Entering on Another Year.—By the time this issue is in the hands of most of our readers 1942 will have vanished into the past or be near its end. It is a year in which momentous things have happened in the history of some of the mighty nations of the earth. Homes have been wrecked, high hopes shattered, hearts sorely smitten and fear has been a daily guest in many a home. What shall the end of all these things be? This is known alone to God; not but that we have many prophets both in high places and in humble spheres who have a certain penchant for prophesying. Nevertheless the Lord alone knows what 1943 has for the warring nations and us as individuals. We would commend to His gracious care and keeping those whose thoughts turn to the empty places in their homes, and those whose hearts are harassed with daily fears and forebodings. Our thoughts go out in prayerful sympathy to those who are fighting for us especially those from our homes and congregations. May the good Lord protect them on the high seas, in the air and on the battlefield and bring them back in safety to their homes again. We would also commend to His gracious care the young women called up in the service of their country. May they be kept by Him in midst of surroundings and conditions so new to them. The year on which we are entering is big with the destiny of the mighty nations of the world and thousands are afraid as they are entering the cloud. May our prayer be—”Help us Lord, for vain is the help of man.”
What is the Controversy?—Mr. Martin asks the question and this is the answer: “If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (II. Chron. vii. 14). May then our fellow-countrymen repent and turn unto God like the people of Nineveh at the preaching of the prophet Jonah (Jonah, i. 2, 3, 10). This the way of deliverance, of victory, and of lasting peace.”
Definitions of Faith.—I am not sure that we are much the better for our attempted definitions of Faith. Baxter connects it with the doctrine of the mystical union; Lampe defines it as a willingness to be saved by Christ; Halyburton and Owen as a cordial acceptance of the offer; Sandeman as simple belief in simple testimony. Well, a man is sometimes very little the better for a definition, and all these perplex as well as enlighten. But “none perish that Him trust”—none perish that Him trust.—Rev. John Duncan, L.L.D.
Roman Catholics in the Pacific.—In the Philippine Islands, in a population of 16,000,000, there are 13,000,000 Roman Catholics. In China there are 3,200,000 Romanists, in Japan 300,000 out of a population of 80,000,000. In Corea there are 130,000 Roman Catholics. Formosa has 7,200, and Borneo 8,000 out of over two million people. Burma had 136,000 Romanists, the Dutch East Indies 535,000, the Fiji Islands 17,000, the Hawaiian Islands 116,000, French Indo-China 1,445,000 out of over twenty-three million people. New Guinea has 50,000 Roman Catholics, Siam 62,000, and Australia had 1,250,000 before military accretions swelled the number. In British Malaya, there were 80,000 Romanists.—Protestant Woman.
The Lord’s Controversy with Britain.—Mr. H. H. Martin in his little booklet Victory is of the Lord says: “Alas, in our generation multitudes seem to be turning their backs on these precious privileges. Many in our land have apostatized, gone astray. In numberless lives God is forgotten, His Day defiled, His Word set at naught. Forces of unrighteousness are busy. They are like enemies within the gates, the Devil’s Fifth Columnists. Let us name a few of them. 1. Bible neglect; 2. Sabbath profanation; 3. Drink curse; 4. Gambling mania; 5. Excessive pleasure-seeking; 6. Moral laxity in many circles; 7. Alarming increase in juvenile crime. Can we wonder that such a “vampire of evil” is seriously sapping the spiritual life-blood of our Nation, Surely God must have a controversy with us—a controversy that cannot be settled on the battlefields but only on our knees.
Dr. Begg’s Sermon.—We take the liberty of calling our readers’ attention to the noble sermon from this eminent witness of Christ in the December and January issues of the Magazine. Our readers are indebted to Rev. D. A. Macfarlane, Dingwall, who called our attention to the sermon and transcribed it for the Magazine. This is the second Communion Sermon of Dr. Begg’s which has appeared in the Magazine—the former appeared in December, 1928 (Vol. xxxiii, p. 324). Owing to the length of the sermon and our limited space in these days of paper control we were necessitated in dividing it into two parts. Dr. Begg’s warfare against the incoming innovations in the Free Church is apt to leave on the mind of the ill-informed the impression that he was more of a belligerent ecclesiastic than an expounder of the sweet consolations of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That idea is altogether erroneous and anyone who reads these sermons cannot help feeling that the preacher had audiences of a very intimate kind with his Lord and Master. The sermons are fragrant with the aroma of the ivory palaces with the aloes, myrrh and cassia of the King’s garments with whom he had communion.
Entertainments for Charity on the Lord’s Day.—At the end of last month the daily papers had prominent paragraphs with such headings as this: “No Sunday Shows for Charity: Actors’ Withdraw.” You would think that a great calamity had hit the country. What was it all about? Simply this that owing to a certain law still on the statute book these playactors were not allowed to charge money for entertainments they gave on the Sabbath. And it was stated that these said charities will lose nearly £100,000 a year. If these entertainments are given for the sake of charities could they not be given on a week-day? and has it come to this that people must be entertained on the Lord’s Day to get them to contribute to charities? It is time this hollow hypocrisy be exposed and that the playactors who have no respect for the divine law should be checked by human law. There will no doubt be a copious flow of crocodile tears shed over this business but if the playactors and their patrons are so deeply interested in charities let them send their contributions to deserving institutions instead of passing them on through the theatre tills.
