Demonstrations by Miners on Lord’s Day.
It recently came as a great shock to many miners in Scotland that a large number of coal mines were to be closed by the National Coal Board. Following this, many Scottish miners have held protest meetings and demonstrations on the Lord’s Day in different places. Undoubtedly the closing of pits means economic difficulties for miners and their families. But the miners do not recognise that adversity in the providence of God will never be eased by transgressing the holy law of God. Times of trouble call for prayer, and not for protest marches through this or that town on the Sabbath Day. The God of providence and of salvation is greatly ignored to the hurt of men even in time.
The Rejected Plaque for a Poet.
The Edinburgh Burns Club Association recently sought permission to have a commemorative plaque to Robert Burns erected at Poets’ Corner, as it is styled, in St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. This was refused by the cathedral’s Board of Management, and much correspondence and high-spirited criticism of the Board’s action followed, and the press gave much publicity to the controversy which arose. We are not for plaques of poets or pious saints in Churches which have been built professedly for the Worship and adoration of God and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It seems there is a plaque to Robert Louis Stevenson in St. Giles’, but that is no reason why Burns should have a plaque there too. R. L. Stevenson’s plaque is there, not because he was an outstanding believer in Christ, but no doubt for reasons unrelated to the true Christian faith. Burns was anything but a christian saint in the calm judgment of sensible people, and thus with others should not be foisted upon the walls of a professed Christian Church building. Burns receives already an inordinate measure of adoration as evidenced by recent celebrations in his honour. But how sadly lacking is a like honouring of the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst today!
Roman Catholic Advertising.
In the “Daily Express” for 27th December, 1958, there appears an advertisement headed—”The Truth about the Catholic Church,” which of course should read “Roman Catholic Church.” This is inserted by the Roman Catholic Enquiry Centre. A main feature of the advertisement is the picture of a priest in robes holding a cup, presumably the cup holding the wine in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or of course the Mass as it is designated in the Roman Church. Then underneath the following words, among others, appear—”This is a picture of a priest saying Mass.” Then later it is stated—”The Mass is the centre of the (Roman) Catholic Faith.”
The point we wish to make regarding this advertisement is that the priest is depicted holding only the cup with the wine. Now the wine is drunk by the priest only and not given to the people at all when they partake of the Mass in the Roman Church. This is one of many anti-Christ practices in the Roman Church. Christ said “Drink ye all of it.” But Rome gives only the wafer to the people. Another advertisement appearing recently in the “News Chronicle” depicts the hands of a priest holding a crucifix and a rosary, with the words underneath “(Roman) Catholics sometimes use a rosary when they pray.” Who ever read or heard of the Saviour or the Apostles using a string of beads when they prayed? Here we have superstitious nonsense. As a concluding note to this Comment, we are informed by our minister in London, Rev. J. MacQueen, that Mr. Kinsit, the Protestant Truth Society sent a similar Protestant advertisement, but the “News Chronicle” refused it, returning the Money Order, and other daily papers acted likewise returning the Money Order; and all this, despite the fact that Britain is more than 95% non-Romanist. These papers cannot be “free” to act fairly and justly to all would be advertisers. There is an evil influence somewhere.
Biggest Football Pool Prize.
A Mr. Jim Gault, 53 years of age, of Northern Ireland, won recently, in conjunction with his cousin, partly blind Mr. William Stranaghan, £300,000, in a football pool prize. This was said to be the biggest prize of the kind, ever won. William Stranaghan is 68 years of age and partly blind. When questioned about the money, among other things he said: “All I want is my sight.” This indeed was a very sober and sobering comment. In face of all the arguments in favour of the curse of betting on a small or large scale, we hold that no blessing can come with small or great sums of money obtained in this way.
Evil on the Streets of London.
In February the Government introduced in the House of Commons a Bill called the “Government’s Street Offences Bill.” Partly, the purpose of the Bill is to introduce legislation to clear and cleanse the streets of London of the moral plague of prostitution which has reached revolting proportions. However good or ineffective this Bill may be according to its supporters and critics, one thing stands out that the state of matters must be desperate when the Government are taking this action. It is becoming increasingly clear, that London holds within its bosom the very elements of Sodom and Gomorrah. And no wonder! God, the Bible, the Sabbath, the public Worship of God, are ignored by the vast majority personally and in family life. And a degraded society is the result.
Queen Mother may meet Pope.
The Queen Mother expects to pay a private visit to Rome in April, and it is expected that she will then be “received in audience by the Pope.” The advisers of the Royal Family are at work again, arranging an unconstitutional and anti-Protestant act on the part of the Queen Mother. No good can or will come out of this visitation if it takes place. We deplore, and protest as a Church, against such conduct. But we must have recourse to prayer that God will intervene and overthrow the designs of Satan and Romanisers in our midst.
Commendable Resolution on the Lord’s Day.
We publish the following from the Magazine of the Lord’s Day Observance Society, January – March, 1958, issue :—
At the Fourth Plenary Congress of the International Council of Christian Churches, held in August 1958 at Petropolis, Brazil, the following Resolution was carried unanimously :
“The International Council of Christian Churches, assembled at the Fourth Plenary Congress, acknowledges with thanksgiving the blessings of the Lord’s Day.
The Congress witnesses with sorrow and alarm the attempts which have of late years been made to impugn the Divine Obligation of the Lord’s Day and contemplates with grief the present widely extended violation of its sanctity.
The Congress, therefore, calls upon evangelical Christians throughout the world, where possible, to resist the desecration of the Lord’s Day by every Scriptural and constitutional means, and to promote its positive observance by their personal example of attendance at worship, engaging in the Lord’s service, and by giving attention to the needs of the Lord’s aged and sick, also by taking heed to the manner in which they conduct themselves on the Lord’s Day both in public and in the home.
The Congress is convinced that, by the honouring of His Holy Day by His people, the Lord will get glory to His Name, and will make His blessing to abound towards them and, through them, to the communities in which He has appointed them to dwell.”
The above mentioned Congress was attended by nearly 500 delegates and observers from thirty-three nations. The passing of this Resolution is therefore most significant as it illustrates the fact that, in so many countries, there is growing concern for the violation of the sanctity of God’s Day.