The record-union., 1891-08-15
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.

The AdUance Congo complains thai
ONE features Of divine service at st.
Paui's Cathedral in London are ''cooing
lntonlng Of the responses, bowling at the
mention Of the divine name, White robes
and surplices and rubrics."
The Lining Church Up. E.) says: at has
been limited by high church friends of
DR.. Brooks that, in case of his elevation
TO the epiScopate, he will no longer be
found at Unitarian anniversaries, union
meetings on Good Friday, or plymouth
installations. 1t has even been suggested
that a necessary result of his entrance
into the House of Bishops would be
strengthening of his views in the line OF
church order and government. We re-
gret to say we cannot feel any Sangulne
hopes in that'directIon. Yet it must be
admitted that such q result IS possible.
We have never thought DR.. Brooks
clearly open to the charge Of formal
heresy. 1t has been his affiliations and
apparent sympathies on that side, rather
than his utteranceS, which have given
us apprehension, while his repeated eX-
pressions of hostility to the idea OF dl-
vine order for the government OF the
church have been too explicit to leave
any doubt of his position with regard to
episcopacy. 1t is possible that when he
finds himself a Bishop in the church,
looked up to as leader of a motley
throng of Unitarians, Liberals, absolute
reiigionists and agitatOrs, he will feel inn
PEELED to differentiate himself from them,
and thus fulfill the fond hopes ola small
section Of his recent defenders. Similar
things have happened, and they are pos
slble again."
Writing on the recent International
Council of CongregationaliSts in London,
\ h9f
may be the comparative advantages OF
one or another church polity in the way
OF Christian culture or Christian work,
the history of Congregationalism in
America, with its cOnquests in our own
land and in foreign lands, has demon
strated the folly Of that kind of criticism
which once treated it as a rope of sand,
predestined by its very constitution to
weakness and decay Of faith. To this
hour, after a century of toll, struggle, de-
velOpmenJ and triumph, 1t holds its own
nObly among the most highly organized
churches for both purity of doctrine and
active usefulness. Its ministers and peo-
pie are as faithful to the evangelical truths
of the Reformed Confessions as those of
churches which are controlled by the
most elaborate ecclesiastical systems, and
which have no public worship that is not
liturgical. IN the great Baptist and Con-
gregatiOual cOmmunions, the world has a
noble demonstration Of the inherent
strength of evangelical religion to main
tain itself and work aggressively without
the aid of external authorities, organiZa-
GCns, and fOrmularieS. We do not in the
least depreciate the advantages of any OF
these things in their respective spheres,
but we rejoice to see and know that what
IS most precious in the religion of Christ
is not dependent on any of these things
for its power and prosperity"
frl,{ =
Assistant Bishop of Central PennsyI-
yania in his address to the last conven-
ton of the Protestant Episcopal Church
IN that diocese, which met June 9Th, said:
The church has wisely allowed large
liberty TO her children in respect of their
Interpretation of the Bible. Upon no
special theory Of inspiration or interpre-
tation has she put her imprimature.
But upon the essential facts
themselves she has put her stamp, and in
the Apostles and Nicene Greed she has
set forth those things that are to be be-
lieved; and that men may be able to give
n reason for their faith, she comes into
the ourt Of an inquiring world and gives
the evidence of a witness, competent in
every way to testify and impossible to be
overthTown. That witness is in The
creeds, which close and settle for ever the
essential faith ofthe church. q All
who are members of the church have ac-
cepted that testimony and have sworn
allegiance to the facts and truths con-
tanned in l.. / do not hesitate to say,
therefore, that the layman or the clergy
man of the church who denies an article
Of the creed is false to his oath and a
traitor TO the church. The man who reads
into the creed and then reads out of il
only his own pet notions, disregarding
It's historic sense, Is disingenuOus, and
the man who explains it by explaining il
all away is dishonest. The man who de-
MES the miraculous conception and re-
surrectiOn' Of Jesus Christ not only be-
comes himself an infdel, but he also
strikes at the sacred heart of Him who
died on the cross for all, and tries to de-
stroy the hope OF the world"
The Independent says: "Our readers
do not need to be assured that the Tadc-
pendent has no sympathy with any theory
which limits divine inspiration to spirit
ual instruction and makes all other
elements iallible. We do not deny that a
Teverent higher criticism is legitimate
one that does not approach the Scriptures
with the a prlori view that whatever is
supernatural in them is to be explained
away, and that whenever outside testi-
mony conflicts with Scripture the latter
is to be doubted. We distinguish be-
tween the school represented by kueneu
and Toy and that represented, we will
say, by such biblical scholars as Pro.
insists that all the means claimed by the
higher critics are possessed equally by
other scholars, and that the higher criti-
cism of the advanced school simply adds
TO the science common to all trained
scholars, the fundamental principle ol
natural development alone We 10 no;
object to such facts as the higher critics
may establish; bat we Go not want theiI
consciousness iutermingled with those
facts, or in the place Of them. Be.
fore the results of the higher criticism
can become widely difiused they arc
more than likely TO be radically changed
for they are by no means settled and con.
elusive
The OccideRt lPres) says OF DR.. Briggs
"A fallacy assumed in New York (anC
sometimes elsewhere) is that the interest,
OF one mans career outweigh those of
church. When no principle is at stake
the devotion of friends TO a friend shoulC
cut no ngure IN shaping public policy
When any leader becomes obnoxious
whether through accident or misappre
henslon, or unfortunate manner, iudg
ment must be pronounced either for the
many against the one or for the ont
against the many; which should it be
No one man Is essential to the Church o
God, nor 10 any position in the church
and the moment personal partiSanshipi in
sists on forcing pastor on reluctan
congregation, or professor on a protest
ing and distrustful denomination. per
sonal predictions become wedge riyins
asunder the tibers of organic. life-creatine
disorganlzatlon and decay. This process,
is essentially immoral and inevitably dis
astrous."
The National Baptist says: 'Ta,
Rambler notices an instance of the laro,
and imposing use of language in the fol