From time to time in the experience of the Christian church, it becomes extremely dangerous to gather with other believers for worship. This kind of threat surely sharpens our minds as to the purpose and benefit of assembling for worship. In his opening remarks to a sermon preached in 1671, the Covenanter Michael Bruce (1635–1693) confronts his hearers with the risks of attending his preaching in order that they would confront their own motivations for being there. How can it be for anything trivial? Bruce’s point in the following updated extract poses its own challenge to preachers to ensure that what they preach is worthwhile for people to turn out for, while hearers are reminded to look beyond their current circumstances — whether church attendance is currently dangerous or cost-free — to the great spiritual realities which should dominate our thinking and living. 

The risks

From the fact that you’re here, it would seem that you are convinced it is good for you to seek the Lord in His own ordinance. Your coming here to hear His Word, at such risk to yourself in a time like this, weighs more with you than any danger you may be in of suffering for it. Your coming here presupposes that it’s better for you to come and take the risk of suffering than to stay away, however safe and free from suffering you would be.

Truly, I think that if you are not of this mind, you are fools to come here. You poor soul, to come here in a time like this, when you may find by experience that doing so may cost you the loss of all things that are dear to you in the world, and yet you do not see that there is something you can have which is worth the risk of losing all these things! I say you must be a fool if you don’t see this, and risk the suffering without having anything in mind to compensate for it.

God forbid that any of you would be saying in your heart, “If it looks like I have to suffer for this, I’ve got a way to get myself free from suffering.” What sort of way is that? “Oh, the last time I begged mercy and I confessed I’d done wrong and I promised never to do it again, and that’s how I’ll get off with it again.” Well, when all is said and done, you have made a fool’s bargain. You come here at hazard to yourself, and plan to sin in order to avoid the hazard. That is much worse than what you fear losing.

Therefore, so that you don’t come here like fools, but like wise folk, I beseech you to consider why you come, and either come for something or don’t come at all.

The reasons

Will you tell me, then, why you’ve come? Christ had a question for the people who flocked to John, “What went ye out into the wilderness for to see?” So I ask, “What did you come here for, poor body, can you tell?” Do you have any errand that you came here for?

Maybe you have many errands, but I’ll tell you one that you should come for, and that should conclude the rest (and if you haven’t come for this, I fear you’ll get nothing). The great errand you should come for, is for God.

What is you are seeking, poor thing? Are you seeking light in darkness, light for dark cases? Are you seeking to be established in this time of wavering? Or for mastery over your lusts, or reparation to decayed grace, or the decayed work of God within you? Are you seeking that? Then seek God, and if you get God you will get all the rest in Him. For then you are seeking rightly, and such a seeker is welcome. I can tell you something more than, “Seeker, you will find,” and that is, “You will find all this, and God too, for He never said (and never will say) to any of the house of Jacob, ‘Seek ye me in vain”.”

Take that word, “He that seeks shall find,” and bring your hearts when you are seeking, for those who seek with all their heart shall find. Bring it back from its gadding about, and bring it with you.

The realities

Make sure that you’re not coming only to seek a preaching and see a preacher, and hear him speak. Seek what you should seek, and do not beguile yourself by seeking the wind, for (with reverence to His ordinances, and with respect to His ministers), ordinances and ministers are only wind. Even if you had the ablest minster of the gospel, you will be beguiled, if your expectation is of man. Therefore, never mind us, and don’t go about to burden and wrong the ordinance of God, or your ministers, by hanging your dependence on instruments who can do no good to their own souls, far less to yours.

If only you would come saying, “Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God!” For in vain is salvation waited for from the hills and from the mountains.

You would do well to pray to Him for a word, and send up your cries through sense of need to Him who is able to supply, and is as willing as He is able, i.e., to Him who has promised to supply our need, and is faithful and righteous to perform.

FURTHER READING

AUTHOR MENU