A Happy New Year.—By the time this Magazine is in the hands of many of our readers the year 1935 will have passed into history. It has been a momentous year in many respects in the history of our nation for while there is striking evidence of material progress and prosperity in the nation yet the dark cloud of unemployment is still hanging over many homes. There is a feverish unrestlessness among the nations that bodes ill for the future. No one ever knows when a spark may set the pile of combustible material into a blaze. This was brought home to the European nations when Mussolini in his defiant and truculent way set at defiance the counsels of the nations and heedlessly plunged into war with Abyssinia. What the issue will be is known to God alone. In the homes of many of our readers the vacant places will be all the more vacant as the presence of those who were with them a year ago becomes all the more apparent at this season of the year. To all such we tender our sympathy and pray that the Lord would bless these dispensations of His providence. To those of our readers who have been stricken down with ill-health and whose outlook on the future is darkened by dark and menacing clouds we would in like manner commend to the care and mercy of Him that does all things well. We wish all our readers, young and old, a happy New Year and a happy Eternity.
A Word of Kindly Cheer.—In the December issue of the Gospel Magazine (London) the Editor is his preface to vol. lxx. says: “The condition of the professing Church saddens the hearts, we feel sure, of all our readers. We cannot but deplore the increasing apostasy from Bible truth and the increasing worldliness amongst professing Christians, together with the growing desecration of the Lord’s Day. In this connection we feel constrained to say how thankful we have been recently to notice the firm stand against promiscuous dancing which has been taken by our brethren in the Free Presbyterian Church. The evils of the times should send us to our knees. May we increasingly give ourselves to prayer.” We thank Mr. Houghton for his kindly words and pass them on to our readers. In one of the popular weeklies published in London one of the most outstanding leaders of the Salvation Army compliments the Dornoch elders on setting their faces against this popular form of worldliness and sticking to their guns notwithstanding the obloquy heaped on them from certain quarters. There is a wide gulf between the Free Presbyterian Church and the Salvation Army but it is evident that the leader referred to above recognises promiscuous dancing as a form of worldliness that merits condemnation.
Christianising Amusements.—According to the Evening Dispatch (Edinburgh), 9th December, the Rev. Alexander Ferguson, B.D., minister of St. Andrew’s Church, Falkirk, on a Sabbath night preached a sermon to a large congregation in which he upheld cards, dancing, and theatres—in moderation. The Puritans, who condemned these as wrong, went too far in Mr. Ferguson’s opinion. Those who thought they could judiciously share in these amusements were not the less Christians in doing so discriminately. Christianise the amusements and there would be no harm in them said Mr. Ferguson. The preacher must have a strange view of these amusements if he imagines they can be Christianised. Hundreds who were addicted to these pleasures when they became Christianised themselves gave them up forever. The experience of the professing Church has been that when she smiles upon such amusements and allows indulgence in them she becomes carnalised in accordance with a law that operates as surely as that by which fire burns.
“Peace and Truth.”—This is the organ of the Sovereign Grace Union and the October number is specially interesting having among other items articles dealing with the Revivals in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales two hundred years ago. There is also a sermon on Christ our Righteousness by George Whitefield. There is an editorial note in which the editor expresses his agreement with the Northern Presbytery’s statement as given in the September issue of the Magazine.