The record-union., 1894-06-02
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.

Some Matters Of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
The LiUtng Church (P. e. of Chicago,
commenting on the Rev. DR.. j. L. Smiths
paper on the historic episcopate" in the
Independent, says: "He has made huge
blunder. Or, rather, he has been too
frank for his cause. He has revealed the
true inwardness of the Presbyterian re-
sponse to the Chicago declaration. From
this hour onward it is evident that those
who believe the Historic Episcopate
to mean the divine ministry of three or
ders, must array themselves in solid pha-
lanx against any more secret coquetry
with our old enemies. Dr. Smith, In the
same article, confers favor on the
church which has not been vouchsafed
to US by our Committee of Conference.
lie tells us that at a meeting of the Joint
Committees in Baltimore thesPresbyte-
rlans proposed an interchange of pull
pits and he says: TO this no answer has
yet been received; but one is promised
and expected during the present MONTH
lie evidently, however, expects the for
NAL answer to be in substance what a
prominent member OF the commission of
| This church has privately stated to him:
The suggestion cannot be acted upon
until our general convention meets in
October, 1885, 1t looks, therefore, as
| though the church at its next convention
Will have this matter before it, and unless
we mistake not, it Will involve a conflict
more serious than there has occurred in
| our whole history. Gentlemen of the
commission, be careful! Do not allow
our peace 10 be imperilled by another
Savoy conference. The men who thank
God for 'Oxfordism' will not submit to
be delivered over into the the hands OF
CalvaniSm."
''One branch of higher criticism fails in
It's thought Of inspiration when, to say
nothing OF kuenen and Stade, it does not
accentuate the supernatural element in
the method employed by inspiration and
in the results attained by it," observes
the Interior tPres.) OF Chicago. IF God
| chooses man to do work for Him the
presumption and the probability are that
He will SO qualify his agent that he will
be scientifically as well as religiously ac-
curate in his utterances. This is legiti-
mate priori assumption, and is justified
by the nature of God, of man and OF
Gods revelation to man. Truth is one,
and there can be no contradiction or dis
crepancy between truth as religion and
truth as genuine science. Another point
where one Of the schools of higher critics
fails is its assertion that in the early
chapters of Genesis 1t is out of the Ques-
ton TO talk about historical evidence or
SCIENCE Ii the critics means chapters
one TO three inclusive, it may be replied
that the evidence is prehistoric, but is
corroborated by our interences from the
evidences afforded by the cave-dWellers.
by the founders OF the Akadian and Ella
mite and Egyptian civilizations B. G.
5000, and by their information as to the
existence of aborigines before them.. But
ii the critic means the first fifteen chap
ters he has stumbled on a stone-the
monuments of Egypt and the clay libra
ries of Chaldea. The historic evidence
offered by them as to the historicity of
Genesis is overwhelming. Finally, when
the critic claims that there is no science
in Genesis iii, ask him how much
further has modern science gone in its
explanation of the world than In the
beginning Cod"
"It might almost be said that the essen
tial difference between a theist and an
agnostic is that the former falls back on
the testimony Of his best moments, while
the latter puts the emphasis on his
WORST observes the New I Iork Outlook.
Professor William Knight in his re-
cent book on ASPECTS of Iheism,' frankly
declares, what most candid mon will adj
nit to be the fact, that 'theistic evidence
comes and goes.' This agrees with Dar-
wins saying that his judgment 'fuctu-
ated; that sometimes the theistic conyic-
ton would force itself upon him with
irresistible power, while sometimes it
would escape his efforts TO grasp it. But
why should any man hesitate over the
choice between his faculties at their flood
and at their ebb? If he can sell pigiron, or
write letters, or make speech, or paint
picture better in some moods than in
others, why not acknowledge that he can
judge better Of the deep things of God at
some times than at others, and why not
choose the best times for the latter as
well as for the former? In the sphere of
the emotive life we often fail to give their
full evidential value to our most impress
sionable states. Immortality seems very
real and necessary when death snatches
away our best and leaves a chasm at our
feet. Why should not the memory of
such experiences weigh as much with US
as the dulling of belief in the life beyond
which the daily round and irresponsible
man and nature bring?"
''There is feeling that the church,
even when not under the spell of ecclesi-
its principles and to apply them to So
ciety,n says the AdUdnce (Cong.) of Chi
cago. 1.-THE low level on which so many
church members live, the invisible diff
ference between their lives and the lives
of others in business and social affairs, is
justly provoking criticism. The church
must mean more than this, is the feeling,
or its significance is gone. Constantly
to profess principles which it does not
apply or even honestly attempt to apply
is only to proclaim it's own hypocrisy.
When church can grow up in neigh
borhood without making the neighbor-
hood better, or when incoming vices and
degradation compel church to move out
and hunt nice neighborhood, it is natu-
rally felt that there is something wrong,
if not with the spirit of the church, GER
tainly with its Methods
Speaking of the introduction of milf
tary exercises as Sunday-sohool attrac-
ton, the Christian Register (Unit.) of
Boston says: "To such an extent has
this thing been carried in Great Britain
that thoughtful men are making strong
protest against it, even in Scotland,
where the idea originated about ten years
ago. The design at first was to teach
obedience and punctuality, and thus
train boys in good habits. No uniform
was used save cap, and only a wooden
gun. But the fascination of military dis
play soon asserted itself, and full uni
- -