The record-union., 1893-11-11
TN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
IigiOus Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Ministers and Laymen.
"The Romanists profess that their aim
is to become the church of America," says
the New York ChurcleDlan (P. E.. ''This
is a noble ambition, but it is an ambition
which is absolutely chimerical. Yet II
the plan and purpose Of this church is
plainly abhorrent to the aspirations of
our country, it is nevertheless necessary
that all citizens should take care that
what is impossible as plain and ayowed
consummation should not in some de-
gree be realized practically by the inert
ness of the people of New York and the
eorruptions OF local political methods.
The chief way in which a church may
profit by alliance with the State is by OBJ
tanning share in the funds of the public
treasury. The State Treasury of New
York is the property of the aggregate
citizens, and it is fagrant dishonesty to
disburse its moneys for the benefit of a
denomination in order that it may carry
on denominational work. In this way
The State becomes the propagandist of
one sect to the manifest disregard of rights
possessed by all sects and churches in
common. These are plain principles
which we lay down once more after fre-
quent reiteration. That the excise fund
and the taxation and general fund of the
City Treasury should be diverted from
their proper use to support any institu
ton whose purpose is the spreading OF
any particular form of Christianity is an
atrocious scandal, and should call up in
arms every one who values the true prin-
ciples of the American Republic"
"If the words of Archbishop Ireland
and Satolli can be trusted" says the Con-
gregdt1ondLiSt OF Boston, mo body of
people are more loyal TO the republic,
more in love with free institutions more
earnestly desirous of moral reforms in all
possible social directions than the MEM
bers and the prelates of the Church of
Rome. The indications are that the party
OF reaction has lost its prestige and that
Romanism hereafter in this country is to
adapt herself to the institutions and char
acter of the people she seeks TO reach.
With papal ablegate among us it is no
longer necessary TO wait decisions from
Tome. The church in the United States
has been intrusted with lf-government
with representative of the Pope, who,
While he is to govern in accordance with
the canons of the church, is yet practl-
cally clothed with supreme authority.
Mgr. Satolli intends TO stay here perma-
nently and to do his best to awaken the
churcn to Its opportunity of securing a
continent for the form of worship and
doctrine he holds to be true. We think
ii the hight of folly to remain blind to the
new movement upon which the Roman
Catholic Church as entered. Our pastors
ought to make themselves familiar with
the nature, extent and purpose of this
movement. They ought to be inA posi-
ton to cooperate with Roman prelates
in the advocacy of such moral reforms as
do not contradict Protestan principles,
and to be prepared to resist them when
ever they do They ought 10 study the
literature of Romanism, to read its mag
aZines and papers, to make themselves
acquainted with the organizations of the
church, their methods of working and
their spirit The battle between Protest
antism and ROmanism is yet to be
fought and ii we do not wrongly read
the signs of the times it is to be fought
on this continent sooner, perhaps, and
with more terrible earnestness, than we
have thought"
The Christian Register (Unit.) of Boston
has this TO say: "Archdeacon Farrar gave
a sermon at the English Church Con-
gress, held October Sd, at Birmingham,
which was characterized by the earnest
ness and Intensity with which he pro-
tested against sacerdotallsm. In the
course of it he said: 'And here, in our
own told, let us try to trample out at
once and for ever the Ignorant and fatal
error, so often repudlated, yet still al
most ingrained into our popular phrase
Ology, that by the church we exclusively,
or even preponderantly, mean the clergy.
Where The church has come to be con-
founded with the clergy, where the laity
have resigned their own sacred response
bilities into the hands of the clergy,
the result has been a strong clerisy, but
an impotent Gospel Archdeacon Far
Tar's charge applies not only to the
Episcopal Church, but to others that
consider themselves far removed from
sacerdotalism. There is no tendency in
SongregauonallSm towards banners and
professions and ritualism. But there is
8 tendency to make the church consist
OF the minister and a few devout women.
This is a form OF sacerdotalism quite as
bad in its effect as anything that Arch
deacon Farrar rebukes. The RESPONSE
bility of the whole church spiritually and
financially is thrown upon the minister.
He conducts the worship with little help
from the congregation. He conducts the
Sunday school. He is ex expected to fill
the pastoral office. There are many lay
men whose relation to the church is
wholly that OF spectators or auditors.
They are not always these, for they are
absent from the pewS half the time that
they ought to be in them. On the whole,
there is sufficient tendency in Congre-
gatioualism towards prelacy to forbid US
reproaching our neighbors for errors in
the same direction
''To employ Daniel Webster's splendid
metaphor. without repeating it. it is time
TO look at the sun and orient ourselves"
exclaims the Interior (Pres.) of Chicago.
''The church and the ministry unani-
mously require that the Scriptures be
maintained in the supremacy of their au-
thority over the church and over the in
dividual conscience. That is absolutely
fundamental. The church and the min
istry will welcome any truth which will
further strengthen this fundamental doc
trine. But the progress of thought and
of knowledge has required. and will con-
tinue to require, readjustments of our
conceptions of Scripture truths, and of
the nature and purpose of those truths.
1t was a vindication of the Scriptures