The record-union., 1892-11-05
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligious Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymeu.

CIiurchman (P. e.; 'let all its just de-
mands be granted. If she can persuade
Americans to accept its dogma, submit to
its authority, and recognize the Pope as
father Of princes and kings, ruler of the
world well and good. Then there will
be an end of American institutions, but
liberty has often committed suicide dur
ing the course Of history. Americans,
however, ought clearly to realize what
they are to be persuaded to do. They
should remember the voting power of the
Roman Catholic Church. They must be
blind indeed ii they fail to see that the at
tack OF that church upon the public
schools is its deliberate Judgment that
they are the safeguards Of freedom, both
political and religious"
In discussing the Articles of Religion
the LIUtng Church Up. e. of Chicago re-
marks: f'It is true, Bishop SeaburY and
other strong and loyal churchmen since
his day have regarded the Articles as no
| longer necessary. 1t is clear enough that
| they considered the chief significance of
the Articles to consist in certain PROPOSE
tions relating to the controversies of the
| sixteenth century, and were inclined,
| therefore, to regard their mission as. long
ago more than fulfilled 1t could not oc-
cur to them that the statements emDody~
ing primary principles of the Christian
religion could ever be called in question.
The common sense of orthodox Christen-
dom, believing one Catholic and Apos-
| tolic Church, and accepting without doubt
or cavil the Faith Of the Ecumenical
| Councils, seemed to the first Bishop OF
Connecticut to be abundant security for
these great principles, whether the Amer
lean Church should deem it best to reiter-
ate them explicitly or not. To such men
the Catholic tradition of truth seemed so
| interviewer with the very texture OF the
church'S constitution and being that its
| restatement by this particular branch of
| the one body must be quite Supertiuous.
But we have fallen upon other days, and
| are learning by stern experience that the
safeguards of the Faith which our fathers
erected are not to be lightly cast aside
even in times OF tancied security, much
less when foundations are in danger of
being shaken. We cannot doubt the
presence OF the overruling Spirit with the
Bishops, clergy and laity of this church,
when, after long hesitation, they decided
ninety years ago to establish the Articles
of Religion which they had inherited
from the mother church of England"
1.-THE decision of the Trustees of Union
Seminary, by vote of nineteen to one. to
sever connection with the General AS
sembiy, puts new aspect upon the now
celebrated Briggs case" observes the
COngregGt{OBQiaSt of Boston, coming, as
it does, just at the time when the Synod
OF New York is trying the Union profess
sor. The action of the Trustees is based
on constitutional grounds rather than on
considerations pertaining to Professor
Briggs personally. inasmuch as the best
legal opinion declares that the seminary
had no right to yield the veto power to
the General Assembly when the compact
was made in 1870. The former status is
now renewed, and the assurance is given
by the Trustees of undiminished LOYALTY
on the part of the seminary to the doc
trine and government of the PRESBYTERIAN
Church. The Trustees have doubtless
counted the cost in advance, and prob
ably are confident that the seminary will
not lack in the future money for students.
Union Seminary is not the only institu-
ton which has made itself obnoxious to
a large element among the Presbyterians.
The trial of Professor II. p. Smith of
Lane Seminary, at Cincinnati, has already
begun, and so the odium of hereSy Is at
tached to two of the most famous theo-
logical schools of the Presbyterian
Church. Widespread and intense as is
the antagonism TO both these Christian
teachers, it is likely to decrease as time
goes on and their real views become bet
ter understood"
On the same subject the New York Oh
SerUer (Pres.) says: I'm another column
we publish the action of Union Theolog-
ical Seminary in Withdrawing from its
agreement with the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church. This action
has been anticipated since the General
Assembly placed its veto upon the ap-
pointment of Professor Briggs to the
Chair of Biblical Theology. The Di-
rectors Of the seminary then saw, appa-
rently for the first time, that by their
agreement with the Assembly they had
limited their independence, and they
have now further discerned, by the help
of an eminent lawyer, they have also
been for the last twenty years derelict in
their duty as trustees. This failure in
duty they now hasten to repair, express
ing in this connection their disappoint-
ment that the General Assembly is not
willing to join them in breaking the COM
pact of 1870. The church throughout the
United States and the general public are
informed by resolution that the Union
| Seminary, in spite of this action, is loyal
to the doctrine and government of the
Presbyterian Church. We give the Di-
rectorS all credit for sincerity of intent in
making this statement, but are unable to
reconcile it with their action in sustaining
a teacher of doctrines hostile to the faith
of the church in the Professors chair.
| The seminary having thus severed its
cODDecLlOn WIN Une presbyterian Church
will stand before the public with the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of an indie
pendent institution TOR theological educa-
tion."
Commenting upon the approaching
trial by the Cincinnati Presbytery Of
Professor Smith of Lane Seminary for
heresy, because of his explanation of GER
tain alleged ''errancies'' in the Bible, the
Western Christian 4 AdUocate of Cincinnati
(Meth.) says: 'It is fair question, and
to Professor Smith very serious one,
whether such an attempt, made in ali
honesty by Christian scholar of high
standing, ought 30 expose him to all the
pains Of an ecclesiastical trial, or to all the
injurious consequences that must follow
such trial. We will not attempt at this
stage to express any opinion as to the
| trial itself. Some things that have been
done hitherto-especially, perhaps, the
publication OF a very full and severe Off
cial arraignment of his view in the seem
lar press, while he was absent from the
country on account of bereavement, and
several months before the trial itself
could have taken place-see;n to us to
SAVIOR of "A temper which we do not like to
characterize. We are further of the
opinion that the question which it is
proposed to adjudicate by the methods
observed by our Presbyterian brethren
is one which no judicial decision can ever
Tt halnpcG IN hot la-