The Church of Scotland and the Church of England.
The Church of Scotland representatives have ended another period of conferring with the Church of England, in seeking closer relations between the two national Churches; and by the time this note is in print they will have submitted an up-to-date report to the General Assembly in Edinburgh. The negotiations follow previous discussions over a number of years. It appears that the English Church representatives are to recommend to their own Church:—“(1) That ministers of the two Churches should be allowed to preach in each other’s Churches: and (2) That baptised communicants of the Church of Scotland . . . should be admitted to Holy Communion in the Church of England.” The Scottish representatives are reported as welcoming this action by the Church of England. And so the process goes on whereby the professed Presbyterianism of the Church of Scotland becomes less and less a matter of principle by reason of the leaven of Episcopacy under the pretence of a Christian desire for closer relations. Dr. Charles Warr, minister of St. Giles’ Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, has made it abundantly clear that he, at anyrate, is thoroughly tired of the Scriptural simplicity of Presbyterianism. It seems that men in Scotland have lost that manliness even, to be definitely one thing or another. Or it may be that there is a definite plan to overthrow Presbyterianism in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church.
Our readers have been advised more than once that the trend in ecclesiastical conferences is to link up the Church of Scotland with the Church of England and then with the Roman Catholic Church. The latest evidence to substantiate our fears is a report of a meeting on 30th April, in Central Hall, Westminster, organised by Christian Action, a Roman Catholic sponsored Society. At this meeting, there appeared on the platform, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Craven (representing the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Westminster), and Dr. R. F. V. Scott (representing the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland). Now, if the Church of Scotland is a Protestant Church in its doctrine, practice and witness, why this uncalled for and unnecessary collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church? Its Protestantism is dead;
and there does not seem to be one leading personality in that Church who will lift his voice to give warning that Roman Catholicism is anti-Christ, and a menace to the religious and civil liberties of the people of this country. The Free Presbyterian Church may be called narrow-minded in its care to keep aloof from the Church of Scotland, but there is greater need than ever for us to watch against the wiles of the devil. The Free Church cannot blame us in these days if we view with a critical eye the frequent reports of public collaboration between their ministers and Church of Scotland ministers. The Word of God speaks with no uncertain sound to-day on this situation, and as follows, “Be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing.”
Scottish National Party and the Sabbath.
We, on a previous occasion, pointed out that leaders of the Scottish National Party had no regard for the Fourth Commandment, and the observance of the Sabbath in Scotland, or elsewhere for that matter of it. This has been confirmed again and again. On Sabbath, the 15th of April, about 800 people heard Dr. Robert McIntyre, chairman of the Scottish Nationalist Party, and other speakers, put forward the case for Home Rule for Scotland in Hyde Park, London. Let our readers take particular note of this and measure these men as men incapable of bringing any advantage to Scotland, morally or spiritually. “Seven day a week” politicians are a curse to the country, whatever party they belong to. May God forbid that Sabbath-breakers be permitted to introduce Home Rule to Scotland.