The record-union., 1891-04-19

1Ht
England, as by law established, while the
breath of God is in nay nostrils'
Mr.. Wesley never meant to form a
separate religious denomination. He
fought against it to the last, and March
25, 1877, wrote: I still think when the
Methodists leave the Church of England,
God viii leave them. Every year more
and more of the clergy are convinced of
the truth, and grow well affected toward
us. 1t would be contrary to all common
sense, as well as to good conscience to
make separation now.'
In 1889, two years before his death, he
says: THE Methodists have been So
llcited again and again to separate from
the established church, and to form them
selves into distinct body, independent
Of all other religious societies. Thirty
years ago this was seriously considered
among them at a General Conference
i and it was determined, without
one dissenting voice, that they ought not
TO separate from the church.
1.-The Methodists will not separate from
the Church, though continually
reproached for doing it,
The entire movement Of John Wesley,
though he was driven to vary from the
Church in many particulars, was in the
interest of retaining Methodism within
the Church of England"
The Examiner (Bapt.) says: ''The deser-
ton of the Twenty-third street and Mad
ison Square section by the churches is
curious illustration OF their trend away
from the centers of the city's life. This
neighborhOod is, of course, becoming
every year less and less of a residential
quarter. But it is still and bids fair to
remain a swarming vortex Of population
and activity. The family church does
not belong there, but there is no similar
area on Manhattan Island which offers
such opportunities for the peoples
church, That these opportunities should
be neglected by a denomination generally
SO alert and aggressive as the Methodists,
occasions general surprise. But this is
what they have done in selling out their
magnificent property at Fourth avenue
and Twenty-second street, with the in
tention, it is understood, on the part of the
church now worshiping there of moving
up town."
The Independent says: 1--WE are inter-
ested to see how the New Orleans relig-
ious papers treat the lynching in that
city. Here is the New Orleans Christian
AdUocdte Southern Methodist), which
leads its editorial page with an account of
the death Of the Rev. 7. Y. Ramsay, fol-
lowed by long editorials on Our Confer
ence Boards and other subjects, and
gives the last half Of the last column TO
a Terrible Retribution.' 1t says: The
verdict naturally aroused the indignation
Of the public and that the killing of
eleven persons could only be justified by
circumstances of the direst necessity It
extenuateS the whole matter and has not
word of rebuke. We have the South
1CeSte7B Presbyterian of New Orleans. 1t
treats the matter at greater length, giving
1t two full columns devoted almost
wholly to q resume of the trial, and con-
cludes by saying that whatever may be
thought of the wisdom of resorting to
such measures for securing justice, there
can be little doubt that the motives which
incited this popular uprising were the
yindicatiOn of outraged Justice and the
conviction Of the inefficiency of our jury
to protect the lives of our citizens and it
hopes that the fearful lesson thus taught
to would-be murdererS may render in all
time in this community its repetition un-
necessary There is not one word of re-
buke. These are the two leading reIig-
ious papers of New Orleans, and if such
are the teachers, what can we expect of
the people? They are blind guides"
Of the efforts to restore the Jesuits to
Germany, Professor G. H. Schodde, writ
ing to the Observer, says: "A characteristic
and representative utterance in this re-
gard are the words of the Papal Vicar
Considering his official relations to the
Vatican, his bold utterances are more
than surprise" They are these:
The reasons why the Jesuit order as it
has been developing itself cannot at all
stand in sympathy with the progress of
State and Church are so many and
weighty that it is a great surprise that the
heads Of some States should think Of re-
calling them. The principles of the
Jesuits are of such a character that of
necessity they corrupt Christian doctrines
and morals and endanger the relation of
State and Church. All kinds of unbelief
and Of heathenish and pharisaic senti-
ments are entertained by them. The doc
trines of probabilism, of mental reserva-
ton, Of the end justifying the means, of
the invalidity of Oaths if this is demanded
by higher ends, destroy the foundation of
/ Christian morals. With the Jesuit Ultra
montane doctrines Of Church power, no
State can harmonic its independence. If
| this order succeeds IN entering Germany
again, there will be long and violent
contest between darkness and light-a
battle that Will endanger the peace of the
Church and the prosperity of the State.
The London Graphic says: Church
men will regard as welcome and genu-
inc awakening of the much-talked-of
'Nonconformist Conscience the recent
declarations of two very prominent rep
resentatives OF Nonconformity - Mr..
Spurgeon and DIR. Parker of the City
Temple. Both of them have been advo-
Gates of the disestablishment of the
Church of England but both have now
recorded an important protest against
the strategy of the Liberation Society, of
which one of them at least has been q
member. Mr.. Spurgeon has refused the
Liberation Society the use of the Metro
politan Tabernacle for its meetings, and
Y, .l,,
reason he is said to have assigned for sew
ering his connection with it is very
briefly described to be his conviction
that 1T is becoming too POLITICAL DIR.
Parker, referring last Sunday, at the
City Temple, to this objection of Mr..
Spurgeon's, explained and expanded
it III a frank and interesting way. I
believe, he said, that religious work
should only be undertaken by religious
men. ] for one will have nothing to do
with atheists and agnostics in trying to
disestablish a Christian church. L will
have no connection with such men in
such service OF course, agnostics are
perfectly consistent in seeking to dis
establish the Church of England, in so
far as they believe that its destruction
viii disastrously affect the religion of
which that church is chief support, al
though some of the more far-sighted
among them are opposed to its disestab-
HSnment, because tney lear tnat this Will
be followed by the triumph of sacerdo-
talism. But that Jealous Nonconformists
should so long have accepted in the work
of fdisestablishment the aid of agnostics
has not been very creditable to them, and
Mr.. Spurgeon and Dr. Parker will do
well to repudiate it for the future. Such
men as they have advocated disestablish-
ment because they honestly believed, not
like the agnostic, that it would injure, but
that it would strengthen, religion.n