Now would you turn with me please to that portion of God's word that we read, the prophecy of Isaiah on chapter 62. Isaiah chapter 62. And we read from verse five. For as a young man married a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiced over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish, until he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Of course, you know the background of the prophecy of Isaiah. The children of Israel had been carried away captive into Babylon because of their sin. And down in Babylon, over those years, they would have become discouraged. They would have become cast down. they would have said to themselves as the years went on and as the Lord began to enlighten them in a measure of the real spiritual reason of their captivity, that the Lord had forgotten them. And maybe as the church today in this world, we feel something of the same. We feel, as we look out and we see all around us, as we believe, a low spiritual state, and we see the cause of God perhaps as a low spiritual condition, that we too ask the question, has the Lord forgotten us? And yet in these chapters from 61 to 63 of Isaiah, we see the encouragement of the Lord. We see the promise of the Lord that all is not lost, but that he himself will marry the land. And that's what I want us to consider this evening for a short while, as this great truth about the Lord marrying the land. And of course, the land here, as we shall see, is the Church of Christ. And I want us to think of three things as the Lord would enable us. this evening. First of all, to look at the bond that is mentioned, and we'll see that from verse 4. And then the parties of this marriage, of this union, and then the watchmen. So first of all, the bond itself, and we have that in verse 4. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate. But thou shalt be called Hepzibah, and thy land Beulah, for the Lord delighted in thee, and thy land shall be married. Now, it's not unusual for the Lord to bring before us in his word the great concept of marriage itself, to describe the relationship that he has with its people. You go to the Song of Solomon, and there you will see that intense relationship that he has with his people, and his people have with him, and it's described as a marriage. Indeed, it is that intense relationship. And in a marriage, there is union, but also in a marriage, there is communion. It is one thing to be united. It's another thing to have that knowledge that you are being united, to enjoy the marriage. And that's what the Lord calls us to do as his people write throughout scripture. We have this hope and this assurance of being united. Well, he would say to us that we would also have this assurance that we are, this communion, this enjoyment. And so union and communion is something that runs throughout scripture. You go to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, and there he describes marriage. And he, as you go through it, you see this realization that he's speaking. not of an earthly marriage, but he's speaking of Christ and the church. And this is the message that he comes here. He comes to the children of God and he says, you are not cast off. You are no longer forsaken, but you are Hepzibah. And Hepzibah is my delight is in her. The Lord would come, to a people that are down in Babylon, and he would say to her, my delight is in thee. Friends, is that not an encouragement this evening to us? And it is an encouragement to us because we are told that to this end, to the bringing about of this calling, to the bringing about of this marriage, he sends ambassadors. He sends these ambassadors to inform his people on their master's behalf that he will marry them. They are referred to as the sons of Zion. Jonathan Edwards. speaking on this text and preaching on this text, he says that the sons of Zion are undoubtedly the ministers of the gospel, because the land that is spoken of here is more than Canaan. He speaks of the watchmen. He speaks of the marriage. He speaks of the spirituality of the church of God. And that is how the Lord views a land. He views the land not in the sense of its inhabitants, not in the sense of its geography, but he views it in the sense of his people, the church. You know, friends, today we might look out and we might see the situation poor. Today we see the canopy of the coronavirus enveloping us. And the question we must ask is this, what is the Lord saying to us? Not merely what is the Lord saying to the nation? We know the sins of the nation, but what is the Lord saying to the church? And I believe the Lord is saying much to the church, and he would have us come back to himself, because it is not a case that the state of the church and its low end is as a result of the state of the nation. The state of the nation is as a result of the state of the church. And this concept of marriage that he comes here, that he's not casting us off, he brings before us again in Hosea chapter 2. There in Hosea chapter 2, he brings the same thought, and I will betroth thee unto me forever, Yea, I will withdraw thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. That is the great message of the truth of the word of God, that he would have a people be married unto himself. There is this union, this union of being united to Christ. And this union, if you look at it either in Hosea chapter two or throughout the New Testament or in this section here, it has certain characteristics that we cannot develop this evening, but I'll leave you with these. It is going to be a righteous union. It is going to be a