Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-22
COMING CaANGE I'm THE CHURCH.

COMING CHANGE I'm THE CHURCH.
That a great change is impending over the
christian church is evident. The progress OF
historical events, and the discoveries of sci
ence, are compelling, by pressure from with
out, progress that it was in vain to hope
could come from enlightened conviction
within the church itself. In the Roman
Catholic church the change in the political
position of the pope-by which he who was
a monarch becomes a subject, and the other
change that has, by comforting upon him the
supreme attribute of infallibillty, aAd made
him the absolute arblter of the destlnles OF
that church-have In an important degree
changed the position of the whole organi-
cation, sufficiently so to make future changes
inevitable. AT this age charge means "ad-
vance or PERISH" The Church OF England Is
undergoing remodeling. Her sister church
of Ireland has been-by an act of tardy JUS
tice-separated from connection with the
state. Her interior is agitatng with conten-
tions. A portion of her members are reviv-
ing Romish observAnces; some of her finest
scholars are giving her teachers higher
and purer method than the anhquated
and narrow views of mere courtiers
and prelates, SO that Dean Stanley breaches
in Westminster Abbey itself, christianity
wide as the Redeemer's love, uuthralled by
the letters of sect or the binding influence OF
traditional theology. The very "Head OF
the Church" the Defender of the Faith,
Queen Victoria, attends Presbyterian wor-
ship when it suits her. During the two last
weeks of May the established church OF
Scotland held its general assembly in Edin-'
burgh, and the report of It's proceed ings-as
given in the Edinburgh Scotsman, shows that
even within the shell of Calvin and the kerr
mel of Knox the stupid doRmas of fading
theologies are receiving an indignant dismiss
sal. A learned free-church professor ques-
toned the Mosaic authorship of Deuteron-
omy; another member doubted the divine
authority of statements in the confession OF
Faith, and in the Longer catechism respect
ing never-ending future torments; the Edin-
burgh university professor of moral philoso-
ply stated that he had abandoned the idea Of
future suffering by material fire. Add to
these things that an English Eplscopalian
minister preached recently, by invitation, in
st. GILES Presbyterian church, Edinburgh.
Look at our own first talent orthodox
preachers, such as Beecher and Swing, and
see by their teachings how far the church is
freeing herself from the manacles imposed
upon her by the authority of creeds and Gus
toms that had their origin long before the
flood Of light had been cast upon the works
and the word of God that now ELIMINATES
both. Science is correcting theology where
it has distorted the word and imposed specu-
lative ideas for what the word has often not
even name. Revelation, on the other hand,
gives rational answers as to the origin of the
world, mans place in nature, and his destl-
nice, problems respecting which science can
plead only absolute darkness and ignorance.
The result of loosening from the authority
of theological blunder and folly will be a
cessation of the habit of Judging of men by
their professed beliefs or unbeliefs, and a
practical acceptation of the teaching OF
Christ that it is by what man does that he
is to be Judged, for deeds are to a man what
fruit is to tree. When the church admits
the cardinal principle of christianity, that a
mans religion is the life he ivos-not his
creed, not his mere acts of devotion-then
christianity will demonstrate its power to
purify and elevate map, sad to make him
good by counteracting his selfshness through
the power of love.