By the Rev. D. M. MACDONALD.
ON an impartial survey of the present condition of Religion and Morals among the people, one cannot but come to the conclusion that we are lacking in many things we should have. Belshazzar and his kingdom were weighed in the balances and found wanting. God’s balances are infinitely just and exact. That was painfully brought home to the haughty monarch of Babylon when he saw the handwriting on the wall of his palace declaring his doom. In the midst of his orgy of surfeiting and drunkenness, he turned pale, his joints were loosed and his knees smote together—his guilty conscience now telling him that he would have to account for his evil deeds.
Our own and other nations are being weighed in the balances of the sanctuary at present and any candid person must admit that we are far from having attained that righteousness which exalts a nation. We have laws on our Statute Book that are not for the welfare of the country and there ought to be laws on it which are not there at all. We cannot but deplore the modern tendency everywhere to secularize the Lord’s Day. Railway and Bus companies are fostering this spirit by carrying on their campaign of cheap excursions on the Sabbath despite the opposition and protests of those who love that Day. If those who patronise these excursions only realised the harm they are doing themselves and others by disobeying the Fourth Commandment we believe those Sabbath excursions would soon cease.
Unfortunately they are encouraged in their profanation of the Day of Rest by some ministers of religion in Scotland and England, who see no harm in amusements or travelling on the Lord’s Day. It is passing strange to find a minister of the Church of Scotland taking part in a meeting to form a branch of the Lord’s Day Observance Association in Lochaber repudiating the suggestion that efforts should be made to stop excursion trains on Sabbath and saying that all he desired was that such excursionists should behave decently! To flout openly the Fourth Commandment is not to behave decently. Not content with this illogical statement he went on to say we should not dogmatise over others. Certainly not, we say, but it is not to dogmatise over others to ask them to obey God. As a professed minister of the gospel one might pertinently ask this at least: “Is he inculcating on his people obedience to the Moral Law?” It is painful to think of such heathenish ideas being expressed by one who should be a faithful defender of the Sabbath, but what is altogether astonishing is that the suggestions of this reverend gentleman were accepted without protest, although there were some present who by their ordination vows have solemnly sworn to assert, maintain, and defend the truth.
Men with unscriptural views of the Lord’s Day are no help whatsoever to a Sabbath Defence Association. In England they have encouraged cinema opening on the Day of Rest when they should have backed up the efforts of those who were doing their utmost to prevent such places being opened on the Sabbath.
The passing of the “Sunday” Entertainments Act 1932, as was apprehended by some, has opened wide the flood-gates of Sabbath desecration. In many places cinemas are now open, and many worship in them the god of this world instead of their Creator, Lawgiver and Judge. Many towns, however, have stoutly resisted Sabbath opening of such places, and the Lord’s Day Observance Society are doing splendid service in England to the Cause of God by opposing all kinds of Sabbath profanation. They have been, we are glad to say, largely successful and are rousing the public conscience to see the harmful results that follow the abuse of the Lord’s Day.
The Sabbath, Jesus said, was made for man. Its importance is emphasised by the fact that it is mentioned not less than 165 times in the Scriptures. It is one of the elementary needs of human nature, like food and drink. Something like it is found among many nations whether Christian or not, and this has been probably derived from the early patriarchs. The Jew has Saturday, the Persian has Tuesday, the Turk had Friday, but has changed to the Christian Sabbath, and the ancient Assyrians had their one day in seven. The Sabbath of Rest is as essential as the night of sleep. It is said that school children lose their alertness and resiliency by Friday, but come to school requicked on Monday morning. Medical men have proved by means of charts that the heart loses day by day more of its power than a night’s sleep can restore. It is at its weakest on Saturday night, but Sabbath gives it back its strength and tone—and every Monday morning a man starts with a sound heart. Experience would seem to show that tailors and shoemakers can see better on Monday morning than on any other day of the week. From an economic and scientific standpoint it has been proved that man needs a seventh day of rest. It
is clear from God’s Word that we must work and strive. Multitudes toil like slaves during the week in mines, foundries, brick-kilns, and factories, but on Sabbath they are “free” men. God has provided them with His great charter of liberty, His own Day.
A slave-owner is said to have stated that it was the Day of Worship that made the negroes discontented with their captivity. This day reminded them that they were free men who were entitled to the rights of manhood and freedom. It is a necessity of nature and a necessity of civilisation. Rest of heart, mind, and soul, are needful for all, and where can they be got better than in God’s House on His Day. Multitudes in every age have found the truest mental and spiritual rest in waiting upon God in His own ordinances.
