New-York tribune., 1882-04-09
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.


Church South, to be held in Nashville, Tenn,
some time in May. Without venturing to dis
pute the assertion, it may be said here that the
Conference hopes to discuss propositions look
ing to closer union with the Methodist Epls-
cOpal Church in the North. The separation OF
the two Churches dates as far back a. 1914,
and was caused by the pronounced action of
the majority of the delegates to the General
Conference of that year on the subject OF
slavery. The relations of the two Churches
grew more and more strained as the war came
on, and when that conflict ended, there was
found to be between them great and appar-
emily an impossible gulf. Lately the Churches
have been displaying more friendly spirit to-
ward each other, and have also shown some
anxiety for closer union. There are two
plans which for some time have been under
discussion in the Church papers. One urges the
coming Conference to adopt a resolution allow
ing its bishops, at any time when the good of
the cause may require IT, to transfer ministers
of the Church North to Annual Conferences IN
the Church South, the transferred ministers to
have all the privileges of members OF those
conferences. The other provides that the
entire country be divided INTO three General
Conference iurisdictiOns-twO east of the Mis-
sissppi River and one west of the same; the
Church III these several Jurisdictions to be
designated respectively the Methodist Epls-
cOpal Church North, the Methodist Episcopal
Church South and the Methodist Episcopal
Church West the General Conference of each
of these Churches to elect its own bishops and
to amend It's own discipline; each college of
bishops to have exclusive jurisdiction within
its own bounds but all the bishops 10 have
common jurisdiction in the foreign missionary
fields, and an arrangement to exist by which
the bishops of any one of the Churches can in
vite any brother bishop to assist them III case
his services are needed and would be accept
able. The other provisions of this plan are
that General Council for the whole Church,
composed of all the bishops and of an equal
number of clerical and lay delegates, shall meet
once year, said Council to have the manage
mcnt of the foreign missions of the Church. and
to he charged with the duty of providing a
common hymnal for the whole Church all the
bishops of the Church to meet together in con-
nectiOn with this Council, to decide such legal
questions and to attend to such business mat
tcrs rs may be referred to them by the several
General Conferences. On the subject of trans
fers and removals the plan says:
Bishop can transfer from one jurisdiction to an
other only by the consent and approval of the two
General Conferences concerned.
A travelling preacher III full connection may he
tran .ferTed, by one of his own Bishops. into
other jurisdiction. provided said Bishop has the
consent of the Annual Conference to which the
The credentials of local editors and deacons, the
licenses of local preachers and the certificates OF
Notwithstanding from place to anOther-tO
be equally valid. and to receive equal credit in all
parts of the Church,
There are many who think that one of the
plans will be adopted and that thereby an inn
portant step will have been taken in bringing
int closer union two Churches that never
ought to have been separated.
SPIRITUAL BETROTHALs IN SWITZERLAND
In some OF the communes of the Valley of
Maggia, in the Italian canton of TicinO, a very
singular custom prevails. Young girls are sol
emnly betrothed in the Chrrch, for the space of
one year, "to the Lord Jesus" (COl Sig
nore) or to the Holy Child Jesus (COt Bam-
biRO) The young Ticnese Brides OF the
Lord :" for twelve months after their imaginary
espousal, are bound by the nuns VOW OF chas
tIty. No young men dare to make love to them |
nor may they even promise their hands to an |
earthly suitOr, rs they have to keep up the de- |
yout fancy that they are pledged to the " Bam-
bno or the Sign ore, as their husband. In |
the extremely Ultramontanist Commune of
CaYcrgnO, III magnificent Alpine valley, |
rarely visited by tourists, three maidens were
lately married to the Lord" AT the beginning
of Lent one Of these girls ina gined that she was
inspired, and prophesied that Il great and mi |
raculOus event would take place before the end |
of the fasting season. On the first Friday in |
March she suddenly stood up in the parish |
church, like Quakeress of the seventeenth |
century, and began to preach, although divine |
service was gong on. lhe two other brides,
whom she had persuaded to regard themselves
as the two Complementary members of an en-
bodied Trinity, followed her example, and the
three went TO the priest and demanded that he
should instantly take the Host from its place
on the altar, and give it into their hands.
There was frlghttul excitement III the church.
The service was stopped. The three brides
rushed away from their kinsfOlk, and ran to II
house at the end of the village, where they
barred themselves in, and took solemn oath
never again to take mortal food or drink within
their lips. Their castle was soon attacked by
the mayOr, the local doctor and the general
body of the villagers. The door was broken in,
and the girls were urged to return to their
homes. One of the three yielded, but the other
L. ti,NI
prophecies eXclaiming, Back, ye children of
the world We are Virgins and Saints.
Cursed will be everyone who lays hand upon
us j."
PREACHING BEFORE THE STUDENTS AT Cor
NELL.-The experiment of having the most emil
nent clergymen from all parts of the country rep
TeSenting all denominations and Ill creeds OF the
Christian religion, preach to the students of
Cornell University, does not it seems, win the
entire approval of The ChurchnlGn. That jour
lal admits that it is better to have preaching by
ministers belonging to different denominations
han to have no preaching at all, if only the
preachers will leave out OF sight everything on
which they disagree and confine themselves to
preaching the Gospel "But what will be the
Elects" it asks, if Presbyterian occupies the
pulpit one Sunday, and a Methodist the next,
md Unitarian the third, and Il Baptist or
jniyersalst the fourth, each preaching what he
believes, and without regard to what is believed
II denied by the others What probability is
here that the good accomplished will ever re-
ult in any fixed and concentrated faith, to say
0thing of what Is false or trueY II preaching
5 to result in n working Christianity and a
working Church, behind all there must be Il def
lite belief But what definite belief can come of
he preaching of a variety of men who are known
D differ in matters of pOllty and doctrine
What if the outcome of all this may be that the
lajority of these students, so far as they com
nit themselves to positive faith ut all, will
all churches and creeds, and iden-
t any latitudinarianism in this age of the world
'hich does not resolve itself into practical,
,orking faith"