The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-16

manuscripts Of The gospels, 10 The course
Of his argument, especially the late one
found by Tischendorf in a monastery on
Intestinal. The sermon Seems TO be quite
elaborate anderudite, but ia subject mat.
ter can hardly be called one Of the live
issues Of our day.
A late number Of the London Tines has
q review Of the present theological status
Of Scotland that must necessarily.inter-
est q multitude Of readers. Wequote
from II a follows;
Scotland has doubtless been disturbed
by trials for heresy In times past, and her
older divines may believe that the pres
ent storm Of heterodoxy will soon blow
over, leaving the sharp spikes Of her CAL
yinism rs clean, as pointed and a. inter.
laced as ever. It may be SO, bat the gen.
eral appearances Of the age are not in
favor Of that view. The Scotch trials for
heresy are not isolated phenomena; they
have features common to theological agi.
tation in every part Of Europe. Per
haps, indeed, Scotland is the only edu-
Gated country in which the incriminated
opinions would seem irreligious or eyen
strange. For good or evil, they
have long been familiar 10 the
Protestants Of Germany and Of France.
For good or evil, they have become CON.
monplGces even in Eugland. The truth
is that Scotch Presbyterianism can no
longer be kept apart from the main
stream OF European culture. The uni.
yersities Of Scotland have always been
very closely related to her churches, and
those universities make the philosophy
Of Germany, France and England the
daily bread Of thought Many OF the
Scottish theological students finish their
training in Germany, where they breathe
the atmosphere absolutely fatal to the
rigid orthodoxy OF their own land. A
great change has also been produced by
the teaching Of the English Church. Her
chief diyines are becoming more familiar
every year to the Scottish clergy. The
influence Of their larger philosophical
spirit and their broader culture is al.
ready seen in the abandonment OF the
rigidly argumentatlve style Of preaching
which once made the exercises Of
the pulpit as technical as u suit in
equity. 1t IL now possible TO go
through Scotland without hearing
one Of the sermons belonging 10 that
"seyenth and lastly order which were
once typical Of her religion. Still greater
has been the change produced by the
universally searching effect Of secular
literature, Newspapers, Parliamentary
debates, periodicals. philosophical discus.
siops, books Of travel, histories, and even
novels, are producing such q revolution
in theological habits OF thought as II
would be almost impossible to e~xaggerate.
Their influence is all the more powerful
because II does not work by means OF
formal propositions, but is rather as i'm
palpable as the air w breathe. Il is an
encompassing atmosphere, which we
would constantly inhale, and which, in
spite o. yourselves, changes our mental and
moral being Scotland, like all other
civilized countries, is passing through
what has been called q new "climate Of
opinion" 1t is the effect Of that atmos-
pheric influence which we now see In the
signs OF revulsion from the old, hard,
technical, sweeping standards.