The record-union., 1891-02-08
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions from the Various
Religious Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Ministers and Laymen.
| The Standard Baptist says: ''There
| IS hardly church or pastor but has
| been annoyed by the notices which the
| patient preacher is expected to read on
Sunday from the pulpit. Various devices
nave been tried to remove the difficulty.
Prohibition does not prohibit them.
bulletin boards are not scanned. The
regular old-fashioned way of reading the
notices on Sunday, which are frequently
forgotten on Monday, as rule prevails.
| Oflate years many churches have adopted
the weekly distributed calendar, or
| printed bulletin, as all in all the best
thing. 1t can say more than any pastor,
and be more personal and more precise,
and is not so easily put aside. 1t can be
made more spiritually helpful and, differ
emf from the common run OF notices. may
cultivate other graces than that Of pa
| tience; for instance, those of beneficence.
sociability, and church-going.''
/ The Observer (Pres) says: s'Similarity
OF opinion in regard to the nature and
order OF the ministry is not to be hoped
for in our day. 1t is, however, under
stood by all intelligent Christians that the
historic episcopate is regarded by many
as an invaluable possession which cannot
be surrendered. for it is considered essen
tai to the proper constitution of truly
! Christian church. No well-grounded and
well-regulated Episcopalian can see how
| 1t is possible to have valid minister
without the historic episcopate, just as no
| Well-grounoed and well-regulated Bap-
tist can see how it is possible to have a
! valid church member without historic
immersion. In Great Britain the Bap-
lists have in some way solved the diff
Guilty to such a degree that it does not
prevent Observation-Disclosures fellowship
at the sacrament of the Lords Supper.
This shows that some things are possible
winch appear to be extremely difficult
Possibly some way may yet appear by
which the historic episcopate may not
absolutely prevent its ministers from any
official recognition of or fellowship with
the great body of the clergy in this
country. Fl such way should ever open,
1T would be strange ii il did not do more
in one year for the unity of Christ's body
than hundred years of essays and
addresses on the importance and blessed
hess OF church unity
| The Religious Herald Cong SAYS: cit
/ is entirely reasonable to suppose that
Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards
had far better understanding of the pro-
ceedings of heaven, as soon as they fairly
entered 1t, than some illiterate Christians
had after being there FOR wears. We do
not say that the culture OF classical schools
is the only or even the main thing which
fits one to appreciate and understand
| heaven. lis, doubtless, the education of
the heart which is mostly needed to I'M
derstand and appreciate heaven. And
| yet the education Of the mind is needful
accompaniment of characterization, in
ordep to largely enjoy the beauties and
blessedness of heaven. Who is it that
best appreciates and derives highest
benefit from the reading of the Bible? Is
| 1t the Christian who has but little edu-
cation, or is it the well-educated and low
ing student Of the Word? All sensible
and candid judges will say that it is the
educated one. This being so, then it
should not be difficult to decide that the
same distinction most prevail in heaven.
| When an educated Christian gets to
heaven, he has the start and advantage of
an uneducated one. Christ bids us to Law
up for ourselves treasures in heaven:'
and one way to do this is to diligently
and properly educate ourselves"
The Christian Register Unity, in the
| following passage, illustrates the solem-
nifty of the English mind: sit is seldom
| that we venture upon any bold specula-
ton in the department of Biblical criti-
cism, and a comment in the London
! Inquirer upon q recent attempt of ours
| in this direction admonishes us to be still
more cautious in the future. In specu-
lating on the Interpretation of the Old
Testament story of the fall of Jericho, we
suggested that perhaps the easiest way for
those who were troubled with its miracu-
| lous features was to treat it simply as
| piece of Hebrew irony, as the work of
some musical critic of the time. We said:
The rams horn is 4 musical instrument
which, even in the hands of the most
perfect artist, might be warranted to kill
tDtf 1,,,t IL, x~4.
different player, is capable of working
almost any destruction. We can imagine,
therefore, some musical critic of that
period who had fallen away from the ira
ditions Of his people, and was looking
forward to the music of the future, de-
scribing with malicious sarcasm the
| destruction of Jericho through a blast
from this instrument The London In
| Quis'er does US the honor to quote what it
calls our novel explanation, seriously
adding: The suggestion is ingenious, but
it seems to us rather far-fetched.'"
Bill Arp'' writes as follows in Home
and Farm on the Rev. Sam Jones: "He
| says that once he was preaching in q
| Western town and had got wrought up
IN his feelings, and was going along ten
der and pathetic in his appeal to sinners.
when an old man got up and stretched
| forth his hand and said: Brother
Jones, Brother Jones, stop minute-just
minute. just want to shout little
and say, Bless God, I'm happy on the
way. And he sat down shaking and
sobbing with joy.
"Sam paused for the affecting scene to
lend its influence to his preaching, and
! then said to the old man: We'll, nv
! brother, don't you feel now like you had
lost that fifty odd years of your life that
| you spent i'll Sin?'
The old man rose up again and said,
Well, no, Brother Jones, not exactly. 1
can't say that. I wasn't as happy as l
am now, but did have a power of fun
"On another occasion, while revival
| was going on, Sam observed an old man
| in the congregation who seemed to be
much affected, and going to him, he
asked if he felt that his sins were all for
! given. The old man wiped his eyes with
a red bandanna, and murmured: Not
all, Brother Jones, not all; but I think a
| majority of 'em.'
| 1T takes a variety of preachers to
reach multitude of people. a century
or two ago Whitfield and Wesley
preached love and pity, while Jonathan
/ Edwards scared the sinners so bad they
chung to the braces of the church for fear
of falling into hell. A tear and kiss is
enough for one child, but it takes the rod
to reform another. So let the preachers
work out their own way. If it doesn't
| suit me, maybe 1t suits somebody else.
1t is hard to find one who is not better
man than / an-better in heart and
nearer to God-and I'm not fitted to pick
at them. There is sign over the door,
and it says: Touch not mine anointed,
and do my prophets no harm.'"
The Rev. Arthur w. Little says in a
letter to the Churcaman: '.In an article
on the Sunday opening of the Worlds
Fair, said SANITY Keble might be seen
on a Sunday afternoon teaching the peas