Causes of Fasting 2020.

The present time is unsettled, both in church and state, so the nations are shaking under the Divine judgments.  “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:7-9.  While the issue of this is certain, the kingdoms are slated to become the kingdoms of Jesus (Rev. 11:15); this presents for the present an opportunity to bring about fruits meet for repentance (Matt. 3:8).  The call to a day of fasting is a call to put to remembrance our sins and the sins of our fathers.  “We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. 21 Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.” Jer. 14:20-21.

We can hardly do better than cite the words of faithful forebears, “Feeling deeply that something is wrong, men resort to various and unscriptural means to remedy the evils under which they are groaning. Though at times they have purblind conceptions of the inadequacy of their own inventions to afford relief, they still cleave to their idols.” (Minutes of 1898)  Our duty is to hear the rod and He who appoint it (Mic. 6:9).  Moreover, the cause of God’s wrath being just, it is the duty of believers to love the LORD especially in His appointments which cross the flesh (cf. Isa. 9:13).

Therefore, we do call to mind and lament:

1. The authoritative toleration by which there are a multitude of pagan practices and false religions given civil protections and promotions through acts of approval and acceptance.  This toleration is confirmed by so-called churches, which are better identified as many conspiracies against the true God, under the false notion of what our Reformed forefathers called pretended liberty of conscience.

2. The various violations of the true worship of God, according to His word wherein those professing Christianity exhibit a higher degree of state worship than of regard for the truth; or, give more credence and authority to the modern priest-craft of doctors and scientists, of science falsely so-called, than the plain dictates of Scriptures which call for the assembling of the saints to worship the true God.  This, together with the idolatry of men professing faith in Christ through use of hymns of human composure, retaining of Jewish instrumental worship and other violations of that Regulative principle that permits only that which God commands in His worship.  In the civil realm, this idolatry is manifest in the clamor for profession sports, the thirst for theatrical entertainments, and the immoderate pursuit of so-called “hobbies.”

3. The perfidy of covenant breaking in church and state which has lent itself to the complete dismantling of godly society and the disordering of all true order in civil society.  This is manifest in casual superstitious observances, common blasphemies, including the use of God’s holy attributes whereby His name is to be sanctified, and prevalence of gambling now sanctioned by the state.  The LORD’s name is also taken in vain by the careless administration of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, whether through neglect of Scriptural terms of communion or corruption of the elements (i.e., substituting grape juice for wine) wherein the sacrament is made into a lie.

4. The ignoring of the observance of the Lord’s day; whether by an open profanation or a passive disregard.  Amongst those who profess faith in Christ, the looseness which attaches to their observance whereby the thoughts of this world are brought to push out thoughts of God.  In so-called Reformed and Presbyterian churches, the observance of holy days has often eclipsed a concern for the Lord’s day and they continue to be kept with more superstitious regard than the true devotion which ought to afford God’s appointed day.  In the state, they have multiplied holy days which also garner more attention from professing churchmen than they give to the Lord’s day.  These days ought to be abolished and the Lord’s day observed.

5. The failure to honor parents is a plague on any society.  There is a general despising of the elderly and a disregard for honoring of those with hoary heads.  This disregard for parents is aggravated in the churches which show forth a studied contempt for the confessions and creeds of Christendom, especially those which pertain to our mother church, the Church of Scotland.  In society, there is an inversion of authority in households with men being in subjection to their wives and parents in subjection to their children.

6. There are many unjust murders committed by national governments, including that of the United States, through the prosecution of unjust wars and acts of aggression disproportionate to alleged provocations.  Within this nation, and many others, there is the genocide called abortion which is not only tolerated but subsidized by the state.  While the nations shed innocent blood, the citizens of the nations satiation a blood lust fixated upon various kinds of pugilistic sport.

7. The general permissive lewdness displayed in society betrays its deeper adherence to legalized adultery, permissive divorce, and casual fornication.  This is carried by an acceptance, even among professing Christians, of various means of birth control which promise no temporal consequences for lewd and lascivious behaviors.  This lewdness is testified by the immodesty of dress and the addiction to various media, film, comedy, television and live theatrical events, which make plain the corruption of the heart.  Additionally, the wide availability and legal tolerance for pornography demonstrates a hardness against all godly chastity.  Through the earth, things are out of order, legalized sodomy along with other perversions are being pressed upon the masses through a militancy which admits no defiance.

8. The many unjust and ungodly exactions by governments which rule only by the providence and not the precept of God.  The corporate pursuit of profits over any moral concerns is a form of theft because it defrauds others of something more fundamental than mere money—it defrauds them of the sense of moral worth and purpose.  We are called to honest dealings in all of our transactions.

9. The false witness that has become tolerated as advertising.  The deceit that is practiced in much business and negotiation, including political and international.  The general hated of the truth which would rather promulgate a lie than suffer so much as to hear the truth spoken, especially in public.  The denial of the depth of man’s depravity and the justness of God’s judgments or the undeservedness of His mercy.

10. The general lack of contentedness which characterizes modern society and its implied denial of the goodness of God’s providence toward mankind.