The record-union., 1894-05-05
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.

N1lulSCSfS anu llayI1
1--WE do not believe" says the New
into denominations was foreordained Of
God as part of His plan for conducting
ChrisPs Church, but we do believe that
it is better for His people to be divided
by sharply drawn denomination lines.
while each denomination is working for
the one end in its own way. than it is for
them to be mechanically and nominally
united, while divided at heart. Unless
the union is actual and upon the basis
viii be gained by union under one
earthly name. There have been some
advantages in denominationalism al
though these have been due rather to the
oyerruling providence of God than to any
virtue inherent in the thing itself. For
instance, had there been until now but
one body in the days of the Reformation.
we should probably have almost forgot
ten, by this time, that there ever was
such a book as the Bible. The church
was practically getting along without 1t
in the time of Luther, and much or the
sacredness with which it has been treas
ured since his time is due TO the fact that
the various bodies of Christians have
watched. with jealous care, lest any
| change should be made in the intallible
| Word.''
ut is the hight OF presumption" the
Christian Register (Unit.l of Boston
thinks, 'for any one branch of the Chris
tian or OF any other church to assume
that it is in the possession of all truth.
The churches that have been most posi-
tive In making this claim have had no
evidence with which TO support 1t. Thus
Professionalism has claimed to have an in
fallible source of appeal in the Bible, but
II has never been able TO verify the claim,
| for the errors of the Bible at once dis
prove the claim that is made for it. The
| roman Catholic Church insists, with
| equal positiveness,- that it is the special
custodian Of spiritual truth, and points
to the Pope as an iniallible guide. But,
unfortunately for this theory, even a
casual reading of history will showthat
! the Popes have not only contradicted
each other, but, what is much more seri-
Gus for the claim, have sometimes shown
a more than ordinary incapacity to rec
! ognlze spiritual truth or even the conul-
! tions under which it must exist. Where
! the Spirit of God is. there is liberty
| -
mental bondage under which the free
dom of the truth has often been impossi-
1 bic. One has nothing to lose, therefore,
! but everything to gain, by giving up the
/ false claims to Catholicism and of Prot
eslantism. The truth does not need any
| such fiimsy preteXts for its support.
| Spiritual truth is as capable OF verifica-
ton as physical or intellectual truth. OF
what advantage would it be, for instance.
| for the Pope to declare the inspiration OF
| the Sermon on the Mount or ofthe Lord s
Prayer? Would they be any truer or
more inspired than before?"
"Some people still talk of federation
| of churches, "says the New ork Church.
man (P. E.), "but it is beginning to be
seen that federation resting merely upon
| the consonance of human opinions, or
/ of the agreement OF human wills, would
have but an accidental and uncertain ex-
stence, and that what man had made man
could destroy. What is needed is some
divine, organic principle. some life from
the Ever Living manitesting itself in the
| sphere of human relations, revealing
| itself in kingdom OF God to conscious
ness;' not the consciousness of an indi-
| vidual, but the consciousness of the
race. Such a living principle, being di-
| vine would be universal. All Chris
| tians acknowledge that Christ is such a
living principle, that He is the way, the
truth and the life. What the church de-
clares is, that He created on earth liv-
ing organism, a visible society. He not
only gathered together a company OF dis
ciples, but by sending down into that
company the spirit that filled His as
cended manhood, He made that company
of men His body. Ii that is once ac-
knowledged, then it will be inevitable
that any sincere believer in Christ should
I - lx.,~ !
that the body by which He acts, into
which He is seeking to gather nations
and individuals. is still on earth. 70
identify that body with any limited and
separated society, the origin OF which, so
far as can be seen or known, falls within
the last three or four hundred years, is
plainly impossible. On the other hand,
those who represent that body in this
land may have all the ioilies and sins
that are popularity laid to the charge of
| Episcopalians, but treasure is not less
precious because it is stored in certain
vessels, and the life of Christ present in
the church, in spite OF the sins of his
members, may yet prove TO be the center
of unity in which all those who bear
His name may be as one. This, then, is
the church's opportunity"
''It is constantly said by critics of
Christianity that il has failed to redeem
society, and it is constantly assumed that
new Gospel must be preached before
that great end be attained" says the New
Y ork Outlook. 1T is assumed that Chris
tianity has been tried for eighteen hun
dred years, and that, while it has done
much good. measured by its aims and its
claims, il has been found wanting. This is
said so often and in SO many different ways
that good many people have come TO be-
lieve that it is true. AS matter of fact,
however, Christianity has never been
tried, Individuals have made the ex-
pertinent, but society as whole, never.
Although the doctrine of hope, of faith
and of love has been preached for eigh-
teen hundred years, and splendidly illus
trated in individual lives, society has
never yet been organized on these prin-
cipIes, and has never yet attempted TO
live by them. So far as the world at
large is concerned, these are only vis-
ions which have tloaled before it, ideals
about which it has talked; they sre not
practical rules by which it has endeav-
ored TO live. This is not underestimate
ing what has been DONE nor depreciating
the noble devotion 10 these ideals by in
diyidual men and women; it is simply