The record-union., 1895-10-12
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
liglous Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Secrariau Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Ministers and Laymen.
Speaking of the loose methods often
employed in the procuring of canonlcal
testimonials, the New York Church1Rdal
Up. E.) remarks: "These letters testimo-
malls do not merely certify to the moral
character Of the individual, but also as to
his teaching and fitness, and consequent
ly the solicitations of an acquaintance. or
other social considerations, cannot be q
valid excuse for clergyman solemnly to
state for the information of the Bishop
that he has known the life and doctrine
OF candidate for holy orders for the year
last past when, as matter of fact, he has
only seen him. perhaps, once or twice
during the period. The fault lies very
largely with the candidates themselves.
A young man about to enter holy orders,
or as a deacon about to be advanced to
the priesthood, knows very we'll that the
canonical testimonials must be obtained,
and 1t is clearly his duty to make the per-
sonal acquaintance of those clergymen,
as we'll as the vestry, from whom he
hopes to obtain certificates, not only as
to the correctness of his morals, but also
to the orthodoxy of his teaching. There
can be no question that a clergyman sign
ing testimonial such as is required by a
candidate for holy orders, without per-
sonal knowledge of the individual for
the last year past renders himself liable
to ecclesiastical censure, and under SUCH
circumstances the return of q certificate
unsigned surely ought not to give otfense
to any young man who understands the
sacred obligation of certificate which,
in law. is tantamount to solemn OATH"
The New York Evangelist (Pres.)
quotes approvingly passages from the
opening address of DIR. Morris at Lane
Seminary, including the following:
''Amid the din of collisions we are per-
| mitted to see, in our own church as else
where what has we'll been called the So
| Der second thought the catholic judg
ment and also its feeling, making itself
! beautifully manifest in ecclesiastical cir
cles. 1t is happy fact in our day that
extremists of either type are always a
minority, and that both together constl-
tute majority in church administration.
1t is happy fact that slowly, yet GER
| talnly, there arises at such times a rela-
! lively silent majority which is unable to
accept the claims Of either party, but
which rather chooses to sit in quiet judg-
ment on the matters in issue, and finally
begins to speak forth decision which
extremists of all types are constrained
for their own good to regard. The spirit
OF that majority is not the technical or the
| mercenary spirit of compromise, at what
ever cost; this would be more despicable
than either Of the extremes which it aims
| to correct. II IS rather the pervasiVe
| Catholic temper which sees the good in
each extreme, but sees also the broad and
| solid principles whore the differences at
issue are merged into real and happy
unity. 1t is rather that broader intellect
ual range which is too large and wise to
! insist on small distinctions; that broader
sentiment Of love and trust which recog-
nizes brother even in al errorist, and
| is thousand fold moro anxious TO help
| him in escaping from his alterations
than to chastise him for entertaining
| them"
zone would imagine that the good will
of the world has or will have an attractive
! influence upon the churches-that it has
had or will have tendency TO produce
conformity to the world" observes the
Interior (Pres.) of Chicago. 1T would
| be subject requiring too much labor TO
! inquire tor all the causes of this approach
nent, but it is true that there is con-
| formity OF the churches to the world,
though not of the kind that the apostle
| condemned. There was always a con-
| formity along evil lines to the world, and
there was much more of it at any time in
/ the past than now. The churches are in
Rod OF Christian history. But they de-
/ signedly seek to make themselves more
attractive TO the world than they have
| been. Where the churches are not sup
| ported by the State they must depend
upon the good will of the people, and
that good will they seek to win. And
! yet it would be far from just to say that
the increasing charms of the churches are
cultivated for the sake of popularity. 1t
| would be truer to say that they are popu-
| lar because they have better conception
of their mission and are more faithful TO
it. The preaching in the churches is
| more popular than heretofore. The
world took no interest in abstract dog
mates, which once formed the staple of
! pulpit oratory, and il took only an evil
! interest in polemics-the same that was
| taken in any sort of conflict between
| mon, or between mon and animals, or be-
tween animals-the interest not being in
what was contended for. but in the con-
tention. The preaching is more popular
now because it is more directly for the
furtherance of all human interests"
There is a difference" says the New
| York IudeDendellt, between practical
certainty and positive or demonstrative
certainty. In the latter case all possiDil-
ity of the contrary is excluded; in the
former it is NOT. We follow out mathe-
matical proof, and we are positively GER
| tain. We are informed OF fact, and we
are practically certain. Now we know
ten things practically where we know
one thing positively. We know posi-
lively scarce anything. except that some
things that we have actually seen
or we may have mathematically
proved. Even what we see we may mis-
apprehend and what we have seen our
memory may treacherously record. An
error sometimes turks even in our
| mathematics For most things we are
abundantly content with practical GER
tainty. Whatever we learn because we
have been told-history, geography, sci
| ence-whatever we aread, whatever we
hear. we believe on probable evidence,
on evidence that satisfies us enough for
us to live by it, even though it be not
complete. If the evidence preponder-
ates we trust it. We do all our business
on it. We imprison men, we hang men
on nothing better than probable evil
dence And yet in religion mon ask a
sign from Heaven. If they cannot see,
like Thomas. the print of the nails. they
| will not believe. But the practical evil
dence should be enough; and the practi-
cal evidence should be the preponderat-
ing evidence, even though not completely
| conclusive to U.s."
"Still the query comes with persistent
force" says the New York Observer
Pres "'What is the Bible?' What is it
as literature, history or philosophy?
What of its chronology, geography, bot
any, zoology, its ethics, and, most of all,
its theology? Is it unity, or an inhar-
monious aggregation OF diversities? Is it
many books or one book? Has it CEN
trail theme, dominant purpose, q definite
| movement-or are Its parts but like the
| discordant notes of so many disagreeing
representives gathered in sort of Bibli-