righteous union. It is going to be a union based on wisdom. because it comes from the most wise God himself. He has a people that he has set apart. It's going to be a loving union. He has set his love upon them, even from the foundation of the world. It's going to be a merciful marriage, a merciful union, because there is going to be this fellowship, one with another. He will show his mercy upon them. and it's going to be a faithful marriage. We know that our own faithfulness is often like the sea, it ebbs and it flows. But the faithfulness of God is not like that. He is the one who is faithful unto his own. So there is this marriage that is brought before us here, this part of this bond. And this marriage is a communion of life. That is the very reason why this world was brought into being. That is why God had created Adam and he had created Eve. And you will remember that Eve was brought forth from the side of Adam. And Adam looked upon Eve and he said, bone of my bone. and flesh of my flesh." You see, she shared that common life with him. And that is the reason why the creation took place, was that the Lord himself would have a people that would be married unto him. And that is so, we have that fellowship with the Lord. We are partakers of the life with Christ. He is the one who is our elder brother. And we come this evening frail and weak as we are, and yet, what are we told? Well, we are told that his people are created in the image of God. and they are a new creation in the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. And these are spiritual things in the heart, till they hold upon the beloved. It's a communion of life, but it's a communion of love. because the lives of a man and a woman, as we have brought forth here, are separate until they are joined together. Nevertheless, they are unique and they are exclusive. The Bible teaches one husband and one wife, and Christ is the one that would have us only have him as one husband. We have to be careful and that the world does not encroach into our lives and the world does not take us away after other gods and other suitors. The bride comes and she tastes and sees that the Lord is good. But it is a communion which is permanent. We know only too well that the earthly union can be broken. We know that death comes into the marriage bond. We know that that is so. But this union that Christ has with his people is a union that is brought to its perfection at death itself. It is brought to perfection at death itself. Now, you see, we see him through a lattice. Now in our fellowship and our communion with him, there are those moments that he is ever close and ever precious. But like the lattice, soon the things of this life take over and the view of our beloved is gone. But there is a day that is awaiting. And that shall never be, for we shall see him face to face, and we shall be in his sight unbroken forevermore. And this bond is the bond of the preaching of the gospel that calls us on to the beloved. But we notice in the second place the parties that are here spoken of. And the parties, of course, that are spoken of is Jehovah and Zion. Jehovah himself, the one who is the God of the covenant and Zion. This marriage of his people and himself is a marriage that proceeds from God alone. You see, he makes that proposal. He is the one who makes that proposal through his ambassadors. They bring that word. They convey that truth. Here, the analogy And the prophet knows this under the inspiration of God, the analogy between human marriage and this mystical union, as it is called, between Christ and the church, it breaks down. You see, it is not that God does some part and man does some part. It is God that does it all. You see, if it were not the case, If the children of Israel could somehow return onto their own land and onto their own God, they would have. But that was an impossibility. They would still be down in Babylon this evening. So there is the power of the word of God as it is accompanied by the spirit. It is a wonderful impression that the Apostle Paul leaves us in Romans chapter one. He speaks about the gospel and he says, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It is the power of God unto salvation. The truth of the word of God, as it is accompanied and empowered by the spirit, is that power that breaks the heart of man asunder and leads him onto salvation. The preacher of the gospel must never forget that. It is not man's power. It is not man's authority. It is not man's persuasion. Neither is it man's words, but it is the power of God. So it proceeds from God alone. And this marriage, this bond is to the land, it is to the church, as we said, in that land. We are told there, when he speaks about thou shalt, and he speaks in those words that are individual, that that is how God views the church. He views the church as one unity. We must remove ourselves today from the idea that the church is to be viewed as a series of individuals, that we can worship the way that suits me, or that we can worship the way that suits my thoughts and my individual views, that somehow I can isolate myself from all of the rest and that is acceptable. No, the Lord views the church as one entity, from Adam himself until the very last saint that is gathered in. He says that this church is Hepzibah, that she is my delight, is in her. Now friends, you might be here this evening. As God's people, And you don't feel like Hepzibah. You don't feel that the Lord is maybe delighting in me. Indeed, you feel the opposite. You feel desolate. You feel forsaken. And in a sense, that is always true in