Actors and the Law.—These gentlemen, at least, their spokesman is evidently hurt that they have been pulled up by the Lord’s Day Observance Society (London). The Secretary, Mr. H. H. Martin said that his Society
were determined to fight “this new form of agitation with all the means in its power. This theatrical declaration is another instance of ugly vested interests at work. It is a back-door method of trying to secure what Parliament in 1941 refused to allow. The representation that these ‘Sunday’ performances are a benefit to charity is an exploitation of that worthy cause.” One of the spokesmen for the actors suggested that a bill should be introduced into Parliament to cancel the existing law. The London Correspondent of the Scotsman thus comments on this suggestion:—”One of the suggestions, that a Bill should be rushed through Parliament to exempt entertainments arranged specially for the troops and for charities, embodies a rather sanguine view of the ease which any change in the existing law can be made. It would be an ideal subject for a debate on a private member’s Bill, but facilities for such debates are no longer provided, and controversial legislation is likewise deemed outside the scope of practical politics at present. No subject would probably lead to greater controversy than further relaxation of the law governing, ‘Sunday’ entertainments. The ‘Sunday’ opening of theatres in London was defeated on a Parliamentary vote, and the extension governing entertainments for the troops has not passed unchallenged. Mr. Barr and two other Socialist members put down an amendment to the Address regretting the ‘Sunday’ opening of cinemas in the Scottish Command. It is not one of the amendments which are to be called in the debate on the Address, but another Parliamentary opportunity may be found for discussing the matter.”
Religious Education in England.—In a recent issue we called attention to a leaflet issued by the Sovereign Grace Union in which extracts from two of the most widely-used agreed syllabuses of religious instruction were given which showed they inculcate teaching subversive to the authority of Scripture. At a meeting of representatives of Evangelical Societies under the Chairmanship of Sir George Hume the following letter has been addressed to the President of the Board of Education:—”We the undersigned, representing a large body of opinion in the country, viewing with concern the materialistic tendencies of modern school teaching, and believing that the only basis of a sound educational system is to be found in the Biblical principles of the Christian religion, beg wholeheartedly to support the proposal to raise the status of religious instruction in the schools. To this end, we respectfully urge that no syllabus of religious instruction be recognised, or be permitted to be adopted by any educational Authority, which tends to lower the authority and dignity of Holy Scripture as divinely-inspired and inerrant; and that in the event of any ‘agreed’ syllabus continuing to be employed, any statement contained therein which implies that portions of Holy Scripture are mythical, legendary or unreliable, be deleted. In support of this plea we submit (a) that such implications inevitably detract from the weight of the moral lessons conveyed, (b) that at best they are based upon theories which are continually being discredited by subsequent investigation, and (c) that where such theories are fully developed (as in Germany in recent years) they undermine the authority of religion, and ultimately prove subversive of the best interests of the State. Furthermore, such teaching does not accord with the findings of the Report of the Consultative Committee on Books in Public Elementary Schools issued by the Board of Education (1928)
which stated that it is ‘more important than ever that adequate facilities for Bible reading should exist in schools,’ and ‘it is hardly necessary to say that we deprecate the publication of any books for schools use which attempt to retell the Bible story in other words.’ Devoutly believing Holy Scripture to be the fully-inspired Word of God, we are convinced that the propagation of doubts concerning its reliability is a large contributory cause of the decline in religion, due to the altered place of the Bible in home and national life, and we therefore beg that our representations be accorded the most careful consideration.”
Anti-Jewish Frenzied Madness.—Hitler’s Anti-Jewish madness if all reports be true has reached a stage of frenzy. The Glasgow Herald in a leading article says: “There is one people, however, whom the enemy has doomed not merely to decimation and slavery, but to complete annihilation. It is now clear that HITLER means precisely what he said when he talked of the liquidation of the Jewish problem. The persecution of the Jews, serious enough in Germany before the war, and in Poland and other Eastern European countries after the German invasions, has now developed almost unimaginable ferocity. There seems to be no doubt that what is now taking place on Polish and Russian territory is simply the planned (and very rapid) extermination of the Jews of Europe. . . . The crime is almost too great and too wanton to be fully realized by civilized peoples.” On Sabbath, 13th December, Jews throughout Britain held a day of fasting and mourning for the million and a half Jews massacred in Poland.
Bombing of Rome.—Replying to a question by Lord Wedgwood, in the House of Lords recently, Lord Sherwood, Under-Secretary of State for Air, said it was not possible without giving information to the enemy to indicate future operations in the air, but it might suffice if he reiterated the Prime Minister’s words that we should not hesitate to bomb Rome if the course of the war rendered such action helpful. The public press of 16th December announces that the Vatican had lodged a protest at London and Washington against the bombing of Italian cities. Bombing is one of the Satanic accompaniments of modern warfare and while deplored it with all our heart we cannot help asking did the Vatican send a protest to Hitler and Mussolini when British towns and cities were bombed?
A Tremendous Expenditure.—The country is spending £340,000,000 a year on smoking. What worries me is the absorption of labour and material in the shape of transport, not only of the tobacco, but of all the wrappings of the tobacco, and of its ultimate distribution throughout the country. Does such a figure as this disclose self-denial, or does it disclose self-indulgence?—LORD KINDERSLEY, President, National Savings Committee.