By a two to one majority the people of Great Britain have elected to stay in the European Common Market. In this way they have confirmed the earlier decision by Parliament to enter the European Economic Community. Having given their decisive consent to entry into Europe and to the signing of the Treaty of Rome it will not be any longer possible for the people of the nation to lay the blame upon the leaders of the nation for any of the consequences of this solemn step. For any subsequent ill-effects of this alliance with the Common Market countries, the British people as a whole must bear full responsibility, just as the Jews had to bear the consequences of their action when, in confirmation of the deeds of the chief priests and scribes, they cried out: “His blood be upon us and on our children.”
Of the action of those who put Him to death the Saviour had to say: “They know not what they do.” On this account He prayed: “Father, forgive them.” Of the princes of this world who crucified Christ it is also recorded that had they known the wisdom of God they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Now, with regard to the action of the people of Britain we think it can also be reasonably said: “They know not what they do.” They know well enough — and that we do not dispute — the arguments so cogently put forward by the advocates of entry into the Common Market, and on the weight of those arguments felt obliged to support the Common Market cause; but they did not know — perhaps did not care to know — the end to which this was all to lead. This economic union with the other eight countries which form, along with Britain, the nine members of the Common Market is but the first stage of a process which has as its ultimate aim the political, economic and religious union of the countries of Western Europe, with consequent abandonment of national sovereignty and identity. What is to emerge in the end is to all intents and purposes a revived Holy Roman Empire with the Pope of Rome as its religious Head. Other monarchs, if they should still exist, would be expected to take an inferior place to the Roman Pontiff.
It is this religious aspect of matters which concerns us in connection with the result of the recent referendum. From the very outset the Vatican was a supporter of the Common Market idea and of the proposed European Union. Today the Ecumenical Movement is another protagonist of the European Cause. Ecumenists think that this will pave the way for the World Church which they hope eventually to bring into being. This will require, of course, submission to the See of Rome but this will constitute no problem for the Romeward-looking, ecumenically-minded clerics of today. Their first success towards the World Church of their dreams may well be in Europe. There will be those who will not be willing to enter the World Church but these “impracticable elements” will be dealt with in the same way as the martyrs of today and other days have been dealt with — by the strong arm of the law as disturbers of the peace.
Are these thoughts on the possible consequences of Britain’s membership of the European Economic Community too extreme to be entertained by serious thinking people? We think not. They may be less far-fetched than we are ready to imagine. We may well see such a pattern emerge before our very eyes and find ourselves as a nation swept along with it almost before we know what has happened. An idea of how things are to proceed in connection with European unity may be gauged from the hint that has come out that in the European Parliament the Conservative representatives from our country are likely to ally themselves with the Christian Democrat Deputies on the Continent; that is, with the Roman Catholic Party Deputies of the Continental countries. Could anything be more likely to prejudice the Protestant interests of this nation of ours?
Is the future, then, very dark from a religious point of view? Dark clouds, indeed, are hovering over Europe, and particularly over our own backsliding nation. We are exposing ourselves more and more as a nation through our sins to the judgments of the Most High, and we deserve to be left to reap the full consequences of our folly. Yet the Lord is saying to us: “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” Let us never forget that the Lord is able to deliver us from this alliance into which we have so wilfully entered and to raise us up as a people for Himself. “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Who knows but it may please Him, in answer to the cry of His people, not only to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us as a nation, but also on all the nations on the Continent of Europe?