captivity. In a sense, we always have that here below. Because all of the miseries of this life are still here. There is the sin that so easily resets us. There is the old man that is fighting with the new man in our heart. There is that civil war that's going on in our soul. There are the doubts and the times that we are cast down. That is maybe how we feel. But friends, this situation today is a situation that is going to be removed. It is going to be removed. when the Lord's people are finally gathered in to the heavenly kingdom. The marriage of Zion and Jehovah concerns his children. You notice here they are referred to as sons. Now, the sons here, of course, it speaks about this marriage of Jehovah and Zion. It will always bring forth those that are his children. And the sons, as we have said, are the sons that refer to the preachers of the gospel. But you see, before they are preachers of the gospel, they must first of all be those who are brought on to a saving knowledge of Christ. And I was mentioning at the prayer meeting on Wednesday evening, how this was so in the life and the experience of the Apostle Paul. Remember there in Ephesians chapter three and verse seven, when the apostle speaks about his call to the work of the ministry, his call to that work of the unsearchable riches of Christ, he says in verse seven that he was made. He was made. Not that he made himself, but he was made. And of course he was made by Christ alone. Over these past few days, I've been rereading the Days of the Fathers in Russia. And there in that volume, there is an account of the presbytery of Lokkaren many, many years ago. And in the presbytery of Lokkaren, a time when the church was obviously in a greater state than it is in today, there were 10, something like eight or 10 probationers licensed by the Presbytery of Lough Cannan. And one of the wordies of that day, Loughlin Mackenzie, he said, of the eight or 10 probationers that were made ministers, they were made ministers by the Presbytery. But he said one, John Kennedy of Redcastle, the father of Dr. John Kennedy of Dingwall, he was made a minister by Christ. He was made a minister by Christ. And oh, how that would weigh upon every minister of the gospel. And I say this evening here in relation to this, if it is the presbytery alone that is responsible for this induction this evening, then it will come to nothing. We play our part, we do as we are to do, here below. But if it is Christ himself, through the means of man, then it will be onto his glory. But of course this marriage will have an impact upon the land. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate, but it shall be called Hephzibah, and thy land, Ulam. There will indeed be a change when the power of the Spirit comes forth. But then I want us to consider in the third place, not only the bond and the parties, but the watchman. Verse six, I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence. A watchman. What are the three characteristics of a watchman? Well, the first thing is we say is this, that the watchmen must be alert watchmen. They must be alert watchmen. You see, the language here is figurative. The language speaks about the battle they need to bolster the city. The watchman was to go out on the city walls and night and day he was to watch for the enemy coming. And when the enemy would come far off, he was to blow the trumpet so that not the people inside in the city would be warned, but that those outside the city walls would know that there was danger approaching and they were to enter into the city. they were to secure the city and they were to prepare for battle. Now here we have obviously this spiritual reference because you see that the future glory is mentioned, it's not talking here about the earthly Jerusalem, it's talking about that Jerusalem in heaven. That Jerusalem that cometh down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. So the watchman is to be alert. He is to be constantly alert. He is to be always alert because the enemy is always attacking the Church of Christ. The enemy never sleeps. The watchman must never sleep because the church is always under threat. I'm not talking about a denomination. I'm talking about the body of believers. He's always to be alert. He's always to be calling out. I say this to our friend who is to be inducted this evening. You have been called by a congregation, but your responsibility far exceeds the bounds of your congregation. As our late Principal Clark would often comment, and time will show that he had words of wisdom, but that He was probably the best principal clerk that the free church has known since 1843 or will ever know. He would say this, that your bounds, your responsibilities are the bounds of your parish. Your parish reaches from Rodal in the south, right up to the bridge in Scalpie. You are to be a minister for all of the people as you will know yourself, and you are to sound that trumpet. The spiritual Jerusalem is essentially heaven itself, and men and women are to be called into that realm. There are times when you are going to have to, as the watchman here would have to, sound the alarm. When are the two times when that alarm must be sounded? Well, it must be sounded at a time of heresy. It must be sounded at a time of false doctrine in the church. You will have to, in a short while, answer the questions that will be put to you as a minister of the denomination. And when you answer those questions, as I'm sure you will, and you will have thought of them, you are to think seriously of the answers that you give. What would happen, and