The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-07-30
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 Lay1nen.

Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
There is every reason to hope that the
Standard Prayer Book OF 1892 will be a
| work IN all respects worthy OF the Amer
lean church and OF the eminent, gentle
| men VINO have it in CHARGE remarks
the L1U5ng Church Up. e. of Chicago.
Inc committee, competent as it is,
! has not disdained to take counsel with
! the best liturgical scholarship Of
! the church. III this kind of work, at
least, the aid OF experts is seen to be
! valuable. The shape in which such
! a hook appears constitutes no small
! part OF its usefulness to the church. The
| arrangement Of the various offices upon
! the page, the indication by spacing or
| otherwise Of the traditional relations of
! the various elements of particular SER
/ vice, The mode Of printing the rubrics,
| and even correctness of punctuation and
! the style OF type employed, all have an
! important place. 1t may be hoped that
! care will be taken to avoid some of the
| dlshgurlng and sometimes positively in
! convenient features so often met with in
some of the older standards; that new
| office, for instance, will be made to begin
| on new page, and that it may not be
! necessary TO turn the leaf in the middle
! of collect, and even in the midst of the
| most solemn sacramento actions. The
| Standard, setting good example in such
| respects, will naturally be followed III
the publication of ordinary editions,
and, especially, where it is of consider
able practical importance, III copies
/ meant Tor use upon the altar.
| Ii the Standard Book exhibits the ac-
| curacy and pertectnesS which we have a
| right to expect, it will contribute in no
7 S,tN1 oil To IL
| Gent enthusiasm for our incompatible
| Liturgy"
1.-THE lesson to the churches of the
Young Peoples Societies of Christian
| Endeayor seems to US (the New York
| Christian Uni0ae) very plain. This move
| ment is a revival of primitive Chris
| tianity. The only conditions of member
! ship in these societies are personal faith
| in Christ Il believe that l am a Christian)
| and personal conservation to Christ Il
! pledge myself to do something syste-
matically in His service). These men
/ and women are of various beliefs, tastes,
| temperaments. They are Methodists and
! Calvanists Episcopalians and Congrega-
/ tionalists, Radicals and Conservatives,
/ but they join hand and heart, bound to-
! gether by their common loyalty to Christ
| and by their common desire to impart to
! others something of their Christian life.
! If the evangelical churches of America
| We're all to adopt the creed of the Societies
! Of Christian Endeavor, If they were to
welcome to their membership all who be-
! ieved themselves Christians and were
! willing TO pledge themselves to do some
! thing for Christ, and then were to unite
! in common conferences to avoid repeti-
| tons, collisions and overlappings of
| work, the enthusiasm which made this
| convention the greatest in numbers and
| the most inspiring in influence which has
| ever been held on the continent. would
| spread like prairie fire through all the
churches, and nothing could retard their
march or resist their influence The
| lesson OF the convention is Christian
union; that is, union with Christ, in
Christ and for Christ"
| The New York I5adependent saws of the
convention: LAS a demonstration in
favor OF INSTRUMENTATION fellowship
It's success was tremendous. Here they
come together, the thousands from Mis-
souri,, or Wisconsin, or Illinois, or Penn
sylvania, seated together, brothers and
sisters, forgetting whether they were
Presbyterians, or Baptists, or Metho-
dlsts, or Congregationalists, remember
ing only that they were one in the service
of Christ Jesus, determined that no bar
riers of sect should separate Them re-
peating with the fervency of tears their
conservation to that service which knows
ting an example of union which their
elders might well consider and follow.
If they can stand together, why not their
parents? 1t was like the lessons of union
which are coming to us from the foreign
mission field, from those who wish to
forget their separation and to pray the
Lords Prayer, that they all may be
one.'"
with the ostensible purpose of the
lot of .sc,t5s,
IN entire Sympathy,' observes the New
York ChNrchDede (P. e.. $50 far as it is
an effort to uphold sectarianism, by pro-
claiming that it seeks rather to preserve
than to remove denomiuational differ
ences, 1t is not a good thing. But as an
evidence of a real WEAKNESS of sectarian
division and of alonging after some other
base of unity than mere compromise.
which can end only by settling on the
lowest and VagueSt terms of agreement
this movement has its hopeful side. 1t
is one step in the direction OF true unity
in the historic Church of Christ. Just as
it approaches true unity it will be forced
to grasp at something objective and last
ing, and to let go the hindrances
which belong to the era of separation.
1t is the practical denial Of the sect
idea-that the body to which one
belongs is the one and only Church of
Christ, and that all others are in heresy
the question as to the right Of denomina-
tional differences to remain. The Society
OF Christian EndeaVor has not as yet
solved this. 1t claims to be league for
practical Christian living-leaving it's
members free to join whatever body
(evangelical) they will, and to continue in
the same. When this practical code of
living comes to positive definition, its
weakness as well as its strength must
appear. 1t must have its test questions
as to what 1t, as collective body. will do
and how it will do it. 1t can hardly hope
to rest content in denouncing evil and
affirming good. It is not enough to
say that all its members are pledged to
lead a true Christian life 1t must deter
mine, whether it like or no, what is a
true Christian life"
The Christian Register UNITY of Bos-
ton thinks that Church sickness must
be considered as one of the religious dis
eases OF our time. 1t means that large
number Of people have ecclesiaphobia.
The bitterness which marks the aliena-
ton from our churches may be seen in
the expressions OF scornful criticism and
reproach INDUCED in by socialstic and
lGpor-retorm leaders. Such sentiments
are pretty sure to secure q full measure
of applause. And this simply means
that the church is not fulfilling its duties
towards that class of society in which
it first originated. Equally manifest is
the Indifference about church going in a
different stratum ofsociety. Locomotive
ataxia takes possession on Sunday
OF men whose logs are perfectly usable
every other day in the week. Indeed. on
Sundays they are available for a picnic,
but will not walk toward church. We
see no cure for it ali except new revival
in the church itself-an attempt, with
burning conviction, to proclaim to the
world that Christianity relates to the life
In of ronrr iS thnt IL 1rifal nnH nSsnnfinl