The end of the 45

No, this is not a post about the passing of a well loved calibre of firearm. In the year 1746 on this date a pivotal battle was fought on a moor in Eastern Scotland. The place's name still rings in the ears of Scots and those of Scottish lineage: Culloden.

Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart and his Highland army met one of the strongest armies of the world on the moor enroute, from the east, to Inverness. His goal to reclaim the throne of England from the Hanoverian George II. Why does such a moment in time still move the hearts of men today? For varied reasons. For the Scot it is the bravery of the clansmen: the valiant effort after a long march, a day and one half without sleep and two days without rations. And, it is the memory of the aftermath of Culloden. The English army under general orders massacred every known survivor. The redcoat soldiers relentlessly hunted down any one in anyway connected with the battle and brutally murdered them. The story is too graphic to detail here. Additionally, after the battle for all intents it became illegal to be a Scot. Speaking Gaelic, wearing the tartan, the pipes, and many other activities became illegal. It was an attempt to wipe out a culture. Did it work? Hardly.

So, you may ask, why write about something so long ago? What bearing does it have upon anything today? Good questions. Aside from the Highland blood that flows through my veins there is another reason. We can learn from the rough-hewn Highlanders. They knew that they were headed to battle against a larger, better equipped, professional army. Yet, they still fought. Why? The believed in the cause.

Christian, do you believe in the Cause? Many will say, 'Yes, obviously I believe. I am a Christian.' But, will you battle when the odds are obviously stacked against you? Will you march with your Lord into what, from your vantage point, appears to be sheer insanity?

In this life we must fight. We've already been promised the victory and yet so many cower.

Resurrection!

Many Christians will set aside tomorrow as a special day in which to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Why this day? There are many people who will argue for varied reasons that we should not celebrate this day. In reality each day is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. However, celebrating that first day of the week following Passover is a special recognition that Jesus is the eternal Passover sacrifice. Hearkening back to the Exodus, God's great deliverance of his people Israel from Egyptian bondage, the Passover prophecies the deliverance of God's elect, the church, from the bondage of death. Why not celebrate that!

Christ's sacrifice at Golgotha is the pivotal point in God's eternal plan of redemption. His atonement for the elect is an incredible action. Why would Holy God die for sinful man? At the baseline of the answer is that it brings him great glory. Many today say that the sacrifice of Christ was to ransom men from the realm of Satan. Ridiculous! Satan has no power over the actions of God. He is a created being. His hands are bound by God. (Just read Job and see.) No, the sacrifice of Christ was to appease the just wrath of a holy God.

The following prayer comes from 'The Valley of Vision', published by Banner of Truth. In a very poignant fashion it brings to bear the reality and result of the ressurection of our Lord.

O God of my Exodus
Great was the joy of Israel's son,
when Egypt died upon the shore,
far greater the joy
when the Redeemer's foe lay crushed in the dust.

Jesus strides forth as the victor,
conqueror of death, hell and all opposing might;
He bursts the bands of death,
tramples the powers of darkness down,
lives for ever.
He my gracious surety,
apprehened for payment of my debt,
comes forth from the prison house of the grave
free, and triumphant over sin, Satan, and death.
Show me herein the proof that his vicarious offering
is accepted,
that the claims of justice are satisfied,
that the devil's sceptre is shivered,
that the wrongful thron is levelled.
Give me the assurance that in Christ I died,
in him I rose,
in his life I live, in his victory I triumph,
in his acension I shall be glorified.
Adorable Redeemer,
thou who wast lifted up upon a cross.
art ascended to the highest heaven.
Thou, who as man of sorrows
wast crowned with thorns,
art now as Lord of life wreathed with glory.
Once, no shame more deep than thine,
no agony more bitter,
no death more cruel.
Now, no exaltation more high,
no life more glorious,
no advocate more effective.
Thou are in the triumph car leading captive
thine enemies behind thee.
What more could be done than thou hast done!
Thy death is my life,
thy resurrection my peace,
thy ascension my hope,
thy prayers my comfort.

A Convicting Awareness

A couple of days ago I took one of those quirky online polls. The purpose of this poll was to check one's congruency to Scottish Theologians. (Thanks to fatbapist for the poll. His link's on the left.) I scored 95% in alignment with Thomas Boston. I've admired Boston ever since learning of him and was somewhat amused by the score. Then 'this morning' happened. Context: I awoke from a dream in which I was tiring of the pastorate. I did my usual morning blog check and on Dr. George Grant's excellent blog read the following.

Thomas Boston
Born in 1676 in the obscure village of Duns, Berwickshire, Thomas Boston died on this day in 1732 in the equally obscure parish of Ettrick in the Scottish Borders. But his 56 years of life, 45 of them spent in conscious Christian discipleship, lend credibility to the spiritual principle that it is not where a Christian serves, but what quality of service he renders, that really counts.

Graduating with a degree in the classical arts from Edinburgh University, Boston was able to afford only one session of theological training. He then underwent a rigorous self-guided study program completing all his studies extramurally. With arduous discipline, sustained by only a meager library, his autodidactic studies earned him a widespread reputation. Indeed, as a Hebrew scholar he was, according to the renowned linguist George Morrison, 'welcomed as an equal by the finest Hebrew scholars in the world.' As a theologian, Jonathan Edwards wrote that he was 'a truly great divine.'

But it was as a loving, faithful, rigorously self-disciplined Christian pastor, and one deeply committed to the grace of God, that Boston was best remembered. Leaving his first charge at Simprin, where he served 1699-1707, he settled in Ettrick for a 25-year ministry that saw the numbers of communicants rise from a mere 60 in 1710 to nearly 800 in 1731.

Constantly burdened for his congregation, Boston taught them in season and out of season, in pulpit and at home. Burdened for the truth of the Gospel, he overcame all natural timidity to engage in confronting heretical doctrine and dealing with the critical cultural issues of the day. Though he was a quiet man, by all accounts he became a roaring lion in the pulpit. According to James Heatherton, 'There was a grip in it that no preacher wins who is a stranger to his own heart.'

He was thus counted as one of the most powerful and effective ministers of his day-and this despite the fact that he labored for Christ in an obscure, out of the way place all his life, never desiring for anything more. According to Thomas Chalmers, 'He so understood the covenant that he found his greatest reward amongst those who knew him best; so he never desired to leave them.'

As I read this I became more and more convicted of just how far short I fall from such a wonderful example as Thomas Boston. Some of our theological leanings may be the same, but my life is markedly different from him. The tireless dedication he exhibited to the preaching of the gospel and the loving of his congregation are an inspiration and indictment. By the time I finished my eyes were full of tears.

My God give me the grace and ability to serve as such a faithful man.