Alexander Henderson’s Sermons

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Preface

The date of the remaining discourses is ascertained from the Preface to the second of them to be the 28th October, that is, the Sabbath immediately preceding the National Fast indicted by the King’s authority, and also by the Tables, in connexion with the ensuing Assembly. They contain sufficient evidence that the author had not officiated at home since he preached from the same text nearly two months before; and when we consider the multiplicity, importance, and urgency of the business which had engrossed the attention of the Committee at Edinburgh during the intervening weeks, we shall easily account for his absence. It is observable, however, that he makes no apology on this occasion for leaving his particular charge, as he had done earlier in the year, for which there is only one reason that can be assigned, and it is greatly characteristic of the man. The people of Leuchars were now familiar with the fact that their minister was the recognised head and leader of his party, and he could not have mentioned the cause of his absence, without drawing attention to his own share in the public counsels and movements,—a thing entirely foreign to his nature.

As this was among the latest public appearances of Henderson before the meeting of Assembly, and as the course of his subject leads him naturally to utter his mind on the present aspect of affairs, the following pages are possessed of a peculiar interest and importance. Since he last addressed his present audience, a great improvement had taken place in the condition and prospects of the country. Not only had the Covenanters obtained the grant of a free Assembly and Parliament, but they had been entirely successful, in spite of all opposition, in securing a vast majority of well-affected and independent representatives, and in defeating a deep laid contrivance of the Court to weaken and divide them. We accordingly find the speaker, at the outset of the services, congratulating his people on these signal advantages; but we easily gather from the general tenor of thought, as well as from several distinct intimations, that he entertained little hope of their issuing in a permanent settlement. He was fully aware that the recent concessions had been dictated by necessity, and that the serious differences still subsisting between prince and people could not be securely accommodated without an appeal to arms. Intimately acquainted as he was with the disposition and intentions of the men in power, and knowing their bitter disappointment at the late turn of affairs, he could not but foresee that the sweeping and decisive measures now certain to be adopted by the Assembly would provoke the most violent resentment, and in all probability lead to an immediate rupture. Therefore we find him here repeatedly cautioning his hearers against security, and he takes every opportunity of exhorting them to remain on their guard, to be ready for all emergencies, and to maintain the position of armed resistance and defence which they had recently assumed.

Beloved, there is a great difference between times, and there is a great difference between days;—all times and days are not alike. And as it is in nature, in respect of the constitution of the air, that all times and days are not alike, for some days are fair and pleasant, and some again are stormy and sour (raw and cold) days, even so it is also in spiritual things. There be some days and times wherein the Lord is angry at his people, wherein he glooms (frowns) upon them, and will not give them a blithe look;—he storms at them, as it were. There be other days, again, wherein he makes his face and countenance to blenk (glance) sweetly upon his children, as the sun does from the firmament upon the earth in a fair day. So there be some days also for the people of God of thanksgiving and rejoicing, and there be days also wherein the Lord calls them to humiliation, to mourning, and to fasting. And such days as these are, having this difference, will be still coming about while the world lasts. Days of mourning and days of rejoicing, days of humiliation and days of gratulation, such a mixture as this will ever be till the world have an end. And when the world is ended, then there will be days, or, I may say, an eternity of sorrow, mourning, and lamentation for the wicked; and their days shall be so sorrowful that they shall never get a blithe day again. And when the world is gone and ended, then there shall be days, or an eternity, of comfort and rejoicing for the godly; and their days shall be such then that they shall never get a foul (rainy) day, nor a sour blast of wind or weet, to all eternity. And therefore, seeing that it is so, we should strive and endeavour, while we are here, to be wise for to mark and observe the seasons.

It’s true, indeed, for the present we have great cause and just reason to praise the Lord for his goodness and his mercy towards us; yet the next Lord’s day that follows this, it is appointed for fasting and humiliation throughout this whole land. And the reason of it is, Because now it has pleased the Lord to put us in hopes that we shall have a free general Assembly, which is a mean whereby these present ills that are amongst us may be taken away, and put to some point, and because there is much that depends in the good or in the bad success thereof; that therefore we would be earnest with the Lord, that it would please him so to dispose of all things concerning the same, that by it his own ordinances may be fully and freely established into his own house, for his own glory and honour, and for the comfort of his children who lives now, and shall live hereafter.

