The record-union., 1894-01-27
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligious Newspapers
Tho Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
1T seems to US an ominous feature of
the present situation that there should ap-
psrently be certain callousness. on the
part of those from whom we should least
expect it, to attacks upon the Bible, the
faith and the moral perfection OF our
blessed Lords own teaching" says the
LaUang Church (P. E. Of Chicago. 1--WE
are astonished to be told that the most
remarkable of the late Church Congress
was the rather laundering speech OF
gentleman who apparently thinks that
the Episcopal Church is in a bad way,
and that she has an extraordinary amount
to learn from the Church of Rome. This
gave the opportunity to two Bishops TO
administer magnificent rebuke.' TO
our mind the most remarkable of this
congress was the attack upon funda-
mental moral principles, in the debate
on the Ethics of Subscription and still
more, in the speeches on the Holy Scrip
lures and the teachings Of our Lord. on
these occasions, although there seem to
have been Bishops present, they were not
1mpelled to administer any magnificent
rebuke.' If we are to draw any concIu-
sion from the contrast it must be this,
that to show any kind of leniency for the
Roman Church is an objectionable Of
tense, but to defend the violation OF sa-
cred pledges and to assail the funda-
mental safeguards of our holy religion,
are within the limits of that liberty which
this church allows. Is it possible that
the gradual influence of this inhdel DRIFT
is leading even some Of our Bishops to
acquleSce IN II, as part OF the normal
order of things, and to regard IL as all
right and proper that a school Eve be-
heve that is the proper wOrd) should eX-
ist among US which makes light Of the
most sacred pledges and undermines all
that churchman holds most preclous?'
Undoubtedly the theological termin-
ology which has been made use of to
train the minds of men in Bible study
has tended in some measure to create
difficulties and cause disturbance" says
the New York Observer (PreS.). "Cate-
chisms, creeds and confessions have their
place, but they are not to be thought OF
as inspired. So true is this that the talk Of
revising the standards Of any denOmina-
tion has never had a strain of Sacrllege
in it. OF the necessity for change or the
desirability of undermining ancient ex-
pressions and eXpositions we have little
to say. 1t is doubtful whether any inn
proVement would be insured. But we
could stand compressed or abbreviated
creed without compunction OF consci-
ence. On the other hand, when men pro-
pose to cut the bindings of our Bible and
TO treat the contents as lit subjects for
their dissecting knives and proceed to
destroy its unity. we cry out hands off,.
1t cannot be beautitied or bettered. Il is
already a good workable book. Faith
fully studied and preached, it does and
ever must work good IN the hearts of
men. 1t loses force, we believe, by being
made too much a scholastic handbook.
1t is used too much as the support OF
some particular system of doctrine, and
in this way it often becames the expo
nent of denOmlnatlOnallSm rather than
OF Christianity. Of course we are not
at this time arguing against denomlna-
tionallsm, but we would urge that the
bible be used by the preacher as the
fountain head of his doctrines, and that
these be preached in Bible language rath-
er than in the language OF theological
schools. Technical Technology has its
uses. and very important they are, but il
can be largely dispensed with in the pull
pit. What little we can judge of apos-
iolic preaching from the Word of God
leads to the conclusion that the apostles
did not juggle words"
1.-THE truth isl says the Standard
nor the church, nor the reason is foun-
tain OF divine authority. In human law
the fountain of authority is not in the
law; it is in that rightful rule of which is
simply the expression. The Bible takes
all its authority from the fact that it is an
expression Of the mind and the will Of
God. Ii we cOncede that the church is a
fountain of divine authority, we practi-
cally yield the whole case to the Roman
ist, even to the point of accepting the
papal infaIlibility. The Romanist, Pope
Leo himself, will explain that the church
or Pope is infallible when speaking as
prompted by the Holy Spirit. Rational
ism might almost make the same claim;
at all events, there is so much difficulty
in determining when the reason is truly
'enlightened,' that to speak of it under
any circumstances as capable of more
than to recognize divine authority when
it is present, must be hazardous. We in
Ter two things: The first, that investiga-
tions and decisions of ecclesiastical courts
are of doubtful advantage either in de-
lermining the soundness of public teach
ing, or the right to recognized standing OF
the teacher. The confusion and excite
ment OF such occasions are unfaVOrable
to even dispaSsionate inquiry, much more
to that deliberate judgment which a.
grave matter calls for. The second is,
that when man announces some propo-
sition designed to set forth new truth, or
ola truth III SOiLC Lew JHdS0s dDON0 ali
when dealing with divine things, he
should take pains to use words in their
exact meaning, and not in those conven-
tional meanings which are often SO mis-
leading"
"Within the last two years we have had
a controversy that has been waged with
great spirit on both sides and with great
ability I'VE are sorry TO add with more
bitterness than it is 'edifying' to see in
the houshold OF God" observes the New
York EUanqetiSt (Pres.l. "And the worst
of it was that there seemed to be no end
to it. There was general feeling that it
must go on for years. dividing the
church more and more. And yet within
the last few months the tempest has very
sensibly abated, change for which we
hardly know how to account. Perhaps
# was in part from the diversion of the
public mind to other things-to the
Worlds Fair. or to the financial crisis
which has swept over the country and
produced so much suffering. But we 90
not like to aseribe the change merely to
external causes, nor to the reaction which
comes after q 1,eriod of excitement, when