A Significant Testimony.
A SIGNIFICANT TESTIMONY.—The Christian News—the organ of the Evangelical Union (otherwise known as the Morisonians), says that the Free Church Declaratory Act embodies the (Arminian) doctrines which have been contended for in the columns of that paper for the last fifty years.
More Labour in the Fire.
MORE LABOUR IN THE FIRE.—Arrangements, we understand, have been made by the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh to conduct a ten days’ evangelistic mission in that city. Forty-three ministers outside the bounds have promised to assist. Let the forty-three however do their best, the result will be the same, viz.:—nothing. Free Church Presbyteries who essay evangelistic enterprises, must be admonished that there is a previous question which stands in the way. Before they attempt to evangelise others, let them evangelise themselves. Let the heads and chiefs of the Church repent of their manifold backslidings since 1863, or earlier, when they lapsed into Voluntaryism, and after that, swallowed hymns and organs, and finally, perfected their fall by giving place in the Church to those who rob Christ of His glory and destroy the foundation of all evangelistic work. It is in vain to affect zeal for the salvation of souls, while those who insult the majesty of Christ sit in the high places of the Church. There is no other Christ to save souls in Edinburgh but the Christ who has staked His infallibility on the Mosaic account of the fall, or Isaiah’s true and proper authorship of the whole book which bears his name, and as long as Professors Henry Drummond and Geo. Adam Smith are calmly allowed to give Christ the lie in these respects, it is perfectly in vain for the Free Church to play at evangelistic work in Edinburgh or elsewhere.
A Deceitful Interpretation.
A DECEITFUL INTERPRETATION.—The Rev. W. J. Dawson, the editor of the Young Man, replying to a correspondent, informs him that St. John’s declaration—that the “whole world lieth in wickedness” is merely a historical note describing the condition of society in the Roman Empire. Things, he intimates, have much improved since the apostle penned the words, and to read them as if they applied in all their force to our refined and civilised age, would, he says, be quite a mistake. This is a very deceitful interpretation, but nevertheless the only one which the editor of the Young Man could well make. For the religion which he represents lives, moves, and has its being in the world—a refined artistic world it may be—but still the world which is not of the Father. The Christ whom this modern religious world worships is a Christ who can agree well with wholesale novel reading and sensuous worship, but this is not He that was revealed to Bunyan, Augustine, or Rutherford. This is not the Christ that was burnt at Smithfield or beheaded in the Grass-market. Let Mr. Dawson distinguish as he may the nineteenth century from the first, it is certain the depravity of the last age is as deep and deadly as that of the first. To the true Christian it is still the world that lieth in wickedness, the world where our Lord was crucified, and the world which is still at mortal feud with all that savours of vital religion.
Cardinal Manning’s Fanatical Zeal.
CARDINAL MANNING’S FANATICAL ZEAL.—The Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, writing on the Cardinal in the Methodist Times, says:—”I was simply horrified at the calmness with which he [Dr. Manning] declared that he would be willing to deluge the whole of Europe with blood in order to destroy the unity of Italy, and recover the Temporal Power of the Pope. He also expressed a conviction that the German Empire was very insecure, and would probably be shattered in the course of the great war which he prophesied would destroy both the unity of Germany and the unity of Italy in order to restore the Pope to the throne of Rome.” We thus learn what the Papacy is evidently bent on bringing about, viz., a Continental war, in the interests of the Temporal Power. Luther, in one of his sarcastic pieces against the Pope, says, “I salute thee Peter, King of Sicily and fisherman at Bethsaida.” We quite believe the loss of his temporalities is an irksome thing to the successor of St. Peter. Nor with such a cause of offence rankling in his mind is the peace of the nations at all secure. It is the part of a wise man to have an awe of the power—the real superhuman power which is lodged in the Papacy. We firmly believe a day of trial is hastening on for Protestant Churches and Protestant States, when they will once again have to rescue their liberties at a costly rate from this destroyer. Nor will the shallow, lukewarm, ill-instructed Protestantism of the most part of Protestants avail in that struggle, for the river of temptation will be deep and strong, and all the patrons of a sensuous worship, all lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, all degenerate Protestants who have schemed and plotted how to make money instead of to grow in grace, shall be drawn in and overwhelmed either by reason of their lusts or their fears, and none shall stand the trial save they who have a real spiritual revelation of Christ.
The Case of Professor Johnston.
THE CASE OF PROFESSOR JOHNSTON.—The decision of the Aberdeen University Court Committee has been adverse to the Professor, and wholly in favour of the students. The sole charge, however, established against him is want of method in his lectures, while the complaint of inadequacy, a much more important one, has failed. Several witnesses of good standing testified that his lectures were both methodical and adequate, while they also bore testimony to the unruly and disgraceful behaviour of the students. One witness especially, Rev. John Mackay, Carie, Killin, gave very decided evidence in favour of the Professor and against the students. Notwithstanding all this, the committee have recommended the Court to ask Professor Johnston to retire, and that solely upon the ground of lack of method in his lectures, which they construe as an incapacity in the part of the Professor to teach. This construction is a very questionable one, for it is almost impossible for the most highly skilled Professor to compel students to accept views they are prejudiced against. And even if the Professor lacked method, is not the loss of his chair too high a penalty? Would not some friendly advice be the better way to meet the case? But the root of the whole matter is just this, that Professor Johnston is too sound in the faith, and too decided an opponent of modern rationalistic views to be tolerated by our new divinity students, or for that matter, new divinity professors. On the other hand, if he had been an adept at tearing the books of the Old Testament into a hundred fragments, and assigning to each an imaginary author, after the manner of the “higher” critics, he would have been extolled as a great light, and nothing would have been heard of this case. The matter, however, is not yet finally settled, and it is to be hoped that the Established Church will refuse the unprecedented distinction, or rather—dishonour, among the Churches, of consenting to the ejection from her staff of theological teachers of a man, whose greatest sin is his steadfast adherence to one of the fundamental principles of her own standards, viz., that the Bible is from beginning to end the infallible Word of God.
Opening of New Church at Oban.
OPENING OF NEW CHURCH AT OBAN.—We omitted to state in our last number that the new Free Presbyterian Church at Oban, was opened on Friday, 3rd July. The edifice, which is neat and comfortable, is capable of containing 240, and has a hall adjoining to seat about 60. The cost is about £800. The opening services were conducted by the Rev. J. R. Mackay, Gairloch. Mr. Mackay also preached on the following Sabbath. There were good attendances at all the services, and the collection on both days amounted in total to £66 12s.