New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-24
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

the power of the Church. The answers of the
various clergymen we're published III iun,
and together they make up an interesting
symposium on subject that Is Just now OF vital
interest. The Rev. Campbell Fair an Episco-
palian, did not think the Church was losing iis
hold on men on the contrary lie thought ~
was becoming stronger. Sceptlclsm preHahs
largely among the members of trades unions
who give us strikes and riots ana piilaee;
Among the 500 doctors of Baltimore ne haa
only heard of one inldel The Rev. John -
Murray, n Methodist, thought that the preach
ing OF to-day is as interesting as III ever W"s'
and that the Church never was SO strong as IL II
at the present time. The Rev. L. ii. Pullman,
Uniyersalist, presented the other sue OIL t tho
case. He drew a distinction between the
Church and Christianity, saying while inc
Church is surely declining Christianity rs a
religion was never stronger, and Jesus never
more truly Lord than he is to-day. heesuse
of the Churchs decline, he says, IS fouili II,
the. character of the so-caled eNanSellcal
creeds. The doctrine that the Sin of Adam IN
volved the endless dainnation OF the whoIe
human race, and the doctrine ot the atOheineht
that Christ suffered this penalty on tle cross
paid the debt i'll full-3o making II poSsipe
for all those having faith in this tralSacilon
to be saved, l. O., escape this hell the doctrines
of probation. of pcnary inspiration, ana Oh emu
less suffering in hell also the doctrine 81 III
arch ficnd, called the devil possessing super
human powers, roaming at VIII through th9
universe Omnpresent, and rot second 10 Eou
himself in Omnipotence IT judged ny ms
following-these doctrines, fundamental III tie
so-called evangelical sects, are losing thei[ h0Iu
on thinking men because OF the uhspeaka"ie
horror and blood thirstineSs of some OF thehl;
the Inconsistency and absurdity OF others, ana
the unscriptuTalnesS OF them all. NDlle De-
lieve there has been stand-slll ana tnat me
Church as whole isRot Keeping up WIN lhe
increase of population, and so Is on the utcilne
am strong in the cheerful conviction that thls
decline is being OverTuled for good IN that AT
tention is now being called to the cause OF the
decline the good effect OF when Is aireauy
suggested i'll the mighty revolution deVeioPinR
against the old creeds and confessions 81 lalth
within the very ranks of tho sO-called evan
gelical sects, which is full of promise OF
| brighter day for Christianity, day OF greater
unity and sweetcr fellowship. Discussions OF
| the doctrines OF probation, inspiration ana end
| less hell occupy large space IN toth the rcllg-
| iOus and secular newspapers @nd magazines Oh
| the day, which is significant OF the reFOlullon.
| While then see decline | see also signs OF the
| morning full OF hope for the DAY wh9n CIrls-
| tianitv, relieved of the weight of dead dogmas,
Will teach with new life the world 1t IL designed
| to save. The best preaching to-day Is the so
| called liberal preaching. Its tone Is clear ana
| ringing in the Unitarian and Unlvelsallst pull
pits nor is it confined TO these. In many other
nulpits advanced preachers bave given up
| preaching the old creeds and are dong noble
| work for the cause of real Christianity. Nhen-
ever it is known that liberal preacher Is IN
any of the orthodox pulpits, there the people go
times and indicates that liberal preaching is
the strongest and most cifcctual against the
scepticsm of the time. WhaC III needed more
than all else is the preaching OF religion as
Jesus preached it-plan, simple, beautiful.
Real religion has attraction for every human
heart; there is no subject that can he made
more popular than religion with the hcart OF
Jesus in it there is no theme more practical or
more sublime. Let the preachers or to-day
bring out religion as life the most beautiful,
and the safest and most successful to he en-
braced. because it is life the highest and the
most divinely real let this be shown and,
will not need the promise OF n future heaven TO
| bride people to take 1t. nor the threat OF end
less hell ii theysont. Religion is life. SO UNI
derstood it will stand OH its own merits and
will attract with an irresistible responsiveness
to itself"
The Board of Managers of the Protestant
Episcopal Missionary Society have issued their
Advent and Epiphany appeal. me Following
Is an abstract of the work done by the society
There are now thirteen Missionary Bishops III
the domestic field who receive their entire sal
arcs and travelling expenses from she Board.
Under them are 80 missionaries, or whom -
are engaged in work among the cOlortd people
OF the south, l III work among the Chinese III
san Francisco, and % in work among the In
dians 7 of the latter being native Chlppewas,
g native Dakotas, native Cheyenne, and |
a native Kiowa. Twenty native catechlsts or
whom 6 are candidates for holy orders and -
cational and mission work among the Indians,
| in i boarding schools and at u stations. Nine
unordained men and Is women are also now
EMPLOYED as teachers in cOlOred schools. len
! of the Missionary Bishops, III addition To their
mission work proper, are giving earnest ana
| successful attention to the work OF Christian
| education in well-estabshed schools, the
! training of young men OF the SOL for the NM
| stry of the Church being especially cared Tor.
| The number of foreign stations Is l4S (prn-
| oir nd eubOrulIatBl:
| Western Africa, 81 in China, - in Japan, in
I Greece, II i'll Haiti and 50 in Mexico The
| whole number of laborers Is 317 Oncludlng
candidates for holy Ordcrs), OF whom ; are
! Missionary Bishops ! the Bishop of the llaitien
Church, and l Bishop of the Mexican Church;
| 56 are presbyters and deacOns (fOrelgn and
| native), 3 are physicians, 80 are foreign lay
workers 9 arc business agents, and 2lG are
| native catechists, lay readers, candidates for
| holy orders and teachers.
| B.F. Underwood one Of the editors of The
| IRder in Il recent lecture in Milwaukee, spoke
as follows of Christianity " When the masses
| think Of Christ they think OF the tenderness,
| the pity, the sacrifice that he made and 1t Is
| these ideas that have given the doctrine per
| sistence not the idea of substitutCnary sacrl-
flee. The mistake of the Christian Is that he nc
| nopolzes for one being tIaitS that belong TO the
| rare So the doctrine of the fall or man has Il
| truth at the bottom of it. Tins view or con-
parativc religion Is scientific and satisfactory
| The genuine radical is one that goes to the
root of things, not the one that is most
tot in his denunciations Eighteenth cen
tury criticism was destructive. We cannot
censure the free thinkers OF the age, OF
| NOltaire. They had to fight to- I'VE.
| But our own time is more discriminating
and constructive 1t does not try to break with
the past but recognizes that all human history
is growth Revolutions are indeed some
times inevitable, bat il is through continuous
| evolution that the most desirable Iesllt3 are
! secured, and it is the primary principle OF
evolution that progress moves along the lines OF
existing institutions. They are not destined TO
| .nllnn HYfincii "a crnI mi InnlliICMtIOn