Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

will,"
covenants."
you"
you"
in his noble way, "Yes, we will get more ; we will get
God glorified on heaven."
earth, which is more than
The Covenanter ministers were excellent evangel
ists and men of rich Christian experience. Had they
given up the struggle against the king's invasion of
the rights of Jesus Christ, they
could have retired
to the common rank of ministers, have enjoyed
peace, security
after a fashion and large congre
gations, instead of wandering, hunger, weariness
and death.
Covenanters of today, I do not need to tell you
that you will pay the price for loyalty to high stand
ards, if you are faithful. Living in small, and often
scattered congregations, meeting discouragement in
choosing difficult goals like a Scriptural worship, a
Christian amendment, truly Christian patriotism,
you will meet much misunderstanding. It would be
easy for you, perhaps, if your conscience would al
low it for you to slip back into common standards
of Christian practice and give up the Psalms. But
the 103rd Psalm protests against any such capitu
lation, and reminds us that truth is given to be
honored, to be expressed, to be obeyed.
It is an inspiration to those of us who are older
to join them and you in taking a covenant written
largely by comparatively young leaders in the church.
The father of Dr. Bruce Willson, chairman of the
committee, was in the seminary when I was there.
It is a rich hope for the future that coming leaders
of the church have been so prominent in arranging
for this service. Dr. Boyd Tweed, like many others
who looked forward to this day, and in whose place
I speak, have gone to be with the Lord. "But as
the 103rd Psalm reminds us, Jehovah's lovingkind
ness unto them that fear His name, from eternity
abideth to eternity the same ;
and his righteousness
remaineth to His people and their seed who His cove
nant remember and His precepts hear and heed."
The leader of the Covenanters came to feel that
endurance was not enough; that persecution must
have a penalty for the persecutors; that tyranny
must be challenged. Richard Cameron at Sanquhar
in June 1, 1680 posted a proclamation that the king
had by his tyranny forfeited his right to the throne,
and declared revolution against him. In a few months
Cameron had died in battle, as he expected. But the
Covenanters had seized the initiative. Donald Car
gill at Torwood, excommunicated the king and six of
his councilors. Shortly he was captured and executed.
Before I go further, let me say that besides de
veloping our own Christian experience, and seek
ing to win others to Christ ; besides holding our testi
mony to the truth God has given us, and doing our
utmost to see that our children shall also keep this
covenant with God, we must aim to hold the initia
tive in some portion of our work everywhere as far
as we may. It is a builder of morale, it is a witness
to our faith that victory lies ahead.
At the execution of Cargill, one of the spectators
was an earnest Christian young man named James
Renwick. As he watched and listened he felt God's
call to be Cargill's successor. The Covenanters sent
Renwick to Holland for his theological training.
When the time of his ordination came, he was ask
ed, "James Renwick, will you be a faithful minister of
the gospel of Christ, a faithful witness to His truth
as God has given it to you " "I he promised.
They ordained him and he eagerly
returned to Scot-
February 9, 1955
land to keep his promise. For nearly five years he
was the leading minister, often the only minister
of the Covenanters. Sometimes, like his predeces
sors he preached the message of salvation through
the Saviour he loved, in sermons that are still part
ly on record. Often he took a text as, "He must
reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet."
Sometimes he preached courage to the persecuted.
The authorities heard of him and tried to lay hands
on him. When he went to Sanquhar, five years after
Cameron's proclamation of revolution, and repeated
the proclamation, the government was furious. The
price on his head was increased. Anyone was for
bidden to feed or fail to inform against him. But for
nearly three more years he traveled from place to
place, preaching, baptizing 600 babies in one year
writing, resting a little, preaching, preaching, pro
claiming revolution in the name of Christ the King.
After three years he was captured, and condemned
to die.
Often through the years there had come to his
memory the question, "James Renwick, will you be
a faithful witness to His truth as God has given it
you"
to
That day he took his place on the scaffold, and fac
ed that vast throng that had come to see, to hear,
this young man who had so alarmed a kingdom. He
began to speak. But the commander ordered the
drummers to drown out his words ; they feared what
he might say, and revolution was in the air. So Ren
wick lifted up his voice to sing, that magnificent
voice trained by months of speaking in the open air.
The drums were quiet now, and the people caught
the words of the communion Psalm, the Psalm of
covenant renewal. The very singing of it was like the
lifting of the Blue Banner of the Covenant before
that throng. He sang of the riches of God's mercy,
and eyes filled with tears. He sang of God's faith
fulness through the generations to those who kept
covenant. Was he thinking of the six hundred young
couples whose children he had baptized "Whose
would be the
Would this cause ever die
When the Psalm was finished he turned quickly to
the 19th chapter of Revelation and read of the
rider on the white horse . . . "and the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses . . .
and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, King of kings and Lord of Lords." He was
ready to go now. "James Renwick were you a faith
ful minister of the truth God gave to Cove
nanters of America, the Lord says today, "Will
What shall we answer when He says, "Did you "
GLIMPSES Cont'd from page 82
they,
1) should not claim directly or by implication that
cigaret smoking is beneficial to health in any respect; 2)
should not claim directly or indirectly that cigaret smokng
in general or the use of any particular brand is "not harm
3) should not claim that any brand
ful"
or
"non-irritating"
;
of cigaret contains less nicotine, tar, resins, or other harm
ful substances unless it can be proved conclusively; 4) should
not refer to throat, larnyx, lungs, nose, or any
other part of
the body or to digestion, energy, nerves, or doctors; 5) should
not in any way imply medical approval; 6) should be limited
to subjects of quality, taste, flavor, enjoyment, and other
similar matters of opinion; 7) should only contain genuine
testimonials.
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