The record-union., 1892-12-31
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re.
ligious Newspapers.

The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the sectarfan Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
Father Corrigan, so far as we can see,'
says the New York Freena1l'S Journal
(R. g., ''has said or done nothing not
permissible by the rules of priestly eti-
4 quette-at least nothing that could not be
easily rectitied without serious breach. A
frank man, he spoke out frankly. Inas-
much as the acts of the German Congress
at Newark were public ones and the res
olutions passed by it were in purport, if
not in content, opposed to the counsel of
the Holy Father, he was perfectly within
his right in his criticisms. Were the
charges against him specific, were they
founded in reality on any other ground
than his views in opposition to Cahen-
sIylsm, were they because Of the neglect
OF any priestly duty, had he not expressed
to the Bishop an honest willingness to
correct any misstatements which might
be pointed out and do penance in atone
ment Tor any harm done him or any one
else by them, then we should not feel it
! within our province to say one word in
the matter. But Father Corrigan is an
exemplary churchman. There is not a
priest in Bishop Wigger's diocese with a
better record.''
1T seems clear to u.s. observes the
l.y2'9Dn 81 l,.,t
the truest and surest way to church unity
Is TO offer strong center, which, by its
| strength and stead1astness, shall inspire
the confidence of men. What human ma
ture needs Is something firm and immu-
| table to cling to, rock to build it's house
upon. We are convinced that there is
no nope OF good results in the extension
Of the lndehnite.' The plan which is
based upon the idea of first making re-
! nglon as vague and hay as possible, and
then Of stretching the underlined and I'M
uennabIe something until it embraces all
imaginable systems and societies, is GER
tain to result in nothing better than an
lrldescent DREAM as a distinguished
Iayman in the recent convention we'll
! expressed it. Granting, for the sake Of
argument, that such a quasi unity shall
have been achieved, the question will re-
main at the end, cui bono?"
According to the Christian Union, the
church cannot enjoy a Briggs trial and a
revival of religion at the same time; it
must choose between the two. 1t would
seem to US about as WISE" says the New
| Y DIRK Observer (Pres), ''to say thai we
cannot SOW and reap the same crop at the
| same time. There are times when we
must sow, and there are times when we
must reap; nor are these the only pro-
cesseS Of importance on the farm as the
seed must be narrowed in sometimes.
The reaping time is undoubtedly the
pleasantest time, but this follows the
other and less enjoyable processes. We
are not likely to enjoy revivalS OF pure
and undefled religion unless we take
care of the truth and deem it worth de-
| tending. Where that truth is defended
| from the love Oft, and from loyalty to it,
the cause of religion is not likely to suf-
fer from the defense. on the contrary,
experience proves that a revival of re-
ligion is more likely to follow than not.
| a prominent trial in one Of our Western
States, which resulted in the conviction
and outgO theretrOm of a well-knOwn
minister, was followed by an extensive
revival of religion. If religion means
unconcern as to what is preached or
taught in our pulpits and seminaries, a
revival is hardly worth wishing for. The
walls of Jerusalem could not be built in
Nehemiah's time until the rubbish was
cleared away and the foundations dis
closed. 1t is sometimes more important
to find out just where the foundation is
than to be busily building on the rubbish
that may have accumulated"
THE trustees of a theological seminary
are supposed to be, and no doubt are,
men Of wisdom and candor, of piety and
prayerfulness, says the National BaD-
tiSt Of Philadelphia. They are the nat
ural guardians of the institution, It is
| nrOha HE that thaU liz oil To Io
right in their views as the omniscient
| newspaper. We do not in the least OBJ
lect to an inquiry whether man is teach
ing false doctrine; though we do not OBJ
ject to an inquiry being put in such form
as to imply guilt on the part of one whose
views are different from those of his
brethren, or are different from his own
views ten years ago. We do not wonder
that men should object to pay the money
OF which they are the trustees for the
maintenance of views which they regard
as not only erroneous but injurious The
great question is, Has the instructor
merely undergone the change of views
which Details every man who is think
ing helng, who hopes and praYs for the
perpetuaiIy increasing illumination ofthe
Spirit, and who cannot do otherwise
than to make known the truth of which
he has become possessed? or has ne de-
parted from the vital doctrines of the
] L.
or an angel from heaven, preach unto
you any other gospel, let him
be accursed,' who also urged the duty of
increasing in the knowledge of Cod of
forgetting the things that are behind and
reaching forward into that which is be-
fore.'"
"The preachers business" saws the
| Christian Register UNIT OF Boston lies.
first and above all, not with the opinions
of men, but with what we call their senti-
ments, with their moral convictions and
enthusiasts, with their feelings of hope
and reverence and trust. AS a means OF
| informing their intellects the printed
page has every way the advantage. Ii
people go to church merely for an intel
lectual treat they might better go to the
| masters of literature TO whom any good
library will give them access. If the
preacher thinks only to rival and supple
| ment the press as means Of spreading
knowledge it is small wonder that his
congregations are thin. But as an apDeaI
to the heart nothing can take the place of
the living voice, and this is the preach
er's opportunity. The power of the pull
pit comes through the power of the
| spoken word to quicken and kindIe the
moral and spiritual feelings Of men. to in
spire in them the actual mood of faith
aud courage and high endeavor. as thew
do not get it save through the living con-
tact of soul with soul. 1t is one thinO fo
have theory of religion reasoned out clear
and plain. Books will help us chiefly tn
that. 1t is quite another thing to have
what early Christians called the iov of
the Holy Ghost, and this is where the