Jubilee of the Bible Society of Scotland.—
It so happens that the Jubilee of the Bible Society of Scotland synchronises with the tercentenary of the translation of the Authorised Version. The event was celebrated by meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is a painful commentary on the trend of thought in Scotland, that at these meetings were men of advanced higher critical views and ritualistic tendencies, such as Dr. George Adam Smith and Rev. Lord William Cecil. The undisguised attack on the integrity of the Scriptures, by one of the speakers at the Edinburgh meeting, moved the Senatus of the Free Church College, who had sent representatives to the meeting, to send a strongly-worded protest to the Secretary of the National Bible Society of Scotland, in which they say:—”The inerrancy of Holy Scripture was scouted by one of the selected speakers in a manner singularly offensive, if not insulting; and so far from being held incompetent, it was received with plaudits.” This method of celebrating the work of the Bible Society in distributing the Word of God must afford sport to devils, but to believers in God’s Word its farcical element is lost in tragic infatuation that calls forth plaudits from those celebrators. We have travelled a long way from the position taken up by Dr. Andrew Thomson and Mr. Robert Haldane, who gave all the weight of their influence during the Apocrypha controversy, that the Word of God should go forth without the Apocrypha, and that Unitarians would not be asked to assist in the good work. Scholars with higher critical tendencies should be left to the seclusion of their own studies by the Directors of the Bible Society or, if not, it may be discovered that the work of Bible Societies may be a farce.
New Work for Presbyteries.—
We cull the following from a newspaper; it speaks for itself:—At a meeting of Dunfermline Presbytery, held recently, the Clerk (the Rev. William Auld, Carnock), read a letter from Sheriff Wallace, Edinburgh, stating that he was anxious to get as strong a team as possible for the annual golf match against the United Free Church, and he would be much obliged if the Presbytery could send him the names of any golfers who might be returned as Commissioners from the Presbytery to the General Assembly who had handicaps from 10 downwards. The Clerk—I am not quite sure that I understand the last sentence. (Laughter.) Mr. Hutchison—Mr. Baird is the man. The Moderator—Remit it to the golfing member, Mr. Auld.
Selling and Hawking Newspapers on Sabbath.—
It is of some interest to know that the Greenock Corporation Act of 1909, which empowers the Magistrates to make bye-laws, prohibiting, among other things, the sale of newspapers on Sabbath, in shops or streets, was brought before the Sheriff recently for his approval of certain bye-laws framed by the Town Council. Port-Glasgow had a similar petition, but as it had no special Act it had to fall back on the Burgh Police Act, 1892, which prohibits the selling or exposing of goods for sale by methods that annoy or disturb passengers or persons occupying houses. It was pointed out that this Act applied to every day in the week, though the Town Council of Port-Glasgow had the selling of newspapers on the Sabbath specially in view. The Sheriff took the matter into his consideration.
The Authorised Version and the Press.—
One of the outstanding features of the celebration of the tercentenary of the Authorised Version is the remarkable number of articles which have appeared in the secular press. The Times, Spectator, Daily Telegraph (London), Glasgow Herald, and Scotsman, etc., have all devoted a good deal of space to different aspects of the subject. This testimony to the worth of the 1611 version is paid, it is true, more particularly to the literary pre-eminence of the Bible than to its moral and religious value, but it is something that the Bible has been brought so much before the British reading public.
An Unexpected Testimony to the Bible.—
One does not naturally expect to find in the pages of the Weekly Scotsman anything that exalts the Bible; we were therefore all the more surprised to come across, in a recent issue, the following sentences in a leaderette:—”It might be demonstrated that the further humanity has wandered from the Book, the more complicated and the less happy has existence become. Nor need it be doubted that a return to the Bible would be accompanied by a higher, purer, and happier mode of living.”
The King and the Bible.—
A message from the King was read at a large meeting held in Edinburgh on Tuesday night in celebration of the tercentenary of the “Authorised Version” and the Jubilee of the National Bible Society of Scotland. Sir Andrew Fraser, who presided, read the message, which was in the following terms:—The King has heard with interest that this year the National Bible Society of Scotland celebrates both the tercentenary of the first publication of the Authorised Version of the Scriptures and the completion of the fiftieth year of its life. I am commanded to convey to you as President the congratulations of the King upon the remarkable results achieved by the unceasing work of the Society, which has His Majesty’s hearty sympathy. It is His Majesty’s earnest hope that, through the continued efforts of the National Bible Society of Scotland, the circulation of the Bible may be extended into those regions of the world which so far have not enjoyed the incalculable blessings of its teachings.
Pamphlet on Instrumental Music in Worship.—
Copies are still to be had of the pamphlet by the Rev. D. Beaton, Wick, entitled, “Is Instrumental Music justifiable in the Public Worship of the New Testament Church?” Mr. Beaton writes in a clear, scholarly manner, and discusses the subject in the light of Old and New Testaments. He shows very plainly that there is no warrant for the use of such music in New Testament worship, and answers the objections that are commonly raised against its exclusion, such as that it is referred to in the Psalms, that God Himself sanctioned its use at first, that “instrumental music is used in heaven, etc. Those who come into contact with people who approve of instrumental music in worship, might do well to circulate this leaflet among them. Many of these people imagine that there is no substantial argument against the practice—only what they call antiquated prejudices. They might find out their mistake. The leaflet is price 1d.; postage, 1/2d. extra; orders of a dozen or more copies, post free.
A New Book.—
A literary notice of the new volume, “Expository Lectures,” by the late Rev. John Kennedy, D.D., Dingwall, is held over till next month. Copies may be had from “The Northern Chronicle” Office, Inverness. Price, 2/6; postage, 3d. extra.