here is the acid test, what would happen if something like Romanism or Sicilianism or Arminianism were to take over this denomination? What would happen if the form of worship that we enjoy was changed and you have given your answer that you have a particular view on that this evening? Well, of course, you are to raise the alarm. You are to sound the trumpet. And after you would dissent and after you would raise that alarm if the situation were not changed, you would only have one choice. You would have to leave. you would have to leave. For whatever you might be in a situation like that, you would not be a conserved. So that is a great issue that faces the church that you might have to raise objections to. But you will also, as a watchman, have to guard the Christian life of those under your care. We are reminded in 1 John 2 and verse 16, For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. You see here, the watchmen had the dependence of the people laid upon them, that they would raise the alarm when danger approaches. And the call to a congregation, as I said at the prayer meeting, was this. that you are being entreated to take the charge over the souls of those under your care. That is a nonerous responsibility. So you are to be an alert watchman, as every watchman is. And that is for all of us here this evening, called to the word and sacrament. It is to be an instructing watchman. That is what the watchman here is called to do. You see, Isaiah cannot do this on his own, and so Isaiah comes here and he makes mention of what is needed. He makes mention of that word that he is to look on to others, to aid in this. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence. That word make mention and understand from the commentators is this, ye who remember. Ye who remember. You see, the danger is that the watchman will forget, and in so forgetting, he will keep silence. There might be the fear of the enemy. There might be the weakness of the flesh, because the message itself is against sinful flesh. It might be to keep quiet out of discouragement, but yet the watchman is called to instruct. So he is to be an alert watchman, an instructing watchman, but he is to be an interceding watchman. The two expressions here, not to keep silence and to give him no rest, that is beseeching the Lord. That is to be beseeching the Lord at the throne of grace. I think it was Murray MacShane that said that what his congregation needed most was his own holiness. There was a minister in the south of England many, many years ago, and a young student went into a study, as young students often do, and he peers around the walls and he sees all the fine volumes. And he says, oh, now I know. where you get all your sermons from. And the old man pointed towards the armchair. And he says, no, I get them there on my knees. An interceding watchman. We say who is sufficient to these things? Indeed, that is so. But Jehovah is the help of his people. He is the one that marries us onto himself. He is the one who sends that call onto us. And the watchmen will pray for days of repentance and days of outpouring. And there were watchmen in Babylon. Even down in the midst of that place, there were watchmen and they were praying for days of repentance and days of outpouring. and days of blessing, they would go back onto their own land to dwell there in the midst of the Lord's people. There is a proof that God hears. And the proof that God hears is that he himself will send forth his spirit with his truth. May the Lord bless his word to us. Let us pray. Our gracious and eternal Lord, we come continually with that sense of dependence upon thyself. We thank thee that thou art the one who dost assure us, that thou art our bridegroom. And we thank thee for that knowledge that thou dost bring us up out of the wilderness, out of the wilderness of bondage and of sin, but also out of this wilderness of this life. For to the child of God, this world is a desolate place. To the child of God, it has no water. And we pray that we would be taken away with any sense that it has indeed a refreshment to us, but that rather we would look on to the one alone who is the fountain of all life. We pray now that thou would continue with us. We pray, Lord, that thou would receive to thyself that which is right in thine. And all we ask is in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Now we come to that part in our proceedings to do with the induction itself. And I would call on the Clerk of Presbytery to bring to us the ministers of our own denomination who are to be associated with the Presbytery. Moderator, I move that the following ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Continuing be associated with the presbytery. Reverend Harry Woods, Bewley, and that is the only minister I have been able to see. But if there are any other ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Continuing, would they please make themselves known? Moderator has reminded me that Mr. Woods is Minister of Kilmora and Strathglas, which to most of us is Beaulieu. Moderator, Reverend Harry Woods is associated with the President. The Clerk will read a narrative of the call. Thank you, Moderator. The narrative of proceedings. Congregation of Harris became vacant on the 11th of October, 2020, with the retirement of Reverend Ian Smith. The congregation met on the 1st of September, 2021, and unanimously elected Reverend James Clark, Minister at Inverness Greyfriars, to fill the vacancy. Free Presbytery of the Outer Hebrides met for ordinary business on the 14th of September, 2021, in response