The King’s Silver-Jubilee.
It is now 25 years last month (May) that the King ascended the throne. On his accession to the throne our Magazine made the following comment:—”We are commanded to pray for kings and all in authority, and earnest prayer should ascend to the King of kings that He would grant King George V. and Queen Mary the blessing which maketh rich for eternity, and give them a large measure of the wisdom that is needed for the performance of the duties of their station.” We cannot do better than express this wish for our Sovereign and His Royal Consort for the days which still lie before them. The King during a reign which was one of the most critical in the history of the nation conducted himself with becoming wisdom as a constitutional monarch and faced the many crises with which the nation was faced, with calmness. His interest in his people went out to the oppressed and stricken and in his public utterances from the throne to his people there is a note of fine feeling and broad humanitarianism. This accounts for the demonstrations of loyalty manifested on all hands on the attainment of his silver-jubilee. More critical days may still be before us as a nation, and our prayer for our Sovereign, his Royal Consort and the members of the Royal House is that they may be all guided by that wisdom that comes down from heaven.
Some Things We Would Wish Otherwise.
In connection with our preceding note we are not forgetful that it was at the beginning of King George’s reign the Protestant Accession Declaration was weakened because it gave offence to Roman Catholics. It is also regrettable that the King has not shown a more staunch attitude to Protestantism than he has done. His effort to conciliate his Roman Catholic subjects did not keep Southern Ireland from being to all practical purposes lost to the British Crown. In the same category may be placed his gratitude to the papal felicitations at the silver-jubilee. Courtesy did not demand such a warm expression of gratitude. The King in his telegram to the Pope said he was deeply touched by the extreme kindness of the Pope and he thanked him wholeheartedly for his prayers and good wishes. One misses in the Royal declarations and acknowledgments the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a so-called Christian country why should His name be banned on such an occasion? It is true that we have the acknowledgment of Almighty God but no mention is made of the Messiah’s name as far as we noticed either in the King’s addresses and acknowledgments, the address of the Archbishop of Canterbury or that of the Houses of Parliament; yet in all things He is to have the pre-eminence. The religious denominations held religious services on Sabbath (12th May) throughout the land and two days later there was a great state ball at Buckingham Palace.
Subsidising of Roman Catholic Teaching.
In one of the reports to be submitted to the Church of Scotland General Assembly, the Committee state, that the Act of 1918 “involved the subsidising by the State of Roman Catholic teaching; it brought about a very considerable enrichment of the Roman Catholic Church; and the resources thus secured had enabled it to develop its buildings and strengthen its position in Scotland.” We have heard good Free Presbyterians say that they are not responsible in thus helping Rome to set up its palatial schools where the Roman Catholic faith according to the 1918 Act must be taught and in building expensive places of worship, but we cannot shake off our responsibility in this way. In 1902 the English Non-Conformists refused to pay the Education rate and compelled the Government to bring in a new Education Act. The Committee give an account of the vast sums of money which the Church of Rome has received since 1918. We hope to return to this important matter again when the Report will be dealt with at fuller length.
The Year of Jubilee.
The Sovereign Grace Union (31 Imperial Buildings, Ludgate Circus, London, E.C.4), has published a booklet as a souvenir of the King’s Silver-Jubilee. It contains an explanation of, or rather a meditation on, the year of jubilee by Dean Law in his crisp, characteristic style. Spurgeon pithily remarked of this Evangelical preacher of the Church of England: “Law is full of the Gospel.” Many of our readers are well acquainted with his writings on the books of Moses. In addition to Dean Law’s meditation there is a striking sermon on the “King of kings” by Joseph Hart. It is well that the thoughts of the people of the British Empire should be turned to God’s Anointed while they are paying homage to their earthly monarch.
Playing the Fool.
Some men take naturally to playing the part of clowns. This was impressed upon us recently on receiving a marked copy of the Bulletin (Glasgow) sent by a friend in which there appears the photograph of the Rev. R. A. Trotter, Perth, dressed as a clown and riding on an ass. As far as appearances go the ass has the best of it. Mr. Trotter captained a team of ministers against the police in a charity football cup-tie at Perth. He evidently acted his part as if born to it for the newspaper says he did so “much to the amusement of the spectators.” What were these ministers doing on the football field? And has the office of the ministry fallen so low in the Church of Scotland that one of her ministers would so conduct himself as Mr. Trotter has done?
Eliminating Cant.
In the same issue of the Bulletin referred to in the foregoing note there is a highly eulogistic sketch of Rev. Alexander Carlyle, known in his own day as “Jupiter” Carlyle. Carlyle was one of those dry and arid Moderates who nearly extinguished the spiritual life in the Church of Scotland at the end of eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries. He was a lover of what is called good fellowship and was more concerned to enjoy the company of the world (playwrights, novelists, actors, etc.) than that of the Lord’s people as his autobiography makes very clear. According to the Bulletin writer: “It was in this his greatness lay. For surely greatness must be conceded to a man who strove successfully to eliminate cant and narrow-mindedness from the ministry of the Kirk, and who by his own example showed that a man could keep his humanity and his joy of life, and at the same time be a good Christian and a worthy minister of the gospel.” We do not know who the writer is but whatever qualifications he may have to write a laudatory sketch of a Moderate minister he is entirely ignorant of the New Testament standard of greatness.
Is Scotland Christian?
Sometimes as we read of certain happenings in our native land we wonder if it is? The other week our eye caught this heading in the correspondence columns of the Glasgow Herald. Thinking it dealt with some anti-Christian practices in Scotland we read the letter when to our amazement the writer founded his charge on the non-observance of such church festivals as Christmas and Easter. Things have come to a fine pass when the observance of these festivals should be regarded as a mark of Christianity. There are countries that could be easily mentioned where Christmas and Easter are carefully observed but where Christianity is enveloped with the grave clothes of the dead. The writer of the letter professes to have seen a lot of the world. It is pitiable that such views should be held by one professing to be more enlightened than those who have no place in their ecclesiastical year for either Christmas or Easter and who can easily give an answer both from the Bible and the history of the Church for their attitude.
Playing with High Explosives.
In a former issue reference was made to the reception to be given by the Town Council of Edinburgh to a Roman Catholic young men’s association visiting the city. Considerable feeling was caused over the Town Council’s action and great crowds congregated in the streets. The Lord Provost went out of his way to issue a warning in which he stressed the responsibility of those who incited the people to violence. We hold no brief for the Protestant Action Society nor for those like-minded with them but we have not the slightest hesitation in saying that the Lord Provost by his action would have been the real instigator to violence had blood been shed. It was his warning we have no doubt that collected the “rascal multitude” as John Knox called those whose Protestantism was as much a minus quality as that of the magistrates of Edinburgh. Many of these who acted unbecomingly were there because they dearly loved a fight and they very nearly had their heart’s delight. The excitement caused and the large gathering of people are warnings to the Town Council of Edinburgh and other Town Councils who imagine that Protestantism in these days is as spineless as their own. The menacing situation in Edinburgh is a red light that should be given heed to.