The record-union., 1894-06-16
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 Laymen.

'Ihe New York CklsrchnlGn has made
discovery" exclaims the L50iHg Church
tP. E. of Chicago. ut says: The saeer-
ootal movement in our church
Is more restricted than many imagine
1t certainly seems to be more restricted
In the columns of the ChurchneG3s than 1t
was: but as certainly not more restricted
IN the prayer book, or in the general con-
sensus Of all schools Of churchmen, save
those who make little of the sacerdotal-
ism of the head of the church. To get
rid of sacerdotalism you must abolish the
inherent priesthood OF Christ and the
delegated priesthood of His commissioned
ambassadors. They who would do the
latter are long way towards doing the
former. Upon this subject of 'sacerdo-
talism' in the church let them read these
few lines from a recent letter of Bishop
Grafton: That Christ made on Calvary
once for all one oblation for the sins of
the whole world we all of us devoutly
grant, but that there are Gospel priests
under our High Priest seems to be al
lowed by the use of the term sacerdos,
given in our Thirty nine Articles to our
ministers, and the word altar as well as
holy table in our Book of Common
Prayer, whereon the priest is hidden to
solemnly make and offer to God the
memorial Christ has commanded US TO
make before him."
1T can be no matter of surprise to any
intelligent observer that the General AS
sembly should suspend Professor II. 2.
Smith from the ministry of the Presby
terian Church," the New York I3ldepen-
Qe7lt thinks. Considering the history
of the last year or two, such a result was
clearly inevitable. The lower courts had
decided against him; and the Supreme
Court had not only decided against Pro-
lessor Briggs, on similar grounds, last
year-and that, too, in the face of a YER
dict of acquittal by the Presbytery of
New York-but it had declared by res
olution, separately adopted. that the BIZ
bic, as we now have it, when freed from
ali errors and mistakes of translators,
copyists and printers, is the very word
of God ana consequently without error
This Interpretation Of the doctrine OF the
Standards made it impossible for Profess
sor Smith to justify the position he had
taken and for which he was arraigned
and condemned by his Presbytery. His
church, speaking by its chief court, re-
fuses to allow one ofits ministers to teach
that the Bible, as we have it, is not with
out errors. 1t does not believe that it is a
mixture of inspired truth and unin-
spired error; and even though it be as
serted that the alleged errors are unim-
pOrtant, and do not affect the value and the
certainty of revelation, the church will
not countenance such a doctrine. There
can be no doubt that this decision repre-
sents the church. The Liberal vote is
smaller than it was in Washington by
fifteen. There seems to be no bitterness
OF feeling over the result, and we anticl-
pate no division"
"a loophole of escape might have been
found" )" remarks the New York Observer.
pres. }, had Professor Smith announced
his views as suggestions merely, as crude
hypothesis awaiting the assayer's cruci-
BILE, as material for discussion: but he has
no such view of his teachings. DR.. Smith
told the Assembly plainly that TO silence
aSolitary minister was small matter. He
was not deeply troubled about the result so
far as he was personally concerned, but,
he added, to have a great church go in
the face OF well ascertalned facts is not a
small thing To speak Of his theories on
inspiration and inerrancy and the author
ship of the Bible, as well ascertained
facts is an error IN Judgment, and sug-
gests that small coterie of Professors in
Presbyterian or qua i-Presbyterian SEM
inaries have the kernel OF truth, while
the other siXty-five hundred Presbyte-
rian clergymen have nothing but the
shell. In attempting to prove himself
more really Presbyterian than the bulk
OF the Presbyterian ministry, Professor
Smith simply follows the course pursued
by Professor Briggs, whose aggravating
manner towards scholars who differ with
him is not feature Of Professor Smiths
treatment of his inferior fellow NOR
tals."
The churches are founded on detin.
ite belief" says the New York Christian
Intetigencer (Ref.). 'They consist oi
persons who accept that belief The dis
tlnctions between the denominations are
10 be found in their creeds, either defin-
itely recorded or a matter of traditional
acceptance. The Methodist Church has
no written creed, so many who love il
claim; but that it has an unwritten anC
almost universally accepted and wei
understood belief which distinguishes i
from Calvinists, cannot be questioned
The Presbyterian and Reformed Churche:
have written creed, and it includes the
trustworthiness OF the Bible. They Ough
to have power to annul the appointment
OF a Professor IN a theological seminary
who is disposed to assail the accuracy o
the Scriptures, or TO remove one who de-
yelOpS disposition to make such assaults
They ought TO have power to suspend {
Professor when his course becomes QueS
tionable. Great injury can be wrough
within a few months. Years may bt
16COcSaAS W ASPdAA ~. W 1bA E0dSOA VI
without reason doubts can be injected
into many minds which are removed
only by such patient labor. No sectioI
of a church should have liberty to SOW
seeds of unbelief. The faith OF the church
should be settled and maintained by thi
whole body Of believers within its fold
and not by minority"
"Our conservative brethren of the As
sembly are jubiiant because of their ma
jority of four to one! 1t does seem rathe
large" says the New York EU0ngetiS
iPres.), ''and yet, when we come to put
alongside of the majority of last year, tn,
increase Is only a fraction, so small tina
it seems hardly sufficient to repay th
frantic efforts made TO secure il. Whel
we remember what q year of labor tn
last year has been to the managers OF thi
campaign and how the word has beel
passed along the line, from the Atlanti
to the Pacific. to send up solid delega
tion,' the minority ought to have been
not only outvoted, but annihilated. Ant
yet they stood up in the Assembly NOR
than q hundred strongl That is goot
way short of annihilation. But there j
another way 10 look at the matter. Ther'
are some questions that can be It'll,
judged only by experts, and on which
votes have to be weighed as we'll a
counted. For example, on a question o
chnrch history the opinion OF Neande
VINO had spent all his life in tracing th
Christian centuries, until he was as nue.
at nome among the fathers of the Chris
tan Church, and among the reformers
as among the men and the events OF hi
own ume) would outweigh the votes of
whole General Assembly. So in th
present case. The question is, not only
nor ehleny, on which side can be rallie
the greatest number of votes. but O.
which side the weight of learning an
scholarship? If it were put in this forI
and the roll called of the Biblical schol