The Royal Family.
When the news of His Majesty the King’s illness was announced about two months ago, it came as a surprise to the country; and yet we ought not to think it strange that one in such an exalted position should experience the afflictions which others of our sinful race are heir to, inasmuch as “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and “are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself and to the pains of hell for ever.” God is no respecter of persons. His Majesty’s contemplated visit to Australia and New Zealand in the Spring had to be cancelled. Many arrangements had already been made for the journey and reception of the Royal visitors. The Divine Hand in providence has ordered circumstances otherwise, so that the King must rest awhile, and Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Margaret must also forego this visit abroad. Nothing takes place at haphazard in the view of the Most High, and however commendable this intended visit abroad may have been, the divine purposes are being fulfilled in its cancellation. It would be well if these purposes are for the spiritual and providential benefit of the Royal Family. We desire a speedy recovery for His Majesty, in the kindness of Him by whom kings reign.
Further, the Lord has seen fit in His great goodness to give a son, now named Prince Charles, to Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth, and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be granted to them, and may they by the help of that grace make conscience of seeing to the bringing up of their child in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
The Royal Family have great need of the prayers of God’s people, that they may be delivered from conduct which dishonours the King of kings and be preserved from the temptations which, in this day, beset all classes in all walks of life, so that they may set a worthy example before the people of this nation of ours.
Erroneous Teaching of Prof. O. S. Rankin Challenged and Exposed.
Professor Oliver S. Rankin, of the Church of Scotland, has been teaching in the New College, Edinburgh, since 1937, where divinity students of that Church are trained in theology. On the 7th of October, 1948, he gave his inaugural address for the 1948/49 Session, when some members of the public, as well as the students, were present. The subject of his address was “Interpretation of the Old Testament in the History of Judaism and the Church.”
During his Address Prof. Rankin said many things which were false and erroneous. At the close, Lt.-Col. L. M. Davies, M.A., Ph.D., D.Sc., F.R.S.E., F.G.S., challenged the Professor to public debate regarding his unscriptural assertions. This challenge the Professor declined. Then Lt.-Col. Davies asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ was crucified, dead and buried, and yet rose again from the grave on the third day. The Professor’s answer was “No.”
Lt.-Col. Davies was brought up in the Church of Scotland in his youth, but is not now attached to any particular denomination. He has been a professing Christian from his early days. He was commissioned by Queen Victoria as an Officer in the Royal Artillery. After retiring from the Army, he graduated at Edinburgh University, as M.A., Ph.D., and D.Sc. He has been impressed by the way in which he continually found that ancient Scripture had anticipated modern scientific discoveries by thousands of years, and he has been intimately acquainted for a long time with geological facts, being a recognised authority on certain lines of geological research. He published a book, The Bible and Modern Science, 25 years ago. He holds firmly to the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible. The day following Prof. Rankin’s Address Lt.-Col. Davies wrote to him as follows:—
8 Garscube Terrace, Edinburgh, 8/10/48. Prof. O. S. Rankin, D. Litt., 7 Mayfield Terrace, Edinburgh. Sir,—During your Address at the Martin Hall, New College, yesterday afternoon, on the subject of “Interpretation of the Old Testament in the History of Judaism and the Church,” you said many things which I, as a Bible student for more than 50 years, and a scientist for 40 years, regard as completely false. Among these were your assertions that:—
(a) The Old Testament does not contain prophecies regarding our Lord’s life on earth. You specifically denied, e.g., that Isaiah chapter liii. refers to Him.
(b) You also denied that the Old Testament prophets predicted anything beyond what would occur in their own lifetime, or day.
This, of course, flatly contradicts the testimony of the New Testament, and represents as nonsense what even Gibbon admitted to be the chief claim of the early Christians who, he said, insisted: “much more strongly on the predictions which announced, than on the miracles which accompanied the appearance of Messiah” (Decline and Fall, end of chapter xv.). You derided those who do the same to-day, saying that they: “make the Bible a sort of Old Moore’s Almanac.” So that is how you describe those who follow our Lord’s own example (Luke xxiv. 25-27, etc.).
(2) When your address was concluded, I expressed my protest, and challenged you to public debate on the score of your assertions. This challenge you declined. That is typical of people of your stamp.
(3) I then asked you if you believed that Jesus Christ was crucified, dead and buried, and yet rose again from the grave on the third day, and you said you did not. So I told you that you are obviously not a Christian, since you reject the Gospel proclaimed by Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles (II. Tim. ii. 8), and are still unsaved (Rom. x. 9), and remain in your sins (I. Cor. xv. 14, 17). Yet it seems you are engaged by a nominally Christian Church to teach its future ministers. . . .
Unless I receive your express disavowals of the denials here attributed to you—or, in other words, your express admissions: (a) That the Old Testament does predict the earthly history of our Lord as claimed by Himself, also by the Apostles, and by the historic Church from the earliest times, and (b) That our Lord did rise physically from the grave, as shown and claimed by Himself (John xx. 27-29, etc.), also by the Apostles and by the historic Church—which initiated observance of the Lord’s Day on that account:—
I will, as an alumnus of Edinburgh University, denounce you publicly, whenever and wherever I see fit, as a rank apostate, totally unfit to hold the office you do in that University.—Yours truly, (Sgd.) L. M. Davies.
