TO the Rt. Hon. E. Brown, M.P., Secretary of State for Scotland. Sir,—It was brought before the notice of the Southern Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, convened in Glasgow, on the 12th day of November, 1940, that their Majesties, the King and Queen, received a message from the Pope offering their Majesties his felicitations on their Majesties’ escape when Buckingham Palace was bombed. The Presbytery can take no exception to the message as such. It objects strenuously against the fact that the Pope’s felicitations were presented through the agency of William Godfrey, Archbishop of Cius, Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain: and that an acknowledgment to the message was returned to the Pope through the same agent, thus violating the Constitution of Great Britain, the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, and the Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland, which forbids their Majesties to have on any occasion, or under any pretence whatsoever, communication with, or acknowledgment of the See of Rome. The Presbytery contend that the Pope of Rome could have forwarded his felicitations through the usual diplomatic channels instead of through the Archbishop of Cius, Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain, and consider the method used, a political manoeuvre on the part of the Vatican; and further contend, that by acknowledging the message through the Archbishop of Cius, their Majesties have acknowledged the spiritual status of the Apostolic Delegate. The Presbytery would, with all due respect, and humble duty, warn His Majesty’s Government of the need to be most careful against the intrigues and machinations of the agents of the Pontiff.—(Sgd.) James MacLeod, Moderator of Presbytery.
The above protest was formally acknowledged by the Scottish Office.
The late Mr. Malcolm Macleod, Missionary, Fladda, Raasay.
THE Lord removes His people from the evil to come and of late quite a number of His witnesses have been taken away in order that they might not see things that would grieve them very much.
Among those called home not very long ago was the late Mr. Malcolm Macleod, Missionary, Fladda, North Raasay. He was born in Rona, being the eldest son of a family of five sons, and one daughter. His mother married a second time and had one child, a daughter, from her last husband.
While living in Rona Malcolm had the privilege of being one of the congregation of which the late worthy Mr. Alexander MacLennan was missionary and it was while listening to Mr. MacLennan speaking in public from Jeremiah, xii. 5—”If thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” that he came under real concern about the state of his soul for an endless eternity. We are not able to say how he was brought into gospel liberty but we believe he saw himself a lost sinner before an infinitely just and holy God. He renounced his own righteousness and was made both willing and able to embrace Christ and Him crucified as his only hope for eternity. A sinner saved by free and sovereign grace he continued to be to the end. This was put beyond doubt by his walk and conversation.
Latterly he came to live in Fladda, a little island near Torran, North Raasay, and acted as missionary and elder in Torran for some years. He also acted as missionary in Waternish on two occasions his services being much appreciated and he himself kindly remembered.
We are sure that his exhortations would be both scriptural and edifying. In speaking to the Question he was as a rule brief but pointed and searching. His pithy statements had a great deal in them of sound experience and evangelical theology.
Although Malcolm’s voice was not strong it was sweet and the Lord’s people enjoyed his leadership of the praise, especially in private worship.
He dutifully stood by the Cause of Christ in Raasay when the late Rev. Mr. Macfarlane, of revered memory, separated from the Free Church on account of the change in its constitution and faithfully continued to the last supporting the Free Presbyterian Church which he loved. During the last years of his life he met with trying experiences which, no doubt, made him more dependent on his Lord and weaned him more than ever from the perishing things of time.
For some years he had not been very robust and when the end came he was fully prepared for it through grace and entered, we believe, into the joy of his Lord.
May his family have their father’s God as their covenant God and His beloved Son as their Saviour.—D. M. M.