In some places there has been a noticeable declension as far as attendance on the means of grace in recent years. True, this, to a considerable extent, may be due to the call up of so many men and women whose work knows little or no Sabbath at all. The danger is that on return to civil life this will affect their attendance on the services of the sanctuary for once a non-church going habit has been established for a time it is ready to become a fixed habit. The words of Dr. Charles Hodge may fitly conclude this article. “It is,” says Dr. Hodge, “undeniable that the mass of the people are indebted to the services of the sanctuary on the Lord’s Day, for their religious knowledge. Any community or class of men who ignore the Sabbath and absent themselves from the sanctuary, as a general thing, become heathen. They have little more true religious knowledge than pagans. But without such knowledge morality is impossible.” (Systematic Theology, III. 331).
Tribute to the Red Army.—It would appear that there are certain people in high places on the look-out to find an excuse for giving another knock to Sabbath observance. Last month meetings were held throughout the country when statesmen, politicians, ministers of religion and others met on the Lord’s Day to pay tribute to the valiant soldiers of the Red Army. Now, whatever the men of the Red Army may be religiously, they certainly have shown that they are the bravest of the brave and we owe them a debt of gratitude for the respite we have enjoyed in that they have kept our enemies so busily engaged. But why was it necessary to desecrate the Lord’s Day in holding these meetings throughout the country. Even Soviet Russia with the enemy at her gates found time on a week-day for these celebrations.
A Year of Ecclesiastical Commemorations.—During 1943 the various churches interested will commemorate (1) the meeting of the famous Westminster Assembly in 1643; (2) the formation of the Reformed Presbyterian Presbytery in 1743; (3) the Disruption in 1843 and the formation of the Free Presbyterian Church in 1893. The reader will notice that these events occurred with a hundred years between them since 1643. The last Synod appointed a Committee to arrange for the preparing of papers in connection with the Westminster Assembly, Disruption and the Free Presbyterian Church. And if the Synod decides, these papers will either appear in the Synod Proceedings or in the Magazine. It is also hoped (D.V.) that other papers dealing with various phases, other than those dealt with in the forementioned papers, of these important events will appear in our pages during 1943. It should also be remembered that the tercentenary of the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant falls in this year.
Buchmanite’s Hide-out.—The Oxford Group and Jehovah’s (so called) Witnesses are having a rather unpleasant time from the authorities both in Britain and America. When war broke out many Buchmanite leaders, says the Churchman Magazine (London), followed “Frank” to the United States for reasons best known to themselves. Now that America is right in the war they have been criticised for claiming exemption from
the fighting forces because of their essential work in Moral Rearmament—whatever that means. But after a struggle their applications have been turned down and they, including “Bunny” Austin, have been ordered to join up. Apparently America, where this latest “ism” was born, does not regard the followers of Dr. Frank Buchman as being on the same level as Christian ministers. “Frank’s” praise of Hitler has served to discredit the Group Movement in the eyes of Americans and Britons. The fact is that Frank Buchman and his Movement are being found out.
U.S. Archbishop Visits the Vatican.—The visit of the Roman Catholic Archbishop Spellman, of New York, to the Pope, says the English Churchman (London), which is now proceeding, has created no little interest in Roman Catholic quarters. It appears that the Archbishop has been charged with a mission from President Roosevelt with whom, The Catholic Herald reports as a noteworthy fact, he had two lengthy talks before flying to Lisbon. The same paper says: “There is little support for the view that Archbishop Spellman’s mission is as broad as Mr. Myron Taylor’s, though one report states that the Holy Father wanted to see Myron Taylor, but that the President asked Mgr. Spellman to go in his place” (which seems a little hard on Myron Taylor). The Universe, dealing with the same subject, remarks that Archbishop Spellman “seems to have become President Roosevelt’s chief Catholic consultant” and that “he is well acquainted with Vatican diplomacy, having served under the present Pope for several years in the Secretariat of State.”
The Nazis and the Vatican.—A recent issue of the Christian (London) has the following note on this subject: “Now that plans for the political and economic settlement of post-war Europe are being discussed on an increasing scale, Protestants need to be on guard against those who are ready to press the claims of the Vatican to a seat at the Peace Conference. Rome is too deeply compromised in its attitude toward the Axis to be trusted to speak and act impartially. Bernhard Menne, a Social Democratic opponent of Hitler, in a volume just published, entitled, The Case of Dr. Bruening, throws a lurid light on the part played by the German Catholic Centre Party in the conspiracy for the overthrow of the Weimar Republic and the bringing of Hitler to power. In fact, everywhere in Europe, the author declares, during the past twenty years, the Vatican ranged itself behind militarists and Fascist parties. It behooves Protestants, therefore, to scrutinize all movements which, under the plea of unity and comprehension, are designed to further the anti-democratic conspiracies of the Vatican.” In acting under the above fashion and showing its sympathy with the totalitarian powers the Papacy is acting consistently for it is in itself the most autocratic totalitarian institution in the world.
