The record-union., 1895-02-01
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 Laymeu.

Abiding to the pastoral letter of the
Bishops just published, the New York
Chatrchn1nn says: I'VE believe that thou
sands will share with US The gratitude we
feel on the receipt of this potent docu-
ment. 1t is perhaps the most weighty
utterance which has ever been made to
the clergy and laity of the church by
the right reverend fathers in God. In
one sense 1t is an utterance which IS
distinct honor to the American church,
and vindication of her position among
the churches, sects and societies Of Chris
tendon. The American church is alone
capable of uttering an authoritative en-
cyclical of such character. Unshackled
by the restrictions of a State establish
ment and undominated by the will of a
single and aristocratic Bishop, the Amer
lean church has spoken through It's
House of Bishops in pastoral OF unques-
toned authority In matters OF the graVeSt
and most solemn Importance. IL Is liter
airy true to say, EccjeSlG LOcUtd est; cGuS0
Ji1litG est. The church has spoken through
its rulers, through those to whom espe-
cially the deposit of Scriptural truth has
been committed, and the matter is set tor
ever. This strong, learned and thor
Oughly apostolic pastoral is unaccom-
appeals to the honesty, the selt-respect,
the Christian conscience of those whom
it addresses. But undoubtedly the whole
force of ecclesiastical authority, Walch lies
behind 1t, is made to demand acquleS-
cence and assent to its temperate and ju-
dicial requirements. In this pastoral
the voice of the Nicene fathers blends
with the voice Of the English reformers.
Nor would it be less than idle to deny
that there has been due cause and occa-
sion Tor this deliberate enunclatlon OF
catholic truth on the part OF tie Amerl-
can Bishops IN conclave assem- bled."
Science has been often accounted a
witness hostile to Christianity" says the
New York Outlook. while this is not
and has never been true of science itself,
it has been undoubtedly true Of many
scientists. In SO far as this Is so, any
statements by them OF inability to eX-
plain the phenomina of nature without
the recognition Of design have the effect
of what, in legal phrase, are technically
termed admissions. One of the most illus
trious disciples OF Darwin, Professor
Weismann, in recent paper, gives full
weight to the admitted obstacles in the
way of the adoption Of the theory OF nat
ural selection. And his conclusions
show the singular straits to which scien-
tists-and others as welfare often
driven in defense OF given hypCtheses.
we must assume natural selection to be
the principle OF the explanation OF the
nletamorphoses,' says Professor Weis-
mann, because all other apparent princi-
pies OF explanation fail us, and it is in
conceivable that there could yet be an
other capable of explaining the adapta-
ton of organisms, without assuming the
help of principle of design 1t need
not be pointed out how unsclentitc it Is
to stand by hypothesis in part discred-
tied, merely because no other seems
g7O
province of science is observation and
the collection OF facts. In cases of dlfti-
Guilty, frank confession of ignorance is
the honest attitude to take, not obstinate
adherence to precOnceiyed theories. But
If Professor WeiSmann, holding stOuuy
by natural selection, boldly admits that
there is no alternative between that and
the principle of design, 1t needs, perhaps,
but a little more passing OF time, a little
more rlpenlng OF scientific opinion, a few
more utterances such as those of Lord
Kelvin and the distinguished President
of the British Association, in order TO
force even the most reluctant to the tol-
Grafton of the doctrine of creative person.
ality and beneticence, and then to its full
acceptance"
From the very beginning" observes
the Christian Register Unit.) of Boston,
"Christianity showed great capacity for
sect-making. There are indications Of
the tendency to dIVerge in the disputes
between Paul and Peter which repre-
sented different ideals and principles.
In the first three centuries the swarm of
Christian sects was very large. The
unity which Christianity secured through
its alliance with the Roman Empire was
unity which was geographical aud po-
Gtical rather than religious; and when
the Roman Empire went to pieces Chris
Liananlty broke up into sections with 1t.
The Roman Catholic Church has been
able TO maintain a unity which is or
ganic, but not SPIRITUAL; and to-day, in
this country and i'll Europe, the new
Catholicism and the old are arrayed
against each other. In the Catholic
Church the development of different or
ders and societies has supplied, to some
extent, the demand Tor variety which is
secured yet more fully in the different
seCts OF Professionalism. We begin to see
to-day the waste that comes from the
multiplication of religious asteroids; and
the call for religious unity an endeavor to
counteract, by some centrlpetal principle
OF unity, the tendency to fly OFT into sects.
But the best that we may expect to ac-
complsh, and that which is most desira-
BILE, is TO secure the unity which exists in
diversity-a unity like that which holds
the planets IN their courses, so that each
moves in its own while they all move in
some relation to each other, the sun
shedding light and warmth and the pian-
cts rejecting 10 each other the light they
receive"
The following is from the LiUing Church
(P. E. of Chicago: "A correspondent in
an Eastern city states that a Methodist
friend of hers had recently received the
Communion in one OF our churches on
invitation of the rector to all mem bers OF
other churches ,and was greatly shocked
because termented (real) wine was offered
in the chalice. The writer then asks:
why is it that in the city which is the
headquarters of our Bishop a priest
should be allowed to insert an invitation
OF his own into the office. in addition to
what is contained in the prayer-book?,
The Bishop probably could not prevent
Hox NJ