The Passing of the Sabbath.—Under this heading a series of letters has been appearing in the Glasgow Herald. The correspondence originated through a letter written by Dr. Ambrose Shepherd, in which he deplores the extraordinary declension in the observance of the Sabbath in recent years. Places of pleasure are being licensed, and if matters go as they are going, it will not be an extraordinary thing to hear in a few years that the theatres are open. Some of the writers suggested causes for this declension, but it should be candidly acknowledged that ministers in many cases are really guilty for not warning the people, and in making use of the cars on the Lord’s day as a means of transit from place to place. The Word of God tells us that in the last days men shall be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, and the one day in the week that He asks us to give Him is turned into a holiday.
The Zionist Movement.—This is a movement among the Jews which has as its aim the return of the Jews to Palestine, the land of their fathers. They rest their hopes upon a literal interpretation of certain passages in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Joel and Zechariah. As far as Christians are concerned, however, it should be borne in mind that the New Testament never makes any mention of such a return. Besides, if we are to take these prophecies literally, they prove too much. They speak of the restoration of the Levitical priesthood, of the sacrifices and of the Temple worship, all of which are quite inconsistent with what the New Testament says about the finality of the Gospel. The prophecies must be interpreted in a spiritual sense, otherwise they land us in Judaism or Pre-Millenarianism. The view is held by many who never think what is implied in it, and who never realise that it has any bearing on the question of Christ’s personal reign on earth as held by the Pre-Millenarians.
The Government’s Appointments of Law Officers.—The Government are favouring Irish Romanists very much in the bestowal of their Law Patronage. Mr. C. A. O’Connor, who has just been appointed Attorney-General for Ireland, is a Roman Catholic. He was educated by the Jesuits. The new Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, the Lord Chief Baron, the Attorney-General, and the Solicitor-General are now all Romanists. The Lord Chief Justice is also a pupil of the Jesuits. Sir Henry Bellingham, who has just been appointed Lord Lieutenant of the County of Louth, is a Romanist. He is a pervert.—English Churchman.