Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

possession."
Because
salvation."
please.'
us."
religion."
term "Covenanters" and what they have for all the
terms of the covenant is the two-fold Testament
Book given by God Himself. God is the prescriber
of this covenant and we are to be the receivers
and enrollers of it in our faith and life.
Some may dissent from this covenant because
they had no part in formulating it. They would have
living and salvation on different terms. Perhaps one
of the most difficult labors of life is to get and keep
peoples and nations in the way of salvation. But the
way and requirements come from heaven and it is
for man to receive and accord with them in life. Not
too many respond approvingly with lasting fervor
to their side of the compact. We ought to think of
God, our salvation and the Kingdom as the prime
things of our iiving here. The diversion of these
things in the hope of another world or another dis
pensation of grace that will be better than the pres
ent time in which salvation and the Kingdom on
earth may be realized without such strong cove
nanting and postponing device. Christ is King now.
nanting engagements is nothing short of a deter
ring find postponing device. Christ is King now. The
Kingdom is extant. Are men, homes and nations
putting their full names to their compact with God
They should be doing so : "Now is the accepted time
and now is the day of
People can be
lost in spite of all that God has done to save. The
God-i rescribed covenant for the world's salvation
awaits reception by the people by means of their pro
fession and life. God's choice affirmation is, "If
ye obey and keep my covenant ye shall be my prized
nary
God's covenant is more than the ordi
church promise.
III. Why is covenanting by the people so fittingly
requisite and needed
1 . God our maker in His sovereign power
and
goodness, for the furthering of salvation in this
world of sin and rebellion, ordered covenanting. For
surety of salvation He gave all that could be asked
by humans. What praise and distinction is due Him
from them There are different kinds of covenants
so called among men. A contract to teach school for
a year, a pledge to pay a note, one nation making a
treaty with another, or any other merely human and
earthly arrangement is scarcely comparable in im
portance and quality. to the covenant prescribed by
God for salvation. All thanks and honor and pre
eminence be to Him, in word, heart, and act, or
oath of allegiance; mortal men cannot exalt the
Lord God too much. A moralist once said, "I don't
believe in God but if I did as Christians say they
do, no affirmation of allegiance to Him could be
me."
made too strong for
2. Men's tendency to lapse into sin and away from
God is a good cause for covenanting. To make salva
tion as sure and secured a thing as possible, God
has gone to His limits. He has died and then pro
vided an oath of allegiance as a band to bind to
Himself. Salvation is no slight thing or else there
would never have been a Calvary and covenant. And,
even, after all God has done, people can be slightholders-on
to God's provisions for redemption. Some
even intend
may give no indication at all that they
to be for God or do His will. Others are loath to ac
cord to God very much space in their lives. A pastor
once said to the writer "I have in prospect one who
246
would have his name put on the church roll, but
he does not want to be asked any Bible questions or
make any promise. T want to be free to change
my mind and think as I
it will do you good and help
Well, come in and
A prominent clergyman in New York said a
good man ought to be counted a Christian and a
church member whether he designates himself as
such or not. Over a million members slumped from
church rolls last year. For salvation and the Kingdom
security these must be continuers to the end.
In this nation there are many grave and wick
ed sins by which many fall or are kept from the
devout Christian life and salvation. The debauch
ing drink traffic, indecent practices touching sex
and divorce, glaring disregard for the Lord's Holy
Day, seductive gambling devices, public default
ing in Bible instruction and morals, substituting
church connection for saving religion. A great exist
ing nation void of even the recognition of the Sov
ereign covenanting Lord God, and the feeble, un
steady attention that is given to the gospel God
appointed to save the world, these and many other
conditions including the hearts of men tend to
receive the subdued saving faith in the gospel of
God.
There is a grave let down in Bible and common
morality. Recently the report was that a lecture
was given in London on "Morals without
In America we lack "Morals with Religion." In
making covenant with God on the basis of His
prescribed terms circumspection is demanded. For
For thesalvation offickle and inconstant humans
their covenanting with God under solemn oath
is the best security they can ever know. Use the
best securities God provides. He knows many fall on
the way.
3. Covenanting with God is essential to the reali
zation and appreciation of Kingdom conditions. There
is much praying or reciting the Lord's Prayer,
"Thy Kingdom Come." What means the petition
do we pray the Lord will come visibly to earth
again and give us a better relation, or does it mean
the Lord should take us to some
heavenly realm
of tranquility and give us good When Christ was
here on earth He went "through all the cities and
towns of the land" preaching the gospel of the
Kingdom. The Kingdom was for the very day He
was preaching the gospel. The gospel says "the
Kingdom is at hand." It was at hand 2000 years
ago, preeminently
so nowr.
The word Kingdom bears in it the truth that
people live in relationship and that there is a king.
And so there is ; He reigns in Sovereign power and
righteousness. More often men are disposed to
listen about a rejected and subjected Christ on the
cross than they are disposed to listen to His man
dated issues for His Kingdom. Functioning as the
Great High Priest, He gave himself to the cross.
Just as really as He ever functioned as priest He
functions as Prophet and King. He sovereignly
speaks and rules. To ignore or belittle those func
tions is a wrong to Christ and a detriment to the
Kingdom. On the 11th of November last, 50,000
persons from other parts of the world stood before
rulers and judges of America and with uplifted
COVENANTER WITNESS