Special Services for Ministers.—Such is the heading of a short paragraph in the Glasgow Herald (22nd January) reporting a meeting in connection with the “Recall to Religion” Campaign. The meeting was held in Renfield Street Church, Glasgow, a church in which at one time or another much unsound doctrine has been taught. Principal MacGregor presided. From past experiences we have not very much faith in this campaign but if all the ministers of the Church of Scotland were converted men we would have more hope of Scotland. There can be no doubt but hundreds of men preaching to-day are stony-ground hearers and if the Holy Spirit were to begin His work in their hearts they would be the first to admit that they had run without being sent.
Another Big Union Proposed.—When religion is at a low ebb man-engineered unions have become the order of the day. The latest move in this direction is the proposal for a united
Church in England. The plan of union has been drawn up by a joint conference of leading representatives of the Church of England and the Federal Council of the Evangelical Free Churches (i.e., Non-conformists), envisaging a Church in which the various bodies might “find themselves united without loss of what is specially valuable in their distinctive traditions.” If ever such a union takes place there must be the giving up on both sides of doctrines, principles and practices that both sides once tenaciously held. From the press summaries the government of the proposed Church would be Episcopal-Presbyterian; something along the lines of the mongrel Episcopalianism that was set up in Scotland during the times of James and Charles I. How the Non-conformists can ever swallow the high sacramentarianism of thousands of Episcopal ministers is a mystery. Of course, in our day it seems easier to swallow what is erroneous than what is in accordance with truth.
Burns Worship.—In looking over the Church advertisements in one of the Scottish dailies on the Saturday preceding the 25th January our eye fell on the following advertisements: Queen’s Park High Parish Church . . . 6.30 p.m., evening worship. Rev. John C. Howat, M.A. Subject: ‘Robert Burns and the Good Earth.’ Members of the Clarinda Burns Circle attend this service. The Church is open daily for prayer and meditation.” Much need for prayer, indeed, when the preacher on the evening of the Lord’s Day has nothing better to offer than “Robert Burns and the Good Earth.” But Trinity Church (Claremont Street) is even worse. Here is the advertisement: “Rev. H. S. McClelland, B.A., B.D. 6.30 p.m.—Robert Burns Commemoration Service. William Power: ‘Burns’ Message for to-day.’ John James Miller will read selections from Burns’ Poems.” Mr. McClelland has rightfully been described as the liaison officer between the Church and the Stage. Oh, the pity of it! that ministers should become so bankrupt religiously and that they should get so many to follow them.
Roman Catholic Schools in Scotland.—We call our readers’ attention to the article: “The Roman Church in
Scottish Schools” in this issue and to the article in the Young People’s Magazine: “What the Little Children in Roman Catholic Schools are Taught.” While Protestants, at least too many of them, are asleep, Romanists are busy teaching their religion to their children. At the Annual conference of the [R.] Catholic Teachers’ Federation, held some time ago at Cardiff, the President (Miss F. McCabe) in her address said that “they aimed at preparing the child to live its life in this world so that it would merit eternal life in the next. The religious training of the child was by far the most important part of its training. They insisted that ‘Catholic’ children should be taught from the beginning the truths of the ‘Catholic’ faith, and it was for that reason that they insisted that the education of their children should be in ‘Catholic’ hands.” This expresses, we believe, the ideas of Scottish Roman Catholics on this question also. And when one reads the doctrines taught their children in the R.C. schools the glaring iniquity of the Scottish Education Act (Clause 18) demanding Protestant ratepayers to pay their share for the maintenance of these schools and the religious instruction given in them stands out as a grievous injustice. Recently it was announced in the press that a large Roman Catholic School costing £10,000 was to be built in Inverness. We wonder if the Roman Church in the north of Scotland had to foot the bill, would £10,000 be spent on it?
The National Covenant.—In this issue our opening article is devoted to the signing of the Covenant in Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh on the 28th February, 1638, and in other places in the city on later dates and also in other places in Scotland. The National Covenant is printed in almost all editions of the Confession which are in use and we recommend our readers who are in possession of a copy of the Confession to read it over even though they have done so before. Those who are not in possession of the Confession may have copies from Mr. Finlay Beaton, 11 Greig Street, Inverness, at the very reasonable price of two shillings, post free. It is well that our people should be well-instructed in the contents of this historic document.
Two of the Presbyterian bodies in Scotland—the Reformed Presbyterian and the United Original Secession—hold as one of their principles the binding obligation of the Covenants (National and Solemn League and Covenant). The attitude of the pre-union Free Church to Second Reformation attainments is set forth in the General Assembly Act of 1851 which is printed in the Authorised Standards of the Free Church. In 1910 the Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church drew up a Declaration unent Reformation Attainments and the Church’s Relation thereto in which part of the above Act is quoted. This Declaration was printed in the Free Presbyterian Magazine, xv. 147-153.
R.C. Ambassadors to Foreign Powers.—Albania, Sir A. Ryan, K.B.E., C.M.G.; Italy, Rt. Hon. The Earl of Perth, G.C.M.G., C.B.; Norway, Sir Cecil Dormer, K.C.M.G., M.V.O.; Sweden, C. M. Palairét, C.M.G.; Venezuela, E. F. Gyc, C.M.G. It is also noteworthy that the following British Ambassadors have Roman Catholic wives: France, Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Phipps, G.C.M.G., C.V.O.; Soviet Union, Rt. Hon. Viscount Chilston, G.C.M.G.; Uruguay, E. Millington Drake.—The Churchman’s Magazine (February).
