Meeting of Synod.
The Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church will (D.V.) meet in the hall of St. Jude’s, Glasgow, on Tuesday, the 15th November. The retiring Moderator, Rev. John R. Mackay, M.A., Gairloch, will preside at 12 o’clock noon.
Coming Sacraments.
Oban, the first Sabbath of November; St. Jude’s, Glasgow, the second Sabbath; and John Knox’s, South Side, Glasgow, the third. The latter congregation, will (D.V.) meet for the sacramental services in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Nicholson Street, except for the day service on Sabbath, which will be held in the usual hall, 137 Norfolk Street.
Sympathy from America.
Recently we received a copy of a periodical published in Philadelphia, U.S.A., entitled The Presbyterian. In an article headed “Drifting,” the Rev. Donald Macdougall, B.D. (with whom we are entirely unacquainted), after a prefatory reference to the declension of the Free Church, writes in commendatory terms of the action of Rev. Messrs. Macfarlane and Macdonald in 1893, and of our body in general. He speaks of the above ministers as “godly and conscientious” men, and condemns the Free Church for “evicting” them from their churches and manses. The body which they now represent, he affirms, has become a power in the land, “spiritually, numerically, and financially.” On the subject of our financial position, at least, the writer seems to be some extent at sea, as he evinces by some other statements. He thinks the Free Church should learn a lesson in the future from the testimony that has been lifted up by this Church. We cannot but thank Mr. Macdougall for his good opinion of our humble body, and trust that it may yet become, under the divine blessing, a still greater power for spiritual good in the land than it has ever been in the past.
J. S. S.
Ordination at Oban.
The Southern Presbytery met at the Free Presbyterian Church, Oban, on Friday evening, the 20th September, to ordain the Rev. Alexander Stewart, probationer, to the pastorate of the congregation there. Members of Presbytery present were Rev. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s, Glasgow (moderator), Rev. James S. Sinclair, John Knox’s, Glasgow, ministers, and Mr. Duncan Crawford, Oban, elder. Mr. Cameron presided and preached from 2 Tim. ii. 3. Public worship being ended, he gave a brief narrative of the steps taken in the call to Mr. Stewart. Thereafter he addressed the usual questions to the pastor elect, who having given satisfactory answers to the same, signed the Formula. This being done, Mr. Stewart was solemnly ordained by prayer and the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery to the pastoral charge of the congregation. Mr. Sinclair then addressed pastor and people as to their respective duties. After the benediction was pronounced, the members and adherents of the congregation shook hands with the newly ordained pastor at the door of the church. There was a large attendance. On the following Sabbath, Mr. Sinclair preached in the morning and Mr. Stewart, the pastor, in the afternoon in Gaelic, and in the evening in English. The evening service was very largely attended, there being present a number from other churches.
Superfluously Wicked.
So we may characterise the conduct of certain Glasgow Sabbath breakers. Not content with profaning the day by excursions to Dumbarton, etc., they must needs add insult to injury by rattling home through the villages singing songs and making uproarious mirth. The Glasgow Evening Citizen, a paper not over sensitive about the Sabbath, thinks the line should be drawn at this stage. We think so too, but the malady of Sabbath breaking eats as doth a cancer, and such scandalous doings, disapproved of by decorous anti-Sabbatarians, are only the franker and more matured expression of the rebellion cherished by sinners of both sorts—the rude sinner in his rudeness and the civilised sinner in his refinement.
“For Brass I will bring Gold.”
On two Sabbaths in September, the Rev. John M’Neill occupied Mr. Macaskill’s pulpit in the Free Church, Dingwall. This pulpit is a memorable place, for Dr. John Kennedy once stood in it. We perceive, however, that the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah has little chance of being fulfilled in Dingwall, for it is the contrary process that is now taking effect. “For gold I will bring brass.” A highland minister, writing in the British Weekly, feeling, no doubt, that the experiment of Mr. M’Neill in Dr. Kennedy’s pulpit was a somewhat risky one, describes at some length the highly satisfactory appearance that Mr. M’Neill made. He, indeed, says that the preacher was somewhat less emphatic in the work of the Spirit than he might possibly have been, but he gives reasons to account for this. This admission of the highland minister is, doubtless, very significant, and goes far to justify the opinion we have of Mr. M’Neill’s theology. To insist that all the experiences of the convert shall be wrought by the sovereign power of the Spirit makes the gate straiter and the way more long and narrow than is at all relished in these fast self-sufficient times. For lack of this element Mr. M’Neill’s evangelistic labours, however eloquent and forcible otherwise, must be pronounced dangerous and misleading.
A People Laden with Iniquity.
We refer to the Spanish nation lately distressed with war and now distressed by debt. All through the war crisis, while the nation was in the hands of the Almighty Chastiser, there was no abatement of the national sin and folly. “Neither,” says the Seer of the Apocalypse, “repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts.” The sign and seal of this national impenitence and hard heartedness is the prevalence of the craze for the bullfight, a craze which has held unabated sway in the Peninsula for generations. A writer in Harmsworth Magazine depicts one of these scenes of blood and cruelty. He describes the bullfight as a spectacle of butchery and blood, which no Englishman can gaze at twice, but which, nevertheless, the daughter of Spain loves stately to feast her eyes upon. Perhaps it is the nearest approach to the gladiator contests which characterised the last days of the sinking Roman Empire. The Seville bullring, which is the principal scene of these horrors, is built to hold 60,000 people. Nearly every Sabbath day in the year, a bullfight takes place, but the chief spectacles are reserved for “holy week,” the week, namely, which commemorates the Saviour’s passion. On a great occasion sixty bulls and forty horses are provided, for the day. It is the fate of all the animals to die, the horses to be gored to death, and the bulls to be tormented to death with cold steel. A doctor and a priest are in attendance in case of accident. A very popular bull fighter called Espartero was killed four or five years ago, and was accorded a funeral more imposing than any king or statesman. This man was wont to receive £300 for an afternoon’s work in the ring. The attempt to stop bull fighting would cause a revolution in the Peninsula. But the Heavens are just and the cruel nation that in its prime waded in the blood of martyrs and confessors, and now in its dotage gloats on the spectacle of torn horses and bleeding cattle, shall in due time find its place in the gulf of infamy.
