife and eating the pieces off the blade, you should probably take it.” I understand the sentiment. But I grew up on an apple orchard and I’ve seen many goofballs eat apples off the blade of their jigged bone Barlow. It ought to be so, that a person whose seen more sunrises has untold wisdom, but sadly, it’s not always the case. God’s people must respect and honor their elders – but they must respect and honor God more. It is essential to believe what God says over the gray head because you are ultimately responsible. It's a great blessing to have a Titus 2 man and woman in your life. Make sure your guide is sound.

Name is Mud

I always heard the phrase, “your name is mud” referred to Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who doctored a young man's broken leg in the middle of the night. What's so bad about that? The man happened to be John Wilkes Booth, who broke his leg in the escape after assassinating President Lincoln. After splinting Booth's leg and letting him rest a few hours, Dr. Mudd allows Booth to leave. Mudd tried and convicted as a conspirator and sentenced to life in prison. Depending on who you ask, he was either wrongfully convicted, or let off easy. Having the name "Mudd" is to have a ruined reputation, and an infamous name. But, apparently John Badcock coined the phrase some 40 years earlier. Nonetheless, history is far kinder to Dr. Mudd than John Wilkes Booth, a name that goes down in infamy. It’s a rotten name and he ruined it by his wickedness. "The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot," (Proverbs 10:7).

How will you be remembered? How will people talk about you when you're gone? I don’t think we should spend our time worrying about what other people may think of us. I am proposing we consider our life and our works. I can’t change what someone thinks, but I should consider my way, and how my life is impacting those around me. Am I concerned with eternal matters? Is my focus on myself or on others and my God? Do I live in light of eternity, or in light of the incandescent glow of the cell phone and social media? The memory of the just is blessed  and the name of the selfish, self-centered wicked will rot.

We can’t worry about what people think of us now because some of history's most favored and beloved men were hated while they were alive. In Charleston, around the Capitol Complex, there are statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson. Both are held in high esteem now (by most), and both were not well liked (by most) while they lived. In fact, the more selflessly we live, the better we’ll be remembered, but usually the more disliked we are in the present. It's the life of a prophet (Matthew 23:29-32).

I thought of pastors in my life, who have gone on to be with the Lord, where the very mention of their name reminds me of the good they did for me or my family. Men like Medford Caudill, Reggie Moore, and Don Pennington. I could go on and fill this space simply with the names of dear Christian saints who are remembered for their kind and gracious works.  You don’t know these men, but their name is blessed in the Newell home. You don't have to be famous to leave a mark on someone. I suppose it goes both ways. There are some others who also have left a mark on me, but we’ll not mention their name. We’ll just let it rot. 

Who controls the past, controls the future

Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday

"At first I thought this habit, of portraying the past through a politically correct and generally radical lens, was mildly annoying. Various aspects of it couldn’t be criticised without risking stupid, false accusations of bigotry. So weird things, way out of their right time and place, which would normally have been mentionable became unmentionable. But now I have begun to think it sinister, another aspect of a fast-accelerating cultural revolution in which almost everything I value in this country is being wiped out of existence and memory. Most of our history is simply not taught to most children, so it is easy to introduce rubbish into their minds. 

As George Orwell wrote in words often only partially quoted from 1984: ‘If all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” ’ 

More painfully, he also described his hero, Winston Smith, despairing ‘within twenty years at the most… the huge and simple question, “Was life better before the Revolution than it is now?” would have ceased once and for all to be answerable’ and the new revolutionary rulers could insist that they had improved life ‘because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested…’ 

That is what comes to mind when I see dramas that portray a Britain that never existed, and when important books that I know well, such as War Of The Worlds, are altered and edited to wipe out all memory that the past was different from now. This is what is going on. It is not as trivial as it looks."

Slanderously Reported

You need to argue well.  In the first part of Romans 3, Paul answers objections some had concerning justification by faith. After building a case proving all men are under sin and without excuse, verses 7-8 are specific charges against Paul as a liar and a heretic. Romans 3:8, “And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil that good may come; whose damnation is just.”

