Progress of Roman Catholicism in Scotland.—It is now over fifty years (to be exact fifty years on 4th March, 1878) since Pope Leo XIII’s letter was issued re-establishing in this country the full Scottish hierarchy. Since this date there have been twenty-three bishops in Scotland, and the following comparative statistics are
given in the “Catholic Directory”: — Priests (1878), 272; (1928), 638. Churches and stations (1878), 266; (1928), 453. Religious houses (1878), 36; (1928), 88. Roman Catholic population (1878), 360,000; (1928), 608,000. These figures tell their own story and indicate that the Roman Catholic Irish menace is not what lukewarm and spineless Protestants would make us believe it is.
Legal Aspects of the Projected Union.—The United Free Church leaders have been consulting learned counsel on the question of possible legal obstacles to the Union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church. We presume that it is owing to the unhappy experience expressed in the proverb, “Burnt bairns dread the fire” that they are showing such solicitude. The advice of learned counsel is encouraging to the Unionists though counsel are careful to suggest a safeguard by way of an Act of Parliament. The risk of losing the property by a legal process of a determined minority, or even an individual, is evidently in the opinion of the counsel consulted, a possibility. They suggest, therefore, that this risk would be materially reduced if the Church were to pass an Act enacting, determining, and declaring “that there is in the relations of the Church of Scotland to the State nothing which is inconsistent with the Constitution and Principles of the United Free Church of Scotland.” Personally, we cannot see how such a statement even embodied in a Church Act would help the United Free Church one iota in pleading their case before the law courts. It is a bare assertion which would require to be proved in a court of law. Besides, it must be borne in mind that the Free Church led by Dr Rainy in its last disastrous and tragic attempt at Church unification in Scotland was advised to go forward by distinguished counsel, though it is true it was not without warning, as in this case, that it might meet with difficulties. Scotland knows what happened and remembers yet the tears shed by the United Free Church leaders when their well planned scheme was wrecked and nothing left to the advocates of spiritual independence of a kind but to knock at the doors of the State to get back some of the property which by the highest legal tribunal in the land was declared to be no longer theirs because of their ecclesiastical misdeeds.
Misuse of Scripture.—Dr Barnes has, once again, daringly arraigned the truth of Scripture in a sermon
preached in Westminster Abbey. “Experts state,” he is reported to have said, “that life probably made its appearance upon the earth some 500 millions years ago; and the age of the earth itself, and the time it was ejected from the sun in some cataclysmic upheaval, is at least twice that vast stretch of time. . . . The astrophysicist believes that our planetary system was produced by the chance that some wandering star came near and tore great tides out of our sun. The earth is thus the result of a somewhat rare accident.” Our readers will forgive us for quoting these words indicative of the mental wanderings of a modern mind darkened by unbelief while rejoicing in the possession of the full blaze of the light of modern science. In ordinary matters one would have simply come to the conclusion that the Bishop’s imagination had got completely beyond the control of his judgment and was running riot no one knew where. But it is a much more serious matter than that for Dr Barnes’s statement, if it is his own belief, as we believe it is, daringly sets aside the truth of the creation as given in Genesis and the words of the Saviour apply to him and all likeminded: “If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. vi. 23). It is quite in keeping with this daring challenge to the truth of Scripture that Dr Barnes chose as his text the words of the heaven-defying Ephraimites: “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” (Is. ix. 9). Though from our standpoint, Dr Barnes could scarcely have chosen a more appropriate text, yet from his standpoint, though he searched from Genesis to Revelation, he could scarcely have made a more unfortunate choice. The words were uttered by Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria “in the pride and stoutness of heart,” who had a scheme of reconstruction planned which did not meet with the Lord’s approval, and as a consequence of this the prophet announces to them: “Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth” (Is. ix. 11-12).
Prayer Book.—Both Houses of Convocation assented to the New Prayer Book which is now sent to the Church Assembly for final approval before being presented to Parliament. The vote in the Lower House of Canter-
bury was 126, and in that of York 50 in favour—a total of 176, as against 67 opposed to it. The respective votes last year were 236 and 32. It is evident that not only in the Upper House of Convocation but in the Lower also the opposition has increased considerably since last year. The Bishops amended the Prayer Book to make more clear their intentions, and in doing so they seem to be further off from that unity which in season and out of season has been preached from the Episcopal bench. The Book is now to be presented to the Church Assembly and, if passed, will run the gauntlet of Parliament once again we trust with a similar result.