The record-union., 1891-04-26

disagreement with the Congregationalists
that, like an honest man, he resigned his
Andover chair and practically withdrew
from the denomination. That here and
there man adopts views which major
ity of his church regard as heretical, so
proves rather that vast majority stand
by the doctrines which they profess. So
long as men investigate and think, so
long will there be men who disagree with
the convictions of the majority. But
such exceptional cases indicate no drift.
1t is easy to exaggerate the significance
OF Such Emergencies from received opin-
ions; for the most part their meaning is
hidden from contemporaries.
The Christian InteLEiger,cer (Ref.) says:
''The President of the American Secular
Union says of the Bible, that it contains
many excellent moral precepts, but these
are SO mixed up with what is immoral as
to make contamination by contact i'm
minent.' This being so, it is strange that
somehow good people study the Bible,
but bad people do not. Nor is there any
record anywhere Of man getting con-
tamination by reading the Bible, while
every day there occurs instances of men
being thoroughly reformed by the infiu-
ence of this one book, Here is very
curious case of contradiction. An i'm
moral book which yet does not make it's
readers immoral, but on the contrary
turns felons and profiigates into models
American Secular Union tries its hand at
producing an ethical scheme which will
work the transformations wrought by the
Gospel. For surely they ought not to
take away a tried remedial agency until
they can furnish better TO put in its
place."
Writing on "The Function of Public
Prayer" the Rev. John McGaw Foster
says in the AndoUer ReUielD: "rhere are,
no doubt, those souls in the ministry it
is to be feared they are rare-who are able
In -eXtempore prayer to sink their own
personality, and place themselves merely
as spokesmen to express the common
spirit OF devotion. And yet the prayers
otthese, helpful and uplifting though they
may be, must always fail in one import
ant feature-familiarity. The words of
the Common Prayer, touching only the
common needs of mankind, used again
and again in the holy place, become to the
WorShlper thevery alphabet of devotion.
He associates them always with the pur-
pose for which they are uttered, and when
they are spoken III public worship there
is no dlstracting effort of the mind to fol-
low unfamiliar or unexpected phrases
They become to him simply the channel
for the spirit of prayer to utter itself
LIS uiSO, II1G u
llturglcal prayer; for if the manner of
expression is faulty, it is corrected by the
mind, which forgets the words in the
ASSOCIATION, breathing only the spirit of
the hour.
1t is often urged in favor of extempore
prayer in public worship that the minis
ter is free to adapt his utterances to oc-
casions which may arise to call for special
lntercession. A moments recalling of the
meaning OF prayer as we have studied it
Will convince us of the danger of such
liberty. 1t is apt to be sentiment rather
than prayer which Graves expression at
such times, and the novelty of the utter
ance can easily become means of dis
traction from the true purpose for which
prayer is made. The occasion is rare in
deed on which familiar forms, with such
adaptations as may be provided, do not
serve the purposes Of common worship
better than impromptu words can do.
Like the bread and wine of the Eu-
charist, the outward sign of common
prayer fulfills best its Office when it is fa-
| mllIar and simple, and when it savors
not Of the individual personality of priest
or people. OF such nature is liturgical
prayer, and because it thus seems better
than other manner of spoken prayer to
express the spirit of prayer in the con-
gregation of Christ's flock, we may be-
lieve that the reunited church will offer
40 "OAoAAP W OOb IIG 11LuIRl6S Ol LuG
ages"
The London Church Review says
MANY of the young oxford men who
became Roman Catholics and priests have
returned 20 the church of their fathers,
embittered more or less against the
Roman enchantress that had fured them
only to deceive them. Among these NAV
be mentioned Lord Robert Montague,
brother of the Duke of Manchester, who
since his return to Professionalism, has
written most scathing denunciations of
the Church of Rome as a religious and
political power. His latest and most i'm
portant work, The Sower and the Virgin, ,
is refutation of the doctrines of Mariol-
airy and Papal infallibility that has had a
marked effect upon the higher classes in
England, by deterring many from the
consideration Of Rome's pretensions and
leading others to renounce the false
teachings of that church.
Among the clergymen who have re-
turned to pure Catholicism within the
last few years may be mentioned Canon
Ffoulkes, Father Roberts Cardinal
Manning's nephew, Hutton, Gal
ton, Law chaplain to the Duke Of Nor
folk), Whitehead, Adds, etc. Father
Adds was one of the leading schol-
ars in Oxford, and when he be-
came Roman Catholic was accounted
a great prize for Rome. As priest he
labored for ten years at Sydenham, and
in conjunction with Thomas Arnold,
brother of Matthew Arnold. compiled the
Catholic Dictionary" a standard author
ity on orthodox Romanism, and the only
work of the kind in the English language.
1t is a significant sign of the times that
the editor of such an important publica-
ton should abandon the Church of Rome
few years after it was issued.
Father Adds withdrew only last Sep
tember; Father Whitehead, who had been
member of the Dominican Order. re-
nounced the Roman Church in Novem-
Der, and every week some priest is fol-
lowing their example. Some of the
former priests have returned to the min
lstry of the Anglican branch of the
Church Catholic. Father Adds is now
ministering in Melbourne, Australia, and
others have entered upon secular pur-
suits. This is also the case with more
than twenty priests who in our day have
withdrawn from the Roman Catholic
Church in Scotland. Thomas Arnold, it
Is said, has also abandoned the Church
of Rome"
The Rev. DIR. r. Heber Newton makes
statement in the following letter to the
CturchDlan:
Your irenicon in this weeks Church-
man seems TO me to require and deserve
a frank and cordial response and al
though you have had the courteous dis
cretion to make no personal references, I
trust you will find space to admit brief
personal answer.
"You have very fairly stated the broad
ground on which, for years past, I have
felt free TO have special services in my
church, at which Christian divines not in
the orders of our church have been in
vited TO deliver addresses. Something I
might indeed add to your statement, if
my present purpose were argumentative.
Since, however, l am responding to an
irenicon, l will only add, in this connec-
1inn fhaf 11n No hao -.