CHRISTIANITY IN SCOTLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 30, 15 November 1889, Page 29

CHRISTIANITY IN SCOTLAND.

Itf the church o£ Oar Lady and St. Andrew, Galashiels, the Bey. J »saph Stevenson, S J., the eminent Scotch historian, recently commenced a series cf lectures on the " Rise, .Progress, and Prospects of the OhriatLau Faith in Scotland," with au unbiassed investigation of the facts which led to the substitution, in the 16th century, of the Presbyteuau form of worship for tha ancient Catholic faith, and of the Jesuits of the change tuen effected. The first; lecture was on " The introduction of Christianity into Scotland." He clearly showed that the faith of Christianity was brought into Scotland early, and only through Rome, that the Christianity of Scotland looked to Roma as its centre, and that the change of its religion was effected by a political movement, not by religious conviction. Daring the time of the Roman occupation of Britain the Pope summoned certain Councils to meet for the transaction of ecclesiastical business. He did this in the plenitude of tiia power as the guardian of the Holy Catholic Church ; and those Coancila met and deliberated and decided, and the proceedings of some of them have come down to our own time. There are tbres of them to which. I invite your attention — the Council of Aries (A.D. 314), the Council of Sardioa (A.D. 347), and the Council of Rimini ( A.D, 359 ), Taking their date 3 roughly, w<» m A y say that they were held from about the year 314 to 360, a verj early period, The Pope invited certain Bishops from Britain to

attend these Councils, aud the Bishops accepted the invitation of his Holiness. Now, I ask in all fairness, would they have gone unless they had been of the sam^ faith as the Pope? Would they have deliberated and voted in tneee Councils ? Were they.in union with the head of these Councils, or were they not ? IE they wsre, then Scotland was in union with Hume in faith and doctrine ; if not, then all this is sheer no'isp-me The fpp < n I 'eotnre treated of R 1 " Cuthbr»rt and Melrose, aud Lindisfarne. Haviug related the history of their own St. Cuthbeit, who has left behind him a name dear to all, and recalling the benefi s which he conferred upon the early Church in (Scotland, he passed to that of St. Margaret of Scotland, a considerably later period, but carrying on the same grand tale of work done and Bufferings endured for Christ crucified and love for the brethren. One of her daughters became Queen of England, and two of her sons kings of Scotland. She was a saintlike woman, who did much for her country, much for their households ; she induced the rising race of young women to act with that reserve and simplicity which forms such aibeautiful part in a woman's character. She cultivated domestic labours, and taught them the art of sewing. She knew the value of labour, and was well skilled in the use of the needle ; and while thus occupied at home she gave the money that was gained by her work to the poor. The poor were very dear to her ; she loved them and cared for them, and Bhe brought up many orphans in her own household. Three hundred hungry mouths were fed daily at her table, and while she watted upon the women her husband waited upon the men. Besides, she also taught toe poor, instructed the ignorant, and tended the sick in the hospitals. Think of these things, my brethren, concluded the preacher. It is not I that speak to you, it is Cuthbert and Margaret, and the spirit of the grand old Catholic Church of our country. Love God ; be faithful to His holy faith ; listen not to strange doctrines ; sei.k God on the altar of God ; be true to His holy religion, to the religion of the holy Catholic Church. There is no other road th.tn this — this is the one road, the true road, the road that leads to the land of the living.

Grady, J. Brazil, J Asmus, E Francis." — Carried. Resolved, "That Mr. J. McSherry be requested to act us hon. secretary to the committee." Proposed by ftfr. MeQui/nan, and seconded by Mr P. Byrne, " That the hon. secretary communicate with Vir. Perrin, fixing the route which Mr. Dillou should take fiom Weatport, that is, via Reefton to Greymouth. — Carried. Resolved, " That the secretary also inform Mr. Perrin, that suitable conveyances and places for rest will be provided by comtnittee, The tenders for the construction of the three sections of Midland railway between Ahaura and Rjefton closed on Saturday laa't, but no ( fficial information has been leceived yet as to the successful tenderer. It is rumoured, however, oa pretty good foundation that the tender of a Greymouth firm has been accepted, the contract price being £103,000. This includes the construction of bridges and formation of tunnel through the Inang.ihua Saddle, the length of which is about 38 chains. The tunnel is to be laid throughout with cement or bricks, and the work is to be canied on at both ends.

Following- the example of other West Coast towns, the we«kly half-holiday movement has been started here. Some people evidently got tired of making money too rapidly, and although not at all times particularly scrupulous about the observance of the Sabbath, have taken it unto their heads that it is necessiry for their existence to refrain from unnecessary servile work on the third day of the week. To-day was the first of these newly-instituted holidays, and I must say the town wore a not very festive appearance. The streets, on the contrary, looked cheerless and dessrted, the shops all closed, and the rain pattering down on the heads of the dejected-looking pedestrians who promenaded aimlessly about with their hands thrust lazily into apparently empty pockets, as if they (the pedestrians, not the pockets) had no other objtct in life but \o eaunter idly hither and thither enveloped in clouds of not too odoriferous tobacco smoke.