The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-13
RELIGIOUS OPINIONS.

clipped, and the leading minds of the
denominations which they represent.
A letter from DR.. Wayland, editor of
the Philadelphia National Baptist, con-
tains these passages:
That different denominations should
| treat each other with unfairness.
should denounce each other, this is a
reproach to Christendom. Christian
union is quite a different thing 1 live
| in Christian union with many disciples
of Christ who are not Baptists. This
Christian union would not be increased
/ if. as the results of any legislation,
they and 1 were included in the same
church. Christian union comes from
| Heaven. 1t is promoted by mutual JUS
tice. mutual understanding, mutual
courtesy and comfy, and kind offices,
and especially by laboring together in
| behalf OF temperance, charity and the
/ evangelization of the slums. l hope
that the replies of the bishops showing
that church unity is not attainable
will do a great service by leading us
! all to strive for the Christian unity
answered the prayer of our departing
Lord.
AS to the plan of federation now be-
ing agitated among a number of Pres
byterian churches, the New York indie
pendent says:
ct does not make one denomination
out of eight, but it makes one Christ
ian body out of eight bound together
in such a way that their unity is as
real though not as organically close
as that of the church which makes
most of its catholicity. Although the
several denominations may meet in diff
! ferent synods or assemblies, they will
! have even more vital union than there
! is in the Roman Catholic church be
tween those who practise the Latin
and those who hold to the Chaldean or
Armenian rites This is
very nearly such a union as was pro-
posed by the Congrega tionalists of New
Jersey. Ii has substantially the same
purpose, except that it is limited to
these eight Presbyterian branches. But
we see no reason why its scope should
not be enlarged so as to take in the
entire body of our evangelical denomi-
nations. Christian unity is the most
prominent subject now before our
Christian churches. 1t demands the
careful thought of every wise Christ
ian. We should unite to break down
| the walls of division and TO accomplish
corporate union wherever we can, and
to secure federate union where corpor-
ate union is impossible"
On the same question the New York
Christian Intelligencer says:
ut believes such a federation of Re-
formed churches holding the Presby-
terrain system possible and desirabl
! If consummated, it would go far to
heal some of the divisions of Christs
Church, and prepare the way for still
closer and more organic union. 1t
would be a step in the right direction,
and if inaugurated and found to work
well would establish, what many firm
pie is as true a, basis of union among
churches as states. Proven to work
successfully in one case, the example
would influence others, and churches
| of similar faith and polity would be
grouped in declarations, gradually en-
I larging in their comprehensiveness, I'M
/ til the divisions of Christendom would
be reduced to the few resting on ire
| corcilable antagonisnls."
The Boston Christian Register asks:
"Wlhat is heresy. and what is a
schism?" ''Who will define them
There are as many heresies as there
depends upon the standpoint from
which you view it. Thus to Congrega-
| tionalists, who hold to the primitive
/ apostolic form of the church, Roman
| Catholics are heretics, because they
have broken away from this primitive
order. and introduced priests, bishops,
and popes EpiscopaHans are likewise
| heretics. because they insist on apos-
tolic succession instead of the success
sion of the Holy Spirit, and because
they have introduced prelatical ordi-
nation instead of ordination by the
congregation. The Calvinistic churches
are heretical, because they have manu-
featured creeds and confessions which
are not Scriptural, and which are OPP
posed to the spirit of Christianity The
| Methodists and Presbyterian churches
are heretical. because they practice in
FAINT baptism, which has no Scriptural
sanction. Some Unitarian churches are
| heretical for the same reason. The
Baptists are heretical, because they
practice close Communion, which is not
| taught in the New Testament, And
| there are other heretics who hold to the
unscriptural doctrine of the Trinity
Would it be wise, however. for Unitar-
ians to formally eXcommunicate thei1
order. or the Roman Catholics, Episco-
palians, or any members of the
churches named, for their departures
from the simple congregational, mon
otheistic. democratic faith of the prim'
tive churches? No; let these churches
go on their way and do their work
but let them remember that they are
all heretics and schismatics, that or
thodoxy is simply my-doxy, after all.
The New York Outlook is of the opin.
ion that:
ct is a great mistake to underrate
the value of specific reforms and to
fix ones eyes so exclusively upon the
interior nature of man that his pas
sionate desire to better his external
condition becomes thing of no &C.
count. 1t is a greater disaster, how
ever, when men persuade themselves
that man is to be saved by any polit-
Iical, industrial, or social changes.
These will aid his salvation, but they
will not complete it. The real revolt
must always be the revolt of the soul,
the struggle of man against the ten
denotes of his own nature rather than
against the institutions which sur
round him. The significance of his
struggle against institutions lies in the
fact that they represent his nature,
and that when he grows beyond them,
Ibis reaction against them records the
advance of his own soul. Carlyle was
perfectly right, in one sense, when he
insisted that the emphasis ought to be
laid, not on mans rights, but on his
duties; for the value of institutions is
their power to represent moral ideals,
and man is saved by character, not
by governments"
The New York Examiner does not
like the organization called the Amer
lican Protective Association, although
that paper is anti-catholic. 1t says OF