, 1876-06-18
THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

I ai1u 1s HI euorI 70 classify tne opinions
men on religious subjects, though he adm
that "at every point there start into ach'
multitudes Of aimless or erratic forces, crot
ing and jostling one another, and refusil
not only to be governed but even to
classified" He therefore makes but an =" i
itia1 effort, hoping that it may lead to
more accurate performance, He assume
that "the Christian thought, the Christia
tradition, the Christian society, are the grea
imperial thought, tradition, and society
this earth. It is from Christendom GU
wards that power and influence rsdiate, nj
towards it and into it that they flow" He III
derta1es to map the religious would int
five grand divisions, promising that man
writer's, many minds and characters, sue
as JoHN stuart Mill and various other
called Broad Churchmen, twill not fall ele1
into any one Of the five divisions" but vii
be between two, or will range over several
He states the five main schools or systems +
be constituted IS follows:
l. Those who accept the Papal monarchy, or tn,
ult1amontane school II. Those who, rcjectin!
the Papal monarchy believe in the visibility Of tn
Church; or the historical school III. Those who,
rejecting the Papal monarchy and the visibility o
the Church, believe In the great central dogmas o.
the Christian system, the Trinity, and the incarna
ton These will be here termed the Protestan
Evangelical school ". Those who, professedl,
rejecting all known expressions of dogma, are
nevertheless believers in moral governor OF the
universe, and In state Of probation for mankind
whether annedng or not annexing to this belief
any OF the particulars Of the Christian system,
either doctrinal or moral. These denoninate the
Thelstic school V. The Negative school. Mega
tive. that Is to say a. to thought which can be
called religious In the most usual eeuse. Under
this head I an obliged to place a number Of
schemes, of which the adherents may repent the
co1ocation.' They are 90 placed On the ground
that they agree In denying categorcally OF else in
declining to recognize or affirm, the reign of 1
moral governor or providence; and the existence OF
state Of discipline or probation. TO this agsre-
gate seem to belong-Q) skepticism; ~ athe-
ism; {3) agnosticism; ~ secularism; {5) {re-
riVed) paganism; <6) materiallsm; ~ panthe-
ism; {8) posidTism..
Hr. GLADSTONE discusses each of these
divisions He states the points of strength
in the Papal system: The charm Of an IN
broken continuity; the majesty of an i'm
mense mass; the energy Of closely-ser1ied
and the containing within it.
self large portion Of the individual re-
ligious life OF Christendom. stThe faith,
the hope, the charity, which it was the Office
Of the Gospel to engender, flourish within
This precinct in the hearts of millions upon
who feel little, and know less, of
ts extreme claims and Of their constantly
development" The causes of
weakness in the Papal system are thus
given:
a. It's hostility to mental freedom at large;
- its incompatihility with the thought and move
nent Of modern civilization; (3) its pretensions
gainst the State; ~ its pretensions against pa
entail and eonjugal rights; 10 its Jealousy,
bated In some quarters, Of the free circulation
nd use OF the Holy Scripture; {6) the de facto
ltenation Of the educated mind OF the countries
which 1t prevails; t7} its detrimental effects on
he comparative strength and morality of the States
q which it has sway; {s) its tendency to sap
eracity in the individual mind.
The. Historical Church embraces the East
n Churches, Liberal Catholics. Old
and the English Church.
he third division is termed Protest
Mt Evangelical This phrase comprehends
u who, rejecting the Papal monarchy, either
eject, or at least do not accept, the doctrine |
Catholic Church visible and historical: |
nd who, without always proceeding to an |
bstract reputation Of all aid from authority
T tradition, are, on behalf Of human free
ON, extremely jealous of such aid, and dis
osed rather to rely on the simple contact of
le individual mind with the Divine Word.
The fourth grand division is the region of
heisn- This system recognizes ono Al
lightly Governor of the world, Who has
aced us under discipline, and will in some
al and effective manner bring it about that
e good shall be happy, and that those who
evil shall surely suffer for it. Most of the
heista have come to be such, not by a reiec-
IN Of Christianity, but by 3 declension from
Under this head he includes Universal
n and Unitatianism, and the Jexs- Speak
6 of these, he says:
Now we hare no right whatever to impute had
tn: TO the professions OF the Unitarfaas and |
aers TINT they cannot and will not part with The
me OF Christians; that they ere the true profes.
= Of a reformed Christianity; and that they :
sc effected with thoroughness and consistency
II 1eouct'on OF 1t TO the form Of its original
'nulgatton by it, illuetsious teacher, which, In
sixteenth century, others were either too tinid
not enough enlightened, to effect, Since tbr
le Of BELsuAz, considerable changes seem to I
re taken place in the scheme Of Euitasianfsm. 7
the present day it probably includes much
1ety OF religious thought. But I'm not aware q
{ 1t has abandoned the claim 10 be tic best rem
entative Of primitive Gospel a. It was delivered =,