New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-09
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

| taken by the fOnr churchW arueDS representing
the parishioners of st. Vedast, Foster Lane, in
pressing for the Imprisonment Of their pastor,
on writ Of c0ntumacy, had TO certain dtgree
| checked the hopeful tendency toward peace
for which all good Churchmen lOnged. What
| he wished 10 commend TO all who were agItated
| by recent events was that they should calmly
| ask themselves definitely what they wanted. Ii
| they were anxious tor certain important changes
in the existing constitution, let them state ex-
plictly what these changes are. and their sug-
gestiOns would be respectfully and calmly con-
sldeIed. The present form OF the highest Court
of Appeal was adopted IN Difference to what
were then supposed to be the wishes OF the
leaders of what is called the High Church party.
IL there were anything faulty In il, by all
means let 1t be amended. All true Churchmen
DESTROYS that the Church OF England should
fulfil its heavenly mission would endeay0I to
allay any excitement which is around them,
and if they find that strong feelings have been
aroused, would apply themselves, III quiet
spirit of prayer, to consider whether any changes
ought for the Church's highest welfare to be
made, and, If so, what these changes are. In
IL very different vein Canon LiddOA preaching in
st. Paul's Cathedral, on the Sunday before
Christmas used this language: We can I'M
agine Church in which principle, that Is, adhe-
sion to the truths of faith, is apparently re-
garded as OF comparatively little moment I;
while rules concerning strictly outward matters
are treated as vital. We can imagine Church
which says to her ministers: Hope and teach
the lost in the life 10 come, even though the
Author of your faith should have stated in the
plainest terms that those penalties last forever.
Maintain, if You like, tfat your Bible is honey
cOmbed with legendary md uncertain matter,
provided only that you do not maintain 1t too
cOarsely and prOyokingly; but beware--Oh, be-
ware OF the crime fOr which our modern WIS
dom practically reserves its sternest cOndemna-
tiOn-the crime OF wearing vestment too many
or yestmrnt too few, since this may perchaDce
nxytn xynn tn nN-nn al
which are ut The disposal OF spiritual society,"
We can imagine, had said, Christian Church
no ding this language; but | correct myself
we cannot imagine 1t. We can only suppose
that if she should seem thus to speak, some
other ruling influence than hers must have
taken the seat Of her own pastors, and be using
terms which they would faln repldate, II they
could Referring apprOyingly to the conduct
Of Gallo i'll refusing to entertain the questions
IN dispute between st. Paul and the Jews of the
Synagogue, he said But let lis suppose that
Gallo Pagan as he was, had taken different
view of his duty; that he bad undertaken to
decide not merely the worth OF st. PaulS theO-
logical position as against the claims OF the
Synagogue, but also those various questions in
tcrnal TO the Christian Church itself, which the
Apostle discusses In his First Epstle 10 the Co
rnthians II we could nnaglne Gallo studying
and then prOnOunclng on these questions, can
we imagine how st. Paul would have received
his decisiOnsP E. My brethren, we are here
altogether in the region OF the imaginary but
this at least is certain, that to lay great empha-
sis upon ceremonial rules in an ancient Chris
tian Church is not i'll accordance with the divine
plan of education, whether of the Church or OF
The world at large; aud that when this
cmpllJsiS is laid on such rules, by some other
than a properly Church authority. the diver
gcnce from that plan is greatly aggray ated, and
the prospect OF resulting confusion IS lnutn~
nitcly enlarged. In Church policy, not less
than in education, we cannot go back with I'M
DuDlty from Christ to Moses"
CANON FARKAR's Observation-Disclosures
well-knnwn lines of Mr. Lowell, CarOn Farrar
declared III one OF his recent SERMONS IN London
that scarcely ever has there been great soul
utterlng truth but there has been the shadow
OF Calvary" Between the prophet. the original
thinker the seer to whom the invisible is mani
test and the multitude-with their convention
tiles, thcil shlbbOleths, their sOphlSms, ana
their gaze concentrated on the dancing bubbles
of avaricc aud ambition, there must always be
opposition. Mankind Is ever hostile TO its
greatest men. 1t hates the trouble of facing
new truth, II clings 10 IFS mumpsimlls, and OBJ
iccts 10 be told it ought to say sumpsImlls. 1t
pDisuns It's Socrates and buns its Huss. Orgen,
the udamanline, the hottest and the best of
men, upon whom Canon Farrar pronounced
glowing culOgy. died as martyr in the Declan
persecution, and after death was treated TO the
ddnnanHS of Augsburg and the anathema of
Rome. Roger Bacon, the founder of expert
mental philosophy, Jared little better at the
hands of the hIde-bOund slaves of pseudo-or-
thodox tradition. Cast into prison rs a sOrcerer.
insuted, perhaps tortured. the WORD quenched
the light of that GOd-glvcn intellect, which
might nave anticipated by three centuries the
richest blessings Of modern science, and doomed
that splendid benefactOI OF humanity to die
ruined in his old age, hcartbrOken at the base
ness and the folly of mankind. Thus ever fares
the prophetic soul when the originality OF its
thoughts fIightcns the conventional lgnoIance
which takes itself for orthodox belief, but which
merely represents tho average medlocrlty OF
common and cringing Thought. Even now, al
though it is long since the middle ages woke
frt m their dark and CHASTITY dream and the best
and greatest have ever hOnOred Orlgtn, against
him every raw sclOlIs and every tul-fed Phari- |
SEE still thinks he may cast stone All men
could be prophets. 1t required not mental
greatness but moral manneSS; to use vulgar |
word il only wanted pluck. Such moral courage |
was exhibited by the monk Tenacious when ne |
lcapt into the arena and, by the sacrifice OF his |
life liberated the world from the abOmlnatl0nS |
of the gladiatOral games and by that still liv- |
ing peer whose calm courage. in refusing to ac- |
rcpt a challenge, gave the death-blOw 10 duel |
ling that strange mixture OF murder and SUI. |
eide worthy of the morality of the OjibbewayS. |
In conclusion Canon Farar said: Whenever |
yDu ste wrong deed ana have the courage 10 |
saw Ii il wrong, ana tor one VIII nave MOTH |
ing to do with II whenever you come IN con-
tact with Il low and uEchrlstian standard, or |
bad, unworthy habit, and are man enough first |
TO refuse to slccnmb to 1t ana then TO 10 your
best TO overthrow it, you are Il prophet; and by
acting thus y0r can help to improve the moral
iudcmrnt and raise the moral standard OF the
world. Your words and deeds will breathe ike
fresh wind through the periumed anu polluted
Of society. BE blave, be just, be
truthful and honest to the hearts core and so
serve your brother man. your Father God, and
your Saviour the Lord Christ. If the Gospel be
the example of Christ, this is the Gospel and
nothing but the Gospel, although it he not cx-
pressed III the scctarian shibbOlethS OF a
gloomy Calvlnism which the Pbarisees are most
fond of working on their bI DAD phylacteries"
IMAGES IN FRENCH SCHOOLs.-Ihe recent de-
BATE in the French Senate on the removal OF
religious emblems tom lay schools was very ex-
citing. NJ. Buffet asked: Was it true that
4;o,, had