Slackening in Moral Standards.—These words were used by Sir Thomas Royden, chairman of the L.M.S. Company at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held at Euston Station, London last month. In his review Sir Thomas among other things said:—“I referred last year to the appalling dimensions which wholesale robbery and petty pilferage had reached. In spite of every possible precautions we have not been able to do more than arrest the growth of losses, and I regret that the situation still shows no absolute improvement. Every practicable step that can
be devised has been and is being taken, but the general slackening in moral standards that is an almost invariable concomitant of war persists, and until public opinion condemns dishonesty, the evil will continue.” We would not desire to utter one word to belittle the seriousness of the situation. It reveals theft on a large scale but while deplores the lurid light cast on slackening in moral standards we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that the railway companies themselves were robbers in a daring way in robbing God of His holy day. They baited the public by offering cheap fares: they used the Lord’s Day for work on that day, and offered more than the ordinary pay on that day to their servants. We do not mean to say that the stoppage of work and running Sabbath trains would stop the wholesale thieving that is going on on the railways but it certainly would give them a stronger position in the eyes of the Christian in their protest against thieving and their helplessness to stop it.
“Out of the same Mouth proceedeth Blessing and Cursing.”—These words of James came to our mind when we read the other week extracts of a speech made by Mr. Ivor Thomas, Labour M.P. for Keighley, and who is very energetic as a propagandist for opening theatres on the Sabbath, in which he said recently:—”Cut out all this hypocrisy and allow the theatres to open freely on ‘Sundays.'” “This bias,” he continued against the theatres is a relic from the days when actors were regarded as rogues and vagabonds. I ask for permission to open the theatres on ‘Sundays’; I desire also to open the churches on weekdays. Christianity must be positive if it is to fulfil Christ’s will, and cannot flourish on a perpetual diet of ‘Thou shalt not.’ We wonder who made Mr. Thomas an interpreter of Christ’s will? Did he ever read the Sermon on the Mount and feel as he read it the number of ‘shall nots’ implied in the divine teaching. Are the people who go to the theatre on the Lord’s Day likely to be concerned whether they will enter a place of worship either on a week-day or Sabbath? The devil is playing with Mr. Thomas and whispering in his ear that license free and unchecked is the same as liberty. Fortunately there are people in this country who are not so easily fooled. One of the worst kinds of hypocrisy is to pretend to have interests of Christ in view when doing the work of the devil. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not so to be (James, iii. 10).”
The Bible.—At the annual meeting of the National of Scotland held recently in Glasgow the Rev. Robert F. Chisholm, general secretary, said that at this annual meeting they celebrated 400 years of the “open Bible” in Scotland. In March, 1543, an Act of Parliament was passed making it lawful for every home in Scotland to possess a copy of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible, or some portion of it, was now in over 1060 languages. Already over 565,000 copies of the Service Testament had been distributed among the men and women in the Services.
“What matters is to do the Will of God.”—It is reported that when Britain was hit with the whirlwind disaster in 1940 which well nigh laid her low had it not been for the Lord’s marvellous deliverance that the late Lord Lothian, British Ambassador to the United States, made the remark: “A few weeks may decide the fate of our Fleet, but that is not what matters. What matters is to do the will of God and have no
fear.” That is well said but we would like to add that it is only by grace from heaven that God’s will can be done. It is easy to say: “Thy will be done” when all is going well with us but when our wills are crossed by the divine Will, it is only grace that will enable us not only to submit but to acquiesce in the divine Will.
Deifying Democracy.—While defending Democracy against the Totalitarianism of the Axis Powers it would be well that we safeguard ourselves against deifying Democracy. Democracy, as set before us by many of the leading statesmen of the world and politicians, is exalted to a place of dangerous pre-eminence. It requires safeguards based on the principles of eternal law and righteousness. A godless democracy may be a tremendous menace to religious liberty. While a democracy based on Christian principles would prove a great blessing to those who came under its sway. It is true, that many of the statesmen of the Democratic Nations have stressed this point and it is to be hoped that when the day comes when, if it is God’s will, the Allied representatives sit around the Peace Conference table that this matter will receive serious consideration when the peace terms are agreed upon.
The Military Oath.—The Rev. Samuel Kennedy, according to instructions received from the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland wrote to Sir James Grigg, Secretary of State for War asking if the following words in the oath taken by those joining the forces, “I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty” and also the words “faithfully defend His Majesty, in Person, Crown and Dignity,” involved the wearer in obligation to own the Erastian supremacy of the King or the Crown in things ecclesiastical. Sir James replied:—”I am commanded by the Army Council to inform you that the Council have satisfied themselves that the wording of the Oath of Allegiance taken by a recruit on enlistment does not carry an interpretation involving the wearer in any obligation to own the supremacy of the King or the Crown in things ecclesiastical. It is regretted that it was not possible to send a reply earlier, owing to the fact that the point which you raised required careful research, which has necessarily taken some little time.”