New-York tribune., 1882-12-31
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.


In The North american RerieC for January
there appears a symposium on the Revision OF
Creeds by DR.. Newman Smyth, DR.. Lyman
Abbott and Henry Ward Beccher. DIR. Smyth
thinks revision is Oppt Stune whenever: i. An
important and wcll-est4blished development oil
philosophy and science brings new crisis In
thought; .. When some continued and pro-
longcd religious life rcnews the creed oi
church. throwing of the worthless branches OF
the theology of the schools; 3. When deep
seated popular distruSt of the beliefs supposed
tn be held in tie churches, or a growing sepaia. :.
tiOn between the common Christian SENSE oi
Christian people and the standards O1 dehom-
ination make it necessary to rcstate falth. Dr'
Abbott SAYS that the church crecds are speak
ing generally, statements not OF religious iactS
but of religious theories reduced by men from
assumed facts which in the main are ac-
knOwedged 10y all, while the theories ABOUT
them called crceds, are widely doubted. In
this state of affairs three methods OF recOnstruc-
ton are possible: New explanations may ne
sought for the great facts OF religious expert
cncc we may rcstate the facts OF religious lltc
with brief md comprehensive explanations Ol
their causes Or We may abandon attempts at
dogmatic explanations and simply alilrm with
increased emphasis the facts of sin redemp-
tiOn, God, immortality and Judgment. Mr..
Beecher thinks that the creeds OF the church are
the tombstOnes of dead beliefs. The Bible eX-
presses the truths of the head in the language
of the heart Creeds have attempted to reverse
this process and therefore they are foreign
to the Bible and contradict the latest phloso-
ply of Scripture. righteousness is the end OF
the Scriptrre to develop it is the problem of
divine Providence; spiritual morality is the
right order of life with reference to the unseen
God. The ethical teaching of the Bible Is pro-
grosslvc; when its record was finished II was
held forth not as an encyclopedia, nor as rev.
elatlOn of the whole science OF man or OF GOD,
but for reproof, for correction, for instruction
i'm righteousness. There are two chu1ches-the
church mechanical and the church spiritual.
The one has forms, order, regulations; the
Oti cr is living, invisible, without ordinances,
with no creed but holiness. The church me-
chanical has usurped The place OF the church
spiritual the only orthodoxy Is the beauty OF
holiness; before all Crecds is the creed OF right
living. These thoughtful views OF representa-
tive mon will be read with much interest. 1t ~
PERHAPS Il matter tor regret that the views OF
some representative Of the Roman Catholic and
Anglican conImunions are not also given.
Tie ST. Louis Repubilcan of recent date has
the following news about the religious papers
of that city: There has been IN existence for
several years past an organization called the st.
| LOuis Religious Press Association. Originally
il consisted of Ikc Christian AdrOcGfC Tile CeH-
hal Baptist, Ihc Christian, now. called Ihe
Christian Eraagoiist, The Cam6crldRd PTcSby-
tcridn' me y cSicM 5Htch"'ah, ana me l!tS- res
bltcriuH. The two last-namcd papers with
drew from the association few months ago.
The object of the association IL TO Curtal cX-
ponscs in the advertisement department. An
advertising manager i appointed and lie has
the sole control OF this department OF the
papers Naturally much expense has thus been
saved, and the association Is now making ar
rangeuient, to further Curtall expenses. lhlS
they propose doing by having all Their
matter set up IN one place ana
all their printing done in one press The
new lessons lave taken a five years lease on the
Piuc-strrct building, and have commenced the
erection Of Il separate stTuCtdrc fronting on the
alley In this buildng will bc the printing
presses, pasting machines and other apparatus.
They will set up and print their own papers, rs
Il so The Christian Adr0cdte, The central BdD-
tist and the new Presbyterian weekly, The 81
1.HiS ErdRgciisf. The present occupant OF the
building, Mr.. DdmcrOn, will vacate the entire
lower noOr and rent a suit of 70 ms on the
second floor. The Office OF the advertising de-
partmcnt will also remain under the present
management and III the same building. The
changes will all be in effect 10y the first of the
wear. All fOnr papers will be cut and pasted in
the commencement OF the year. The new
lessons viii also print their Sunday school
papers. of which they have eight in number.
Among them VIII be quite a novelty, consisting
OF an eigut-page weekly called The LiHic
.S0ucy. which will be issued cut and pasted,
something heretofore unknown in Sunday
school literature. The book publishing de-
of The Christian ErdRgclist viii also
lie discontinued on Ollye-st and removed to
Pine-st.'
The position Of the English Church a. a State
brings with it many anomalies
one OF the most striking of which Is the mode
by which bishops uc nominated and elected.
] his mIOItant act Is pei. ormcd 10y the State
alone. In theory no system CoIld bc more cX-
acrabe in practice however It's results have
been generally admirable. The men VINO have
bppn chosen bY the Sovereign, or more strictly