Michael Horton: Ralph Erskine was an 18th century Scottish Presbyterian and minister. He expresses a view that I think we could identify with in our day:
From anti-evangelic aphorisms;
A legal spirit may be justly nam'd
The fertile womb of ev'ry error damn'd.
Hence Pop'ry, so nat'ral since the fall,
Makes legal works like saviours merit all;…
Hence dare Arminians too, with brazen face,
Give man's free-will the throne of God's free grace;
Whose self-exalting tenets clearly shew
Great ignorance of law and gospel too…
Christ is not preach'd in truth, but in disguise,
If his bright glory half absconded lies.
When gospel-soldiers, that divide the word,
Scarce brandish any but the legal sword.
While Christ the author of the law they press,
More than the end of it for righteousness;
Christ as a seeker of our service trace,
More than a giver of enabling grace.
With legal spade the gospel-field he delves,
Who thus drives sinners in unto themselves;
Halving the truth that should be all reveal'd,
The sweetest part of Christ is oft conceal'd.
So, this is practical preaching. The most practical preaching is not "how-tos." The most practical preaching is really understanding what God requires in the Law, not kinder, gentler "how-to" Laws that we come up with. [But] Really understanding what he requires in the Law, driving us to Christ so that whatever obedience—meager beginnings in obedience we make in this life correspond to the Law but are empowered by the Gospel.
From Rightly Dividing the Word: Law & Gospel.
"This transcription of "Rightly Dividing the Word: Law and Gospel" is a
broadcast of the White Horse Inn radio program that originally aired on May
22, 2005 and is posted with permission. The White Horse Inn exists to equip
Christians to "know what you believe and why you believe it." For more
information about the White Horse Inn, please visit
www.whitehorseinn.org or
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