The Re-publication of a Classic.—The Sovereign Grace Union, 19 Ludgate Hill, London, E.C.4, is publishing in parts Elisha Coles’ well-known work on God’s Sovereignty. Parts I. (God’s Sovereignty and the righteousness of God) and II. (God’s Sovereignty and Election) have already been published and Parts III. (God’s Sovereignty and Redemption), IV. (God’s Sovereignty and Effectual Calling), V. (God’s Sovereignty and Perseverance) will be published later. The price is 1/-; by post 1/3. The whole get up of the booklets is excellent.
Hedley Vicars’ Flag.—When Hedley Vicars, says Dr. W. M. Taylor, the young army officer was converted he knew that he would be made the butt of much ridicule, and the victim of much petty persecution by his comrades; so he resolved to be beforehand with them, and in the morning on which he made his decision he took his Bible and laid it down open on his table. Very soon a fellow-officer came in and looking at the book, exclaimed, “Hallo, Vicars! turned Methodist?” To which he made reply, “That is my flag; and, by the grace of God, I hope to be true to it as long as I live.”—Irish Evangelical.
Hell.—This dreadful word is often on the lips of men in these days—sometimes in swearing and at other times as descriptive of experiences in the air, on the sea or on the land. Its constant use robs it of much of its solemnity. It was well said by one who had the fear of God that if one were to realise what hell really meant it would not be regarded by us as a word that we could thoughtlessly use. However terrible some of the experiences have been in this war it is a gross exaggeration to say that it was a going through hell. As a swear-word it is too often on the lips of men. It may be a policy on the part of Satan to accustom men to it. The late Rev. D. Macfarlane used to say that the swearer is learning the language beforehand of the place he is going to.
Glasgow and the Opening of Cinemas on the Sabbath.—It is now long since that Glasgow deleted from its time-honoured motto—”Let Glasgow Flourish by the Preaching of the Word” the last clause and she seems determined to go farther on the wrong road. Her magistrates have responded to the request of the military to open four of the cinemas in the city on the Lord’s Day for the entertainment of the men of the Forces. She has even gone a step farther as Bailie Blanche, the senior magistrate indicated when he announced that the opening of these cinemas was meant for war-workers as well as for the men of the forces. Glasgow, of course, is not the only city that has gone astray—other cities and towns have followed the same bad course. Satan may, of course outwit himself in this new move but it is very likely, on the other hand, having discovered the pliant material he has to deal with that he will suggest to the magistrates that four cinemas are far too few for his followers in such a large city as Glasgow. But the question that is in the mind of not a few is this “Who gave the military or the magistrates the right to play fast and loose with God’s holy day?”
Entertainment for the Troops.—In last issue we called attention to the kind of entertainment provided by the B.B.C. on Sabbath for the Fighting Forces. It is gratifying to know that to begin with, at any rate, the experiment of opening cinemas on the Sabbath was a slap in the face to the military authorities who suggested the experiment. The Glasgow Herald in its explorations for an explanation of the fiasco found it in the fact that the wrong cinemas were opened. We need not look to the Glasgow Herald, nor to any of the dailies, to support the cause of Sabbath observance for they are all transgressors themselves. We may rest assured that the Anti-Sabbatarians in the press and in the army will not rest on their oars in this matter until they accomplish their purpose, if possible. Civilians, as was to be expected, crowded to the cinemas which were open for service men.
“Beastly and Horrid” Entertainment.—Those who know the kind of stuff that is being provided by too many of the entertainers for the troops say that it suggests to ordinary men that the men of our fighting forces are a set of idiots if not something very much worse. It is most regrettable that men many of whom shall soon be summoned into eternity should thus be treated by men who have lost all sense of the fitness of things and who measure things by the standard of the cinema and the music hall. Lieut.-General Sir. William Dobbie, the late heroic Governor of Malta, said in London recently that one of the things that had struck him since the war began was the sort of amusement, and entertainment which some misguided people thought should be provided for the forces. “I have been shocked to see some of the things considered suitable, and as a soldier voicing the opinions of the other two Services I resent most strongly the imputations that are made by those who think that in order to entertain the forces something beastly and horrid should be provided.” He was certain, he said that this form of entertainment was distasteful to nine-tenths of the forces. The military authorities through the Welfare Directorate evidently stirred up by the above, issued a public statement saying that their aim was to raise the standard of entertainment provided for the troops. If all reports are true the Directorate have a long way to go.
The Inheritance of our Fathers.—Our Hollander friends in Grand Rapids are still carrying on the good work in issuing booklets containing extracts from writers such as the Erskines, Hugh Binning, Richard Sibbes, J. C. Philpot, William Romaine, Thomas Boston, Augustus Toplady, Jonathan Edwards, James Durham, William Gurnall, John Bunyan, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Thomas Scott, etc. The latest come to hand is Rev. Ralph Erskine’s Chambers of Safety in Times of Danger. The booklets cost 3d. each; 28 copies for 5/-. They are excellent for distribution to the Forces and may be had from The Inheritance Publishing Co., P.O. Box, 334, Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A.