June - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

44 FI'ee Pl'esbyterian Magazine.of brethern but we have guidance from an unerring sourco asto our conduct in this matter. Perhaps none of the disciplosgave more wonderful testimony to the Deity of the Son oe Godthan Peter and we dare not doubt but Christ loved hilll yotnone of them, with the exception of the Betrayer, got such acrushing rebuke--" Get behind me, Satan; thou art an o('[ellceunto me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God butthose that be of men" (Matt. xvi. 23). Who will dare to saythat this severe rebuke was incompatible with a love that wasstronger than death. Paul's love to the saints did not sealhis lips when Peter acted contrary to the truth and in all thewritings of the Apostles there is perhaps no more severe rebukesof sinful courses than we have in the Epistles of John, theApostle of love, who wrote so impressively on this grace. Oneof the severest letters we remember reading was the one writtenby the saintly and gentle Robert Murray MacCheyne to Mr.Alexander MacNeill when he moved for the running of trainson the Sabbath for the first time in Scotland. So it is evidentbrotherly love is quite compatible with faithful dealing of erringbrethern and stern denunciation of the ways of lawless men.In administering necessary rebuke we are not forgetful thatin some minds they see no distinction between mere censoriousnessand faithful dealing with the erring. But the two are ofdifferent origins and their fmits are different. Censoriousnesi:lhas not in view the improvement of the censured. In manycases it strikes to wound and drenches the whole course or naturewith its poison. It is not so with faithful rebukes administeredin brotherly love-" Open rebuke is better than secret love.Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemyare deceitful" (Provs. xxvii. 5, 6). The two then are quitedistinct though some whose minds have got unaccountably mixedup are ready to call faithful brotherly dealing as "the religionof miscalling." If there is such a religion the New Testamentin the Gospels and the Epistles is very full of it. If it istrue that it takes great grace to receive a rebuke in the rightspirit it requires no less graee to give it for if our own temper