to the request of the congregation, resolved to meet again at Northton Meeting House on the 29th of September, 2021, to moderate in a closed call to Mr. Clarke. Presbytery met with the congregation on the 29th of September, 2021, and the call to Mr. Clark was duly signed and sustained. Free Presbytery of Inverness met on the 30th of November, 2021, to dispose of the call. Having heard commissioners from the Free Presbytery of the Outer Hebrides and the Kirkcession of Inverness Grave Friars, agreed to place the call in Mr. Clark's hands. Mr. Clark, having declared his acceptance of the call, Free Presbytery of Inverness resolved to loose him from his charge and translate him to the pastoral charge of Harris. Free Presbytery of the Outer Hebrides met for ordinary business on the 7th of December, 2021, and resolved to meet in hunc effectum at South Harris on the 11th of February, 2022, for the induction of Mr. Clarke to the pastoral charge of Harris. Presbytery having now met, and there being no objection to the life or doctrine of the said Reverend James Clarke, presbytery may now proceed with his induction and admit him to the pastoral charge of Harris. That, moderator, is the narrative of proceedings. Mr. Clark, I would ask you to be standing, please. I'm going to put to you some questions. But before I do, I read to you, with all solemnity, Act 5, 1932, an act, an end to requirements of the ordinations and inductions on its founding page 150 of the Free Church practice. And it is a finding, an act of the General Assembly. It is my duty to explain to you, and also to the congregation here present, with reference to that part of the question which will be put to you as to purity of worship as presently practiced in this church, that In 1910, the General Assembly reaffirmed the legislation of the Church as to uniformity in public worship, going back to the year 1707. And in accordance with that legislation, it is the present practice of the Free Church to avoid the use in public worship of uninspired materials of praise as also of instrumental music. Such present practice determines the purity of worship to the maintenance of which the ordinant pledges himself. So I'll put to you the questions prescribed for probationers before ordination and also to ministers already ordained at their admission to pastoral charges. Do you believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God and the only rule of faith and manners? Do you sincerely own and believe the whole doctrine contained in the Confession of Faith, approved by former General Assemblies of this Church, to be founded upon the Word of God? And do you acknowledge the same as the Confession of your faith? And will you firmly and constantly adhere thereto? and to the utmost of your power assert, maintain, and defend the same and the purity of worship as presently practiced in this church? Yes. Do you disown all Popish, Arian, Sassanian, Arminian, Orastian, and other doctrines, tenets, and opinions whatsoever contrary to and inconsistent with the foresaid confession of faith. Are you persuaded that the Presbyterian government and discipline of this church are founded upon the word of God and agreeable thereto? And do you promise to submit to the said government and discipline and to concur with the same and not to endeavor directly or indirectly a prejudice or subversion thereof, but to the utmost of your power in your station to maintain, support, and defend the said discipline and Presbyterian government by court sessions, presbyteries, provincial synods, and general assemblies. Yes. Do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, as King and Head of the Church, has therein appointed a government in the hands of church officers, distinct from and not subordinate in its own province to civil government, and that the civil magistrate does not possess jurisdiction or authoritative control over the regulation of the affairs of Christ's Church. And do you approve of the general principles embodied in the claim, declaration and protest adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1842, and in the protest of ministers and elders, commissioners from the presbyteries to the General Assembly, read in the presence of the Royal Commissioner on the 18th of May 1843 as declaring the views which are sanctioned by the word of God and the standards of this church with respect to the spirituality and freedom of the church of Christ and her subjection to him as her only head and to his word as her only standard. Yes. Do you promise to submit yourself willingly and humbly in the spirit of meekness unto the admonitions of the brethren of this presbytery, and to be subject to them and all other presbyteries and superior judicatories of this church, where God in his providence shall cast your law, and that according to your power you shall maintain the unity and peace of this church against error and schism, notwithstanding of whatsoever trouble or persecution may arise, and that you shall follow no divisive courses from the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of this church. Yes. Are not sealed for the honor of God, Love to Jesus Christ and desire of saving souls your great motives and chief inducements to enter into the function of the holy ministry and not worldly designs and interests. Yes. Have you used any undue methods either by yourself or others in procuring this call? Do you engage in the strength and grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, to rule well your own family, to live a holy and circumspect life, and faithfully, diligently, and