Professor Rankin did not reply to this letter, and Lt.-Col. Davies collected further evidence of the Professor’s teachings. As a result, a public meeting was called, and took place in the Goold Hall, Edinburgh, on Wednesday, 1st December, 1948, at 7.30 p.m. Mr. Hugh MacDougall, S.S.C., presided, and Lt.-Col. Davies spoke on “What is Happening at the New College?” He exposed and refuted the blasphemous teaching of Professor Rankin. The Hall was crowded, and a large number of New College students were present and took part in the public discussion that followed. The meeting passed a Resolution calling upon the Church of Scotland Committee on Education for the Ministry either to remove Prof. Rankin as an apostate from the historic faith of the Church of Scotland, or else to make it clear that that Church has abandoned its original Faith—as defined, e.g., in the Apostles’ Creed—and that those who still hold that Faith should go elsewhere for training as its ministers. A copy of this Resolution was forwarded to the Committee concerned and has been acknowledged as having attention.
We are indebted for all the information regarding this exposure of a Professor in the Church of Scotland to Mr. Hugh MacDougall, S.S.C., Edinburgh, who belongs to the Free Presbyterian Church in that City. Lt.-Col. Davies has no doubt disturbed the tranquility of the New College by his timely and vigorous action in defence of the Word of God, whatever effect this will ultimately have on the modern enemies of the Bible. This deplorable and soul-ruining state of affairs should cause us to value increasingly the Inspired and Infallible Word of God and the preaching of the pure Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ among us as a Church in Scotland. “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. cxix. 72). “Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved” (Ps. lxxx. 19).
Trinitarian Bible Society.
The following is culled from a page in the Trinitarian Bible Society’s Collector’s Book:—”Our Stewardship.—By God’s grace the Society has been enabled to continue its work upon the Scriptural basis laid down by its founders, a company of godly Evangelicals, in 1831. It was founded by them because they felt the need of a Bible Society which should not admit any alternative rendering from corrupt versions of the Scriptures, and should rigidly adhere to sound doctrinal standards, and allow no inducement to make them deviate from the pure translation of the original text as found in the Authorised Version. This standard the Society has consistently maintained down to the present time. It becomes more and more difficult to get men who are whole-hearted on the Plenary Inspiration of the Word of God and hold the doctrines of grace. Nevertheless, we have no Modernists on our Committee, nor do we invite Modernists to speak upon our platforms. We stand upon the rock foundation of the Word of God. It is an impregnable rock, which has stood and will stand firm against all the billows of criticism that have hurled themselves against it, unmoved and unmovable. Whereas the last chapter on science has not been written and never will be, until there is no more time; in the Bible we have the last word necessary for the guidance of the soul of man on Sin, on Redemption, on Holiness, and on Immortality. We stand to uphold its integrity, and to scatter its pure message throughout the races of men.”
The Republic of Ireland.
In our last issue of the Magazine, we commented on the action of the Eire Government in cutting their country apart from the British Protestant Throne and British Commonwealth of Nations. Eire is now being declared the Republic of Ireland in pursuance of Roman Catholic policy. It is a matter of great importance that the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (as reported at the time of writing) was to come to London to discuss with Government officials, the legal aspects of this situation. He was to ask for clear safeguards, on behalf of Northern Ireland, to be inserted in any Bill that the British Government would introduce in Parliament clarifying the relationship between Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was also to seek that Northern Ireland would in future be legally and officially designated Ulster, and so be distinguished from the Republic of Ireland, in her separate position as a part of the United Kingdom. We trust that Northern Ireland will obtain all that she desires and needs in order to frustrate and forestall the determined activities of the Romish Government in Dublin to bring the Northern Counties under the heel of the Man of Sin, politically first and then religiously. There has been brought to our notice a reference, in the Quebec City newspaper, Le Soleil, which is linked up with all this. It is as follows: “In these circumstances, together with Ireland, while waiting for India and South Africa to follow their example, Canadians would do well to realize their desire for independence in proclaiming the Republic of Canada.” Mr. St. Laurent, the new Prime Minister of Canada, sits for one of the constituencies in Quebec and was supported by the above-mentioned paper, which now declares for a Canadian Republic. It is thus being made clear that the Vatican policy is the dismemberment of the British Empire as soon as possible. We make no apology for advising Free Presbyterians once more to take special notice of the attitude of Members of Parliament to the Ulster question in these present times. May God arise in His power, through the Gospel, and open the eyes of millions in our beloved land, to recognise and appreciate the religious liberties we still enjoy in the divine providence, so that anything savouring of Rome rule would be abhorrent to us as a nation.
Signs of the Times.
As showing the increasing tendency to backsliding in the various denominations at present, there appeared in the December, 1948, issue of The Original Secession Magazine, under the paragraph heading, “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play,” the following comment:—”We seize the opportunity of transcribing the following item of Ecclesiastical Intelligence from the Associate Presbyterian, the organ of the Auld Lichts in the U.S.A. ‘Minneola had another big turn out at their annual rodeo, 3rd September, 1948. Several from the church took active part. Mr. and Mrs. King gave their “Liberty Act” with their matched five gaited American saddle horses, “Midnight Surprise” and “He Legge.” It showed lots of work and time spent in training these horses for Mr. and Mrs. King to give a performance like this. The float which our Young Folks sponsored won third prize, which was \$5.00. The theme of the float was, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” It was the scene of a Shepherd and his flock mounted on the back of Mr. Ramsey’s truck. During the rodeo itself, Mr. Everett Hindman had the misfortune of falling and breaking a rib while riding a bucking cow.’ In view especially of the solemn times we are living in, is not the foregoing item of frivolous irresponsibility on the part of professed evangelical Presbyterians a clear instance of ‘fiddling while Rome is burning.’ Is it any wonder that the Holy Spirit is grieved away from Scotland when the Editor of the Original Secession Magazine considers the foregoing disgraceful conduct worthy of narration in their official denominational organ? And this is the church that the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland was asked to co-operate with! How are the mighty fallen!—J. P. MacQ.