"Means" Hymn #2

"Look and see poor mourners around you, Fearing trembling as they go,

Longing for a consolation, Will you comfort them or no?

Let us tell them of the Savior; Tell them that He will be found;

Let us pray that holy mana May be showered all around.

Is there here a trembling jailor, Seeking peace and filled with fears?

Is there here a weeping Mary, Pouring forth a flood of tears?

Let us join our prayers to help them; Let our faith and love abound;

Let us pray that holy manna May be showered all around."

The above is a big portion of the hymn 'Brethren, We Have Met To Worship'. When I was among the Primitives this was one of the more popular hymns that was sung. It was often used as the "opening hymn" when the time had come to "switch over" to the preaching portion of the worship service. It was especially popular at district or associational meetings. I can remember singing it without having any awareness that it was in opposition to the anti-means theology that I once advocated, nor against the heretical time salvation system which I used to defend in the pulpit. It is with great sadness that I must confess that many of my dear friends are still preaching one thing, but are singing another! Sadder still it is when they don't even know that they're doing this!

'Let us tell them of the Savior'. These words are pro-evangelical. They speak of a willingness and readiness on the part of the saints of God to speak to others of Christ. They are zealous to tell those who have not viewed the Savior that Christ 'will be found'. But not so among today's extremists. You see, one of the sad consequences that time salvation has had on many on the churches is the deadening effect it has had on the ministry. Elder John Watson took notice of this in the middle part of the 19th century demonstrating the terrrible influence that hyper-calvinism was having on the preached Word:

"Our cold doctrinal, non-exhorting way of preaching, has doubtless already produced bad results"(The Old Baptist Test, page 516)

And again:

"We have lost both the spirit and words of exhortation" (page 516)

Ministers are afraid to hold Christ forth for sinners to view and lay hold of, for fear of being labeled an "Arminian". They dare not speak of Christ to those whom they feel are lost, nor of his great salvation. When we understand as well that some of today's ultraists feel that a man may be saved, but yet have no conscious understanding of the Savior, then it's not necessary as well that Christ must be found!

'Let us NOT tell them of the Savior' OR 'Tell them that He DOES NOT NEED TO BE FOUND;'

This is what is actually preached and believed by some of the more extreme ones in the time salvation camp. Or, is it possible that the hymnist had this heretical idea under consideration? Yes, that's it, isn't it? He was thinking of mourning sinners who were looking for a temporal consolation. If only I could stop laughing, I might would elaborate more on this point.

Probably the biggest point in the hymn, however, which clashes with the anti-means theology declared today is the historical reference to the Philippian jailor (Acts 16). This is actually deserving of its own posting in order to fully demonstrate how this text has been so twisted in order to escape gospel instrumentality. This wonderful story is one of the grandest cases of conversion we have provided for us in the scriptures. To confine the salvation received by the jailor to some temporal deliverance is to strip the text of its loveliness, and rob what ordinary Bible readers behold when viewing it: a a case of one alarmed in his conscience who was brought to lay hold upon Christ for salvation! It can not possibly be imagined that the hymnist meant to suggest that the jailor had in mind a salvation from the earthquake or from Roman punishment!

"Is there here a trembling jailor...

Looking for a time salvation.

Say what?????????????????????

Of this salvation received the hymnist then says that prayers are to work toward this end. 'Let us join our prayers to help them'.

Let me kill two birds with one stone here. In order to demonstrate both the bible truth on this matter and the historical position of real 'Old' Baptist teaching, let us hear the words of our forefather John Leland:

"Souls appeared very precious to me, and my heart was drawn out in prayer for their salvation. Now, for the first time, I knew what it was to travail in birth for the conversion of sinners. The words of Rachel to Jacob were the words of my heart to God: "Give me children or else I die." One night, as I lay on my bed weeping and praying, I though if it was spring instead of autumn, I would spend all my time at the feet of Jesus in prayer, and at the feet of sinners, praying them to be reconciled to God..." (Some Events In The Life Of...Part III)

SUMMARY CHALLENGES:

1) Do you sing this song?

2) Is it an Old Baptist hymn, or a New Baptist hymn?

3) Do you believe its contents?

4) Should sinners be told of Christ?

5) Must Christ 'be found' for salvation?

6) Is Christ found on the subconscious level, or the conscious level?

7) Is 'finding Christ' a work?

8) Is prayer a "Means" of receiving time salvation? If so, does this mean you're a "Means" Baptist after all?