The National Financial Crisis.
During the month of October, members of the Government and others in authority, warned the nation of the seriousness of the financial and economic state of affairs, inasmuch as the nation was not paying its way. The problem really presented was how to avoid complete national bankruptcy and a much lower standard of living than at present, for all classes. Mr. Attlee, the Prime Minister, after consultation with the rest of the Cabinet, made a declaration in Parliament, on the 24th of October, announcing proposals to help cure the situation, by putting in force national economies, in varied directions, to the amount of £250 million. In a radio speech he charged some workers with only doing the minimum, not caring and absenting themselves unnecessarily from duty. He said to the nation: “We have a great opportunity to set things right. Let us seize it.” Throughout all the reports from Parliament of these momentous happenings, we have read not even a hint respecting the downward trend of the people of Britain in transgression of the Law of God and disregard for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word and Gospel. It is evident that we are completely ignoring God and His claims upon us, and are increasingly provoking the Majesty of heaven to anger. Our failure to recognise the financial crisis as a heavy, sharp rod to punish us, means that this rod in God’s holy hand may become heavier still. Indeed it has been predicted by some politicians and writers that the financial crisis in its full severity, is yet to come. God is judge of men and nations, and is not to be mocked. May we learn righteousness as a people and that speedily, and turn to God “to set things right.”
Aberdeen Minister and Ignorance of the Scriptures.
The Rev. J. R. Dey, convener of the Home Mission Committee of the Church of Scotland Presbytery of Aberdeen, is reported in the press on 2nd November as saying: “Ministers are no longer justified in assuming that people know the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and familiar parables. What could they do about this? The key to the problem lay very largely in the homes of the people. Parents must no longer seek to evade their responsibility for the religious training of their children by leaving it to the teachers in the day or Sunday school.” These words are indeed true and disclose what prevails throughout Scotland, largely as a fruit of unfaithfulness and worldliness on the part of many professed ministers of the Gospel and thousands of men and women who are members in full communion in churches. Are those who receive baptism for their children required to solemnly promise to read the Bible in their homes and with their families? Do ministers, office-bearers and members throughout the Church of Scotland, as professing Christians, hold daily family worship in their homes, consisting principally of reading the Scriptures and prayer? There were over one million and a quarter communicants in the Church of Scotland during 1947. Truly a large percentage of Scotland’s population! It is surely not unjust or rash to infer, that if all these were familiar with the daily reading of the Bible in their homes, as they ought to be, then the Rev. J. R. Dey, of Aberdeen, and others would have less cause for the aforesaid sad and serious complaints and strictures in relation to Scotland’s present irreligion.
Church Buildings and Exemption from Rates.
Under an Act of Parliament, Church buildings and Church halls are exempt from payment of local rates, so long as the buildings are used for public worship and the halls, in addition, for charitable or educational purposes. Under the Act, Church buildings cannot be used for organ recitals, concerts, presentation of dramatic performances, including Nativity plays, or displays of films, etc., if exemption from payment of local rates is desired. This has been pointed out to the Edinburgh Presbytery of the Church of Scotland in a letter from the Town Clerk. He further reminds the Presbytery that, “For some time there has been a growing tendency by congregations to use their Church buildings for purposes other than public worship.” This, the Town Clerk declared, is contrary to the regulations governing the Churches’ exemption from payment of local rates. From the press report of this business, at the beginning of November, it appeared that certain members of the above Presbytery were not prepared to agree with the Town Clerk or the Act of Parliament, on the interpretation of the law as to when Church activities were “public worship” or not. Our view of the Act of Parliament in its application here is, that it has administered a sound and much-needed rebuke to the widespread embracing of carnal and worldly activities within the Church of Scotland. What have concerts, yea dances and card-playing, and dramatic plays to do with the worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel of Christ Jesus, the conversion of sinners and the comforting of believing and godly persons? Well, when Church buildings are used for these worldly purposes, let them be rated, and congregations made to pay, as others who use their buildings for similar purposes without the covering of a dead, useless religion.
The Death of Pastor J. Fraanje, Holland.
Our readers who read in a recent issue of our magazine, the “Address by a Dutch Pastor,” will, we believe, regret the passing away of this pious man and faithful minister of the Gospel of Christ, Pastor J. Fraanje. In a letter to Mr. R. R. Sinclair, London, his son, Joost Fraanje, tells that his father died on the 3rd of September last, and further writes, “Then he was saved from all diseases and pain and delivered from sins and miseries and is allowed to glorify his King and Lord for ever in Eternity . . . So the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. These words from Psalm lxxii, 20, he read for us some weeks before he died.” We sympathise with our Dutch friends, although we have not met them in person. Their loss is our loss in Scotland, when God’s redeemed and praying people are removed from the Church on earth.
“Prayer is the arrow; love the bow that sends it forth; and faith the hand that draws the bow; but when the bow is not strong, or the hand feeble that draws it, the arrow must needs fall short of the mark.”—Job Tookie, an English Dissenter, 1616-1670.