THE Scottish Church Society held their annual breakfast meeting on 29th May, during the sitting of the Assemblies. Dr. Macleod, Govan, presided, and there was an attendance of about eighty ladies and gentlemen. This society is a powerful agent in the propagation of ritualism in the Established Church, and has been referred to several times in these columns. Dr. Macleod in his address referred to Dr. Bruce’s book “With Open Face,” and naturally enough, from his own High Church point of view, took exception to the rationalistic principles that find scope in that pernicious book. But he also expressed regret that the Church of England should treat in so unworthy a spirit the question of the restoration of better relations between herself and her sister Church of Scotland. This shows that the Scottish Church Society are tired of simple Presbyterianism, and are longing for union with Episcopacy. Dr. Cooper, Aberdeen, presented the annual report. This gentleman issued a pamphlet some time ago, in which the erecting of crosses and communion altars, the false doctrine of baptismal regeneration, and several other things of a Romanising tendency, were advocated. The society complains of persistent misrepresentation. We fear that the truth has got out in spite of their professedly spiritual and evangelical sympathies. Their church buildings and ceremonies, hymns, music, reading of prayers, processions, altars, doctrinal views, all proclaim that they are not much better than Episcopalians or Romanists.
Another society belonging to the same Church, and denominated “The National Church Union,” held its first annual meeting on 31st May, in Old Greyfriars’ Church, Edinburgh. Dr. Macquisten, Inverkip, presided, and there was an attendance of between forty and fifty. Some apologies for absence were intimated. This society embraces the infidel or rationalistic section of the Church. It has sprung into existence within the last year, and has been dubbed the Robinson Defence Association, because its members have strongly sympathised with the now deposed minister of Kilmun.
The chairman, in his opening remarks, said that the freedom of interpretation which the Church of Scotland had enjoyed during the last generation had been in great measure the secret of her success and prosperity. The Church had practised, except in one instance, a judicious policy of non-interference, trusting largely to the honour and good sense of her members, abstaining from heresy hunts, and from inquisitorial repression of honest conviction, and the result had been so far satisfactory. There had sprung up, however, of late years a movement that looked like a recrudescence of the old mediæval spirit, with its exclusive dogmatism, its impatience of rational inquiry, and its inordinate deference to the authority of mere tradition. It was not in that direction that the safety of the Church of Scotland lay. It lay rather in comprehensiveness, in a general welcome to all who would work with them towards the supreme end for which the Church existed, without exacting rigid concurrence of opinion, if only in the main there was substantial agreement. He said that the Confession of Faith had been written before the dawn of the science of historic criticism, and that divergence of opinion had arisen as the growth of an age more enlightened and humane than when the Confession was framed. Of course, there was little chance of their ever getting another Confession. To ask for that would be equivalent to asking for the establishment of a new church, and the days for establishing new churches were gone. Nor was it likely that any spick-and-span new creed could be concocted every day that would please everybody. Divergence of opinion would again spring up on a scale more or less extensive. But, although they might not expect a new creed, might they not expect some modification of the tie that bound to the present creed, some alteration in the terms of subscription, some relaxation of the hard-and-fast line that had hitherto been in use! He urged the members of the Union to ascertain if the Church herself was competent to revise the formula, and if not, to consider how best to approach Parliament on the subject. The other two Churches could hardly raise any objections as they themselves had Declaratory Acts already.
Rev. James Murray, Kilmalcolm (secretary), said that the Assembly in Mr. Robinson’s case had taken a distinctly reactionary step. They had lessened the liberty that the ministers had previously enjoyed in the Church of Scotland. The Church must have alienated from her some of the best minds in Scotland by her decision.
Rev. T. S. Marjoribanks, Prestonkirk, said that the keynote of the society was toleration. He made reference to the Kilmun case. Mr. Robinson was labelled as being unsound upon the authenticity of the Gospels, but he ventured to say that in the ordinary acceptance of the word authenticity there was not an educated man in the country who believed in their authenticity. Then, again, Mr. Robinson had been pronounced as unsound on the question of miracles. He would take only one aspect of the question. In all three Gospels they had, beyond any possibility of denial, the evidences of a complete belief in the possession of people by demons. But did anyone believe now that a devil was cast out of anybody in the Gospel history in a strict sense? Would anyone for a moment, even the most orthodox, declare their belief that a whole legion of devils was cast out of one solitary individual, and sent into an innocent herd of swine to be the means of their destruction? It came to this, then, if they were to believe strictly and literally in the miracles as recorded, they must believe in the possession of human beings by demons, which nobody did. After referring to the charge against Mr. Robinson of unsoundness in regard to the Sacraments, and the existence of views about these ordinances in some quarters, on which he believed the Church would disown, he concluded by saying that there was no warrant whatsoever, except the fiat of a few men, for putting the points he had mentioned down as cardinal points of the Christian faith. After some further speeches, and the adoption of a resolution embodying the course of action recommended by the chairman, the meeting terminated.
Little comment is needed on the above proceedings, which speak for themselves. We delight to believe in the out-and-out authenticity of the Gospels, and “strictly and literally in the miracles as recorded.” It is also our belief that the devil does his very utmost to make his dupes and captives (which we are all by nature, and continue to be, if not born of the Spirit) to disbelieve his own existence and the existence of his agents. This he does in order that he may have a mightier influence over men, and succeed in getting them to call light darkness, and darkness light. That the above society is one of Satan’s agencies, and possessed by the demon of infidelity, no enlightened or spiritually educated mind can fail to observe.
ALL the flagitious sins, that the world is filled withal, are not a greater evidence of the degeneracy of the Christian religion than this is, that it is grown unusual, yea, a shame or scorn, for men to speak together of the things of God.—Dr. John Owen.
DON’T be throwing stones at others, lest you dislocate your own arm.—John Tait, “Ministers and Men.”