cheerfully to discharge all the parts of the ministerial work to the edification of the body of Christ? Yes. Do you accept of and close with the call to be pastor of this congregation and promise, through grace, to perform all the duties of a faithful minister of the gospel among this people. I do. Mr. Clark, having answered the questions, will now be invited to sign the formula. Let us pray. Ever-blessed Lord, we are ever mindful that it is in thee we live and move and have our being. We're ever mindful that thou dost warn us that thou dost dwell in the light to which no man can approach unto. And yet we approach unto that light because of the one who dwelt in that light with thyself. We thank thee that thou art mindful to us. Thou art mindful of our weaknesses and of our failures. And we are mindful, O Lord, that thou dost give unto the church the sacraments itself as a sign of thy favour and of thine encouragement unto us. But we thank Thee especially for that grace that Thou didst give even in Thy Word. And we pray that Thou would bless the Word of the eternal God. We pray that as it goes forth, that it will indeed not, as we know, return unto the void, for never it can be. So we pray now for a marriage of the Word that has against that work in this congregation. Thou will bless the congregation, O Lord, as they sit under the ministry of the word, that they would not be those that would hear man alone, but may it be so that they would only hear the voice of God, even in that word. And we pray for the still, small voice that speaks. We thank thee that the Holy Spirit is the one who is the preacher unto us, And so we pray for that upholding and for that encouraging, even in the days that lie ahead. We pray, Lord, that it might be so that thou would indeed, in this place and in this district of Pots, be returning unto thee in repentance and in faith. We thank thee that thou art the one who has promised that thou will be no man's debtor. and we are to look unto thee as the one alone who is the builder of the church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. We pray that thou would indeed be pleased to bless each that marriage-bonded Christ, all to be united to the one who is divine, of which we ourselves are the righteous. Go before us now in the Redeemer's name. Amen. Mr. Clark, in the name of Christ, the only heaven, the King of the Church, by the authority vested in me by this I think you have the right kind of observation. Well taken. Remarkable. and call on the Reverend David Blount, the Minister of North Uist and Grimsey, to bring the charge to the Minister, Mr Clark. Mr Clark, I would refer you. to these words which we find in the gospel according to Luke, Luke chapter 22. And at the end of verse 27, these are words of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I am among you as he that serveth. Words spoken by Christ to the disciples when he was with them, on that precious occasion in the upper room the night before his crucifixion. These are words spoken by the perfect servant to those whom he has called to be his servants. Christ was the pattern for the disciples and he is to be our pattern as gospel ministers. What then do we see in Christ, the perfect servant, that we should learn and put into practice in our ministries? What should be seen in us as a reflection of the perfect servant? May I draw to your attention three particular things concerning Christ, perfect servant, and things which ought to be seen in gospel ministers. First Christ was a humble servant. All Christ's service in this world, from his incarnation to his burial, involve humility. Paul is able to say to the Philippians, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And he refers to the divinity of Christ and to the fact that he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation. He took upon himself the form of a servant. And the context of the words of Christ in Luke chapter 22, sadly, is the striving of the disciples, which of them would be the greatest? And there was a carnal spirit. There was a lack of a servant spirit in those disciples. Christ had washed their feet. Christ had instituted the Lord's Supper. And that supper is a symbol of the remarkable service Christ came into the world to perform. Christ came to redeem, came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. When Peter writes his first epistle, as he comes to the last chapter, he exhorts all, the younger and the elder, to be clothed with humility. This is a very needful grace, needful for the Christian life, needful for the servants of Christ, for ministers of the gospel. It was seen in the Lord himself, even though he was the Lord of glory, and yet he humbled himself unto death and even the cursed death of the cross. Ministers then are to seek continually from the Lord the grace of humility that what was in Christ should be seen in them in their ministry, which they conduct in his blessed name. A humble servant, but also a willing servant. When you consider the service of Christ, sent into the world by the Father to redeem the church. He entered into the state of humiliation. It was voluntary. It was that which came from himself. It was that which was consistent with the love he bore to his own. He laid down his life and he did it most willingly. And we read of Christ in Psalm 40, In the volume of the book it is written of me, come to do thy will, and the law of God is in his heart. When Paul gives Timothy instructions concerning the bishop, the elder, ministers included, we're told, if a man desireth the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. Desire