The Leeks and Garlic of Egypt.
The minister and people of John Knox’s Free Church, Glasgow, having become weary of the manna, we perceive that a supply of toothsome Egyptian vegetables is now to be brought in in order to impart some relish to congregational life. Placards presently displayed on the church door announce a lecture, to be delivered by the minister, Rev. John Buchan, on Tuesday, 25th October, on “Walter Scott.” Tickets 4d. and 6d. each. Lest “Walter Scott” should not prove sufficient value for the money, songs by the choir are superadded—”Jock o’ Hazeldean,” “The Pibroch of Donald Dhu,” &c., &c. Moreover, Misses Buchan and M’Phie will recite. Now, we are aware there is no originality in all this. A hundred other churches and Good Templar Lodges in Glasgow will do the same thing this winter, still the notable evangelical traditions of this congregation makes us pause and remark how irresistible is the process of corruption that is going on. Lectures on Walter Scott and programmes of Scotch songs are exceedingly remote from the spirituality of New Testament worship. As means of filling the desolate pews we also think such devices will fail, and so the minister who resorts to them will suffer a double disappointment. He will forfeit the favour of Christ and he will fail to gain the presence and ear of men.
Quoting “The Scotsman.”
An individual, who makes no hiding of his scornful opposition to the Free Presbyterian cause, writes a letter in the Northern Weekly in condemnation of our occasional quoting in this Magazine of the Scotsman newspaper. Our critic makes special reference to the Scotsman article on Union which appeared in our August number. We do not wonder that that powerful exposure of the Union proposals should have evoked great opposition in many parts of the country, and therefore we are not surprised at the appearance of our critic’s letter. No careful reader of our Magazine can, however, come to the conclusion that we hold up the Scotsman as an authority on religious matters. It is undoubtedly the organ of infidelity on many things, such as the inspiration of the Scriptures, or the observance of the Sabbath. But it would seem as if the Union negotiations are so patently a subversion of all principle and consistency that even the ungodly Scotsman observes and condemns the same. Our general opinion of the Scotsman may be found at page 398 of volume second: “The Scotsman is no safe prophet to follow; but sometimes Balaam speaks the truth.” The Apostle Paul himself occasionally quotes heathen poets to condemn the heathen themselves, and we think we are safe at times in allowing the infidel Scotsman to condemn the infidel leaders of the Free and other churches.
J. S. S.
Romanism in Durham.
A friend in England kindly sends us extracts from the Durham County Advertiser of September 9th and 16th. In one of these there is a report of an address delivered by Dr. Wilkinson, the Romish Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, at the confirmation in the Roman faith of 180 persons mostly young, but including several elderly converts. The Bishop used very strong language in which he exposed the tyranny, intolerance and persecuting spirit of his church. He said, among other things, that “he did not envy those Catholics who sought to think for themselves. God help them. They might think away, but they would have a long period to think about it in hell fire.” In reference to the Abbey at Durham, which he claimed was built by his forefathers, he said that the worship that was now conducted in it was a “miserable, miserable travesty of religion.” “There was no priest, no sacrifice, no sacrament, no Jesus Christ, no saint, no angel.” After the ceremony of confirmation he delivered another address to the new converts, which concluded as follows: —”He asked them to mark well the importance of their confirmation. They were not Protestants. They were not of the Church of England. They were children of the Church of God; and, therefore, they said daily, twice a day he hoped, that they believed in the communion of saints. If they were Protestants they would not pray to the saints. There never was a Protestant saint, and never would be so long as the sun should shine. There never was a Protestant saint, and there could not be one. It required all the grace that flowed in such mighty floods and with such mighty power from the bosom of the Catholic Church. It required all that to make a saint. Those before him were within the bosom of the Catholic Church, that Church that made all the saints. When the present evil times passed away the Roman Pontiff would rule the Pontiff States with that temporal power that belonged to him of right, ruling as he did now the whole Church of God and the people of God in every country.” Next week several vigorous letters appeared from Protestant writers protesting against these wretched sentiments. There is need of another Reformation in our country.
J. S. S.
Posting Letters on Sabbath.
The practice of writing and posting letters on the Lord’s day is now very common in town and country, yet one hardly expects that ministers of religion, however degenerate, should give it any countenance. The claims and responsibilities of their office upon the first day of the week would seem of themselves sufficient to shut out attention to secular business of this or any other sort. But to all appearance the sacredness of the ministerial office and of the Lord’s day lies very lightly upon some men. On a recent Sabbath morning in the district of Pollokshields, we observed an elderly gentleman, dressed in the attire of a minister, carrying an envelope in his hand. Our first impression was that the envelope would probably contain the pulpit intimations for the day, but the impression was quickly dispelled when we saw him posting it in a letter-box. When ministers of religion do not reverence the Lord’s day they need not expect the common people to reverence it, and we fear the former are doing as much as the latter to destroy the Lord’s day in our midst.