The record-union., 1895-04-26
Tn RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligiOus Newspapers
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the Sectariau Press
Some Matters OF Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

MlnlSterS and Laymen.
sit is very probable," says the New
York ChurcbneGn (P. E. "that no scien-
titic agnostic would believe in the raising
up of dead man, even if it took place in
his presence. There is no evidence
which could possibly be adduced that
would be strong enough to prove to the
materialist that God opens the graves
and brings his people out of their graves.
The materialist begins by limiting Gods
power, and in order to test what has
been. first of all lays down the limit of
what can be. There is no means of argu-
ing with reasoner like this, who begins
by practically claiming a complete ac-
quaintance with the laws and phenomena
OF an Infinite universe. But even the
materialist must acknowledge the power
OF the resurrection as a prospect in the
experience of the individual. The best
argument perhaps which may be pre-
sented for the strengthening of belief in
the lndestructibility of the human race
comes from consideration of the power
which such a belief exercises in the
amelloratIon of the human lot and the
ennobIing of the human character"
Easter" says the New York Outlook,
lis the anniversary of the most significant
and sublime fact in human history, but
1t Is more; 1t is also witness to the most
vital truth and symbol of the most
fruitful experience in human life. Even
the casual and careless reader of PauPs
letters must be impressed by the ap-
parently contradictory use he makes of
a i-
dead IN trespaSses and sIns,' but he may
also be dead 10 sin;' he is alive without
the law but he also may be made to
live with Christ The explanation of
this apparently strange contradiction is
TO be found in PauPs belief that man is
himself contradictory creature, made
up OF two Tuen who are at war with each
other. One is an animal man, a bundle
OF appettes and passions; the other is
0lVlne man, equipped with conscience,
reverence, faith and love; one is child
OF wrath that is, the product Of his own
unregulated and selfish impulses; the
other is child of God, , that is, a product
OF The Divine Spirit brooding in him a
divine life. This animal man, Heshly
man, natural man-this norman Paul
compares to corpse chained TO the
other, the real, the liviAg man, and he
cries out, Who shall deliver me from
this body OF death? When he says dead
to SIM he is thinking of this norman;
When he says alive to righteousness he
ls thinking OF this real, this spiritual
man. W hen he says alive without the
law he Is thinking OF this norman before
the real, the spiritual man awoke to con-
sclousness; when he says made to live
with Christ he is thinking OF this real.
this spiritual man awakened to consci-
business"
"Protestants are right" says the New
J ork Er0AgeLtSJ (Pres.), when they
claim their Inheritance IN ali the tradi-
uons of the Church Catholic, and refuse
TO he cast out OF their birthright. We in
woke every sacreQ association that may
Drlng US nearer to Him who Is the guide
the teacher and the master of us all,
Hence we deny that the Holy Week is
the peculiar possession OF the Greek or
the ROman Church. But where do the
HresDyterlans come in? Have they no
part nor lot IN what belongs to all Chris
tendon? Many are beginning to ask
THIS question. Why should we give up
our Inheritance to other churches simply
because they claim to be more ancient?
Does that give them a right of priority
ana OF exclusive possession? If So by
the same reasoning, we might be called
upon to give up the Old Testament to the
Jews because its sacred books were writ
ten in Hebrew and first read in the syna-
gogues. Rather, let US say, paraphrasing
the old Latin assertion of right, we are
Christians, and whatever belongs to
Christians belongs to u.s. Some of our
most hOnored teachers have held that we
lose much by giving up these holy days
The late President Hitchcock and Pro-
tessor Schatf both thought that we owed
it to ourselves to hold fast TO at least
three days IN the year-Christmas, as the
| birthday OF Christ, iuaSmuch as, whether
1t could be proved TO have been on the
10Th OF December or not, yet the celebra-
ton recalled the greatest event in all hu-
man history: and Good Friday as the
day OF our Saviors death, as Easter is the
day OF His resurrection"
y correspondent writing TO the New
York Observer on the subject of ritual
| lists and the Incarnation remarks: II am
particularly glad to see that the ObSerUe,
commits Presbyterianism to the defense
and maintenance of this very doctrine,
| TOR just as surely as the incarnation is
avoided or waived and set aside as a sub
Ject tor speculation, just so surely will
any church that thus hazards itself
drift in the direction OF mere eclecticIsm.
III may go further and say that the Pres
byterian Church need not fear that the
possi bility of having to concede selni-di-
vine donors TO the Virgin Mary, because
The Incarnation does not hinge on the
immaculate Conception, however firmly
some Churchmen, not necessarily Ro-
manists, may believe in her superiority,
The fear of initiating Rome has para
lyzed the faith of too many Protestant
churchmen." To this the Observer re-
plies: This is interesting, and we unhes-
ltatlngly say that we would rather be
compelled to seek religious fellowship
with the high churchman than with the
ratiOnaliZing churchman. We regret
most deeply that so many Episcopalians
both here and IN England who hold intel
| ligently and heartily thoroughly evan-
gelical views concerning the inspiration
OF Scripture and the person and work OF
our great Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ
overload their faith with a good deal of
what is called, and not without reason,
mummery. AT the same time we bear in
mind that many of those professed fol-
lowers OF Christ, to whose doctrines and
practices we take exception, are Chris
llans. In denouncing such of their teach
lngs and ceremonies as we believe to be
contrary to Scripture, or extra-scri plural,
we endeavor to speak the truth in love-
We have no design to call down fire from
heaven upon them, although we hurl all
occasional thunderbolt at their ceremo-
nialIsm."
That the present system by which the
presiding Bishop may be anywhere, even
in the most remote diocese and iurthest
from every natural center of communica-
ton and influence, is unsatIs factory 10
the last degree, is evident on the face of
it," says the LiUiag Church (P. E.) of
Chicago 1T is equally indefensible
whether we look at the matter from a
plain busness-like point of view, or from
the standpoint of Catholic precedent,
which in these matters was always prac-
tical. The thing most needed is more
efficient organization, and no absurd fears
OF primacy developing into a quasi