The record-union., 1891-08-29
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 Laymeu.

The Christian AdUocate Meth. }, says:
''in times of epidemic of fatal diseases
the minister should grid up his lolnS, put
his trust in God, take all precautions,
and go from house to house. If he lives,
1t viii be with the consciousness Of hay
ing done his duty; if he dies, he will die
as moral hero; if he runs away, he Will
be as a live coward Priests, rabbies,
parsons, ministers and preachers have all
shown true heroiSm, and instances OF
consummate cOwardice have been seen
among them ALL
The London Spectator, in commenting
upon the judgment in the st. Paul s
reredos case says that it is very satisfac-
tory as affirming in the most positive
and unanimous manner the discretion OF
the Bishop Worship Act to stop proceed
IngS, ii, on consideration of the whole
circumstances of the case, he shall deem
litigation to be undesirable in the inter
ests of the church. AS Lord Bramwell
very carefully pointed out, he is not chi
powered to stop the case only because he
is not sure that it ought to proceed. I'm
less he is of opinion that it ought not to
proceed, he cannot stop it, but must send
1t for argument and Judgment in the
usual way. But he has, according TO the
whole Court Of Appeal, an absolute dis
Of opinion that, looking to all the cir
cumstances of the case, the proposed liti-
cation is likely to be productive of more
mischief than it can possibly be pro-
ouctive of good. The result is, therefore,
that any Bishop who is either clear that
the litigation ought to go on, or not clear
that it ought not to go on, must send on
She case for judgment"
The NGUdnrd (Bapt.) says: 'Dr. Heber
Newton discusses the question how far,
IN the founding Of the Christian Church
as an organic society, the apostles acted
under express direction; how far, in fact,
1t was their purpose to give to the church
O specified organization at all. Doubt
less says DIR. Newton, Jesus did call
His disciples TO follow Him, and sent
them forth to teach others. There would
not have been in Him the wisdom which
shone through all His life if He had not
prepared for the carrying on of His work
after His departure. But, as far as any
hint of the record goes, the whole work
OF that training was the enlightenment of
the mind, the inspiration of the life, the
moIdlng OF the character, and not at all
the shaping of the polity and the present
ing OF the order of His church,
"Of course it is open to any man to say
that; and equally open to any other man
to question it. How the apostles them
enough. We find them doing a great
deal moro than simply promote an in
ward, unseen. ethical life among those
who become converts to Christianity. 1t
IS the simple fact that they proceeded at
once to create that very outward and
visible organization in which, according
TO Dr. = Newton, the kingdom Of God does
not consist. Surely, with the teaching OF
their Lord, in specific forms not given in
the Gospels, but contained in oral com
munlc2tions intended for their immedi-
ate directions with these teachings
freshly IN mind, it is not to be supposed
that they could have mistaken their ap-
pointed mission in matter of such fund
.amental importance"
The Christian Leoder (Univ.) saws:
4" Reason and Conscience says ]. W.
Chadwick, are the only sources Of re-
lIgious knowledge; the church and the
Bible are only their historic forms. ;
This IS the dictum of q 'dogmatician.' 1t
IS not conclusion determined either in
ductlVely by an examination ofthe origins
and history of religious knowledge. or de-
ductively by logical inference from the
acknowledged principles of religious
knowledge. 1t is a dictum evolved from
dogmatician's preposseSsions, in pre-
cIsely the same way that the country
editor makes his oracular assertion of the
~'-NAAN-NAA VI SAAI 0IAA lJ4elLt OF lIlG
prospects of his party.
II the dlctum be true, it follows that
all religious knowledge IS strictly and ex-
cluslVely human origin. It follows that
GOD has never by any voluntary and in
tenuonal act disclosed Himself to man
Kind, nor manifested the smallest interest
IN thom. 1t follows that the 'religiouS
knowledge of the word has been ext0rted
by the human reason and conscience out
OF an lmpassiVe plety, Just as scientific
knowledge Is extracted from a KOsmos
that is utterly Indifferent meanwhile. 1t
lOlloWS that there is no direct evidence OF
the existence Of God. 1t follows that re
Hglous knowledge is a misleading colo
cation of terms to express actual ignor-
ance and unreality. Mr. Chadwick would
not accept these conclusions, of course.
but he can save himself only by revising
his dictum."
The COagrcgatonulist says: From
every point of view it is unfortunate that
this years meeting lat Mortified. Mass. !
should have been marred by frequent and
severe attacks upon the higher criticism.
II controversial questions must come uu
on the Northtield platform, let the con-
scrvatiye side be championed by men
like Professor Green, or Professor BisselI
or Howard Osgood, whose scholarship
commands universal respect With all
due deteronce TO their zeal and consecra-
ton, 1t may be doubted whether evanpal-
lists whose educational advantages have
been necessarily limited, or foreign mis-
slonaries home for a brief furlough. or
reformed men, or even the PRESBYTERIAN
doctor Of divinity who affirmed that II
was his mission TO go up and down the
land crying the higher criticism is as
grass are the most competent persons to
decide the critical questions which are
now ut the front ii the field of biblical
scholarship. It is easy 10 ridicule the
lolhlos OF pretentious critics, and to turn
q .&ush by holding up TO the audiences
sips OF paper marked J. l.. p etc and
declaring that this was all that the critics
WoulI leave of the bible, but no one in
formed on the subject could believe that
me actual views ana methods of the
scholars so vehemently denounced were
fairly represented.
Moreover, Northfeld is not tho place
for the discussion of these mooted dues-
tions. The beauty of these GATHERINGS i'm
days gone by has been the absence ot
notes OF dlSSensiOn. Sectarian and theO-
logical differences have not intrudcd
themselves. Henry Drummond and
Professor Harper and Dr. Stalker have
not rewarded the hospitality OF Mr..
NOOdy's platform by attacking verbal
inspiration and denouncing those who
hold it. The effect of such utterances as
have been heard this year il bad The
good people in attendance from up and
down the Connecticut Valley 60 home
considerably scared and with n confused
notion that some sceptics disguised as
ministers OF the Gospel or professors in
theological SeminarleS are trying to prove
that There are two IsaiahS, and that If they
succeed, the Christian religion is doomed.
Ielegraphed over the country, these re-
ports prejudice q great many persons
against Northtield. The sympathy oi
many who need the Northheld inspira-
ton; anu whom Northtoid interests need
frnlilHU and hT -