The United Free Church and the Papacy.
A motion viewing with grave alarm the visits paid to the Pope by members of the Royal family was rejected by 43 votes to 32, on the 7th of June, 1951, at the General Assembly of the United Free Church of Scotland. Mr. J. A. Peterkin, submitting the motion on behalf of the Ayr Presbytery, said the visits were against the Protestant Constitution and the Covenanters, who had died for the Protestant faith. It seems that the members of this Presbytery were not unmindful of Covenanting history connected with Ayrshire in days gone by. But opposition to this desirable motion, on the floor of a professed Protestant Assembly, was forthcoming from a minister, the Rev. H. G. McCall, Alloa, who said that the matter was of little concern compared with the tremendous questions which the Church faced to-day. He referred to “our brothers and sisters of the Roman Catholic faith.” We need not repeat more of this clergyman’s utterances to recognise his utter lack of understanding of the value of a scriptural Protestantism on the one hand, and the danger of subtle and aggressive Romanism on the other. What, we ask, can be a more tremendous question than the now obvious and open endeavours of the Papacy, to acquire an undue influence with respect to the attitude of the Royal family to the See of Rome? And so, on this tremendous question, the majority carries the day in the United Free Church Assembly, against a reasonable and essential Protestant witness within her borders. We cannot expect anything of the nature of a faithful testimony on the side of Truth from such an Assembly. “Blind leaders of the blind.”
The King’s Illness.
At the beginning of June, His Majesty the King was taken ill with influenza and ordered to rest and cancel public engagements for a period. Prior to His Majesty’s illness, it had been arranged that he and the Queen should visit Northern Ireland. There was bomb-throwing at the British Embassy in Dublin and threats of danger to the King hinted at before the Ulster visit. The Queen and Princess Margaret carried out the engagements in Protestant Ulster in the absence of the King, and were given a warm welcome. The desperate South of Ireland Republican and Roman Catholic element would prevent, if they could, the Royal family from setting foot upon Ulster soil. They disown the King and would have others do likewise, if they had the power. Later, Princess Elizabeth was delegated to deputise for His Majesty at the ceremonial of the Trooping of the Colours, on the King’s birthday. And so the Most High is laying His hand upon the Royal family, once more, in adversity. They, on account of sins, even as others, are not immune from the rods of God, who ruleth over all and ever by His power. And Kings, as well as peasants, are called upon to hear the rod and who hath appointed it. Nevertheless, we desire a return to more robust health on the part of His Majesty, under the blessed hand of the divine physician, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church Giving Place to the World.
On the 30th May, the Church of England Guilford Diocesan Conference was held. Opening the Conference, the Bishop of Guilford apologised for holding it “on this particular day.” This particular day was the day when the Derby horse race was run. The Bishop said that the date of the next Conference was November 28th and that gave the opportunity for any individual member to give notice if it clashed with some important engagement such as a General Election, football match, or other event of importance. So it seems that business of a religious nature, in the view of this Bishop, must not be permitted to prevent his racing and football brethren from enjoying their fill of carnal and worldly pleasures. Thus, it is no surprise that tens of thousands attending the horse-racing events and football matches throughout the country, have no time for religion and no respect for the Church. Indeed, such, in multitudes of cases, consider themselves just as qualified for heaven as the pleasure-loving Bishops and clergymen of to-day. It appears as if the Bishop of Guilford had never read of Moses, who by faith abandoned the pleasures of sin which are but for a season.