Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-16
In RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS oF INTEREST TO MINIS
TERs AND LkyMEN.
Expressioas of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations. on Many Subjects.

lna,IODss on many subjects.
Apropos Of the Holland Society dinner,
the Christian LateBjgencer (Refd) says:
eve trust our brethren of the Society
will allow one word of usgestion-less
bacchanalian songs, and that which seems
to inspire them, would be more creditable
to the Society and truer to the best features
of Dutch character and history"
The Christian ObSeT7er, of Louisville, re-
CARDS "with great concern the election of
Rev Marcus Dods to a theological chair
in Scotland For his teachings are said to
be far from the standard of Calvinism.
That man of doubtful doctrinal belief
should command the suffrages Of majority
of General Assembly, and that in Scot
land, reveals great decleDsion. The fact
that charges have been tabled against him
for heresy, shows that there are yet many
who have not bowed the knee to the god
dess of doctrinal laxity; but that such a
man should secure the election is an indi-
cation Of great danger to the cause OF the
truth"
On the Covell case the Ecaaiaer (Bapt.)
says: "Dr. Storrs would not treat a state
OF doabt on this question, if accompanied
by firm hold on the essentials of evangeli-
cal faith and large missionary zeal, as
bar to appointment. This was the view of
his official letter, and the Board has de-
clared this to be the basis OF its policy.
Those who oppose the appointment of men
like Mr.. Covell will find it no easy thing
to show that they are carrying ont in good
faith this policy, which they accepted
without protest as working compromise
at the last meeting OF the Board"
The Central Christian Adrocate Meth
says: CDR Talmage is certainly the prince
of ministerial showmen and sensational
lists. He is now or was recently in Pales-
tine, and certain newspapers of this coun-
try are publishing sermons that, their
readers are informed, were preached at
various places in the Holy Land on the
Sunday previous to their publication. And
one reading these sermons, not knowing
the facts in the case, gets the impression
that they were taken down at the places
named and sent by cabiegram to the pa
pers. The facts OF the case are that they
were all prepared beforehand out of the
guide-boobs and works of other authors;
the scenes and feelings are all simulated.
Barnum could hardly beat this, if his con-
science were not too tender to keep him
from making the trial"
The Nashville Christian Aduocate Meth
says: What is Methodist? He is a
penitent, believing, pardoned, regenerated,
holy follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is, at least, one pledged TO content him
self with no lower ideal of Christian ex-
perience than this. He is man who lives
according to rule-methOd He is fully
convinced that religion is the chief con-
cern of mortals here below. He seeks
first the Kingdom of God and His right
eousness. 1t is his meat and drink TO DO
his Heavenly Fathers will. He is meek,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.
His constant aspiration is to reproduce the
Christ-life among men; his daily prayer
to have the mind which was in Christ
Jesus, and to be filed with all the fullness
of God. He accepts as final the declara-
ton of the Scripture tlat the friendship
of the world is enmity with God. He
does not have perpetua'ly on his lips the
inquiry, What harm is there in this, that
or the other? but, c,Etra wise, he asks,
How.can l glorify God in my body and
my spirit, which are His?"
A correspondent of the Ctrisian Adeo-
cate (Methodist) asks the following ques-
tion: "At funeral of prominent mem
ber of his church, the pastor, in eulogizing
the departed, said: L do not say he has
gone TO heaven, cut he is in state Of ma J.
piness now, and at the final consummation
Of all things he will reach heaven Does
the Methodist Episcopal Church believe
in purgatory To this the Adrocats re-
plies: "The questioner obviously does not
comprehend the meaning Of terms he en-
ploys. Purgatory is not state of happi-
ness. What this brother probably re-
ferred to was the intermediate state so
called, which has been doctrine preached
and believed probably by the majority Of
Methodists, though not universally held.
That doctrine is that between death and
the resurrection the righteous, though not
in heaven, are in happy STATE, and the
wicked, though not in hell, are in q mis-
erable state Purgatory is the doctrine
who are not fit for heaven when they die,
pass through certain pains and sulferings
which complete the work of preparation.
According to the Roman view DO ore goes
to hell through purgatory, and very few
ever go to heaven by any other route"
The Canrdian Baptist says: ave object
to the compulsory study of the Bible in our
public schools for two reasons, which, to
most Baptists at least, must be sufficient.
We object frs, because we do not think a
political government is either authorized
TO prescribe or competent TO direct reli-
gious instruction. We do not think our
correspondent would like to send his chill
dren to study the New Testament under
the guidance Of an agnostic or irreligious
man. We do not think he would like to
trust the civil Government, whose mem
bers may at any time be agnostics, or ire
ligious, to apply a religious test to ascer-
tain the Christian character and creed Of
public school teachers. There is the first
dilemma. We object to Government com
pulsion in the matter, in the second place,
because we deem it unjust aud therefore
unrighteous-and we think our ideas of
iustness and righteousness in the case are
New Testament ideas-for the Govern
ment, or the popular majority, to compel
the minority to pay taxes for the teaching
of creed which they do not believe. If
rationalists were in the majority
in the State, we should not
like to have rationalism com
pulsorily taught in these schools.
We may not do evil that good may come
The only safe ground, the only New Testa-
ment ground, 50 far as we can see, is, then,
to forbid the State to meddle with religi-
Gus instruction. 1t is not the place of the
civil ruler to attempt to steady the Ark of
Godn
The CongregationaHst says: "On the
one hand is the conservative portion Of
the Board, and Of its supporters, rightly
anxious that no step be taken which shall
commit that body to the vicious doctrine
of the new departure On the other
hand is major portion of the Board, and
presumably of its contributors, who are in
the main as firmly opposed to such teach
ing, yet are Of the opinion that, in doubt
ful cases, the policy set forth by DIR. Storrs
should govern. The committee and the
Secretaries are divided in Judgment. In
these circumstances the first student ap-
plying to be appointed under that rule