The record-union., 1894-04-14
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.

1.-The rock on which the unity project
has split" says the Living Church (P. Z. J
of Chicago. sis the rock of Catholicity. 1t
is the simple truth that there can be no
compromise between Catholicism and
Professionalism. Their fundamental postu-
lates, so far as the church is concerned,
are irreconcilable. Their conception OF
unity is not the same. The whole dis
cussion has been at cross purposes on
this account. We welcome this enuncia-
ton of Episcopal opinion because 1t will
serve to clear the air. We wish the let
ters which have appeared in the I4ede-
pendent could be printed in a pamphlet
and widely distributed. There is very
great force in the fact that so large num-
berof articles, written without the possibil-
ity OF conference, should exhibit such abb
solute agreement. TO US, in these times
of restless change, steadfast adherence to
truth and principle seems vastly more
important than Christian unity. We be-
lieve, indeed, that unity can only come
about through truth. 1t must not come
through the popular methods of negation
and Indifference, but through affirma-
ton and conviction; not through a pro-
cess of cancelling everything about which
people disagree, but by the acceptance,
on all hands, of the truth of Christ as it
has been handed down in the church,
which is the pillar and ground Of the
truth"
ga pertinent question:" says the New
York Independent sis, What degree of
agreement must there be TO justify and
require Christian fellowship? There are
certain Lutherans who hold that there
can properly be no fellowship with those
who do not accept the Lutheran confess
sions, 'confessing and believing what
they set forth, and 'condemning and re-
Jecting' what they reject. Fellowship.
they contend, involves responsibility for
the errors that those fellowshiped may
hold. But most Protestants take more
liberal position. The United Brethren
in Christ used to exclude from member
ship all connected with secret societies;
but it did not feel that it WAS false to this
principle in being in full fellowship with
churches that have no law against secret
societies. Why may not the Episcopal
Church maintain its law of the Historic
Ep1scopate, and at the same time fellow
ship those who do not profess to have it?
1t may hold that this ancient order is
necessary TO its own existence, and that
the churches which have it not are de-
fective. and still have fellowship with
them on the ground that they are Chris
tians and in possession of the Christian
faith. 1t is along this line that relaxation
may and probably will come"
''The new light on church union only
reveals the exceeding difficulty and pos
slble remoteness of its accomplishment"
says the New York Christian IltteLEiqe1,-
Ger (Ref). sit is made more than ever
apparent that it must be a growth, and
that only by more abundant outpour-
ing of the Holy Spirit will heart knit to
heart, and such love for one another be
inspired, that the unity of spirit will
form for itself body, so that the one
Church be one indeed. That the Head of
the Church can and may anoint all it's
members unto such result, leads US to
somewhat qualify its remoteness. The
wonderful consummation may be nearer
than it seems. Meanwhile. those who