New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-03
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

MIRACLES BY PRAYER The subject OF faith
cures appears now TO be occupying great
deal OF public attention. That certain forms oil
nervous disease have been aevated, at least
for a time, through iaitll, need not be disputed.
All respectable physicians acknowledge the
influence which the will has over the physical
condition OF man. And that strong belief I'D
the efficacy of prayer and amounting win Oh
should react upon the physical condition, ~
simply physiological fact Whether or not II
IL n spiritual fact is hardly within the prov lDce
OF secular journal to decide. But this al
least may be said no cure has been eiierteu
which may not he explained without bringing
in a miraculous agency. When the advocates
OF faith cures have produced IA wcll-autheh-
tlcated case OF a man with compound fracture
of the leg, or broken neck, having been at
once cured through the prayer Of faith, there
VIII be something tangible TO discuss. not Ne
fore. This matter has come up III another way
this week. A Professor Brooks, of this State,
has requested that prayers be offered up III all
Christian churches to-day for far weather on
the sixth of December, when the transit ol
Venus will occur This represents the extreme
belief in special Pre- violence, interfering with
the settled laws Of nature at the request OF
men. The other extreme Is to regard the UNI
verse az a PrOcrustean cage OF tate whose laws
never change or vary. The former Is the posi-
ton of the unscientIiic Christian the latter Is
the position of the unchristian scientist. How
the larger truth behind these Two irreconcllaoIe
propositions shall be recOncllcd, II at all, Is
truth-lovins Christians and all revcrent men OF
science. In the meanwhile, though faith IN the
Unseen may not cure physical maladies, IL
sheds light on the darker passages OF human
destiny that Ii "A priceless blessing To many
weary son of earth. And though prayer may
not change even the slightest of the laws Oh
! nature it changes for good the heart that rev
ercnty uttcrs it, and lifts il above the poor com
mOnplace of mere animal existence.
The creed Of the Audover Theological Semi
nary has recently been published IN lull Tor
general distribution. Ii would make ahOuI
| ,hree-quarters of column IN HE tribune
Every professor in the Seminary must Subscribe
to tins creed the concluding paragraph o1 when
is as follows: al do sOicmnly promise that /
will open and explain the SCRIPTURES to my
pupils with integrity and falthiulness; that
will maintain and inculCate The Christ faIh,
as expressed in the creed 10y me now repeated,
together with all the other doctrines ANA dnties
of cur holy religion, 80 lar ~ may appertiln
~ my office, according to the best llght OOu
shall give me, and in opposition, not only TO
atheists and infidels but to Jews, paplsts,
MahOmctlns, ArYans, Pt laglans, Antin0Inlahs'
Armenjans, S0clnlans, SabellIahs, CnltaIlalS
and Cnivtrsallsts, and to ali hereses ana
errors, ancient or modern, winch may he OPP
posed to the gospel of Christ, or hazardous 10
the souls of men, that by my instruction,
counsel and example | will endeavOr &c pro
mote tIue plety and gOdlinessj that VIII CON
suit the good of this institution aud the peace
occasions and that | will relIgi0usly conform
10 the constitution aud laws of this seminary
and TO the statutes OF this foundation"
Nv command of the last General Assembly
of the Established Church of Scotland. Il pas
tOral letter has been issued on the subject OF
disestablislmeIt, the consequences OF when
are thus pointed out: The whole tone OF orr
national lite would suffer degradation from
such change and it would he more difficult
than ever to prevent, in our civil and criminal
arrangements, the substitution OF short
sighted worldly expedlenCy Tor those hlgh
principles of the Christian faith which alone
peuetTatc to the deepest springs Ot a natons
welfare, and alone secure the prosperity 0t lar
distant years. While we thus object To discs
adjustment, we object not less to thai olsen
dowment and seCuarlZng ot the property oil the
Church which would inevitably accompany H.
The address shows what would happen should
disendowment take place. The interests OF the
present generation of ministers would not be
iniuriousIy aflected-the minister OF a parish
would be permitted to remain IN his position ana
to receive his stipend; tut when death enters
the Inanse then would the difference appear.
The manse and church would probably he sold,
and there would be no stipend for the minister
who follows.
The Rev. Joseph Cook was requested by the
freethlnkers in Melbourne to meet Mr.. Thomas
Walker in open discussion. Mr. Cock declines
such work for tho following reasons: " FIRST,
general, III America, England and India, ana,
ms faI as / know, in Australia, are VIGOROUSLY
connected with schemes for the propagation OF
immortality. Several OF the prominent hgltatOrs
in support Of in1idclIty and flcethOught nave
been sent to Jail for distributing infamous pub
lications through the mails. No decent man
can consent To appear on the same platform
with the representatives oil enterprises lllat
have debasing effect on the public mlnd.
Secondly, am not open 10 challenges OF which
the evident object is to advertise lnhdellty.
Thirdly Not an unoccuped nor an unengaged
hour is left open to me III Australia. fourllly,
When inidels of any kind issue book that
gees through ten editions In ten years, AT
dollar o copy, | will reply to IL. ! have night
TO offer this challenge, for several of the vol
umes of the Boston Monday Lectures have
gone through ten editions IN five years
Filthy, lnfidels can put their written inquiries,
if they choose into the box ut my free question
box lectures"
At the lrccent Protestant Episcopal Conven-
ton, held at Baltimore, the question, Shall
colored men have CT arge OF cOlored congrega-
| lions ~ was discussed prominent delegate,
the Rev. Dr. Grammer, rather startled the con
| ventiOn by advocating the plan of "cOlOnlzlnS'
| the entire cOlOTed race III the United States III
| order, as lie expressed it, that they might cul-
| tivate their "idlOsyncTaslcs," IA well as thclr
| talents, without interference from the whites
| to be a race by themselves, " as God Intended
| The cOOred people, DR.. Grainmer said, could
not hope to be in this country ever on an
equality with the white race. either socially
politically or spiritually. The mistake was, as
In philosophy, "yOu cannot unite III name those
things which are separate in nature" Dr.
| Grammer spoke OF Liberia and liayti as prac-
! teal applications of bis theory OF solving the
nineteenth century problem in this country.
The Rev DR.. French, who has been for sew
eral years connected with the Episcopal mis-
sion to the inmates of institutions on Black
| ValIs leland atnaala IN bnuavnIeut EnisPoual-