for the Lord's glory, and the good of the Lord's people. Desire for the honor of Christ in this world. Desire of doing good in his name. Desire to be used by God for the upbuilding of his church and the in gathering of souls. You must be a willing servant. We believe you are. You've willingly accepted this call. You've closed with it. to become the pastor of this congregation. And as with Christ, uncomplaining service, thankful to the Lord for the calling, the privilege of ministry, and that will sustain you when you encounter, there's no doubt you will, difficulties, frustrations, perhaps a sense that Things are not proceeding just as you hoped they would. Perhaps a sense that for all the preaching and all the praying and all the visiting, there is little obvious fruit. Well, the day will declare it. But you are to be a willing servant, following the example of your master, walking in his steps. That is no easy thing in this day of small things. with all the ungodliness and the wickedness brought in our society. And sadly, so many of these things encroaching upon the visible church, but willingly and gladly in the name of your master to serve, to serve him and to serve his people. And then thirdly, a devoted servant. Christ was a devoted servant, devoted to God, devoted, carrying out this great work to redeem, whereby the church will be purchased even at the cost of his own precious blood. He did not flinch. He set his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem and there, on the cross of Calvary, poured out his soul unto death, devoted to doing the will of God. Christ said, no man can serve two masters. Christ certainly did not. Ministers may be tempted to serve another, to serve to the praise of men, to serve in order to have a name among men, That was not Christ, that must not be you. And we read in scripture, Demas, he tried to serve two masters, but it cannot be done. And we need to be on guard, concerning our own hearts. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. As Christ was devoted to God, You must be devoted to him, to his cause in this world, and to his people. Then to close with this, I am among you as he, that servant. You have come among the people of Harris. You have come particularly to the Harris Pre-Church Continuing congregation. Be among the people, I believe you will. Be among your own people in particular, but be among others, as they may have need, and as you may be able to do good for them. Get to know your people, value them, love them, all love them, in Christ, for the sake of Christ, and above all, serve them. Serve them after the Spirit of your Lord and Master. You must do it by grace and do it according to His example. He was the perfect servant. None of us will be that here, but we should seek by grace to be as near as we can to the Lord and serving after His Spirit. And the Lord will bless that, and the Lord will give you fruit in his time. May the Lord bless you as minister of this congregation. I would now invite the Reverend Kenneth Macdonald to bring the charge to the congregation. I would turn your thoughts to words that we find in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. We do live, as we already heard, in difficult days. but there is a duty and a privilege that still falls to us, and that is to gather regularly under the sound of the word of God. And regular church attendance is in many ways necessary for your soul's edification and to be built up in the faith. It is how we especially come to worship the Lord. And it is important while you may feel yourselves as a small congregation, and maybe more so as a small congregation, that you are often found in God's house and being in fellowship together in that way. And I would ask you to think about the importance of being under your new minister's preaching. Faithful attendance at the Mince of Grace shows one thing particularly, which is very, very important. And it is that you are putting the Lord first and what your priority is in life. And it's a question that should ever be before us. Am I putting the Lord Jesus Christ first? in my life, not your congregation or even your new minister, but it's the Lord the reason you gather together under the word. Now, I know that for the majority in the Harris congregation, you've been faithful attenders over many, many years, and many others throughout the church have admired you for your faithfulness over many years, but everyone Nevertheless, I do ask themselves, have I been faithful or as faithful as I could be and should be under the sound of the gospel? There's no question, of course, that anyone who loves the Lord and is a member in the congregation should be regular attending. But what about some of the rest of you as well, who are good at coming out to God's house, but maybe you could do better than you have been doing. You see, friends, time set aside to listen to the preaching of the word is never wasted, never ever wasted for anyone. After all, we know that down from the beginning, even throughout church history, God had used attendance on the preaching to communicate time and time again through the public reading and the preaching through the Bible, whose way of salvation and how you are to live and to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. All scripture, as we read in Timothy, is given by inspiration of God and it is there profitable for doctrinal proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. And surely if we know any, whoever we are, We know only of ourselves, we need that teaching in our own lives. Of course, some