The Inverness Sabbath Defence Association endeavoured to check Sabbath travelling and especially the pagan practice of going to the “Wishing Well” at Culloden on Sabbath. Unfortunately in spite of the statements, showing the evils attendant on and the wrongness of allowing Sabbath traffic to the “Well,” made by the Deputies that appeared before the Traffic Commissioners for the North, they allowed buses to run to Culloden on the first Sabbath of May. This will bring fresh guilt on us as a nation, for the Commissioners represent the State.
Almost 3500 years ago a nation was warned by the greatest Law-giver that ever lived not to forget the Lord or His Day. That warning has been often repeated by faithful witnesses who valued the Sabbath. It has been well said: “That without Sabbath observance a nation forgets God, and no nation that forgets Him prospers. A nation without the Day of Rest is in danger of losing its soul. Our own attendance on God’s House helps to keep us in touch with Him, helps to prevent us from forgetting Him. It is one way of giving Him His rightful place in the nation we love. It is an acknowledgment of Him who is the Father of mercies.”
We would urge any who are remiss in attending the means of grace to honour the Lord by waiting upon Him in His House
and listening to His Word. It is only in the path of duty that we may look for His blessing. What a beautiful example our Lord has set before us in this matter as recorded in Luke iv. 16—”As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day.” No business, pleasure or enticement should keep sinners from the House of Prayer—”My Father’s House,” as Jesus called it.
Another matter in which we are lacking is Temperance. While there has been a tremendous change in public sentiment towards the drink question, and drunkenness is declining, there is still much evil in this territory to conquer. The following statistics prove our contention. The number of licensed premises for the sale of drink in England and Wales was computed to be 78,886 for 1932. The total in 1895 was 103,341 licences. At the beginning of 1931 registered clubs numbered 13,947, having increased by 421 during the previous twelve months. During the past year it was estimated that they had further increased by about 430. In 1905 registered clubs totalled 6,589. Since 1904 our licences had decreased by 22,143; while clubs had increased by 7,358.
The total number of convictions for drunkenness in England and Wales was 42,343 in the year 1931, as compared with 53,080 in 1930—a decrease of 10,737 or 20.23 per cent. This decrease was common to all parts of the country. In England 57 per cent. of the arrests took place during the week-end and 60 per cent. in Wales, though only 2 per cent. took place in Wales on Sabbath. This would indicate that the idle period from Saturday to Monday was a temptation to many to drink to excess. The highest number of convictions ever recorded was 188,877 in 1913, so that last year’s total showed a decrease of 77.5 on that record figure, and is the lowest with the exception of 1918, when only 29,075 convictions were recorded. Of last year’s convictions 83 per cent. relate to males, representing 28.73 per 10,000 and 17 per cent. to females, representing 5.08 per 10,000 of the population aged 21 and upwards. The
convictions of males during 1931 were 21.20 per cent. less than in 1930. The drinking of methylated spirits appears to be a common practice in some places, and is on the increase. Steps should be taken to prevent this injurious vice from making headway.
In 1914 there had been 84,000,000 gallons of liquor consumed in Britain, while in 1930 the figure had dropped to 49,000,000 gallons. This shows how sobriety has increased during the last sixteen years, and the streets of our large towns are additional proof of the decline of inebriety. While this is gratifying we regret to say that there is still far too much spent on drink. The annual sum is still about £240,000,000. The figure is staggering when one thinks of the widespread unemployment and poverty that are prevalent almost everywhere. If only this money were spent on food, clothing and other useful products, every loom and spindle in the factories would be working full time. Blast furnaces and shipbuilding yards would be kept busy and industry would flourish again. The following statement by a prominent Scottish politician shows the urgent need there is for strict temperance throughout the land: “During the last twelve months we spent £240,000,000 on the consumption of alcohol. True, a beneficent State extracted 43 per cent. by way of taxation, but there was enough left to give every unemployed man and woman in the land 10/- extra per week. Above that there was enough left to build 100,000 houses at £300 each, without borrowing and letting them rent free. There was also enough left to spend £10,000,000 per annum on the draining and reclamation of our waste land, £10,000,000 per annum for afforestation as well as £10,000,000 to restore the ‘cut’ in the education of our children. Over and above all, there was still £20,000,000 left for reduction in taxation. With all that there was not a word from the economists.”
The Committee view with sorrow and alarm the wide prevalence of these twin evils Gambling and Betting. Forty years ago
betting was confined to a few, but it has increased by leaps and bounds during the past few years. It is especially in connection with horse and dog racing that betting takes place. As far back as ten years ago it was estimated that nearly £300,000,000 were spent annually in making bets in England and Scotland and of this sum four-fifths stayed in the hands of the bookmakers. A detective inspector told the Commission on Betting that more prisoners attribute their downfall to this than to any other cause. The underlying principle of betting is that of getting something for nothing. It takes its worst vengeance on the poorest, and those who know the facts at first hand agree that excess in gambling breaks more lives than excess in drink. Dog racing is an imbecile sport and is used perhaps more than anything else to exploit the poor, the unfortunate and the simple. In Glasgow there was a greyhound track with a crèche and nurse to look after the infants while the mothers were betting on the dogs. In passing sentence on a young man who was found guilty of embezzling £11,000 a Judge in the Court of Session said accused was obviously one of the many victims of the canker which seemed to be eating into the life of the community at present, and which brought misery to many lives with crime in its train.
