In the July/August issue of the Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland the new editor, the Rev. Donald Macleod, in his opening article under the title ‘Peculiar People,’ attempts to assess the present position of his Church, its relations with other Churches, and its difficulties and prospects.
In dealing with the Free Church in its relations with other bodies, Mr Macleod states: “Our separation from the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland is the saddest of all.” He goes on to claim that, as the Free Church rescinded the Declaratory Act of 1892, the two Churches now have identical constitutions and the same unqualified commitment to Westminster theology, Puritan worship and Presbyterian discipline, therefore the way is open for union, while the few foreseeable difficulties would soon be removed if faced with a little brotherly love and Christian wisdom.
From the early years of the century Free Church writers on the Churches Question have alternated between wistful wooing of, and outright condemnation of the Free Presbyterian Church. The present ‘rough wooing’ lies perhaps somewhere in between as it carries the sombre warning that if the F.P. Church is not taken into the protective custody of the Free Church there is every likelihood of her falling a prey to a worse fate. Such warnings have often sounded before so we are not unduly alarmed by them. Since the beginning of its history the F.P. Church has had to face opposition from within and without, yet the Lord has been pleased to uphold it in its uncompromising witness for the truth. The Lord alone can maintain it still. For our part we are certain that, when the Churches in Scotland are one in doctrine, worship and practice, there will be no difficulty in securing their union. We have little hope, however, of this taking place until the Lord is pleased to pour His Spirit out upon the Churches of the land. Then, being of one mind and heart, they will be united in the truth. Any other union would only be external and at the expense of truth, a union in which nothing is gained and much is lost.