New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-28
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

The compromise reached in the celebrated
Mackonochie case is sharoly criticised 10y thc
Liberation Society, tho executive committee OF
which has ublisbed a statement in regard To IT,
After recting the history OF the case, the COM
mIttee say that u the result OF these secret ar
ran gements, and of this conniyance OF pishos
and other Church dignitaries at clerical con
tumacy, has been to shield dIsObedient
clergyman from the legal consequences oil ms
disobedience, by enabling him to continue Ills
illegal practices in another parish In tine uio-
cese, in which, in the event OF his depriva.ioh'
he would have been disqualified from oulcia-
ting A further result 10 that in beth churches
there will he "A continuance Of illegal serv-
ICES and that the Bishop will not SANCTION lur-
Their prosecutions. The committee t0lnk INC
conduct of the several parties to THIS traiisac-
ton us deserving of the seyerest reprenen-
sion, rs being inconsistent WIN tno snt
imposed by their Official positions, ana as set-
ting an evil and most injurious example 10 the
rest of the community They protest against
the obvious endeavOrs of bishops ana pasIonss
of the Established Church to virtually repea'
the Public Worship Regulation act, lhdepehh,
IDENTIFY of the action of the Legislature, by the
preferme nt of clergymen who, however conscl'
cntiOusly, have persistenty violated the law:
and endeavored to weaken the authority VI
those by whom it is administered. Whlle iully
recognizing the inepttude anu ING iuo i;a.v ",
attempts to regulate tho affairs CT a religious
community by means of prosecutions ana inc
machinery of parliamentary statutes, tney
strongly object. alike in tho interests Oh Ie'is-
ion and OF justice, to any changes, direct OF III
direct, which, on the plea OF tOleratloh Oh com
prehcnsion. would have tho effect of giving
State sanction to antagonistc religious Deiiels
and observanccs and would virtually free me
Established clergy from national control, wmie
maintaining them in tho possession Oh hatiohai
authority, emOlunients and privileges
The Madison Avenue Baptist Church of this
city, of which the Rev. DIR. Bird gman Ia pastor,
has decided to introduce some notable changes
in the manner Of conducting the Sunday even
ing services, which, it is thought, VIII awaken
a new interest in item. A committee appoint
ed to consider the matter has reported That n
lturgcal form of service is on many accounts
desirable, that the Reformed Churches nave
made n mistake in so generally casting l'tur
gical forms aside, that In many churches tne
idea of woIshIp is almost entirely crowded out.
and that preaching has taken its place; ana
they consequently believe that the church at
its evening services might use with prohC Some
modified liturgcal form. The report CON
cludcs with these words: 1t ought, surely, 10
be our aim to draw to the sanctuary those i'll
our neighborhood in whom the impulse to-
ward the church and its worship needs to be
supplemented by some attraction In the style or
the worship itself. We are not of those who
believe in attracting the multtudes by fasci-
mating sensation. We would not degrade tho
music OF worship to the level of n cOncert-room
performance; but we believe that II Il larger
space were given 10 such music as is bettting
Gods house, the attendance OF young people
might be increased, especially ii the example
and invitation of the church members should
give them encouragement and impulse. Leav-
ing to the church to decide as to whether any
such changes as they have referred to are de-
sirablo in the order OF our sunday morning
gervice the committee suggest the following
arrangement for the evening service !. An
them 2. Invocation, or Psalm; ). LYNN;
4. Scripture ; 8. Gloria III Excelss, or Chant
6. Prayer, concluding with Lords Prayer. in
which all will join Z. Hymn &. OhertoIy y.
IL Hymn f"TSrr Ii hat Peh iSc
congregation stand during the hymns III DOth
morning aud evening seIvlces.
IN his sermon last Sunday Professor Swing
spoke with great force about tho omnipresence
OF God. " In the phenomena OF earth, political
and social we seem TO see to-day the 0mnlpIes'
ence of the Creator. Unable to read God In
His form, We must see Him in His actions.
From tho mountains and seas and pines ana
flowers and skies. where the poets find Him
whom their soul loves from the mirror of the
inner self-consciousncss, where lrma ~ her
RAPTURE on the heights traces her DIVINE blrtl
and death from the world-motion OF biid and
fish and brute, where Splnoza found the central
Life: from the doyout Christian who flnds the
Creator incarnatu in Nazareth, turn and to-
hold in the widening education and spreading
happiness and equality OF the millions the UNI
foliing onnipresenco OF the Deity. In palaces
where only n King dared enter, the people now
troad in peace, and the wisdom and teaching
once for Kings sons are flowing outward to-
ward the millions of the common children oil
this world. Tho local and special is reaching
outward toward tho universal az though God
had become weary of palace and central
home and were now about Ia realize the pre-
diction of an old saint who III love cried out
Tho Tabernacle of God IL with men. VIII
he their God and they shall be my people
The scene OF advancing and widening ana
deepening human life IL as though the creator
had broken &c pieces the ivory throne made for
him by human fancy, had torn down the
throne room made aud decorated by the child
sh ages, and placing Himself III the front ana
rear and heart of tho moving host, were say
ing, You cannot be or stay or go where am
not. | am your Alpha and Omega. la me you
live and move and have your being Go for.
ward, for 10 / am with you 10 the end, aud that
end is my power, and love, and eternity"
Tho Jesuit Father Calmer has delivered
another lecture before the students OF st. Louis
University on Moses and Science" Of which
tho following is brief synopsis Inc Hebrew
word ION T" in it's literal ucccptation, may
mean n day Of twenty four hours, and the
words "hereb" and boxer" the evening and
the morning OF q day. Even taking them IN
this strictly literal sense science so far nus not
proved tho ancient literal interpretation I'd DC
absurd or repugnant. All that science has adj
vonced rests on an uncertain basis. Geology
assumes that God created nothing but matter
which by the natural evolution of its forces
formed tho earth. THIS Is nero assumption.
That God created tho earth, as Moses describes
IT, is just as certain. Moreover, creation ID not
miraculous action. The points at issue are
whether our experience Is sufficient to enable
us TO reason from analogy and whether all for
mcr changes of tho earths surface are to be
explained by the agency Of forces alike in kind
and degree with those now in action. We must
grant certain neutrality-suspicious. The
whole tendency OF the overwhelming range OF
modern geological inquiry has been to slQw
how little reliance can he placed upon the So
called laws of stratigraphical and palpOn-