Pity That It Should Be So!—In his concluding paragraph on “The Reformed Faith” in the “Evangelical Review” Dr C. W. Hodge says: “Doubtless the Reformed Faith is suffering a decline in the theological world to-day. What has been termed ‘Reformed spring-time’ in Germany we cannot regard as the legitimate daughter of the classic Reformed Faith. In Scotland the names of William Cunningham and Thomas Crawford no longer exert the influence we wish they did. In America the influence of Charles Hodge, Robert Breckenridge, James Thornwell, Robert Dabney, William G. T. Shedd, and Benjamin Warfield seems largely to have vanished. But though in theological circles and in ecclesiastical courts the leaders of Reformed thought find scant recognition, whenever humble souls catch the vision of God in His glory and bow in humility and adoration before Him, trusting for salvation only in His grace and power, there you have the essence of the Reformed Faith, and God in His providence may yet raise up a leader of religious thought who shall once again make the Reformed Faith a power in the theological world. If and when this happens we may confidently expect a true revival of religion in the Protestant world.”
The Jews.—In an interesting address given by Sir Leon Levison, as president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance, he mentioned that owing to the new conditions created by the War a change had come over the Jews. They were crowding into the public schools. Something like 82 per cent. of the books taken out of the libraries all over the world by Jews dealt with Christianity and the life of Jesus Christ. All true followers of the Messiah will rejoice in any indication of a movement towards the Saviour whom they rejected. The turning of the Jews to Christ is a miracle of Divine power, but all power in heaven and in earth has been given to Him.
Government of Malta and the Roman Catholic Church.—The Italian Superior of the Maltese Franciscan community ordered “Father” Micallef, a Maltese and a supporter of the Government, to leave the Island immediately for Sicily for alleged religious shortcomings. The Government claimed that the reasons were purely political and refused Micallef the requisite permit. The Church then suspended the order for his departure, but at the end of December it was renewed and the Government intervened again. Lord Strickland is resolutely maintaining the rights of the Government as opposed to the Church of Rome, which is evidently highly ultramontane in Malta.
Protest Meetings Against Sabbath Desecration.—During the later part of February large and enthusiastic meetings were held in Inverness, Dingwall, Tain, Invergordon and Cromarty, protesting against various forms of Sabbath desecration. These meetings were organised by the Lord’s Day Observance Society. The Society are aiming to have a petition of 20,000 signatures signed by residents in the North of Scotland, to be presented to the Directors of the L.M.S. Railway. At the Inverness meeting one of the ministerial speakers said he did not see any harm in the ships of the Fleet being open to inspection on the Lord’s Day. We were pleased that the Rev. Ewen Macqueen, who followed him, took occasion to criticise this view—a criticism which was received with hearty approval by the large audience.