Paul was slandered. His enemies lied about his doctrine and purposely mischaracterized his teaching. His enemies used a straw man argument, which is a logical fallacy taking a person's position and either exaggerating, distorting, or misrepresent it. After, fashioning this mangled proposition you attack it instead of what was said. It’s like making a scarecrow that looks sort of like your enemy, then waging war in your garden. Turn on any cable news channel, wait for a political segment, then wait about 30 seconds and you’ll hear a straw man argument. Logic calls it a fallacy, Paul called it slander. 

We tend to think of argument only in a negative way, but an argument is simply, trying to persuade someone to your side. There are many ways to lawfully make that happen, and wisdom is the surest guide to which tack to take. But you can’t lie about a person and misrepresent them. Why would a person slander their opponent? It certainly isn’t to win that person to your side. I’ve never had a person lie about me or mischaracterize my position and then say, “you know, despite the character assassination, I think I’ll consider their side of the debate.” Slandering an opponent will fire up the base and those already on your side, but the truth is not served when defending it in a lie. You can be on the right side and fight the wrong way. The truth is consistent. The truth will triumph and doesn’t need subversive stratagems. It's much easier to fight dirty, but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

Paul makes a marvelous argument in this section that’s beyond the scope of this space (but well worth your time to study it out). But notice Paul’s clear denunciation of his interlocutors. They will be judged and their damnation is just. Paul was harsh, but not ungodly. He was firm. He didn’t compromise the truth and rebuked truthfully. He took the argument of those who opposed him and dealt with it fairly, considered the logical implications, and then returned fire. A man of God must defend the truth and must seek to stop those who preach false doctrine. But, the man of God needs to do this with the goal of convincing the gainsayers (Titus 1:9), not displaying their beaten and bloody corpse upon the pillory (metaphorically speaking of course). Titus 1:13  says, “Wherefore rebuke them sharply…” and there is, believe it or not, a second part to that sentence, …”that they may be sound in the faith.”

Godly Contentment

Have you ever said, “I can’t take it anymore” or, “I’m at the end of my rope?" If you are in the habit of thinking like that, you are missing out on tremendous blessings and sinning against God. Those kinds of statements are common, but lack godly contentment. Maybe you think life just isn’t the way you want it to go, and if you just had a different job, you'd be happy. Or you just had one real good friend to confide in. Or if you just had a little more money, or if you just could have that health issue resolved. Maybe it’s your marriage, your car, your home and if that changed you could be satisfied. Your problem is not that you don’t have what you need, the problem is you don’t have what you want and you think those missing parts will bring you  satisfaction.

Jeremiah Burroughs has a good definition for what we mean by Godly Contentment. "Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and Fatherly disposal in every condition."  Or to shorten it “taking pleasure in God's disposal." Contentment is freely submitting to God’s will. Not by force, or by dulling the trial, not by ignoring the situation, or denying the trail exists and not by our fleshly determination, but submission to God's providence (Philippians 4:10-13). A criminal resisting arrest will finally submit when there are enough knees in his back and lumps on his head. That is not contentment that is resignation and the realization that stun guns hurt. You absolutely will go through God’s plan for your life, but godly contentment allows us to rejoice along the way. Not in the circumstances of providence, but in the God of providence, no matter the circumstances.

Economy, jobs, unemployment, retirement, healthcare issues are all on the forefront of the national conversation, many concerned Christians are upset and worried about their future, their family, and their livelihood. There is nothing wrong with planning and being prepared, and we ought to do all we can to be ready, but when God has put us in a situation, and we have done all we lawfully can do, the Christian's duty is to quietly submit to the Lord's dealings with us, in faith, trusting His kind and Fatherly plan for us.

When we have godly contentment, we spend our days thinking about what Jesus has done for us, is doing for us, and what He WILL do for us. You see life as planned by God for your good. That the stars in space, the clouds in the air, the ground beneath your feet, the flowers in the fields are there, in accordance to God’s providence, for your good. Your poverty, your pain, your sickness was planned by God. Be content that your Heavenly Father is in control and that this world is not all there is and God is now preparing you for glory.