PASTOR CHINQUY TO VISIT THIS COUNTRY.
The venerable Dr. Charles Chiniquy, the author of “Fifty Years in the Church of Rome,” who is now in his eighty-eighth year, has once more crossed the Atlantic. He is at present in England and is expected to be in Scotland from the 14th to the 30th November. He will address meetings in connection with the Scottish Protestant Alliance, Glasgow, and the Scottish Reformation Society, Edinburgh. His presence in this country will be welcomed by all true Protestants, and we trust it will bear fruit in putting to shame the indifference and rousing into life the energies of multitudes who are only Protestants in name.
ABERDEEN BIBLICAL CRITICISM CHAIR.
The Aberdeen University Court have approved the appointment of the Rev. Paton Gloag, D.D., formerly of Galashiels, as Substitute-Professor of Biblical Criticism, pending the final settlement of the case of Professor Johnston. This appointment, we learn, is regarded with satisfaction by Professor Johnston himself.
WHERE IS PRINCIPLE OR PROTESTANTISM?
Rev. Dr. Rankin, Established Church, Muthil, Perthshire, said the other day at a meeting of the Auchterarder Presbytery, that if he were living in England he would “associate himself with the National Church of that country,” and “if he were living, say, in Germany or France he would associate himself with the Roman Catholic Church.”
THE DEEPENING OF SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Meetings for this purpose have lately been held in the Free Church, Pollokshields, Glasgow. No doubt the Scriptures were read at these meetings, and therefore some good may have been done; but we are extremely sceptical on this point. We remember to have read of a meeting which once took place—a small meeting, but one which resulted in a great deepening of spiritual life. It was in the case of the two poor men who walked on a Sabbath evening from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were joined by a Stranger who knew them to stand greatly in need of a deepening of their spiritual life. Did He ply them with emotional hymns or sweet sounds from the throat of the organ? Not at all. He addressed Himself to their understanding, “Then,” it is said “opened he their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.” “Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” But if the devout people of Pollokshields will say that they desire nothing better at their meetings than the presence of this Heavenly Stranger, then we may remind them that there are many reasons why He should not come. For is not this He whose spiritual worship they and their leaders have carnalised by organ music and other human devices? Is not this He whose Old Testament the chief men of the Free Church have declared to be stored with pious frauds, inaccuracies, and blunders; and have the devout people of Pollokshields at all purged themselves from complicity with these anti-Christian teachers? Till they repair this dishonour done to the worship and word of Christ, we fear any supposed deepening of spiritual life which they may experience is only a delusion. Vainly at ordinary or extraordinary religious services will the Gospel be proclaimed. The hearers will make light of it—one will go to his novel, another to his merchandise; and, indeed, in the case of the services we have spoken of we have proof that one of the ministers assisting thereat betook himself shortly afterwards to the study of light literature. Concerning this matter see the following note:—
THE VERSATILITY OF DR. STALKER.
One of the speakers at the above-mentioned meetings for the deepening of spiritual life was Dr. Stalker, minister of Free St. Matthew’s, Glasgow. This, of course, is all right, for is he not a Doctor of Divinity? Mark, however, the sequel. As we were passing along the street one day lately, we espied a poster announcing a meeting of a west-end society of literature and art. Dr. Stalker occupied the place of honour on this poster, being booked for a lecture on the opening night, and what, pray you, was his subject? “The gayer comedies of Shakespeare!” Here, thought we, is versatility, here is a man that can turn his hand to anything. Yesterday it was the “deepening of spiritual life,” to-day it is the “comedies of Shakespeare.” Shall we praise Dr. Stalker in this? We praise him not. If a Methodist preacher should be seen the one week immersed in revival meetings, the next week bustling about to organize a dog show, would not the neighbours think his conduct odd? Would they not ask themselves which is the real man, the dog fancier or the revival preacher? Even so, Dr. Stalker’s wild transition from the deepening of spiritual life to the comedies of Shakespeare awakens questions of a significant character. If Dr. Stalker has a theory that the two spheres are quite compatible, and that it is quite proper for a minister of the Gospel to be busy in both, let him put the matter to the proof by transposing things a little. The next time he has a meeting for deepening of spiritual life on hand, let him, after devotional exercises, read and expound the “Merry Wives of Windsor,” likewise the next time he is to address a west-end society of literateurs and artists, let him, after singing a psalm, give a Bible reading from the 8th of the Romans. Will he not become the talk of the town? Will he not be esteemed out of his wits? Let Dr. Stalker recollect himself a little. Nothing but harm can come from attempting to fuse together the Church and the world. Not a spiritualised world, but a secularised Church will be the result.
ROMISH INFLUENCE IN THE PRESS.
Archdeacon Sinclair, London, in an article in the English Churchman says:—”Never were Roman Catholics more active or more hopeful. Their influence in the London press is immense. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for anything to be inserted in the London newspapers which would damage or expose their policy. On the other hand, they are influencing the Church of England from within. Many of our clergy are in their service, and openly pray for the Pope; many others are in constant communication with them, adopt their dress, sustain themselves on their literature, are inspired by their policy, and teach their doctrines.”
AN AMERICAN ON PRESENT-DAY SCOTTISH DIVINES.
The American correspondent of the Bulwark thus writes:—The cause of Protestantism and evangelical truth is not served by the men Scotland sends over here to visit our people and ventilate their rationalism. Your “kailyaird” literature, pathetic though it be . . . will not compensate for the rationalism and looseness of the views on inspiration brought here by your divines, who rush to tell benighted Presbyterian and Congregational students in Union, Yale, Auburn, and Chicago theological schools that the Old Testament is largely mythical, that Moses was not (in any sense intelligible to an Anglo-Saxon) the author of the Pentateuch, that David wrote few or none of the Psalms, that it matters not whether there were two or half a dozen of Isaiahs, that Daniel is an invention of the Maccabean age, John an allegory, and Zechariah a Janus with at least two minds. What good is this farrago of theological fancies to do in evangelising the great West or in ministering comfort to wounded hearts? If Scotland cannot send us men of faith, conservative of Bible truth, don’t let her send us loose divines to unsettle the minds of simple Christians. In Germany these speculations are confined to the universities. Here they are blown as with trumpet blast into almost every Christian home. America has an ample supply of loose thinkers of her own, without needing to import more of them from Scotland. . . Keep the brambles of scholarly scepticism and anti-supernaturalism to yourselves.
MEETING OF FREE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.
The Synod met in Fraser Street Church, Inverness, on the evening of September 29th. Rev. Don. Macfarlane, as retiring moderator, preached from Hebrews viii. 8-12. The Rev. Alex. Macrae, Kames, was elected moderator. The chief business of general interest was a discussion as to the training of the Theological students connected with the Church. It was the opinion, if at all possible, they should be trained at home. Some suggested the immediate appointment of professors, and the names of Revs. J. R. Mackay, Gairloch, and John Macleod, probationer, were mentioned. This proposal was not formally adopted, but it was decided to appoint a committee to make provisional arrangements for the theological instruction of the students during the coming winter by the ministers named. Among other collections, one was appointed to be taken for Foreign Missions. The Synod was encouraged to do this in view of the fact that Mr. John Radasi, a young native of Kaffir land, South Africa, had been formally accepted as a student of the Church. He looks forward to mission work among his fellow-countrymen as his future sphere of labour.