While not all of you that read this blog may be Presbyterian, we owe a debt of gratitude to all who stood for the truth of God's Word beginning with Martin Luther. This is just another story of a man who was reformed and always reforming by the Word of God. He paid a great price in his ministry and so I offer this story to encourage you today.
 |
| The statue of John Knox who also preached in the Church of the Holy Rude |
My father used to
say, “ A house is only as good as
its foundation.” I recall that in
Scripture Jesus made this point in the parable of the house built upon the rock
by the wise man and the house built on sand by the foolish man (Mathew 7:24-27)
. He likened the wise man to one
who heard and followed what the Lord taught and the foolish man to one who did
not obey. Our foundation, then, is
critical in this day and age of relativism. If the church is to stand, we must never forget our
foundation. Perhaps, this is what
led me to do some research on Ebenezer Erskine, one of the founders of the Associate
Presbytery in Scotland from which our denomination was birthed.
Ebenezer Erskine was
born on June 22, 1680 Dryburgh, Scotland. His father was the Rev. Henry Erskine who had served
as a Presbyterian minister in the north of England until he was forced to leave
his church along with other Puritans when the British passed the “Act of
Conformity”. At the age of
fourteen, he entered the University of Edinburgh, receiving the degree of M.A.
in 1697. He was licensed to preach
the Gospel by the presbytery of Kirkcaldy in February 1702. In 1703, he was ordained minister of
Portmoak and extended a call by the elders. His brother Ralph also pursued and was ordained into the
ministry.
 |
| The statue of Ebenezer Erskine outside the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, Scotland |
At the beginning of
his service to the Lord, Ebenezer was not attractive as a preacher. He memorized his sermons and feared
forgetting something so he never looked at the congregation. However, two years into his ministry,
the Gospel became real to Him and he began to preach from the abundance of his
heart. Christ crucified became the
sum and substance of his preaching.
His congregation grew and many came from as far as 60 miles away to hear
him preach. As a result of his
faithful preaching of the Gospel, many came to receive salvation in Christ.
During the course of
his ministry, Ebenezer Erskine, his brother Ralph, Thomas Boston and a number
of other pastors became embroiled in a controversy over a certain book “The
Marrow of Modern Divinity” written by Edward Fisher in 1646 who had a M.A. from
Oxford and studied ecclesiastical history. This book was read by Rev. Thomas Boston which he recommended
to others to read. He began to
preach the doctrines of grace which were discussed in the book. However, the established Church of
Scotland denounced the work and in 1720, an act was passed prohibiting the
reading of this work, the preaching of it or writing about it. Further, pastors were to keep their
congregations from reading it as the state church felt it was antinomian
(against the Law of God). The root
of the matter, according to Dr. Sinclair Ferguson (ARP pastor in Columbia,
S.C.) was the nature of God’s grace.
Also at stake was a discussion of the relationship between saving faith
and the assurance of faith. Dr.
Ferguson said the book stressed the Gospel of free grace freely proclaimed to
all. In fact, the book preserved
the Bible truth that man does not have to first quit sin before he can be
saved. Only when a man comes to
Christ does he have the ability to fully see his sin for what it is and repent
of it. The Church of Scotland was
preaching conditional grace saying that a person had to be perfected before
they could come to Christ.
Rev. Erskine and the
others protested the act passed by the Synod in written correspondence. However, the Assembly stuck to their
position and rebuked these pastors.
This would eventually lead to a rupture in the church as other
controversies were to follow. However
these twelve pastors who stood for Gospel truth are owed a debt of gratitude
for so earnestly contending for the faith.
In 1731, Ebenezer was
called to pastor The Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, Scotland. At this time, another controversy
was about to cause the inevitable split that was to come. For some time, ministers were chosen by
patronage rather than by congregational choice. The General Assembly was ready to pass an act to keep the
peace by allowing “heritors” (land holders and patrons) to decide on a pastor
for a vacant church. Ebenezer
Erskine along with 42 other pastors gave a written protest to this act. However, their protest was not allowed
to be read. Ebenezer decried this
action and said: “What difference
does a piece of land make between man and man in the affairs of Christ’s
kingdom, which is not of this world?.....I consider that by this Act, the
Assembly have sunk one of the principal branches of our Reformation inserted in
our books of discipline; I mean the right of the Church and members thereof to
choose their own pastors – a privilege with the custody of which we are entrusted.” The Act was passed and the dissent
never entered into record. With
this result, Rev. Erskine preached against the Act from the pulpit and was
censured as a result. Eventually
in 1740, he was forced to leave the Church of the Holy Rude as he refused to
recant his position. He and
several other pastors who also stood in opposition to this Act, likewise lost
their churches and formed the Church of the Secession better known as the
Associate Presbytery.
 |
| The Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, Scotland where both John Knox and Ebenezer Erskine preached. |
Ebenezer Erskine and
his congregation formed another Kirk in Stirling, and he remained there until
his death on June 2, 1754. His
last sermon was preached from his bed to a company assembled in his room, where
he baptized a child, after discoursing on a Bible text. He faithfully served Christ as a
minister for fifty one years. His
foundation was built on Jesus Christ whom he faithfully preached all of his
life.
Last year, my husband
and I had the privilege of visiting the grave and statue of Ebenezer Erskine in
Stirling, Scotland. Walking into
the Church of the Holy Rude will remain fixed in our minds as we contemplate
the sacrifices made by this man of God who stood for the truth of God’s Word
and the Doctrines of Grace.
May we, as inheritors of this biblical foundation, continue to search
the Scriptures
and carry on
this battle for truth as did Ebenezer Erskine. Selah!
For further
reading on this subject, you can go to Google Play for free digital downloads
of books on Ebenezer Erskine and “The Marrow of Modern Divinity” by Edward
Fisher. There are also books on the History of the Church in Scotland and elsewhere. It provides some wonderful free resources.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject as we contemplate those who have gone before us in the faith.
2 comments:
This was just wonderful Barbara! Thank you for taking the time to introduce us to this great saint who has left the church such an example and heritage.
I think about the example of so many who have gone before us Christina. They lived their faith and stood their ground. I pray that I can do the same with every breath I take. The truth is too important especially now! Blessings dear sister!
Post a Comment