The record-union., 1894-07-28
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligious Newspapers
The Religious Thought Of the Day as
Expressed Ia the Sectarlan Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

cares to do SO to retort that the fold to
which one is invited back is by no means
the fold one left. The old Catholics
may be left to defend this position. II is
also open TO one who understands the sit
uation to reply that the reasons for leay-
ing the fold happened to be found IN its
incapacity to retain and protect its fiocks.
There is but one thing which can possi-
bly, make the Latin Church the rallying
point OF lost unity, and that is the very
thing which that church has thrown
away by its dogma of papal infallibility.
Only reform from within can open
the doors to those without. That reform
is blocked at the outset by the papaey
itself Even those who might accept the
teaching of Rome on all other points are
inevitably repelled by the requirement.
to take all that they accept, not on the
basis OF truth, but OF authority. I'LL
these terms OF surrender are lowered, any
proclamation OF amnesty Is Valn-eVen
though couched in language as earnest,
as tenderly aifectionate, and apparently
as liberal as is the encyclical of The ven-
cradle Pontitf, who we trust may yet
continue to be the last. as he is by no
means the least, OF his august line"
at is mistake to suppose that the
party of progress in our church builds
on the hope of a mere going back from
It's extreme position by the present ma
jority," remarks the New York E'Uaaget-
tSt (Pres.) This is the keynote of much
rather respondent thought, and it found
voice in Dr.. Ecob's sharply put article a
week or two ago. That, however, is but
part of the truth; partial view of the
situation. It is the honest conviction OF
one who despairs Of progress in the Pres
byterian Church, the sorroWful confess
sion Of one who, hopeless of better things
ii the Old homestead, goes out from 1t, TO
be quiet of it all, and to live in peaceful
protest against its Intolerance OF any lib
erty in its own children. But this is not
all. Life is hard 10 control. to contine to
limits, TO keep shut up in narrow quar-
ters. We have faith in life. We believe
profoundly in growth. And no matter
how rough or tough the shell the live
kernel within is bound to crack it. The
liberal element In our church is a living
form. 1t is in the heart of the church. 1t
is growing every day. There have been
accessions from the 'Stalwarts' since Sa-
ratoga. There will be more. Moreover,
the heart and Intelligence of our church
commonwealth is liberal. The magnit-
| cent common sense of our people will not
be hoodwinked. They are rising up to
protest on every hand. We have need
! only of patience and courage. The ra-
tional growth Of the church is on our
| side"
1.-The spirit of lawlessness is not mo-
nopolized by the laboring classes" says
the New York Observer (Pres.). I'VE
| see much of it in the family circle, where
| parents are fast learning to obey their
children, but not in the Lord. We be-
hold it also in church life, where if men,
ministers or laymen, find obedience to
standards Of confession and discipline
awkward and inconYenient, they defy
| both and seek to be a law unto them
selves. Nor are they wholly condemned
Tor so doing, receiving rather the plaudits
of others who shout loudly for freedom
of investigation. or for breadth OF thought,
for wide scholarship and liberty genef-
ally. When we see Presbyterian cler-
gymen and laymen ignoring their vows
20 sustain the constitution and laws of
their church, TO preach its doctrines, and
TO obey its discipline, and moving heaven
above and earth beneath to force them
selves and their newfangled views on
the church which they are tnjurlDg, we
are not surprised that the same spirit of
IaWlessness, of self-sutficiency, of deti-
ance of law is abroad among the unre-
generate masses. Who will say that the
example of Christian men has not helped
along the evil course Of men in other
walks Of life7"
"The bigots who are going up and
down the land beating the anti-Popery
drum declare that no Catholic, however
competent he or she may be, shall sit on
school board or be a teacher in any
public school. What does this mean,"
asks the New York FTeeD1dH'S Journal
| (R. c., ''if it is not declaration that
schools for which Catholics are taxed
i III
troll. The character OF some Of the school
histories placed in the hands of Catholic
children indicates what sort of instruc
| ton will be given in the public schools if
ever the Buffums get the upper hand.
| These so-called histories are made the We
hicles of ilnpressing the minds OF the
young with anti-Catholic prejudices.
! Libels on the Catholic Church that have
been retuted over and over again are
placed before the scholars as unques
| toned historical truths. This is one way
of ProtestantiZing our public schools.
Another way is to exclude vigorously
every Catholic teacher. a Catholic
| teacher would be able to refute the base
| calumnies contained in the anti-Catholic
| histories, and so prevent the virus of
anti Catholic prejudices from inoculating
| the minds Of the young. If the Ameri-
can Catholics should tamely submit to
this kind of injustice they would be un-
worthy the name OF American"
'1It is mere playing with words" re-
marks the Lining Church (P. e. of Chi
caeo. 'to say that because we affirm that
! it is our bounden duty to maintain the
! episcopate and the ministry Of episcopal
| ordination, and will not come into unity
with other Christians unless they accept
| this position, that we do not therefore re-
| iect and repudiate ministry which is
| not episcopally ordained, at least ii min
| istry' in both cases means the same
| tbinp-implies the same functions. Why
| is it our bounden duty to adhere to the
| episcopate. if it is not the duty OF all
| Christians? Surely this duty is not one
which grows out of merely accidental
| circumstances; it is founded upon belief
| in and connection with the Holy Catho-
| lie Church. and that separation from this
ministry involves separation from that
| church. Thus it is that there is no pos
| sibility of Christian unity apart from
| episcopacy. We are sometimes asked
whether we would impose upon minis
/ ters coming to US from the denomina-
tions such an uneompromising position
as this. We answer that just such terms
are imposed, and always have been inn
posed, Such candidate is compelled in
| the most definite manner TO repudiate
| his former ministry, through new or
dination IL which the old one is treated
as simply non-existento
"For our part" says the Wotchmon
| (Bapt.l of Boston, I'VE do not believe
/ that the theory that the Gospel can be