The record-union., 1893-07-22
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligiOus Newspapers
The Religious Thought of the Day As
Expressed In the Sectarian Press
Ministers and Laymen.


ing Churcb Up. e. of Chicago, ''that at
the last synod of Reformed Episcopal
ians' motion was urged for having the
Lords Supper as part of the opening
sessions. 1t was defeated on the ground
that it would be AN opening wedge for
the exaltation of the sacraments, from
which they had escaped What strange
perversion of,Gospel truth, to consider
the exaltation of the sacrsments so dan
gerous thing that the one ordained by
| Christ for union and communion with
Him and with each other should be
stunned by those who profess and call
| themselves Christians! Why, the early
| Christians exalted this sacrament every
Gay, especially in times of persecution.
Perhaps some of this day neglect it be-
cause they are not prosecuted. Perhaps
persecution would be good for all of us.'
! Commenting on the Briggs case, the
| CdtfO[lc Champion Up. E. of the Guild of
st. Ignatius says: I'VE venture affection
ately to warn sound churchmen against a
hostile attitude toward the General AS
senbly'S decision because that body has
made the mistake of calling purgatory "a
dangerous hypothesis and because DR..
Briggs seems to uphold prayers for the
!
does not uphold the church as iniallible
nor believe the Bible. Prayers for the
( DEAD are comparatively unimportant. A
divine, intallible authority we must have
the certainty of which st. Luke speaks
IN the preface to his Gospel. And lest
we should be misunderstood, perhaps we
ought TO say that we do not believe DR..
Briggs and his faction consciously enter
tain the purpose of corrupting the faith
and setting up idolatry, but rather that
they are subject to strong delusion so
that they believe a lie. For while we are
sure that the omnimpotent can and does
| preserve to us His word in faultless
Scriptures and unerring tradition, which
are not subject to human frailty, we also
know to our sorrow that even He cannot
force the being whom He has made a
tree agent to see, if he will not see.''
! IF men were more open both to the
| irony and the hunor of contemporary
/ eVents,'' says the Outlook, 'they would
\ not only be preserved from taking many
false positions, but also from iniiictinp
| upon others many unjust penalties. The
same year which witnesses the trial and
| condemnation of Professor Briggs at
/ Washington witnesses also very inter-
esting and significant transaction at i nj
versity College, oxford. In that college
the visitor is shown the rooms occupied
! by the poet Shelley at the time of his eX-
| pulsion from the university. Eighty
years ago, the gifted and aspiring youth,
! who needed, above everything else, pa
/ thence, charity and true insight into his
nature and problems, was branded as an
atheist and driven from the UNIVERSITY
/ Last month, in the presence of COM
pany of Oxford dignitaries, the Master of
/ University College spoke Of the expelled
( student as prophet. welcomed the beau
/ tiful etngy OF the poets figure to a place
| OF honor within the college walls, and
described the rebel of eighty years ago.
as the hero of the present century, A
freshman who writes q pamphlet OH The
Necessity of Atheism and mails ii TO
the heads OF his own and other colleges, in
/ order that he may be confident of its COM
ing under their eyes, raises at all times a
| difficult question of discipline but the
scene within the walls OF University Col
lege last month ought to put US on our
guard against rash and inconsistent con-
domination of others, and to warn us of the
futility OF endeavoring to eXtirpate what
seems to US to be error by the invocation
of authority"
The New York Observer Pres says of
the POpe's encyclical that sit is unlikely
to please the radicals on either side, and
so 10 bring the controversy to an end. On
the one hand it declares that tho DEGREES
which the Baltimore Council. agreeably
to the directions of the Holy See have
enacted concerning parochal schools are
to be Observed If this were all, the con-
servatives might well claim the victory
for the observance of these docrees as
binding upon the church has been their
whole contention. The Pope declares
that they are still in force and must be
observed, and that bishops have still the
/ right to decide whether Catholic children
shall attend the public schools or not
But he also SAYS in another part Of the
! lattar thor tho srn1,iia
be entirely condemned that the rule laid
down by Mgr. Sotolli was wise and rirht:
and he commands that it be Steadtastlv
observed in order that i'll matter of so
grave Importance there may remain no
further room for doubt or Tor dissension
of opinions But this is to sustain Mgr.
Satolli and the liberal Catholic party led
by Archbishops Ireland and Gibbons.
| The claims of both parties to the contro-
versy are thus upheld, the Pope giving
cordial assent 10 two propositions which
the conservatives at least have held to be
wholly irrecOncilable, and because they
were irreconcilable have waged war on
the liberals. In this condition it is I'M
likely that the controversy will cease or
that there will remain no further
room for doubt or dissension of opinion
Nevertheless the real victory doubtless
lies with the liberals. The Pontifi has
| approved the policy of the apostolic dele
gate, and as the mission Of the latter is
permanent and the application of the
Pope's decision will rest with him, it is
safe to say that Catholic children will at
tend the public schools, and that there
will be no exclusion from the sacraments
on that account"
On the same subject the New York
Christian 4 dUOcdte Methodist observes:
The natural inference to be drawn from
the letter is that it is designed to be con
cilatory to the opposition, and yet fully
sustain MOnsignor Satolli. 1t is freely
asserted by those who claim to know
that the Pope's mind is fully made up
and that be will sustain his representa-
tive in this country in the policy which
has been so successfully inaugurated. III
so, it is great gain for the Roman Cath
Ole Church. The effect of the new policy
is to give sfree rein to the liberal party
headed by Archbishop Ireland and
Cardinal Gibbons. 1t also modihes the
position OF the Catholic Church toward
our mn blip GohO.lg eal,COlc oro