A T the Synod held in May last, at Inverness, the following motion was moved by Mr. Jas. Fraser and seconded by Mr. Charles Sutherland: “That the Synod take into serious consideration the fact that the so-called British Summer Time with reference to the Sabbath Day is in direct opposition to the Word of God, the 4th Commandment, and its relative standards, and our Church ordination vows. Therefore, that the Synod of its wisdom is duty bound to have this matter rectified to the extent that no office-bearer or congregation under its jurisdiction do support by their actions this tampering with the Lord’s Day, its duration or hours; but preserve it and pass it on to coming generations as it came down to us intact from the 1st and 2nd Reformations.” The Rev. F. Macleod moved and the Rev. W. B. Nicholson seconded the following amendment; “That the Deliverance of the Synod of 1917* on this matter be reaffirmed.” The amendment was carried by a large majority.
Mr. James Fraser dissented from this Finding for the following Reasons:—1. That my motion does not differ from the Synod’s Deliverance of May, 1917, anent the new time then in force where it is clearly declared that the Free Presbyterians are bound to keep the Sabbath from 12 o’clock midnight to 12 o’clock midnight according to the order of nature. 2. That I am painfully aware that the people of our Church are not being instructed as to their duty and responsibility towards the Sabbath Day in the light of the said 1917 Synod Deliverance. The Answers to above Reasons of Dissent, prepared by a Committee appointed by the Synod, are as follows:—1. The Committee herewith puts on record its sincere sense of sympathy with Mr. James Fraser and Mr. Charles Sutherland, who seconded his motion in their heartfelt distress on account of the deplorable desecration of the Lord’s Day so common in this land and in our generation. 2. As there is, however, much misunderstanding concerning the hours of the beginning and ending of the Lord’s Day in this realm, we make clear the following points with regard to the Sabbath:—(a). Under the Old Testament Dispensation the portion of time forming the Sabbath was the seventh of the seven days forming the week, from the evening of the sixth day until the evening of the seventh; but under our New Testament Dispensation, as a memorial peculiarly of the Resurrection of our Redeemer, the period of time is still the seventh portion of the week, but the first seventh portion. This is scripturally based upon and set forth in our Subordinate Standards to which the office-bearers of the Free Presbyterian Church give their names. (b). As we have, from time immemorial been accustomed to the Roman reckoning of time, we abide by this reckoning, and strongly disagree with our Government, by Order in Council, tampering with the Lord’s Day by introducing this change of “British Summer Time,” etc., on the morning of the Lord’s Day from year to year. (c). We therefore, as a Synod, reaffirmed the Deliverance on the matter approved by the Synod, 1917. As this Deliverance is doubtless to be republished in the Church Magazine, we do not include it here. (d). We answer Mr. Fraser’s main point of dissent by cordially seeking to satisfy him and his seconder on the matter namely, that it be duly pointed out to our people that there is no change in our reckoning of the Lord’s Day. It is still from midnight to midnight as clearly set forth in the Deliverance of 1917 (F.P. Magazine Vol. XXII., p. 120). Those addressing our people are requested to make this matter clear to all concerned, to impress on them our gospel obligations regarding the Sabbath. We would point out that we as a Church have hitherto earnestly upheld and contended for, the sanctity of the Lord’s Day in Church and State, for nearly fifty years, and, as far as is known to us, there is no change in this respect in the Free Presbyterian Church. As for the hours of Church services on the Lord’s Day, let this be left to the local convenience of each congregation or mission station, according to good order.
* This Deliverance is printed immediately after the above answers to Reasons of Dissent.