Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-29
In RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO MINIS
TIERS AND LAYMEN.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations, on Many sabjects.

The FreemGn's Journal 6R. C.) says
"There is nothing we appreciate so mucl
as good joke, and the actions of the Pres
byterians assaulting the Catholic Church
as the enemy of the republic IN demand
ing that religion and education go hanc
IN hand together, and yet demanding
Bible lessons as necessary part of the
public school system, is, to say the least
ludicrous"
The Buffalo Christian Adrocate Meth.
says: "The ecclesiastical policy of every
church has its weak points. The Methods,
Episcopal has hers, all will concede. But
one of the strong distinctive features o,
that policy is that when church or par.
sonage is once opened, it is never closed OF
left empty. Death may come, changes
will occur, other hands will adjust the fur.
nfture, and newly y-formed circles will sur.
round the family altar, but the parsonage
ifewill go on justine hesame. The Methodist
parsonage once opened is never left with
out an occupant. Aunique and wonderful
system, and very successful withal."
The ChristiGn IstelHgencer (Refd.) saws
"lf the Church of to-day has departed
from justification and etfectual calling, has
it not departed FROM the Scriptures? Are
they not truths which distinguish Chris
tianity from other man-made systems of
belief? While reading and hearing what
Is printed and said just now, one is made
to feel the eminent propriety and reason
ableness of the provision of the constitu-
tlon of our own church which requires
ministers to preach on the topics of the
Heidelberg Catechism in their order once
In every four years, so securing presenta-
tion of all the vital and essential doctrines
of revelation. God knows better than we
do what men in all times need to hear,
and preachers are to be the ambassadors OF
God"
The Nashville Christian AdUocate Meth. J
says: Concerning that abomination known
as the Louisiana lottery, there can be but
one opinion among good people. That it
Is one of the most pernicious evils of the
day is thing that does not admit of dis
pute or debate. Chartered and fastened
upon the State of Louisiana during the
period of reconstruction, it has survived
down to the present day, and now comes
with brazen effrontery to beg or buy new
lease of life. The offer of S1,000,0OO a
year for public uses is deliberate effort to
bribe the Legislature, and should be
promptly rebuked. An institution that
can afford to pay such tribute is fraudu-
lent on the face of it. We sympathize
most heartily with the good people of
Louisiana who are struggling to rid them
selves of this monster iniquity, and we de-
youtly pray God that their efforts may
meet with unmixed success"
The ChWchman says: 'In spite of all
the obstacles to be overcome, and we are
we'll aware that they are neither few nor
slight, we do not, and never shall, despair
of that complete and perfect unity of
Christ's Church for which Christ prayed,
a unity so perfect and complete that He
Himself compared it to the vital unity of
the Father and Himself-'as Thou Father
art in Me, and | in Thee, that they also
may be one in U.s. Be the time appointed
for its realization near or far, we have
faith to expect that corporate union of the
whole flock of Christ here on earth. In
spite of every Encouragement we conf
IDENTIFY hope that Christ's prayer will vet
be fulfilled. But nothing less than that
would content US; and nothing less, in our
opinion, would content the church to
which we belong. In saying this we are
not presuming to forestall any possible ex-
pedients which charity may hereafter de-
wise for the removal or avoidance of tenn
porary difficulties. We trust that when
the time comes there will be wisdom
enough to devise and adopt any lawful ex-
pedient which will clearly conduce to the
permanent good estate of the Catholic
Church. We feel sure, however, that the
scheme of federation of divided denomi-
nations would contribute nothing to the
welfare of the Christian commonwealth,
but would hide under delusive semblance
of union the fact of a disastrous and I'M
christian disintegration."
Tie Cumberland Presbyterian (Nashville)
says: ave appreciate heartily the posi-
tion of those who hold that creed subscrip-
tion is unwise, and that it is sufficient to
trust to the leading which the Holy Spirit
will give to his church but a church
which has creed and requires subscrip-
tion to it, should at least be able to afford
a creed which its common members can
read and understand; creed that shall be
brief, compact, and Christian. Such a
creed the Presbyterian Church does not
have in the Confession of Faith, and will
not have in that Confession of Faith when
revised. Such creed is needed to unite
all the branches of the Presbyterian
family. The work of this committee will
help the work of the Presbyterian ALI
ance in preparing a creed for all the Pres
hvt ACCOMMODATIONS p,,t !,
remembered that when that general creed
is prepared, it will not be distinctly Cal
whistle; it will be distinctly evangelical.
The Presbyterian. denominations are not
all Calvinistic; and this is very fortunate
thing for the creed when it shall be pre-
pared. Being evangelical and not Calvin
istic, it will prepare the way for the con-
federation of all Protestant churches. 1t
is not too much to hope that an evangeli-
cal creed, not unlike our own, will be
adopted before the close of the present de-
cade. The interests OF Christianity and
Prebyterianism demand that such creed
shall be adopted. We shall watch with
interest the development of this moment
Gus movement. Meanwhile let Cumber-
land Presbyterians be patient, and devote
themselves to the great work of preaching
a gospel that is at once evangelical and
Christian"
The London Spectator says at seems to
us that the literature of inspiration has
never been, nay, has never been intended
to be, otherwise than expressive of the
very mixed and miscellaneous effects which
divine teaching produces on half-sub-
dued, often less than half-subdued, hu.
manity. We find included in Scripture
not only the history of men who resisted
that teaching, and the history of men who
only half submitted to it, and the history
of men who fully submitted to it, but also
the writings of men of both of these latter
classes, though not the writings of any Of
the enemies of God. If good part of the
book of Proverbs and all the book of 'Ec-
clesiastes' are undoubtedly the writings Of
more or less decidedly worldly men
though worldly men inclined to be relig-
ious-surely the books of Deuteronomy
and Chronicles were the writings of ardent
disciples of the Levitical system who read
into antiquity more than sober criticism
would have found there. The books OF
the prophets gave US the highest
SUBMITS of the religious experience
of the old dispensation, but other books
give US the various levels measarably lower
and more mingled with human clements
And ii seams IN ne that it v-ac tho varv