We are glad to state that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution has made a courageous stand. Recently the committee decided unanimously that they would make no use whatsoever of the profits derived from sweepstakes. This has brought increased subscriptions to this famous life-saving Society. A Dublin hospital which has chosen to remain outside the scheme for receiving money from the Irish Hospital Sweepstakes has met with equally encouraging support. We would strongly warn young and old to shun this vice as they would the plague. By helping to rouse public opinion against this deplorable craze we may see a reform in due time. Already there are indications that betting in certain forms may be prohibited on dog racing tracks.
Coming to the matter of Cinema Entertainments, we find according to the report of the Board of Film Censors that exception was taken by the examiners to 22 films. Although this is the highest number on record it was not due to any deterioration in the character of the films exhibited. Whilst the majority of the exceptions were not of a serious character, and entailed only the elimination of objectionable sounds or of inadmissible words, others entailed a considerable amount of discussion and negotiation with the publishers. In some cases scenes were re-taken at the studios to meet the Board’s objections. It is gratifying to be able to state quite definitely that the trade has in an overwhelming number of instances agreed with the Board that the alterations and eliminations demanded were necessary and just. The reasons for the total rejection of the 22 films mentioned above were as under:—(1) Comic and irreverent treatment of religious subjects. (2) Habitual and vicious immorality. (3) Unacceptable vulgarity. (4) Unpleasant details of medical operations and reflections on the medical profession. (5) Collusive divorce. (6) Revolting monstrosities. (7) Sordid and brutal themes. (8) Intimate scenes of childbirth and incidents connected therewith.
Criticism and objections by public bodies are now taking effect and the film producers are, according to the censors, improving their productions. Properly conducted the cinema could be of great educational benefit to the public, but on the other hand, if allowed free scope it will become a menace to civilization, because of its vast potentialities for evil. Happily, filthy American films are becoming unpopular, and the public are appreciating more and more educational and historical pictures. Cinema owners are like the horse-leech, the more they get, the more they want. The huge sum of £36,000,000 was their profit last year, exclusive of the entertainment tax, and they wish to commercialise the Sabbath in order to add to their annual receipts. Those behind the “Sunday” Cinema movement are mostly foreign Jews, according to the testimony of a Bolton picture-house owner, who would have nothing to do with Sabbath
amusements and declared that the Jews in the trade had no regard for the Lord’s Day and wished to secularize it to satisfy their unholy greed of gain. We are pleased to say that owing to the efforts of the Lord’s Day Observance Society in England, many Local Licensing Authorities have rejected Sabbath opening applications. This Society is doing excellent work in stemming the tide of Sabbath profanation that is sweeping over the country.
What may be described as a new American religion is now spreading in this country. It is called the Oxford Group Movement and is not to be confused with the Oxford Tractarian Movement of a hundred years ago. Dr. Buchman, a Lutheran minister in the States was the originator of this movement, and it receives professing Christians from all denominations. This in itself shows that it is creedless and cannot but be formless and vague in its doctrine and teaching. Apparently some thoroughly irreligious and immoral men and women have through the Group Movement been brought face to face with God and have experienced a change of life. It is said of King Saul that he got another heart but not a new one, and that may happen in connection with this movement. The Group message starts by presenting to men the example of Christ as a pattern of four virtues—absolute honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. Testimonies are given by those whose lives were all wrong, but have now been changed. Those who attend the meetings and become interested are exhorted to repentance and restitution. If they respond they are led further to “Confession,” “Surrender,” “Sharing,” “Listening” and “Guidance.” Great importance is attached to Confession of sin either to the person against whom one has offended or Group leaders or the Group meeting. “Surrender” means to give oneself to Christ. “Sharing” means passing one’s spiritual experiences to the Group and others. “Listening” is the special method of obtaining guidance. Converts are taught to listen quietly for the voice of God with prayer for guidance. When an impression to do something comes into the mind it is written down and acted upon.
