Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-24
In RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST To MINTS-
TIERS AND LAYMEN.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations, on Many Subjects.

The editor of the Richmond Herald
lately undertook to compliment clergy
man by saying that he was "the Barnabas
of the Baptists )" bnt the types tricked him
and changed "Barnabas" into "Barrabas"
The Adrance says "The Triennial Con-
vention of the Episcopal Church, which
has spent three or four weeks in session in
New York, signalized itself by lodging
the question which the Congregational
Council at Worcester met so frankly and
treated SO Christianity"
The Christian Enquirer (Bapt.) quotes
the Western Recorder as saying: "Spurgeon
said he had had three perfect members
They made more trouble than all the 5000
imperfect ones, and at last his church got
rid of them, much to his relief and delight.
Now ne serves a notice on all molly ones
that his is church composed entirely Of
imperfect creatures, and that they earn
estly desire no perfect ones to come to
them for membership" The Inquirer
adds: Perhaps our holiness friends make
too much of their peculiar notions, and are
very imperfect, while claiming perfection,
but we never feel inclined to find fault
with people for trying to be holy. There
are SO many people around us who have so
little holiness that when we find a man
who is striving to be holy we are glad,
though he may make little too much fuss
about it."
The Philadelphia Sentinel (colored organ)
says: ''The Episcopal Convention, lately
held in New York, adjourned without fur
ther reference to the color line in the
Church than to put quietus on the pro-
position TO establish an African Episcopal
Church. This is to be regarded as unfor-
tunate, as it looks as if there was fear to
face an all-important subject, one that will
have to be met in the future, probably,
under more aggravating circumstances.
1t was no doubt thought that the status of
the colored clergy and laity of the Church
in the North ought to be sufficiently de-
claratiye as to the position of the Church
on the color question, but proceedings in
Conventions in Virginia and South Caro-
lima attest the necessity Of the Episcopal
Church in America proclaiming without
fear, favor or affection, its faith and belief
in the Fatherhood Of God and the broth
erhood of man."
OF the changes in the Episcopal Prayer
Book the Churchman says: at is perhaps
too soon to predict the effect ofrevision in
promoting uniformity of worship in the
church. The Aexibility which was advo-
Gated some years ago as chief motive of
revision would perhaps be lessened rather
than increased by what has been done, if
it were not that throughout these years of
legislation clergy and laity have been
trained to use the Prayer Book with a
greater freedom than was ever known be-
| fore. Much that is included in the revis-
ion is really legislative authorization Of
| what has already become customary and
in the use of new matter there will be a
| large discretion. The mind of the church
| does not approve of self-willed individual
| ism, and we have no apprehension that in
dividual eccentricities will be fostered by
the changes which have been introduced.
| 1t is certain, however, that differences of
parochial custom will henceforth prevail
to larger extent than heretofore. Hence
forth hardly any two parishes will have
precisely the same usages in many small
matters. We do not say that this will be
unfortunate. We simply note it as fact
for which churchmen must be prepared"
The Independent says: "The excuse
given by the apologists for a separate
negro church is that the negroes are infe-
rior in character and intelligence, and so
not fitted to associate with white Chris
tians What the Standard Of the Cross
says to proposition to provide for such
a schism in the Episcopal Church will
bear good deal of meditation: TO do
| this would be an ecclesiastical crime. Far
better were it for us to let the evangelical
i,tion of the negro entirely alone; for this
would be only sin Of neglect, and one
that has some palliation in the difficulties
of the social problem. But to establish
fresh schism in the church, and that with
the hardly suppressed aim OF tolerating
ignorance, superstition, and vice, would be
to call down the judgment of heaven upon
us, and to merit the taking away from us
of our Divine, Apostolic and Catholic her.
itage' Now the Charleston, S. c., News
and Courier says that the Episcopal Gen
eral Convention postponed for a series of
years the answer to the petition of the
conference of the colored clergy, while
line of policy was adopted for the direc-
ton of the church in the interim which
some of the delegates, at least, and per-
haps outsiders generally, regard as look
ing indirectly, but surely, to the gradual
separation of the races in the church,
That is the way it looks to us also"
The Examiner (Bapt.) says: ''That
Underwriters for the press and cheap wit;
should have said of Dr. Shedd's 'Dogmatic
Theology that it 'devotes only three pages
to heaven and eighty-seyen to hell is not
wonderful. On the contrary, it was to
have been expected. 1t was not to have
been expected, however, that so poor
gibc would have been caught up and re-
peated in an article in the Presbyterian Re
Uieg by colleague of DR.. Shedd, scholar
of high repute in two continents, DR..
Philip Schaff Nor was it to be expected
that he would add to the gibe that the
book ENDS not with heaven, but with hell
Nobody knows better than DIR. Schaf that
in most theological treatises 'eschatology'
is the closing section, and that future pun
ishment is the last division of eschatology.
Dr. Shedd merely followed the well-estab-
lished order, along with the elder Hodge,
Henry B. Smith and other Presbyterian
theologians of the first authority, to go no
further. AS for the relative space given
to heaven and HE'LL it is a well-known
fact that the doctrine of the future blessed
ness of the saints is disputed by none who
believe in future life, while the doctrine
of retribution has been the subject OF end
less debate from the time of Origen until
now. On sober second thought, DIR. Schaf
will regret that he has given the indorse-
ment OF his name to criticism at once SO
unscholarly and so unjust"
The Chicago Standard (Bapt.) says:
"The following from DR.. Macarthur ap-
pears in the Christian Inquirer of New
York. We are informed that the facts are
largely over-stated, there having been only
few brief personal letters-half a dozen,
perhaps-addressed to acquaintance of DR..
Goodspeed, in New York City some three
months ago The irritating cause would
seem to be too slight for Indignation
whether righteous or otherwise: One
learns with surprise, and some righteous
indignation, that the friends of the Chi
cago College are now soliciting money in
this vicinity for its proposed endowment.
One might naturally suppose that the
comparatively small sum of 100000, in
connection with Mr. Rockefeller's liberal
offer of 100000, might have been raised
in few months in Chicago alone. If