A Letter by the Rev. D. Macfarlane to Principal Whyte, Edinburgh.—Mr. Macfarlane has handed us the following letter, which he addressed some time ago to Principal Whyte, of the United Free Church College, Edinburgh. Last winter Mr. Macfarlane delivered a sermon in which he condemned the views of Dr. Whyte, as expressed in a discourse entitled “The Re-Union of Christendom.” A report of Mr. Macfarlane’s sermon was published in the North Star, a copy of which was sent Dr. Whyte, who responded by sending Mr. Macfarlane his book on “Thomas Shepard, the New England Divine.” Mr. Macfarlane read the book, and was much grieved to find in it unwarrantable commendations of prominent persons in the Church of Rome, and of some of the practices which obtain in that body. This moved him to write, as a matter of conscientious duty, the following pointed and faithful letter, to which he has received no answer:—
“FREE PRESBYTERIAN MANSE,
DINGWALL, 23rd February, 1910.
REV. AND DEAR SIR,—I beg to acknowledge receipt of your book on ‘Thomas Shepard,’ which you kindly sent me some time ago, and for which I thank you.
There are some good things in the volume, but there are other things which are of a different character. Indeed, there is in it a strange mixture of heterogeneous elements. If I did not know who was the author of the book, I would conclude, from the artful way in which Popish elements are introduced into some of the lectures, that it was written by a Jesuit. For instance, you associate Cardinal Newman, Dr. Pusey, and Santa Teresa—a Spanish nun—with the Apostle Paul, Luther, Shepard,
Rutherford, and other true Christians, as authorities on Christian doctrine and experience! Now, any man who knows the history of Newman and Pusey must know that they were notorious hypocrites. In proof of this, I cite themselves as witnesses. Newman confessed that he held office in the Protestant Church for twelve years as a concealed priest; and Pusey, speaking of his Romanising work in the Church of England, said, ‘We put the leaven into the meal, and waited to see what would come of it.’ You, knowing all this, speak of these treacherous men as authorities on Christian doctrine and experience! Again, on page 63 of your book, where you speak of the picture of Jesus Christ, you teach Popish idolatry. The second Commandment forbids the worshipping of God by images. And yet you advised your congregation to do what God forbids! Where was the intelligence of your hearers when there was none to stand up in the church to protest against your idolatrous teaching? As an introduction to this element of Popery, you spoke of the godly Durham causing a study to be made on the head of the stair, where he gave himself to spiritual reading and prayer. You know that he had no picture of Jesus Christ in his study to remind him of his duty to pray. He was not an idolater, like your friend, whom you associate with him in order, it would appear, to make your Popish teaching more acceptable to your congregation. Was not this the reason? Let conscience answer.
In addition to many objectionable things in your book—a few of which I have pointed out—allow me to say that I cannot reconcile your profession of Protestantism with your advocacy of union with the Church of Rome, which you boldly do in your sermon on the ‘Re-Union of Christendom.’ In seeking union with the apostate Church of Rome you, so far, serve that Church while in the pay of a Protestant Church! Your conduct in this respect is strangely inconsistent with your profession of Protestantism, as well as with your high position now as Principal of a Protestant College, where your influence over the students will be great, either for good or evil. As you are so fond of joining the Church of Rome, the honest course for you to take would be to walk over at once to that Church, and not to wait till you bring others along with you. If you do so, the cause of Christ will not, in my opinion, suffer any loss. All the loss shall be your own. May God in mercy bring you, by the teaching of His Spirit, to see the error of your way ere it be too late!
I shall be glad to hear what you have to say in reply to my letter.—Yours faithfully,
D. MACFARLANE.”
Spanish Barbarism in England.—The King and Queen of Spain were in England in the month of August, and were entertained to games at Eaton. One of the games, which was given as “a novel and amusing surprise” to the Royal guests, was “a burlesque bull-fight,” carried out by distinguished personages
such as the Duke of Westminster, Lord Shrewsbury, Lord Herbert, the Hon. A. Stanley, and others. Most sensible people in this country shudder with horror when they hear of bull-fights in Spain and think of the barbaric cruelty of these performances, and they will consider it a very unchristian thing to make a bull-fight a matter of amusement, as has been done by people in polite English society on this occasion. The very idea of a bull-fight should be banned out of civilisation. It bespeaks a low state of moral sensibility when a barbaric practice of this kind could even be simulated by respectable Englishmen. It is feared that when the shadow is attractive, the reality is not unpleasing. The shadow is also apt to be followed by the reality. This development would not be out of harmony with the growing love of coarse recreation which is to be seen in our country.
Dishonouring Christ.—The world has invented many forms to dishonour Christ and His work, but one of the most hateful is the one presently in vogue. For some months past the advertising columns of the public press and religious journals have been drawing attention to the Passion Play at Oberammergau. This is a representation of the solemn events leading up to the death of Christ acted by Bavarian peasants. In the darkness and superstition of the Middle Ages such displays and trifling with the solemnities of our faith were common enough. But it was reserved for this enlightened twentieth century, with all its boasted religious progress, to gather men and women to witness what we have no hesitation in saying is a daring insult to all that is sacred. The spiritual obtuseness that can make such spectacles possible is appalling, and when it is remembered that so-called Protestants eagerly wend their way to Oberammergau one is amazed, and their conduct would appear inexplicable were it not written that there should be mockers in the last time. The whole proceedings are a daring outrage of heaven.
The Waldenses.—Mr. J. Forbes Moncrieff has reissued his interesting pamphlet entitled Faithful for Centuries. It was delivered as a lecture to young people, and is admirably suited to bring before those still young in years the thrilling story of the Waldenses. Rome appears here in the role predicted by the Patmos seer as drunk with the blood of the saints. It is a noble history, full of incident, heroic endeavour and steadfast adherence to the truth of Christ. It is by familiarising our young people with such history that a spirit of hatred to the teaching and methods of Rome will be begotten that will not die with advancing years.