The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-01-25
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions from the Various
Religious Newspapers.
CURRENT TOPICS DEBATED FROM
DIFFERENT STANDPOINTS.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

The Cumberland Presbyterian says:
I'm this material age it is common
thought that only material help amounts
to anything. Bread and clothes, not
prayer or preaching, we are told, are
what the poor man needs. Yet, strange
to say, Christ, who must have under
stood human needs as well as our mod
ern philosophers, made His main work
not the furnishing of bread and clothes,
but preaching: To arouse man to ac-
ton by kindling new hope in his soul,
thus nerving him to win his own bread,
is surely greater deed than to bestow a
loaf on a beggar and leave him a grovel-
ing mendicant. To bring message
which will inspire soul to shake off its
sins and put forth its strength for right
eousness is surely no vain task
The Christian Union says: 'sThe New
York Sun reports a sermon preached last
Sunday by the Rev. Howard MacQueary,
which, If the report be correct, is singu-
larly strong testimony against the eff
cheney of his theology as practical work
ing force for the promotion of spiritual
life. He is quoted as saying: i am not
sure that have helped u single soul to a
higher and holier life, and the thought is
more painful than / dare tell you, for no
preaching, however profound or elo-
quent, is truly successful unless it inn
proves the moral and spiritual character
of men, This last sentence is automatic
and true test Of the value of all preach
ing. Possibly polemical sermons to
prove the old and orthodox view would
be no more spiritually helpful than
polemical sermons to disprove that view
and substitute another. This sorrOwful
confession is of value, in that it indicates
to other preachers that what congrega-
tons need, as well as desire, in our times
is constructive rather than critical work
ministry which will help them to live
holler and purer lives, not q ministry de-
voted to doubtful disputations about prob
lens either in history or metaphysics"
Farmton says, in the Advance: eve
have been having some revival services
in our church lately. / know that some
people like me moro than / deserve to be
liked, and yet one good old lady has not
liked me quite as well as / think I de-
served. The evangelist came and held
some meetings for the members of the
church. was standing by his side, say
ing word now and then in the course of
the exercises. This old lady, who had
entertained more or less of dislike for
me, noticed in front, her eyes fastened
upon me. Such constancy of gaze dis
tracted me. Towards the close of the
meeting she arose and said, and as she
spoke her gaze became more fixed upon
me, i have come to that place where I
can say, Let the Lord work through
whom he WILL / understood what she
meant, and l think great many others
did. Of course l was glad that she had
reached such stage of sanctification."
The Christian Leader Uniy.) saws:
1.-THE Wdtchnldn makes the suggestive
observation. When we see scholarly
man who fails as a minister, we do not
attribute his failure to his learning, we
rather wonder how much more of a fail
ure he would have been if he had lacked
the power that comes from knowledge. ,
This is well said. 1t is quite true that
culture tends to lift a mans tastes, and
so, If he be not guided by Christian feel
ing, to unfit him for taking lively in
terest in poor and ignorant people. But
minister of Christ should be protected
from that danger by the nature of his
calling. Like his Master, he is servant
OF all. knowledge, we apprehend, is
rarely sense of weakness to minister;
information must not, however, be con-
founded with knowledge, and knowledge
is not substitute for wisdom"
The Observer CPres.) says: 'sNo more
serious mistake can be made by the
people of God than to suppose that
their Father in heaven is unconcerned
about them, and the supply of their daily
bread. 1t requires, perhaps, a step fur
Their in grace to accept sickness as a visit
alton of Divine Providence, and even
when the weary soul has been enabled to
do this, there is yet further degree of
grace before it. That further degree of
grace is attained when the heart accepts
even illness as the calling of God. God
does not call his chosen ones to the
wilderness and to the desert places. He
calls them to pass through the waste of
waters and the fiery furnace. Wherever
He calls the people to go He will certainly
be with them. IT he calls a man to the
ministry, He will give him a portion of
His blessed spirit, that spirit of wisdom
and of q sound mind which shall enable
the called one to preach the Gospel. If
God calls man to any business sphere,
culiar temptations and trials of business
life. If he calls soul to the sick-bed,
He will give the needed grace to endure
its pains and privations. We can wish
nothing better for any Christian than
that the Grace be given to say, whatever
LIES circumstances, Called of Cod I"
The Interior (Pres.) says: 'sThe prac-
teal error of these busy, bustling days is
that we can have religion as kind of
episode; we can go on in pursuit of pleas
ure or of wealth as the great object in
Sabbath, during the Week of Prayer, or
a brief series of meetings, and attend to
the business of the Lord and the soul
with but little interruption of our worldly
affairs. The eXhortation, Seek first the
Kingdom of God is too Oriental for these
days of electricity and steam. We must
keep step with the progress of the age.
We have no time to go into upper rooms
and pray and wait for ten days. Why,
while we were thus seeking preparation
for the coming of the Spirit, we might
miss some grand opportunity for making
money. We do not confess all this even
to ourselves. Yet is it not true? And is
it not the reason why there are so few
Penticost scenes in these days when the
Church is so strong in numbers? Let us
be willing to make some sacrifice of time,
even II 1t is money, and to exercise some
self-denial in regard to interests that are
worldly, in order that there may be u
vacuum for the Lord to fill. When we do
this, the Spirit will come, as on that forth
eth day in Jerusalem; our churches will
be shaken as by mighty wind, tongues
of fire will be given to US. and thousands
will be converted in day."
The WatchnaGn (Bapt) says: "We used
to hear good deal about the duty to ac-
cept the latest results of criticism But
that description was applied to unwar-
ranted assumptions, guesses and theories
that had no rightful claim upon our def
erence. But criticism has been doing its
legitimate work, and the results arrived at
are very different from the Pigments here
tofore offered as results The conclu-
sions of the soundest Biblical criticisms
applied to the New Testament are to the
effect that the four Gospels were written
before the close of the first century, and
undoubtedly record the testimony of eve
and ear witnesses of the works and words
OF Jesus Christ, of His death and His
resurrection. The fourth Gospel has been
assigned to an anonymous writer OF the
second century, but the evidence
OF its existence and acceptance
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