The inspired apostle John says “Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4 1). No doubt there are some good things in the Group teaching, but it is especially those things that the movement lacks that form the most telling indictment against it. The most serious charge brought against it is that its teaching contains little or nothing of the Bible, welcomes Modernists as leaders and says nothing about the forgiveness of sin through the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ. But by all accounts Group leaders often invite sinners to come to Christ as a moral leader and say nothing about the only way by which the sins of the past may be covered in the sight of God, so they may feel that they are justified by their own merits and ignore Christ’s sacrifice. It has been well and beautifully said: “God works to a standard of perfection in nature—it would be impossible to calculate the date of eclipses if He did not, and no chemical combinations of the elements could take place—and one broken law destroys the soul as one broken link destroys the chain that holds the ship at anchor. Moral reformation without the entry of Christ in full character as Saviour, Lord and God, is like the house deserted by the evil spirit, swept and garnished, but empty and soon to be repossessed by worse spirits. Lying and drunkenness may go out but spiritual pride and self-righteousness that thinks it is justified before God, may come in and a true conversion be further away than ever.”
In the opinion of one who has studied this movement, carefully from within and without, Satan is making use of it as an angel of light to deceive sinners and even some who may be regarded as true believers.
Romanism in Scotland is holding its own well, and Ritualism is steadily advancing in the Church of England. According to the testimony of those who know, in some Anglican churches Jesuit priests officiate occasionally.
The movement initiated in the Church of Scotland for an unrestricted conference with the Church of England was favoured by a majority and this shows that there is a tendency to Ritualism
and even Popery in some who are paid to maintain Presbyterianism in Scotland. Principles for which many of our noble Reformers and Covenanters suffered death and exile are to be thrust aside to gratify the crave for unscriptural worship and priest-craft that is taking possession of some who ought to be faithful defenders of our Protestant heritage. The committee regret that there should be such a tendency in Scotland and they would urge the people to resist any attempts made to betray Presbyterian principles.
In his census report as far back as 1871 the Registrar-General for Scotland fully and clearly set forth the figures and results for Scotland of what he termed “an invasion of the Irish race,” and he stated:—”It is painful to contemplate what may be the ultimate effect of the Irish immigration on the morals and habits of the people and on the future prospects of the country.” In some ways already the effect has been tragic, but one result is seen in the Roman Catholic hold on the three largest cities. In Dundee, Roman Catholic marriages are 21.5 per cent. of the regular marriages; baptisms equal 29.5 per cent. of the children born and scholars are 21.5 per cent. of the day-school pupils. In Edinburgh, Roman Catholic marriages are 8.6 per cent of the regular marriages; baptisms equal 14.2 per cent. of the children born, and scholars are 10 per cent. of the day-school pupils. In Glasgow, Roman Catholic marriages are 21.6 per cent. of the regular marriages; baptisms equal 30 per cent. of the children born, and scholars are 25 per cent. of the day-school pupils.
The Capital of the West has now a quarter of a million Roman Catholics. By their early marriages and large households they are outgrowing but not outliving the Protestant young people. The outstanding event for the Papacy last year was the blasphemous Eucharistic Congress in Dublin where vast throngs assembled to engage in the idolatrous worship of the Mass and the Virgin. Instead of being the better of this conglomerate gathering of misled and superstitious sinners, Ireland is much worse, for economic depression during the winter has almost reached its lowest ebb in that unfortunate country.
The Pope has proclaimed this year to be a Holy Year, because in the opinion of the majority of learned men it is the 19th centenary of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Pilgrimages to Rome will be encouraged, and of course the coffers of “His Holiness” will greatly benefit. The Papal authorities, knowing well the gullibility of human nature astutely arrange all sorts of congresses and pilgrimages to enrich themselves.
The Committee regrets and would strongly protest against the appointment of a new envoy to the Vatican. The announcement was made on the 7th of March and the person appointed was Sir Robert Henry Clive. During the three years we were without such a plenipotentiary we suffered no harm. It is amazing that British statesmen should be so weak as to keep on friendly terms with this most determined and relentless enemy of our Protestant religion. But what was altogether astonishing and reprehensible was the visit of the Prime Minister to the Vatican in an official capacity some weeks ago. This was utterly unbecoming and unwarrantable. When Spain, Mexico and South America were expelling and crushing the emissaries of Rome surely the Protestant Premier of Britain was degrading his high office by doing obeisance to the representative of a politico-ecclesiastico institution with a record for persecution and intolerance unparalleled in human history. Only a short time ago the Pope called upon his Cardinals to fight the menace of Protestant missionaries who are having considerable success throughout Italy. This is sure proof of Rome’s unchanging hostility to vital religion.
It is clear that all the nations, our own included, have been trying to order the world and its activities without God, disregarding the precepts of His Word, with the result that suffering and distress are widespread. In the midst of all the chaos they were pursuing a course destined not to alleviate but to aggravate their troubles. What we need is to humble ourselves before God nationally and individually and to plead earnestly with Him to pour on us the spirit of repentance that we may seek to know and to do His will. The people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits (Dan. xi. 32).