Communions.—Dingwall, first Sabbath of February; Stornoway, third. Tarbert (Harris), second Sabbath of March.
The Southern Presbytery and the Stornoway Disaster.—A Committee, appointed by this Presbytery, has drawn up the following resolution of sympathy:—The Southern Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland desires to express its deepest sympathy with all the relatives of the men who lost their lives as a consequence of the wreck of the S.S. “Iolaire,” in the bay of Stornoway, on the 1st January. The Presbytery states that the members of the Court have been filled with profound sorrow at the appalling loss of life, and the painful bereavements sustained by fathers, mothers, wives, children, and other friends, and that they earnestly pray, on behalf of the bereaved who, in God’s inscrutable providence, have lost the objects of their affection and their earthly support, that the Lord would “direct their hearts into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ.” The Presbytery commends the widow and fatherless to Him who is “the father of the fatherless and the judge of the widows,” as one who can supply all their need “out of his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” and with a view to help in relieving the distress, desires the congregations within its bounds to make a collection on behalf of the bereaved.
The late Miss Macintosh, Raasay.—We regret to have to announce the death of Miss Maggie Macintosh, Raasay, which took place on the 2nd day of January, 1919. She had been in failing health since last summer, but was able to attend to her duties till three weeks before the end came. A friend, who visited her repeatedly during her last illness, wrote:—”On one occasion, when I asked how she felt in her soul, she complained of darkness, but she had the last two lines of the 20th verse of the 25th Psalm
‘And let me never be ashamed, because I trust in thee’ (Mo dhochas uile leig mi ort, airson gur tu mo Righ). She had also this:—’I will fill this house with glory.’ Miss Macintosh was a pious woman since she was a young girl. She was a lover of the Lord’s people, and a staunch, uncompromising Free Presbyterian. She will be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends. We desire to express our sincere sympathy with the rest of the family.—N. C.
Sabbath Desecration in Glasgow—An Appeal.—A Committee of the Southern Presbytery has drawn up the following Protest and Appeal:—The Southern Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland desires to present its serious protest and appeal to the Corporation of Glasgow with reference to the many forms of Sabbath desecration that are sanctioned and encouraged by said Corporation. The Presbytery would make particular mention of the new scheme of opening Public Libraries on the Lord’s Day; the liberty to open granted to licensed premises in certain parts of the city; the allowance of political processions through the streets; performances by a regimental brass band at the People’s Palace; and the use of St. Andrew’s Hall for social gatherings. The Presbytery would respectfully ask the Corporation to reconsider its procedure in connection with the Sabbath, and to put a stop to these forms of desecration, reminding said body that the Fourth Commandment is an integral part of the Moral Law, and cannot be violated without the gravest moral and social penalties. The Presbytery appeals to the Corporation, not only in its own name, but in the name of a large section of the citizens who are justly alarmed at the growing disregard of the Lord’s Day, to consider its representation on the subject of careful Sabbath observance, which is a matter of the most vital importance for the best welfare of the community.