will say, well, I can meet with the Lord at home. And of course you can. And many have to because of particular circumstances. But surely friends, it's much more so. we meet with him when we gather together in his house under the preaching and you under the preaching of your new minister from now on as he expounds the word to you. That is usually where the blessing comes to us. For those of you again who are believers I would contend that it is whoever we are and whatever denomination or congregation, but contend that it's impossible to maintain a thriving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, while at the same time deliberately avoiding being under the regular preaching of the Word of God. Now, of course, there are exceptions. We know that, illness and old age and so on. But generally speaking, friends, church attendance is vital for us all. And when we are deliberately, any of us deliberately absent ourselves and neglecting the means of grace, we are neglecting Christ. because Christ is held out to you in the gospel, freely offered in the gospel, in the preaching of the word. Faith comes by hearing, as you know, and hearing by the word of God. So it's important to attend. It's also important because this is where we also can encourage one another. Scripture says here, as we read, exhorting one another. Now in that exhortation, no time to look at it all, but there are many aspects of it. But surely if we're coming together, that we do encourage each other in that. When we attend, we stick together, we fight the battles together, we encourage each other. And you will also be a great encouragement to your minister. You see, a minister can be downcast at seeing how sporadic attendance of some can be, and also others who attend regularly. How discouraging it is to see others not attending as they should do. So friends, your regular attendance or lack of it can affect others. We should never underestimate how discouraging our missing services can be. And when someone is missing, this is again to exhort each other, find out why, ask why, don't be afraid to challenge, to exhort, to tell them how much you miss them in the fellowship and what a blessing it is to be together in the fellowship. You know how it is with some people need, it's not just your minister who must do this, but each other. Some people need just a hand around the shoulder. Other people need just a little word of comfort. Others may need to be a sharper rebuke to them. But this is friends exhorting one another in different ways. And you read through the book of Hebrews, for example, how you'll find time and time again, the importance of Christians encouraging each other. It speaks about, let us consider one another to provoke and to love and to good works. So these things are important. And finally, friends also, remember this, your attendance at the means of grace is such an encouragement to your minister. and encouragement to your minister. And friends, there are many discouragements for us all, whoever we are, but there are particular discouragement this time in many situations for ministers of the gospel. Your minister will face difficulties that you know nothing of. He will have to face them between himself and the Lord, and he cannot maybe speak to you about them. So remember him in prayer and uphold him at the throne of grace. Christ, of course, is your chief shepherd, but he's the under shepherd who has been called by you to a particular work. You have called him, you have a duty and a privilege to attend to every possible opportunity. Tell him, encouragement, tell him when you are blessed under the word, not to exalt him. but to tell him how much precious the Savior is to you as he has been preaching the word to you. Sometimes you may need to ask him to explain some things, some things you don't understand. And yes, friends, even some things you will disagree with what he said, but speak to him about them. He'll be encouraged by that, not discouraged. It'll show that you're listening and you're hearing what is being said and what is being preached. And remember, friends, he's not perfect. He will make mistakes, but we all make mistakes at times. You might well find fault with him from time to time, but then you think about yourself. Could he not do the same with you? Remember that obvious thing and so clear, the moat and the plank in the eye. Careful, friends, about such things for ourselves. So friends, I encourage you, this congregation and this part of God's vineyard, you've been faithful, continue to be faithful. And may the Lord bless you in this new marriage. And we pray that we would hear of many children being born from this union. of the Clerk of Presbytery. Moderator, the name of the Reverend James Clark will now be added to the roll of Presbytery. Let us praise God by singing unto him from Psalm number 72 in English. Psalm number 72, and at verse 17. His name forever shall endure, last like the sun it shall. Men shall be blessed in him, and blessed all nations shall him call. Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel, for he alone that wondrous works, and glory that excels. And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity. The whole earth let his glory fill. Amen. So let it be. Psalm number 72, verse 17, his name forever shall endure. His name forever shall endure, Blossom like the sun it shall appear. Men shall be blessed in their harvest, all nations shall be full. O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Glory, glory, hallelujah. Unblessed be his glorious name, to all eternity. Thank you very much.