Witchcraft Trial.—A good deal of publicity has recently been given in the press to a trial of four persons in the Old Bailey (London) charged under the Witchcraft Act of 1735. All four persons were found guilty. Mrs. Duncan, one of the accused, had been acting for some time as a spiritualist medium. During six days work in Portsmouth her receipts were £104 with an additional £8 each for extra sittings. The Court found that the so-called “spiritualist seances” were frauds. The amazing thing about all such traffic is that there are people in large numbers who are not only willing to be duped but are prepared to pay handsomely for it. An interesting feature of these seances, which came out in the course of the trial, was that no one attending was permitted to carry an electric torch—a revealing commentary on the words, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because that deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John iii, 20.)
General Dobie’s Testimony.—Considering the godlessness which is only too sadly apparent among the men of our armed forces it is refreshing to come across the following testimony. General Dobbie was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Malta during one of the most critical periods of the war, when the island-fortress was threatened by vastly superior forces. His testimony is as follows:—”I came to know Him as my Saviour forty-seven years ago, and all through my military service to the present day He has been my Saviour and Lord. Although I have often and often been unfaithful to Him, yet He has never been unfaithful to me, nor has He let me down. I have always been sensible of the fact of my sins, which were forgiven me when I first accepted Him as my Saviour, were blotted out once and for all, and that in spite of my failures, I have become a new creature in Christ Jesus! That realisation has given me a profound peace which none of the circumstances of army life in peace or war have been able to disturb. I should like also to testify that to serve God and to follow Him is a very real and practical thing in the army. The help that He gives is also real and practical, as I have proved times without number. I have made it a habit to bring all my problems to Him, both great and small, both professional and private, and I can testify that the help He gives is certain and convincing. I have known Him now for forty-seven years, and I could not face life without Him. I pity from the bottom of my heart those who are trying to live without Him. They little know what they are missing. It is no small thing to know that all the past has been forgiven, that help from the hands of Almighty God is available for the present, and that the whole future for eternity is assured. I am not presumptuous when I say I know that, because it has all been given to me by His grace, apart from my own deserts. I commend such a Saviour to all.”
A serious Omission.—Judging by reports preparations for the invasion of the Continent by allied armies appear to be far advanced. The men are here in unprecedented numbers, the material and the weapons of war are prepared on a scale never before remotely approached. The one thing which in all this feverish preparation appears to have been overlooked is the public recognition of God. To those who truly fear God in Britain the omission will be considered a very serious if not an ominous one. The question of appointing a day of national prayer was raised in Parliament some weeks ago, but nothing further has been heard of the matter. There are many weighty reasons which could be advanced to show that the observance of a Day of National Humiliation and Prayer at this critical phase in the war would be most appropriate. Of course it is possible that even yet such a day will be appointed by those in authority. We sincerely hope it may, many would rejoice to hear of it.
An Example Worth Following.—The following Proclamation and letter appeared in The English Churchman of 20th April. It will be recalled that the French forces under Napoleon were routed at Waterloo two years after the date of this Proclamation.
THE CRISIS WEEKS OF THE WAR.
Sir,—In the current issue of your valued paper, you report that, at the United Service of Intercession, held on Tuesday evening of last week at the Central Hall, Westminster, “General Sir William Dobbie, in his opening address, said: ‘We are on the very edge of great events, and of, perhaps, the greatest military operations that the world has ever seen; and we shall, indeed, be realizing how much we need the help of God.’ He expressed ‘the hope that soon the Government would be calling the nation to prayer.'”
In so saying, Sir William was undoubtedly voicing the crying need of this the most solemn hour in our national history. Under strikingly analogous circumstances of a “most just and necessary war,” in the days of the Napoleonic scourge, a notable and noble precedent was created for our Government, when the head of the State, His Majesty himself (as distinct from the Ecclesiastical leaders) led the nation to the Throne of Grace on a weekday in penitence and humble prayer, giving glory to God alone, as the following “Royal Proclamation” declares.
(Rev.) A. E. GLOVER.
Worthing.
Copy of the “Royal Proclamation,” preserved in Whitton Parish Church, 1813.
By His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the Name and on the Behalf of His Majesty,
A PROCLAMATION FOR A GENERAL FAST.
GEORGE, P.R.
We, taking into Our most serious consideration the most just and necessary war in which His Majesty is engaged, and putting Our Trust in Almighty God that He will graciously bless His Majesty’s Arms both by Sea and Land, have resolved and do in the Name and on the Behalf of His Majesty, and by and with the Advice of His Majesty’s Privy Council, hereby command, That a publick Day of Fasting and Humiliation be observed throughout those Parts of the United Kingdom called England and Ireland, on Wednesday, the Fifth Day of March next ensuing, that so both We and His Majesty’s People may humble Ourselves before Almighty God, in order to obtain Pardon of Our Sins, and in the most devout and solemn manner send up Our Prayers and Supplications to the Divine Majesty for averting those heavy Judgments which Our manifold Provocations have most justly deserved; and for imploring His Blessing and Assistance on His Majesty’s Arms for the Restoration of Peace and Prosperity to His Majesty and His Dominions.
And We do strictly charge and command, That the said Publick Fast be reverently and devoutly observed by all His Majesty’s loving Subjects in England and Ireland, as they tender the Favour of Almighty God, and would avoid His Wrath and Indignation; and upon Pain of such punishment as may be justly inflicted on such as contemn and neglect the Performance of so religious and necessary a Duty.
And for the better and more orderly solemnising the same, We have given Directions to the Most Reverend the Archbishops and the right Reverend the Bishops of England and Ireland to compose a Form of Prayer suitable to this Occasion, to be used in all Churches, Chapels and Places of Publick Worship, and to take care that the same be timely dispersed throughout their respective Dioceses.
Given at Our Court at Carlton House, this First Day of February, One Thousand eight hundred and thirteen, in the Fifty-third year of His Majesty’s reign.
God Save the King.
Rome’s Power in Australia.—The Vigilant, of Melbourne, in its July issue, contained a four-page article showing the strength of the Roman Catholic Church in the Labour Party, which was then about to go to the country. Since the election favoured the Government, perhaps the situation is even worse than The Vigilant reported at that date. The Federal Cabinet then had nine Roman Catholic members. The Queensland Parliament had five Roman Catholic ministers; the Tasmanian Parliament had seven R.C. members (100 per cent); New South Wales had seven R.C. Cabinet Ministers; there were nine R.C. members in the Victorian Parliament, and eight councillors in the Melbourne City Council. The Vigilant comments, “Where there is a Labour Government in the States throughout the Commonwealth the same amazing situation is to be seen.”
Anecdote of Dugald Buchanan.—The article on the Judgment Seat of Christ which appears in this issue of the Magazine reminds us of an interesting incident in the life of Dugald Buchanan, the well-known writer of some of the finest spiritual songs in the Gaelic language. While he was on a visit to Edinburgh on one occasion he met the infidel David Hume. In the course of their conversation Hume quoted some lines from Shakespeare’s Tempest, which he thought unrivalled for their sublimity and impressiveness. Buchanan replied by quoting from memory Revelation xx and 11-13,—“I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life! and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Even the sceptic had to admit the impressive grandeur and solemnity of this prophetic description of the Great Day. That Buchanan himself was deeply impressed by this portion of God’s Word is clearly evident in his writings, especially in The Day of Judgment, the reading of which has solemnly impressed many.