Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-15
In RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST To MINIS
TIERS AND LAYMEN.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations, on Many Subjects.

tiles of Long Island of Jesuitism ever
since we were shown the humeral vel
carefully guarded among the Cathedral
vestments at Garden City. Our worst
| fears are proved to have been well founded
by the following extract from the New
York Times of the 18th ult.: Sunday
next Bishop Littlejohn will administer
the rite of confirmation at the Episcopal
Church, Oyster Bay, in the morning, and
in the evening at the Church of Our Lady
Loretto.' Or does it indicate an unusually
daring flight of the Church Unity So
ciety"
The Evangelical Messenger, organ of 'The
Evangelical Association" says: at is evi-
dent that most of those who favor re-
vision of the Presbyterian creed in reality
want to abandon Calvinism essentially, and
advocate changes which mean virtual
| surrender to Arminianism. Thus Chief
Justice Strong of the Supreme Bench, and
one of the oldest and most honored OF
Presbyterian elders, says: Il wish, also,
that the Confession contained more full
and emphatic declaration of Gods love for
all men of His grace, freely and sincerely
offered to all, together with mans ability
to accept that grace How far is that
from genuine Arminianism
The Christian Register Unitarian says
"The st. Louis Presbyterian is greatly
shocked because Prof. Briggs has declared
the story of Adam poem, and Prof. Cur
It's, of Chicago, has said that the book OF
Job is not a collection of facts, but like
wise poem The Chicago people have
not much patience with ideas emanat-
ing from st. Louis; and the In
terror (also Presbyterian thus scourges
its esteemed contemporary This thing
of raising cry of heresy at every supposed
new discovery of truth relating to the
Scriptures is worse than ridiculous 1t is
slanderous and shameful 1t is the out
come of solid ignorance with large
infusion of malice. A man who would
say that evidence that the book of
Job is a poem would to his mind send
the Word of God up in smoke is already
an infidel at heart; and young man who
would imbibe such preiudices to the ex-
tent of imperllling his faith is not fit to be
trusted with the teaching of a Sunday
school class"
The Evangelist (Pres.) thinks that it is a
"very significant question, whether the
men who composed the Westminster Con-
fession were themselves orthodors They are
not the first in the field. When they be-
gan their work, there were no less than
eiqh venerable Calvinistic Confessions al
ready in existence! So it would seem as
if their Confession was itself fRevlsion'-
new rendering of old creeds, in which
they went over all the symbols of the six
teenth century, and resurveyed the field in
the light of the seventeenth and out of
them all formed new Confession, which
they thought expressed more fully and
more clearly what they believed, and what
was especially adapted to meet the wants
of their day. In this, did they not do pre-
cisely what we propose to do ? only they
took hundred times greater liberty with
the old Confessions than we take with
theirs; for they reconstructed the whole
temple from the very foundation, while we
only propose to repair it in few points
which we think defective"
The Liying Church (P. e. says: "a cor
respondent of the Cturchman gives a new
and peculiar view of the Holy Eucharist.
He enumerates the essential features of the
first Eucharist, at the original institution
These he strangely calls the metaphysical
basis. 1t is upon these we are to build up
the ritual expression. Among other things
it would seem that on that occasion we find
a precedent for the pause after the prayer
for the church; but what precedent
Judas says the writer, was detached and
withdrew when the Celebrant paused a
space that those who were so minded
might depart What a pity this has not
beeen pointed out to the members of the
Revision Committee at the late General
Convention 1t would be an edifying va
ration of the old proclamation to infdels
and demoniacs if the minister should an
nounce that after the collection has been
taken up and the prayer for the church has
been said, pause will be made for a space
in order that all who desire, like Judas of
old, to depart, may have opportunity to do
so!' But it does not appear that any con-
tribution was received from Judas; on the
contrary, the thief carried away the purse
of the whole company"
The Kansas City Journal says: "Daniel
Dougherty, in his rather bombastic speech
before the Convention of Roman Catholic
laity, in Baltimore, protested against the
prejudice which he claimed existed in
this country against his church. There
are no grounds for Mr.. Dougherty's COM
plant. Popular prejudice finds its ex-
preston in the press, and no assemblages
have ever received more courteous treat
ment from American newspapers than
that in Baltimore and the subsequent
gathering in Washington. Religious
prejudice in America is an imported
thing-and the Catholic has as much pref
udice against the Protestant as the latter
has against him. But both are un-Ameri-
can, and will die out in time. The Amer
lean idea is that religion shall be free, or
that people shall think, speak and act as
to spiritual things as they desire. Not
negatively so, but positively, and by exer-
else of the legal power if necessary to pro-
tect and enforce that liberty. Inside this
line there is absolute freedom. Outside of
it there will be instant suppression. Re-
ligion must be voluntary, and in its sup
port man may give all he has, but not a
penny shall be taken from him by law to
support any form of it. This the eccle-
siastical power, under any and all forms,
must understand"
The Central Vest (Omaha) says: "Dr.
Thompson was certainly correct when he
said that revision would tend to the dis
ruption rather than to the unity Of the
Church, The controversies growing out
of the troubles of 1878 and OF the late
civil war were not half so unfortunate as
this revision controversy. 1t was the
height of folly to precipitate it upon the
Church. There was no wide and earnest
demand for revision. Had one-third of
the presbyteries asked for it, there would
have been some wisdom in needing the
call. But if revision is so dangerous to
the unity of the Church, new creed is
not less so. As was said during the debate
in New York Presbytery, the adoption of
new creed will involve the surrender Of
vast amount of property held by the
Assembly and institutions under its control.
If, however, the Confession should be as
radically revised as some propose, we do
not see how the effect as to loss of property
could be avoided. A new creed, moreover,
would place all the ministers and churches
of our denomination in position to ac-
cept or reject the new symbol. That
many, embracing at least an influential
minority, would reject it, goes without
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