Now this day 1 would have you to be thankful to the Lord, and to show your thankfulness for the good and seasonable harvest that ye have gotten from the Lord for the winning in of your corns. I cannot abide this, that I should be speaking to you, and yet for all that your countenances tells for the most part that ye are not taking heed what I am speaking to you: but all of you should be bending your ears to me, and taking heed what I am speaking. And I would have all of you now asking these questions concerning this point. First, Who it is that sends a good harvest unto you? who it is that has done this? The husbandman may not say, It is my industry and my labour that has done this: nor may he say, That it is my good onwaiting and my attendance that has done this, that has brought so good a harvest. No, no; the husbandman cannot guide nor rule the sun, the moon, nor the stars;—he has not these in leading and directing; he cannot guide the air, nor has the wind in his fists; he cannot give the first nor the latter rain: but it is only God who does all these things. And therefore, learn all of you to think upon this, and to acknowledge that it is only God who gives a seasonable harvest. And say not this for the fashion, and with your lips, as many does only and no more; but believe it with your heart that it is. For will ye tell me, what would all the diligence and expenses that the husbandman can bestow, and all his carefulness do, if so be that it pleased not the Lord to bless us with a seasonable harvest? Secondly, 1 would have you to consider of this, and ask this question. What it is that the Lord has sent to you, and bestowed upon you? I cannot tell how it is, I can never see you otherwise but evermore whinging (whining) and mourning and complaining, even when the Lord opens his hand most liberally to you, and when he opens his doors and his windows wideup, as it were, to let out abundance to you. Ye are still complaining even at these times; and this is the very ready (likely) way to stop the stream and fountain, and to close the door of the Lord’s liberality and bountifulness towards you. But I would have you to learn this, never to minch (mince) the Lord’s kindness, nor to smcre (smother) his honour; but when the Lord deals bountifully with you, acknowledge it. He might have given you an ill season and an 1ll crop, whereas he has done otherwise; and therefore acknowledge that it is God who has done it, and praise him for it. Thirdly, 1 would have you to speir (ask) what ye yourselves are, upon whom the Lord has bestowed these benefits and favours. And if ye will do that, then ye will be forced to acknowledge that ye are unworthy with whom the Lord should have dealt so graciously and so bountifully, and that ye are but thankless creatures for all that the Lord bestows. For when ye have gotten a good, seasonable, and fruitful harvest from the Lord, ye have abused it in excess, or drunkenness, or filthiness, etc.; or otherwise ye have made a god and an idol of it: and so ye have taken these things that he has thus ways bestowed upon you and abused them to his dishonour, in abusing yourselves and these things that God did bestow upon you. And there is not a greater abuse of them than that they should have taken away your heart from him. The Spirit of God says to us, “If riches increase, set not thy heart on them.” Ordinarily, when riches increase, we abuse them, and ourselves by them, or otherwise we set our hearts upon them; and when we want, we are given to murmur and to complain: and both these are intolerable.

Then I would have you speiring, since that it is the Lord who has given you a seasonable harvest, since he has given you aboundance, and since he has given it to you who are so unworthy of it, and are so unthankful for what ye have gotten, speir again, What shall 1 rander to the Lord for all his benefits that he has bestowed upon me? And speir also, what thou has randered to the Lord for all his benefits and favours. How many is there of you, who has so much as thought upon your duty of thankfulness to the Lord, for that life that he has given to you and bestowed upon you? Who of you has thought upon your duty for his providence toward you, for these fair seasons that he has given you, for this plenty and aboundance of outward things? Will ye consider wherefore it is that God has bestowed a life upon you; that he has provided always for you; that he has given you aboundance of all things, and fair and seasonable weather? Is it not for these ends, that thou may honour him, and save thy own soul? And then shall thou live all thy time, and never think upon that, What have I randered to the Lord, of these things that he craves of me, for the favours and benefits that he bestows upon me? that there shall never be a word of thankfulness out of thy head all thy time to the Lord for his benefits, at least never a word of thankfulness proceeding from the heart? Thou may well speak of thankfulness with thy mouth, and say, God be laued (praised)! or God be thanked! but it comes not from the heart, neither does thou express it in thy life and conversation, by a holy life. This thankfuluess, if we will consider that the Lord has sent this, and consider what it is that he does send, and that he sends it to us, then we will be thankful to him for it, in devoting ourselves to be guided and ruled by his will, and that we will quite our own pleasures and affections, and will set ourselves only to please the Lord, although it should be with displeasing ourselves and all others in the world. And then endeavour ourselves, in so far as we can, to bring on others to pray to the Lord, and to praise him, and to be thankful to the Lord for his goodness. And then, if we will be thankful to the Lord in our heart, and testify it in cur life and conversation—if we will resolve to do this, (as I can see but very little appearance of it among you, for there is not sc much as a willingness to it: for there is no understanding of such things, and where there is no understanding, there can be no willingness); always (nevertheless), if it shall please the Lord to put it in your hearts to do this, then he will accept of it off your hands as a sacrifice of thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ. And therefore, let us now humble ourselves before the Lord, and bless him, as we are able, for his goodness and his favours bestowed upon us, and beseech him that he will give unto us what we want, through Jesus Christ.