The record-union., 1894-01-12
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

ion of the Jews, like every otner fellg-
ion, was natural evolution; it was, IN
kind, no more divine than other rellg-
ions, though it may be more so IN de-
gree. 1t is neither possible nor necessary
in brief article TO do more than insist
upon the point that the general lines ana
salient features of this criticism have
nothing mysterious about them; that
they are capable OF being lntelIlgently
grasped and judged by ordinary people
OF education, and that III mater OF Sucn
importance we have right to withhold
assent to So-called results until the
methods so employed have been made
clear. The soundness OF this view has
now been admitted even by such extreme
men as Wellhausen and Cheyne. With
truly scientific criticism we can have no
quarrel; but from Christian point OF
view it cannot be accepted as scientific
unless its first postulateS are correct;
that is, unless the truth OF miracles and
prophecy and the special inspiration OF
our sacred books are accepted as 1unda-
mental. These principles must then IN
huence the canons OF criticism, anu be
brought to bear throughout the whole IN
Vestigation."
.'It is matter for congratulation," says
the New \ ork Ct1tTcitlltd4t (P. e., that
the proposal to divert public money to
PURPOSES lOI WHICH, IL was never uSSlSAOO
the proposal embodied i'll a bill TO be
presented forthwith 10 the New York
Legislature-has been made just now.
That a great mum Der, perhaps large
majority, OF the Roman clergy, lnciud-
ing the prelates, would prefer the open
establishment OF their church, is nothing
To their discredit. That is what their
church has always demanded as right IN
itself. But they are very properly un-
willing to be put on record as attempting
or authorizing nybody else TO attempt,
to accomplish that result by indirect and
dishonorable methods, which would also
exasperate the immense majority OF the
American people. and could only be, at
the utmost, embodied In laws which
would almost certainly be repudiated as
unconstitutional. All this is in
the highest degree encouraging; but 1t
must not miSlead the various Protestant
religious bodies into apathy and inditfer-
ence. Though the Roman hierarchy VIII
not sanction or authorize certain move
ments, it is beyond doubt that they will
not oppose them. 1t is absolutely neces-
sary for Americans TO be on the alert, to
oppose these schemes III every pOSSlDl
honest way, and TO understand that moth
ing but energetic action can save tnem."
Cardinal Gibbons and other dignita-
ries of the Roman Church have disa-
vowed any connection with the bills pre-
pared for the Legislature OF Maryland
and that OF New ork, asking appropria-
items for the parochial schools from the
money collected for the common schools"
says the New York Christian I3tetigeR-
Ger (Ref). son the other hanu The au-
thor of the bills says they "have been ap-
proved at Rome, and have also been
submitted to and practically approved
by the leading clergy and the most prom
inent mem i'll the Roman Church of this
country. Accepting these declarations as
true, they indicate a diversity of senti
ment and degree Of independent opin-
ion, not TO say freedom OF opinion, among
Romanists, which is very acceptable and
hopeful"
'"The Pope's encyclical on the study of
the Bible is not startling document to
Protestants; but it marks decided ad-
vance as coming from the Pope" says
the New York Outlook. "Protestants
base the church on the Bible; Romanists
base the Bible on the church. AS con-
sequence, PrOteStants have sometimes
put the church under ban and exalted
the Book, and Romanists have sometimes
put the Book under ban and exalted the
church. From the Protestant point OF
view we may welcome, therefore, an en-
cyclical which eXalts the Bible and urges
its study in the light, and by the methods
of the best scholarship. 1t Is true that,
in the Pope's estimate. the Nulgate is
given higher place than is awarded to it
by the best scholars; but it is also true
that he eXhOrtS the scholars OF the church
to compare the Vulgate with the best
Greek and Hebrew originals And it is
clear that the latter rather than the for
mer are the standard. 1t is also true that
the Pope atfrms that the church is the
appointed and infallible Interpreter OF
Scripture; and implies, if he does not as
+I,o& afafi ofi :
bic which contradict those which the
church has afforded. But in this respect
the Pope occupies precisely the ground
occupied by the Presbyterian General
Assembly, which allows It's ministers to
study the Bible only in case they will
pledge themselves beforehand to accept
the views which the church OF the six
teenth century entertained, before the
present facilities for Bible study were
possessed by Christian scholars. Indeed,
II may fairly be questioned whether the
Pope does not occupy the better position
OF the two"
"The complaint is made,' observes the
Interior (Pres.) of Chicago, that system
attic theology has fallen into neglect, not
to say distavor, that Biblical theology,
that is to say, the exegesis of the primary
truths without regard TO systems, has
taken its place. The cause of this has
been that nearly every eminent theolog-
ian has made q system OF his own, and
given his strength TO propagating ii and
assailing those of the others. Thus we
had the two great systems OF Armlnlus
and Calvin at war with each other. Then
we have had large number of lesser
systematizers and their schemes, such as
Taylorism, Tylerism, Finneylsm, Lyman
Beecherism, Barneism, Sheddism, Ando-
verlSn, etc., ad lntinltum. we may say
that every minister Who has penchant
Tor logic and order in his thinking has a
system OF theology OF his own. The
more ambitious of these systeuatizers
have not only wasted time and public at
tention upon their isfns, but they have
stirred up strife and divisions, and in
some cases heresy trials. Moody and the
other evangelists preach nothing but
Bible, because that is the only way to
produce results; and it is so everywhere,
the application OF revealed truth TO the
problems of life and OF DEATH system
attic theology used to be the only purely
intellectual exercise in the pulpiIs Now
ministers whose congregations do not
like too much pure evangelism satisfy
them with new things in philosophy. sci
ence and literature, which are more agree.
able than. and quite as profitable as, the
old isms.'
uThe question of the rank of Jesus in
creation has not only separated Chris.
tians from the followers of other relie.
ions-it has separated them from eacf
ether.u says the C9iTistidn Register tUnit.
of Boston. 1T separated the followers O
Arius and Athanasius. Il has separated
Socinians and Calvinists. Unitarians ant
Trjnitarians. By some Jesus is regarded
as absolute God, by others as a manifes
tation of God in the flesh. Some, lik,
the Arians, give to him peculiar pesi