Romanism in Scotland.—At a largely-attended meeting held some time ago in Inverness, Mr. J. A. Kensit of the Protestant Truth Society said that Roman Catholic “education did not make for good citizenship. Less than 14 per cent. of the population of Scotland was Roman Catholic yet the Roman Catholics contributed 38 per cent. of the prison population of Scotland. They gave three times their due proportion to the criminal classes.” Seeing liberation from British rule is such a glorious privilege in the eyes of Mr. De Valera’s deluded supporters, why will they not make stringent laws to keep these Irish in Eire and so relieve Scotland and England from supporting a class of emigrant they have no need of and for whom they have no desire.
Doctrine in the Church of England.—The Report of the Commission on Christian Doctrine appointed by the Archbishops
of Canterbury and York has been issued and in view of the movement for union between the Church of England and the Free Churches and also the Bible Quarter-centenary Celebrations in England this Report deserves consideration and we hope to give fuller attention to it than we can do in this note. We may say here, however, that the Report begins badly with this utterance on the inerrancy of the Scriptures: “The tradition of the inerrancy of the Bible commonly held in the Church until the beginning of the nineteenth century (though often held in association with allegorical or other interpretations which profoundly modified its significance) cannot be maintained in the light of the knowledge now at our disposal.” Owing to pressure on our space, our article on the Report has had to be held over.
The Archdeacon of Westminster on Sabbath Observance.—At a service held recently in Westminster Abbey in connection with the birthday celebrations of the Imperial Alliance for the Defence of Sunday, Canon Donaldson, Archdeacon of Westminster, said that “the defence of ‘Sunday’ must be based on and spring from worship, rest and recreation. There must be leisure on ‘Sunday’ to sing and dance and leisure to read and pray. There must be leisure for all citizens first on ‘Sunday’ and then on every other day of the week. ‘Sundays’ should be an example for the other days and should be the centre of our energies and life.” If the Archdeacon is correctly reported then the less defence the Sabbath has of this kind the better. The Churches are lamenting the tremendous landslide on Sabbath observance among the people. Is it any wonder when dignitaries of the professing Church utter such sentiments as the above? The enemy within the camp is much more to be dreaded than the enemy without.
A Right Decision.—The House of Lords have rejected the attempt to introduce a bill for the opening of cinemas on the Lord’s Day. Lord Kilmaine moved that the opening of cinemas on Sabbath should be legalised throughout the country during the six winter months. Lord Strabogli moved an amendment to the effect that they should be open the whole year round. When
placed against Lord Kilmaine’s motion, Lord Strabogli’s amendment was carried. When the amendment was put to the House it was rejected by a 30 to 20 vote.
Youth Organisations as Competitors of the Church.—At a meeting of the Glasgow Presbytery of the Church of Scotland held about the middle of last month, there was some straight speaking on Youth Organisations which, instead of helping the Church, were acting as competitors. The Rev. A. E. Macintyre, who submitted the report, said: “There was a certain class of young people on whom the Church could not lay its hands because they were attending certain independent religious association meetings. These associations had sprung up from time to time professedly as allies of the Church, but it seemed to him that they functioned to some extent as competitors of the Church. They held their services and their meetings at the same time as church services or at the same time as Sunday School or Bible Class meetings. It might be argued that it was good that the young people should receive religious instruction at all, but it was found that there was engendered in those organisations a spirit of separatism from the Church, and sometimes even a spirit of superiority towards the Church.” The Church in its efforts to retain the young resorted to all sorts of devices and set up various organisations with a strong spice of worldliness in them and it is no wonder what is happening; she is reaping what she has sown. Neither is it a wonder that she finds it necessary to make such a complaint as was voiced in the Glasgow Presbytery.
Trial of Pastor Niemoeller.—At the time of writing this note the trial of Pastor Niemoeller, the leader of the German Evangelical Church, is proceeding behind closed doors. He is charged with making malicious attacks on the State and the Nazi party, and using the pulpit for political ends. Niemoeller demanded a public trial but this was refused. This trial is causing quite a sensation in Germany and the verdict on whichever side it may be issued may have important developments.
By the time this note is in print the verdict will probably be announced.
The Prime Minister and the Appointment of Bishops.—
Lord Hugh Cecil has been telling the Church Assembly at Westminster that it is unseemly that Mr. Chamberlain as a Unitarian should have the right of advising the Crown in the appointment of bishops. Certainly it is unseemly and so would also be the recommendations of an Anglo-Catholic Prime Minister. Lord Hugh Cecil probably, however, would have no objection to this. The best plan is to do away with the whole Erastian establishment—and to clear out Anglo-Catholics and all theological nondescripts that find a comfortable living in the Church of England.
Is it due to a Superiority Complex?—Some years ago Free Presbyterians were charged by a Free Church minister with having a superiority complex. In reading the short sermon by Rev. K. K. Macrae in the February number of the Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland it would appear, as the following sentences will show, that a superiority complex is not confined to Free Presbyterians. This is what Mr. Macrae says of the Free Church: “Of all the Presbyterian Churches in Scotland she alone can say that she has preserved inviolate the Constitution of the protesting Church of 1843, i.e., that she has neither altered, added to, nor taken from it.” Whether Mr. Macrae meant it or not, that is a direct challenge to the Free Presbyterian Church and we will not allow his statement to go unchallenged. The Free Presbyterian Church claims to have preserved inviolate the constitution of the protesting Church of 1843 and to be told at this time of day that the Free Church of all the Presbyterian Churches in Scotland alone can say that the 1843 constitution has been preserved inviolate by her is more than we Free Presbyterians will tolerate. The Free Presbyterian Church has all along held the position that she holds inviolate the constitution of the protesting Church of 1843 and even when overtures were made by the Free Church for union with the Free Presbyterian Church we are not aware that her claim was ever challenged.