The record-union., 1894-08-18

some Matters OF interest TO Both
Ministers and Laymen.
''The peculiar 'ethics of subscription
sxpounded by certain speakers at the
Church Congress, last fall, might be ex-
pected to bear fruit" says the Living
Church (P. E.) of Chicago. MANY man
IN time past who found himself entangled
in doubt and unbelief has thought him
self obliged by every principle OF honor
and even solf-respect, to withdraw from
the ministry. Such men have always in
spired respect. no matter how mistaken
or wrong-headed their ideas of truth may
have been. 1t has been seen that they
could not, as honest men, continue to
teach what they no longer believed, and
were incapable OF taking advantage of
their position to instill into the minds Of
an unsuspecting congregation teachings
contrary to that faith they were pledged
to maintain TIL very recently, no one
thought Of doubling that withdrawal was.
IN such circumstances, the only course
consistent with honesty. But we have
now been assured that all was a mistake.
1t showed an oVer-scrupulousnesS. Pro-
tessors OF a new morality tell US that if a
man in the exercise of the priesthood
nnds that he has become sceptic or an
un nDelleVer, he Is not called upon to with
draw from what has now become false
position. He is perfectly justified in
staying where he is. meanwhile doing
all he can TO 'leaYen' the Church with his
own views, and waiting for her to take
the initiative in excluding him from a
position for which he has become unfit"
Apostolic examples show us,'' says
the New \ York Observer (Pres.), "that
there are times when controversy is not
only right, but highest duty. God calls
men to reject error and to maintain the
truth. Assuredly there ought to be
abounding charity for weak brethren.
They who are overtaken with false doc
trine ought 10 be dealt with in the spirit
OF meekness, that they may be restored.
But when essential and cardinal truth is
opposed, when the faith once delivered to
the saints is assailed, when that is taught
which is contrary to Gods Word, then it
is the right, Ii Is the duty, of the presby-
terles and synods to come together to con-
slider the matter. And if there shall be
false teachers who privily bring in dam
nable heresies, who shall cause many to
follow their perniclous way, by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken OF, then let the man that is
hereto, after the first and second admon-
Itions be rejected. IF there come any
unto you, and bring not the doctrine of
Christ, receive him not into your house,
neither BID him godspeed."
''It is obvious" says the New York
EVdageliSt [Prss.), that some of our
brethren believe that the inerancy de-
cislon is too rigid, and that it forces an
extra confessional test of orthodoxy, yet
stop short OF a proper conception Of
Christian comprehension. They insist,
or at least seem TO. on doctrinal conform
lty barely one degree less strict than that
of the inerancist. The Presbyterian
discipline is not only as sacred to them as
TO the extreme conservative, but they
would have 1t worked with the same eX-
actneSs, though its shears might cut with
little broader pattern. Ii seems to US,
on the other hand, that the machine, how
ever perfect IN plan, should be worked
with presumption that as many useful
men as possible should be saved to the
church. The question, so often asked,
How many agree with the views of the
accused? will then be seen to beside the
mark. The true form of question is:
Even if the accused alone holds the sus-
pected views, should he be cut off from
the service Of the church? Should its
ban and stigma be placed upon him? We
believe that an increasing number in our
church are answering this question with
q generous confidence in the power Of
truth, its power to maintain itself with
out imposing Impossible tests OF ortho-
doxy."
1T has been asserted by some public
lists and educators that Christian morals
and the main facts of the Gospel might be
taught IN school whose pupils repre-
sented every phase OF evangelical belief"
says the New \ ork Chasrcitnld7S (P. e..
This is tantamount to saying that the
essentials 10 Christian faith and practice
can be stated and taught in terms to
which every sect may assent VIZ are not
sure that this is true even in the case of
Protestants. We are quite sure that if
we include, and we must include among
sects, the Roman communion, this idea
OF common agreement in essentials is
false. Surprising such code of essen
tlals were ever drawn up, Rome would at
once reject it. In short, Rome would
teach Romanisn, teach it at the public
expense, and provide that no other form
OF Christianity is taughtin public schools.
It is TO prevent the monopoly aimed at
by Roman Christianity that legal en-
aetment excluding from schools and col
leges supported by Government all teach
ing of Christianity whatsoever has be-
come necessary; and il is for this reason
that we commend the spirit of the amend
ment recently adopted by the Constitu-
tional Convention"
''It may be a question: according to
the New York hcaaliaeT (Bapt)
whether it would be wise to make use
of what are called individual cups at
the LORDS Supper, and whether the dan
ger of the present system of handing
around lew cups, TO be passed from
mouth TO mouth. is as great as has been
represented. But the subject is certainly
not one for ridicule. Those who resort TO
that weapon should at least, in consist
ency, insist that under no circumstances
should more than one cup be used. We
Go not know how many cups were en-
ployed at the institution of the supper;
we do know there are few churches at
which less than two are used. In many
large churches the number reaches to
six, eight, ten or a dozen, and no one
questions that In these cases the ordi-
nance is properly observed. Why, then,
should the use of fifty, or hundred, or a
thousand be deemed a subject for cheap
ridicule? 1t is not the number of cups
used, but the act of partaking of the cup
IN remem brance of Christ, that consti-
tutes due observance of the rite. We
Lave heard it gravely argued that bap-
tism in baptistery is not valid, because
Jesus and the Apostles did not bap1ze in
Onen
We do not claim that members of
other churches are not Christians" re-
marks the Wdtea8san (Bapt.) oi Boston.
W have never asserted that baptism is
:. saving ordinance; but we have de-
ciared, IN the most unqualified terms,
that TO make baptism sign OF grace to
those whose personal wills have not ac-
cepted the Christian confession, Is to at
tribute 70 the rite magical efficiency, to
make II fetish, and to miss its real sig-
nifcanee and worth. The Christian con-
fession, the Christian experience and