“First maps of Britain chart a Catholic plot”
THE first modern maps of Britain, drawn up by the Scottish cartographer John Elder in 1564, were almost certainly prepared not for administrative reasons, but to help the Roman Catholic countries of Spain and France to invade Britain and overthrow the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I of England. This is the opinion of Dr Peter Barber, deputy map librarian of the British Library, which has recently bought the maps for £700,000. John Elder, a tutor to Lord Darnley, Mary Queen of Scots husband, was a staunch Roman Catholic who was keen to see the overthrow of Elizabeth. The map gives evidence of a Roman plot. Dr Barber, who has researched the subject, says that the map shows in detail the names and areas controlled by Catholic clans in Scotland and Ireland, and many monastic institutions, while more important settlements were left off. “What we have here,” he said, “is not a true map of Elizabethan England, but a map of how Elder saw a Catholic England under Mary Tudor.”
Twenty-four years later, Rome was confident of success, through Philip II of Spain, in invading and subjugating Britain, but the galleons of Philip’s armada met with disaster. “God blew with His winds and they were scattered.” So read the inscription on Elizabeth’s commemorative medal.
Rome has not ceased to plot, in her burning ambition to have Britain as “Mary’s dowry”, and there is no lack of evidence to show that she is making significant progress. Plainly, our duty is to pray for the preservation of our Protestant constitution, for the downfall of the “man of sin”, and for the light of the true gospel to shine upon the multitudes being duped by Rome. ☐
“Cardinal preaches in St Giles, Edinburgh”
ANOTHER significant step in Rome’s progress in our land is that Cardinal Thomas Winning preached in St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, at the end of May. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that a Roman Catholic priest has preached in this Reformation landmark. “How is the gold become dim!” And how sad to think that the church where such illustrious men of God as John Knox, Robert Bruce and Alexander Henderson, exercised their ministries, should be given to the Roman hierarchy to use as a platform for its propaganda.
Knox and those other men of God faithfully wrought and fought for the true faith, and against the errors of Rome, to the incalculable spiritual benefit of succeeding generations. But this is a generation which blatantly despises its birthright. May our eyes be opened to realise the dreadful loss we are bringing upon ourselves by succumbing to ecumenicism. ☐
“Commemorating the establishment of Christianity in Britain”
WE have been informed repeatedly by the press in recent weeks that it was Augustine who brought Christianity to Britain when he came from Rome to Canterbury 1400 years ago. The fact is that Christianity came to England long before that time and the Christian Celtic Church was established in both England and Scotland when Augustine came to Canterbury.
In any case the religion which Augustine brought to Britain was not Biblical Christianity but the erroneous, superstitious, ritualistic religion of Pope Gregory I, who had sent Augustine (not to be confused with Augustine of Hippo, author of The City of God) to these shores in 597.
Augustine’s mission was to bring the Celtic Church under Papal dominion, and also to win over the pagans who were not yet Christianised. Sad to say, although the Celtic Church resisted Augustine’s imperious demands, it eventually was defeated by Rome – bringing gross darkness upon the people for the long centuries of the Dark Ages.
We are heirs of the bright gospel light which dawned upon the nation at the Reformation. Then there was the wounding of the beast, but we fear that we are seeing the fulfilment of the Scripture: “and his deadly wound was healed,” Rev. 13.3. For how long are we to have the light? Let us seek earnestly that it will be preserved among us, and shine out from us. ☐