New-York tribune., 1886-11-07
AMONG THE CHURCH n ESs' y 81 's'''
DRIFT OF RELfGIoBsr OPINION

AND 1khlbh- f0l a.
The sermon of the Resl Philips Brooks last Sunday
wh;cb he referred to the pSF in the Episcopal
ohnrch 70 change the name ot the Church. will doubt
las att-act wide atset,ep 1t quite unnecessary to
.v chat the ere6 preacher is utterly opposed to the
eontemplated change Indeed there is in the sermon
almost dstinct intmation that the preacher could not
,smain I'M the Church ii this movement should be sue
eessful For instance while speaking OF the theory OF
apostolic succession he says Now, giving our Church
an exclusive name such has been urged within the
last tew weeks such as tell you, my friends there is
exceeding danger that the Church will receive one Of
these DAYS is the distinct adoption of this theory
That hss never been done vet There is line in the
Book which declares any such theory. lt.has
heret,f,re been theory held only by individuals. IL
has been a theory which many and many, both of the
ministry and laity have freely and frankly avowed
that riey disbeheved. tell you my friends, never
could Tor a SINGLE day consent TO that Let us face 1t
fairly Encouraged by the result reached in our con-
venton during the past few weeks. the promoters of
tins movement are going to make tie effort more and
more 10 force it upon Church. TO make our Church
accept and declare that its position. To one who
believes that the Christian Church is the aggregate OF
all who believe and follow Christ, whether they class
Themselves as Baptists Methodsts, Presbyter
ians or Congreg gatonasts, or by whatever name, TO
such the acceptance OF such title as TINS by our
body which has called itself heretofore by M that
implied that il part Of the great Christian oodes,
is entirely abhorrent But you say that was defeated
in this convention. 1t defeated but it was de-
feated by a majority very small. by majority which
made one feel that when another convention should be
gathered together with the earnestness which belongs
to those who seeking this change of name the ma
iorlty would be swept away entirely. But unless this
feeling and intention OF the laity in our Church come
out more strongly than in the past declare is abso
lutey certain that in few short years Church will
have taken it's place crowned with name like this
among the little demon nations of the country 1t will
doom our Church 10 become the Church OF little fan
tstc sect Ii is not question whether this theory of
the apostolic succession is right or wrong but whether
right wrong, no man can remain IN ts minlstry-and
j do not see how any man can remain IN Its mem1er-
ship who does not somehow other accept that
doctrine"
Phillips Brooks was keenly alive TO the apparent
unpraccalty of much OF the work done by the Epis
copal General Convention. am sure, he says,
" there sometimes comes to be almost feeling OF
absurd,ty OF the way in which this assem-
bly, spends time in discussing what seem very far of
and abstract things he month OF October mas been
filed with things which the outward life OF
man, political cOnvusons, great eaames strikes OF
workingmen Distress and anxiety, ana the sense OI
danger, have appeared 10 surround perpetualy our
human lie And must have seemed to many who !
sat in that convention. and many who from The out
side watched its dongs that the work there very
far of and abstract indeed in comparison with the
mcdae distress and perplexliies that were pressing
upon the people And you there is no place |
where that would be tet much as IN the great city
of Chicago. Ii there be any place in this country |
where spirit the nineteenth century, one OF Its
spirits at least Is embodied more compe'ey man any
where else that city Is Chicago. On every side one
reminded Of the strange story OF how that city has
spruns as if by magic OF the praiIies And what
starting and varied picture The strikes the unhappy
Anarchists waiting for their DOOM. tie colossal
fortunes the eagernes 10 grow rich The deep degra-
dation. poverty aud crime the great antlclpatons |
befort the rty the thoughts of all these would crowd
upoD him who walked those streets And TO turn out
fate (hlcapO the hall where the
ton was held could not but awaken the feeling some
times II was TO turn out OF the light into the |
twill rh If it to turn ont OF the turmoil of our
modern davs into point remote from tins present
world. But no man lives rightly III these most |
tumultuous days who does not turn again and again |
from the tumult and go INTO tue deep resesses Where
first principles dwell. The Christian Church must be
continually dealing with the surface OF things out 1t
must be dealing with profound truths and eternal
institutions. Ii the Christian Church does not deal
with those things which directly concern the life OF
man il is wrong and at the same time II Is equally
wrong unless il brings 10 these problems the deepest
truths which belong to the eternal princ es Of things
am reioced to believe that Church has done both
OF these largely in the years that past and that
she not entirely failed TO do so in the convention
just closed"
The Editor of The New-York Freeman's Journal"
has recently been in receipt of number OF invitations
to attend dances and socias and private thcaricals
given by Catholic societies. The editor, though
himself good Catholic. refuses to give these events
favorable notice as requested the contrary, he
gives them a very uniavorable notice denouncing
them IN the strongest terms. Indeed good puritan
could not look upon these amusements Win more
horror than this gOod Catholic. There dramas,
he SAYS, written tor Catholics by Catholics, IN which
male performers only admitted There is no
reason Tor the transplant OF the regular drama from
the theatre for Catholic charity Ii Will demoralize
the actors and nfict on the audience poor imitation
the real thing As t. the dancing entertainments,
we hope that father mother VIII permit sou,
much less daughter TO leave the house with the
intention Of dancing round dances until o'clock In
the morning. parent who compacently consents 20
this consents to evil. Social assemblies are possible
for consistent Catholics but never where they are
made up OF young people gathered together from the
hiehwav- and byways and entirely uDrestTalned by
the presence OF older people If the end justihes the
means the assemblies TO which the young people IN
various parts of the country have invited could be
patronized by Catholics without fear OF sOulng their
souls with Sin But as the end jes not justify the
means these entert anments "a polite phrase used
a multitude of opportunities tor committing
sin-are works of the devil. and as such we notice
them with rePrObaton.'
A great many earnest Christians would be glad to
hnd some way by which the rapidly widening chasm
between the old and the new theology wings of the
Church might be bridged over. The Rev. Edward |
White the chairman OF the Congregational Union Of
England. suggests way namely. the systematic
study OF the Bible w"Ole ana not as mosaic OF
texts pOpu alton he says, " fed on sermons and
single texts chiedy emotional class, and culed
here and there from the wide field OF Scriptures
rorr' ,tion depending Or its knowedse OF COD work
a ~ wavs mainly scrap revelations, doed ont by
IN -tudious oratOrca cergymen OF different
cnurchesn finds its heart trembling for the ark OF God
phet or article which hutters in the breeze and which
fades almost II hles and nnds It's safety IN
raising the cry of hereto at the first symptom OF
touching roughly any eccesiastical tradition. II
Ems giish people trained to study their Bibles as
conn rcted history and organic whole and record
OF continuous revelation, popular faitn would win.
stand all the shocks given 10 II by discoveries OF
ancient bone todkins ana flint instruments, and there
would be little tear that the partial establishment oi
the ,ctrinc of development had made end of the
argument from design, the victory 10 Atheism
Ii is strange that who hold in their hands the
NO
persist doing out te kts and phrases at the rate OF
hundred and fifty per annum. Under an exclusive
system of picking out congenal snippets how is it
possible TO effect that greatest wOrk-of building up
before the modern world the image of the sided