The Harvest.—The God of providence and the upholder of man and beast, has promised “seed time and harvest”; but we must not forget that He as sovereign ruler over all and all things, withholds temporal favours from whom, when, and where, He pleases; and especially in the case of those who provoke the eyes of His glory by their wickedness. It is therefore not to be wondered at, that throughout the British Isles this Autumn, harvesting conditions were difficult and most discouraging at times, because of adverse weather. And it is cause for wonder and deep gratitude to the Most High that, after all, in face of our national sins, the fruits of the earth this year have been plentiful and a large percentage gathered in safely. We would repeat past warnings against harvesting work on the Lord’s Day. It is contrary to God’s Word and the Moral Law; and let us guard against modern arguments for this sad declension from the ways of righteousness.
Highland Socialist Conference on Lord’s Day.—Socialists in the North of Scotland held a conference in Inverness, during September, and on the Lord’s Day, beginning at 11 a.m., while others in the Capital of the Highlands were commencing divine worship. The organisers of and participants in, this political meeting of a protracted nature, were doing themselves and their political cause most serious harm, to say the least of it. They failed to remember the Sabbath Day, they diverted it to worldly activities and purposes, they violated the law of God, they sinned and that boldly.
The Scriptures make known to us that the curse of God lies upon impenitent transgressors of His holy, just and good law; and the Fourth Commandment is at the very centre of that law. Those who do such things and take pleasure in them, can rest assured that they are lightly esteemed by Him who knows their lying down and rising up, and who will in no wise clear the guilty. Those at the Conference needed not one day in seven to concern themselves with the needs of their souls. Apparently, the material “heaven on earth,” which many to-day desire before all else, requires the elimination of the Christian Sabbath; which is an earnest of the rest that remaineth to the people of God in the heaven which God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, has prepared for them in Eternity. Christ says: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you.” But how lamentable it is to have to record that the Socialist party in the Highlands of Scotland have embodied in their creed, “Seek ye first the things that are seen and temporal,” by this official and public disregard of God’s claims. We wonder what the clergyman who is the prospective Socialist candidate for Caithness and Sutherland, has to say on the matter.
The World Council of Churches Looking to Rome.—The following statement is taken from the Gospel Witness and Protestant Advocate (Toronto), and should be of interest to our readers, who may have seen references in the press during August to different meetings of Church Councils, at Amsterdam, Holland. Will readers note that the International Council of Christian Churches referred to, professes to adhere to the Bible as the Word of God and is anti-modernistic. The World Council was of a different character as can be seen by the report herewith given:—
“The newspapers of last week all carried news items about two councils of churches holding sessions in Amsterdam, Holland. The International Council of Christian Churches with representatives from twenty-six countries and sixty religious bodies, has elected as president, Dr. Carl McIntire, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Collingswood, New Jersey. Dr. McIntire is a former president of the American Council of Christian Churches. The International Council of Christian Churches has by resolution declared its purpose to ‘foster a loyal and aggressive revival of Bible Christianity all over the world . . . and to seek to awaken Christians everywhere to the insidious dangers of modernism and Roman Catholicism. . . .’ It described the World Council as ‘radically modernistic, anti-Biblical, anti-evangelical and un-Protestant,’ and its leaders as ‘some of the most notorious and near-blasphemous unbelievers of the day. It deplored the fact that the Greek Orthodox Church was affiliated with the World Council, which had also extended an invitation to the Roman Church to participate in its sessions.”
“This is strong language to use, but the evidence shows it is in conformity with the truth. We believe that the International Council will do good work in laying bare the festering sore of unbelief in modern churches and in diagnosing the cause of its morbid hankering after Rome. News dispatches from Amsterdam dated August 22, reporting the meetings of the World Council of Churches, give the following information:—The Roman Catholic Church elected not to send any delegates on the ground that direct representation would be incompatible with tenets of the Vatican, but it has nominated observers. A pastoral letter addressed to Dutch Catholics said the unity Christ wanted could be found only in the Roman Catholic Church. The letter urged Catholics to pray for the Council conferees and their communicants, who, ‘longing for unity, and though separated from the flock of Christ, are looking up—perhaps often unconsciously—to the Church as the only harbour.'”
“What could constitute a stronger condemnation of the attitude of the World Council of Churches than the pastoral letter addressed to Dutch Roman Catholics by their bishops, who observe that those who participate in the World Council of Churches ‘are looking up—perhaps often unconsciously—to the (Roman) Church as the only harbour’? We wonder what answer the delegates at Amsterdam from the United Church of Canada have made to this. Do our Canadian and American Church people realize what their leaders are doing at Amsterdam and whether they are headed?”
“Of course it will be said that Rome is not participating in the World Council at Amsterdam, but that does not change the fact that it was invited by so-called Protestants. Nor ought its refusal to send delegates blind our eyes to the fact that ‘observers’ are to be sent by it. As an evangelical French pastor remarks: ‘What will Rome do at Amsterdam? Its position does not change: it does not parley; you cannot discuss matters with Rome, you submit! But it sends its mouthpieces hither and yon to state its point of view, to accelerate the evolution, to catalyze the movement towards Rome. That is less compromising, much more efficacious, and up to now it has succeeded well enough. Why change its method? It does not act on the stage in the bright light that beats down on public discussions, but behind the scenes, hoping thus to draw all possible advantages from Protestant unbelief. Rome displays ‘an extraordinary, prodigious interest’ in the ecumenical movement’—(Le cri d’alarme, Pastor W. H. Gueton).”
“With this Methodist pastor in France we heartily agree: ‘What Protestantism the world over needs is not the modernistic and Romanizing Ecumenicalism which kills, but an evangelical revival which will make it live.'”
I am very fully persuaded that no man can either think or speak of me and my works with so much disregard and contempt as I myself, from my soul, both think and speak; and having in no respect any other expectation than that of contempt to myself and name, providing divine truth be promoted, all these considerations had long ago become not only of small consequence to me, but appeared as the merest trifles. For why should we be anxious about what shall become of ourselves or our names; if only we commend our souls unto God, as to a faithful Creator, in well-doing, and by continuing in well-doing stop the mouths of ignorant babblers? God careth for us; let us cast our burdens upon Him, and He will sustain us. Let but the truth triumph, have free course and be glorified; let wretched sinners learn daily more and more of fellowship with Christ in His sufferings . . . and become willing people in the day of His power, and in the beauty of holiness, and I shall very little regard being judges of men’s judgment.—Dr. Owen.