Sentimental Humanitarianism.—A glaring instance of how sentiment has taken the place of true religion in our midst could be seen recently in the way that the Jesuitically-controlled press and the B.B.C. vied with each other in pouring their encomiums upon the late Rev. Pat McCormick of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, as in the case of his predecessor, Canon Dick Sheppard. Neither of these two men were popular among radio listeners for their Christianity, for their productions were no more the fruits of real Christianity than are the ideals and aspirations of the Mahatma Ghandi. Dick Sheppard’s peace-at-any-price pacifism was the antithesis of Christian righteousness, while McCormick’s last appeal in his parish magazine for amusing jokes in connection with air raids should brand him anywhere as an irresponsible person who did not realise the gravity of the situation. Such matters reveal that we have arrived at the days of spiritual darkness anticipated by the late Dr. Kennedy, Dingwall, and the godly ministers and laymen who were contemporaneous with him, for not since the Reformation in Scotland has true religion been at such a low ebb.
Romanists and the Ministry of Information.—As reported in The Star for 18th October, Mr. Duff Cooper stated in a written Parliamentary reply that Mr. W. D. Newton of the editorial board of the R.C. Universe was on the Religious Division Staff of the Ministry of Information at a salary of £600-£800 a year. This, with the fact that another Romanist, Captain Cecil Graves, is second in command of the B.B.C., and that Professor Ogilvie, the Director-General, is, for all practical purposes, merely a figure-head, shows the direction in which we are drifting. There is also another fact worthy of attention, and that is, that a large percentage of the editorial staffs, reporters and article-writers of the leading British newspapers are Jesuits. Thus Rome has succeeded cleverly in obtaining a strangle-hold on the leading channels of information in this country so that it is not possible to expose the most morally and spiritually corrupt system of iniquity in the world, and our Empire’s most inveterate and most dangerous foe. Can God’s blessing be expected on the war efforts of a nation which thus enslaves itself to the Man of Sin. We appeal to the Lord’s praying people to give Him no rest till He has delivered Britain from the fearful thraldom of Popery.
The Disruption Centenary.—Although it may be somewhat early to refer to the centenary of the Disruption there are not wanting signs that the Free Church of 1900 will, as usual, put forward the claim that they are the sole ecclesiastical heirs of the Disruption Church, for they have in the past been making that claim with as much zeal as the Romanists and the Anglo-Catholics claim to have an exclusive monopoly of Apostolic Succession, and with as little foundation for the claim. Can anyone imagine the Disruption Fathers fraternising with the enemies of the Bible? Yet we find the present Free Church doing this often. A recent instance took place at an induction service at Kingussie Free Church where ministerial representatives of the so-called Church of Scotland gave speeches of welcome. We cannot close our eyes to the fact that the U.F. Church, the body which united with the Established Church to form the Union of 1929, for many years drank in the poison of infidel destructive criticism of the Word of God from the theological colleges of Germany, and have thus made Scotland to a large extent a spiritual desolation. When they manifest signs of genuine repentance we consider it would be time enough then for a church making such loud professions of orthodoxy as the Free Church is doing to fraternise with them. As things are at present it is clear enough that we cannot look on the Free Church of 1900 as the representative of the Disruption Church, but if there is any church in Scotland, and we hold that there is, which proclaims the whole counsel of God, and supports it by a Scriptural practice, we maintain that such a church is the true representative of the Disruption Church.
Pope’s Message to the King and Queen.—Recently Pope Pius XII. sent a message of congratulation to Their Majesties the King and Queen, on their deliverance from danger when a bomb struck Buckingham Palace. The message was signed by “William Godfrey, Archbishop of Pius, Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain.” Loyal British subjects would have reason for surprise when they read the following words in the reply signed by Alexander Hardinge, “The King and Queen, who have received with pleasure the message from Pope Pius XII., will be glad if you will convey to his Holiness an expression of Their Majesties’ sincere thanks for his kind message of congratulation on their escape from the bombing of Buckingham Palace.” Do those who are Their Majesties’ advisers, and who, we presume, were responsible for sending this reply, realise how deeply they have implicated the nation in an act of gross violence against the Protestant Constitution of this realm? (1) Because the appointment by the Pope of an Apostolic Delegate to Britain is, according to the dogmas of the Church of Rome, a direct assertion of civil as well as ecclesiastical jurisdiction in this country. (2) The title Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain is a contravention of the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, according to which “all briefs, rescripts, or letters apostolic, and all and every jurisdiction, authority, pre-eminence, or title conferred thereby, are declared to be unlawful and void.” (3) The law which this Apostolic Delegate is sworn to observe is Canon Law, which declares, among other things, that the Pope is the Lord of all kings and all peoples; that the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church are exempt from the civil tribunals of the land; that the Pope can depose heretical sovereigns, and release subjects from oaths and promises to their kings; and that the priests have the power to direct the people in their political duties. (4) That, therefore, Canon Law is incompatible with British Law, and consequently any acknowledgment of it, or of officials sworn to uphold it, is detrimental to the good of the Commonwealth. In the light of the foregoing, all true lovers of our blood-bought liberties ought to send their strong protest to the proper authorities and insist on knowing who is responsible for involving our noble King and his Royal Consort in an act which weakens our national testimony against Papal aggression.
Correction.—We regret that owing to an oversight it was not stated that the sermon, “The God of Jeshurun,” which appeared in the October issue of the Magazine was by Rev. Lachlan Mackenzie, Lochcarron.