Serious Warning Against Stealing the Corpse!—The Central Board of Finance of the Church of England has issued through the Press Bureau of the Church of England a serious warning against printing or publishing the Rejected Prayer Book known to the world before its demise as the Deposited Book. Anyone infringing the copyright of the Book is threatened with legal proceedings. In all likelihood the printing or publishing of the Rejected Book will not be such a financial success as to tempt anyone to issue “pirate” editions. “The Churchman’s Magazine,” in a dry comment, remarks:—”We do not know who wants to steal the corpse, but it is evident that there are some very fearful ones hanging round the grave.”
Play by Vicar Performed on the Lord’s Day.—”The Churchman’s Magazine” (September) has the following note:—”The Rev. Clarence May, vicar of Homerton, has decided to produce his play, ‘The Scarecrow,’ says the ‘Daily Telegraph’ of July 17th, on the vicarage lawn next Lord’s Day, after evening service. Naturally enough he has been challenged about such a step, but he says: ‘The idea has been suggested and I will do it, to show that I do approve of such plays. I announced in church that the play will be produced.’ We remember years ago C. H. Spurgeon suggested that it would be quite in keeping if ritualistic clergy took out licenses for stage plays, which was scornfully meant as a comment on their church services, but even Spurgeon would never have dreamed that an Anglican vicar would so use his lawn on a Sabbath evening as this paragraph reveals.”
Archæology and the Bible.—A very interesting series of letters have been recently appearing in the “Daily Telegraph” (London) from the pen of Sir Charles Marston and others. Sir Charles is stressing the testimony of archæology to the Bible, and it is amusing to read some of the productions of those who have higher critical tendencies as they are confronted with the hard facts of recent discoveries. The older we get the more are we impressed with the fact that given a subtle mind governed by an obsession you might as well argue with a block of granite as with such persons. The “Higher Critics” are wedded to their literary theories, and nothing short of an earthquake will move them from what they are pleased to term the assured results of modern scholarship. But the very scholarship to which they have pinned their faith alike in the field of language and archaeology is all too surely undermining the higher critical foundations and those who still believe in the Bible as the Word of God need not make haste.
The Unsound Assumptions of the Higher Critics.—
Sir Charles Marston, in the third letter of the series above referred to, says: “Detailed reference has already been made by others to the mistakes of the higher critics which archaeological discoveries have laid bare. Such errors are the inevitable outcome of a system based on unsound premises. But reference to two more may not be out of place. Does any scientific critic to-day wish to revive the great Jerahmeel theory of one of the most celebrated predecessors? The late dating of the Book of Daniel was one of the most assured results of higher criticism—even Professor Sayce, who has been one of the stoutest opponents of their work, acquiesced in this result. Yet the very peculiarities in language that caused the critics to date Daniel late, have been found in papyri unquestionably written between 500 and 400 B.C., and rescued from the ruins of the Jewish settlement at Elephantine in Egypt.”
The Pope in Trouble.—It would appear from a despatch by the “Times” Rome correspondent that the great heat of the summer is proving a menace to the Pope’s health and unlike other very wealthy people he is unable to take advantage of the cooler air of the hills, owing to the Vatican policy that recognizes him as a prisoner within the capacious grounds of the Papal territory. This is how the problem is stated with all seriousness in the columns of Britain’s foremost newspaper:—”A second solution has been considered in the use of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo. Such a step would naturally at once raise the problem of the Pope’s going outside the Vatican. In this connection, those competent in such questions have expressed the opinion that the material fact of His Holiness’s leaving the Vatican territory would not from a legal point of view constitute a change in the historical attitude assumed by the Holy See towards Italy; only an explicit declaration of the Pope made in proper form could change the legal situation. This would suffer no alteration, it is argued, should the Pope proceed to Castel Gandolfo on a purely private visit, carrying with him the privileges of extra territoriality which are recognised as due to him under the Law of Guarantees. Nor could it be affirmed that such an act would constitute a tacit acceptance of this law, considering that the Villa Castel Gandolfo is in papal territory, just as much as is the Vatican.” In view of the Pope’s claim to be the successor of Peter, one of his advisers might suggest to him one of the best ways of getting cooling sea breezes would be to follow for a few months in summer the arduous calling of a fisherman. The world would be none the looser though the Pope crossed the Vatican boundaries and brought his self-imposed imprisonment to an end.
Luther.—The older attacks on Luther’s memory, says the “S.S. Times” (Philadelphia), made by such men as Majunke and Denifle were coarse and culminatory. The modern Jesuit, Pater Hartmann Grisar, takes another tone. He makes great display of “objectivity” and documentation, assumes a superior tone, and attempts to prove that Luther was pathologically defective. His temptations were caused by nervous weakness. He suffered from insomnia, angina pectoris, and other things. So would the Jesuit discredit one of the two or three most powerful figures in history as if the mighty apostle of reformation was a habitue of sanatoriums, a neurasthenic, deserving pity rather than condemnation. But the thunder of “Ein feste Burg” never came from the throat of a weakling nor could all the Jesuits of all the centuries ever convince one of it. Another study of the same type is Professor Biloncioni’s “Un grande allucinato dell’udito,” in which the author explains that Luther’s visions and physical difficulties sprang from some defect, or malady, of the ear. This book also is anti-Protestant in tone and apparently in purpose. On the other hand, a remarkable appreciation of Luther and his work is reported from Italy. Recent publications dealing with the Reformer are A. M. Rossi’s “Lutero e Roma” (Luther and Rome), V. Macchiero, “Lutero,” Bassano Gabba, “Lutero,” and Buonaiuti, “Lutero e la Riforma i Germania.”
“An Abiding Monument to the Grandeur of Islam.”—
Such are the words used by Lord Headley in a letter to the “Daily Telegraph” (London) in connection with the building of a magnificent mosque in London at a cost of £100,000. In this letter he mentions the fact that there are no less than 110 millions of Muslims under British rule—almost as large a population as that of the United States. Lord Headley expresses the hope that the new mosque will help in doing away with many misconceptions which exist as to the Mohammedan faith, and “assist our sister Church in the struggle against idolatry and atheism which seems approaching.” While it is true that Islam has borne strong testimony against atheism and idolatry, yet, as Christians, we cannot and dare not overlook the fact if we are loyal to our Lord that they have taken away the true Prophet of the Lord, and while professing a half-hearted lip service to Him, they have put in His place the False Prophet, and God will never overlook such dishonour done to His Son. Of the £100,000 required for the London mosque, £70,000 have already been collected. It looks like if some one would be bold enough that even the devil himself might have a magnificent cathedral erected in which to be worshipped. The unfortunate thing is that he is served in too many cathedrals as it is.
Bunyan’s “Heavenly Footman.”—The price of this neat reprint, as noticed in our last issue, is 1s (by post 1s 2d).