Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-19
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO MINIS
TIERS AND LAYhEE.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations. on Many Subjects.


the development of the tonic sofia sys-
TEN is the most important episode in the
history of music since the invention Of
the staff. 1t practically opens the world
of music to all mankind. Millions will
learn to sing by this notation who would
have been voiceless without it. To our
churches it means the introduction of an
thems, oratorios, and classical music, cor
rectly and pleasingly rendered, and new
and increased devotional sentiment among
our congregations. In fact, we are only
Just beginning to find out the value of
music as an agency that maketh for right
eousness."
The Congregationalist says: ''At the
meeting of a prominent church not a
thousand miles from Boston, held recently
to decide upon filling the vacant pastorate,
objection was made to the otherwise salts
factory candidate on the ground that he
was approaching 60 years Of age. The
last occupant of the pulpit was between
twenty-five and thirty, and was criticised
on the score of boyishness. Whereat
somebody remarks that if minister is to
regarded as boy till he is thirty, and is
considered to have passed the dead line
ere he reaches sixty, his period of profit
able professional activity is somewhat linn
tied. Liable to the misfortune of being
old almost as soon as he reforms himself of
the crime of being young, it would appear
that the ministerial life is not bed of
roses"
The Watchman (Bapt.) seems not quite
fixed in its mind concerning Christmas.
In one column it says: "We wish it could
be said that the memory of the Saviour's
birth were cherished in spirit as reverent
and religious as the event should evoke.
We apprehend that mirth and iollity
rather than sacred joy predominant in the
observances, and that musical display in
the churches is more conspicuous than de-
votion. We would hope that due pro-
portion of the Christmas gifts shall ex-
press genuine affection and friendship,
that along with the festlyity true neigh
borly kindness and sympathy may not fail
to be manifest, and that from some hearts
will ascend the sacrifice Of praise for the
Divine love that was expressed in the in
carnation of the Son of God for a redeem
ing purpose in cur behalf. So shall the
festival be not only JOY, but blessing"
But in another column it remarks;
Christmas Day, Ike other things of
human manufacture imposed upon the
churches of Christ, develops itself into
nuisance with accelerating progress
The Independent says: "Our Catholic
friends must not talk too much of their
Washington University. Their leading
monthly say that The intellectual side of
i
by university where the deepest prob
lens of philosophy and science will receive
the highest order Of treatment We wish
it were true, but it is not yet fact. The
University is only about one-eighth of
a university. It has only one department
provided for, and that the department for
theology It is thus far simply better
equipped theological school, and it adds to
the ordinary instruction OF theology
scarcely anything except better provision
for teaching Oriental languages. But
there is as yet no provision for teaching
physics, or biology, or history. to say moth
ing OF classical or modern languages and
general philology. 1t is only q university
in the sense in which Paul calls Christians
saints, because it is hoped that they will
be saints one Of these days. BY and by,
when six or eight more departments have
been added, it may be proper 20 call it q
university; now it is only q theological
school,
The London Church Times says concern
ing the cultus of the Blessed Virgin;
THAT the cult, as is usual with heresies of
all kinds, has been morally disastrous is
beyond all honest question. And for a
simple reason. The Blessed Virgin is re-
garded on the one hand as welding the
prerogative of mercy only, and not that of
justice; and, on the other, as being pecu-
liarly open to fiattery, so that if given
enough of that, she will not be exacling as
to the conduct of her worshipers. Being,
as she is, the highest ideal type OF woman
ly purity, it might be thought that where
her cult prevails it would actively pro-
mote that virtue, but as fact il is pre-
cisely where it prevails most that unfaith
f1lness to the marriage vow is most fire.
quent; and what i. almost stranger, the
cult is a very favorite one with profigate
women. 1t has the same deadening effect
on morals as the Lutheran tenet OF iustif-
cation by faith only has with those emo
tional sects which take it as granting uni
versal license to believers. It is, briefly,
the attempt to keep Christ aloof, as stern
Judge, who must be obeyed, and to sub
stitute St. Mary as a tender woman, VINO
can be wheedled-a dishonoring mode of
regarding her, which is a graver insult
than that Of the complete neglect with
which Protestants are too apt to treat
her"
The C5ngregdtionaIist says: "Our churches
have lately been urged to give up the
practice of requiring assent to their creeds
as condition precedent to membership;
among other considerations, on the ground
that such was not the custom of our faith
ers. i We are not now intending
to argue the general question Of the ex-
pediency of requiring candidates for al
mission to our churches to assent TO creed.
We are simply concerned to correct what
we understand to be this grave historical
misapprehension, which would lead men
to think that the fathers OF New England
established their churches upon simple
covenant without any creed at all, ex-
pressed or understood, and were quite con-
tent if their members had faith in Christ
as a personal Savior, without asking that
tneN HOlU OHt tOlh4 VI icllSiOuS DGlltl
rather than another; and without concern,
/. for example, whether they believed in in
fant baptism or accepted their doctrine of
eternal punishment 1t would hardly be
possible by language TO convey more
erroneous impression. Doctrinal sound
ness was even dearer to our fathers than
was that reformed polity which they had
been led to adopt, mainly because they be-
lieved it TO favor sound doctrine more than
did that which it displaced. 1t is true
that with them local churches did not al
ways formulate for themselves condensed
statements of what they understood to be
the essence Of Biblical theology, because
the Westminster, which in 1858 became
the Savoy symbol, formed the unvarying
background for every church thought and
act. But it is also true that no man and
no woman was admitted to their fellow
ship who had not, by the full relation of
his or her experience first satisfied them
that his or her theological belief was mi
nutely in harmony with theirs. 1t is fur
ther true that many of our earlier
churches did have creeds Of their own, to
which assent was demanded. And here
we take occasion once more TO regret our
deplorable lack Of any accurate and sufii-
cient ecclesiastical history Of New Eng
land, by which the present generation Of
scholars might be saved from all such rad
ical misunderstanding Of the real charac-
fer of the e2riv christianity of orr land y