The record-union., 1895-09-14
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
liglouS Newspapers.
The 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.
The New York Observer Pres), dis
eussing the Defeat of the Saloons" says:
Hitherto blame for violation af the law
has, in public opinion, attached to the au-
thorities charged with administering it..
rather than with the liquor dealers. The
former sold the privilege of Sunday SELL
ing for money or political support, and
the latter, though guilty in complying
with corrupt conditions, did only what
they might be expected to do under the
circumstances. But the situation was re-
versed when upright officials attempt
cd to enforce the law, and the saloons
stubbornly resisted their efforts. The
issue then became one of obedience to
law, and the blame fell directly upon
those who violated it. And as on this
issue law-abiding citizens can take but
one side, the result has been to array pub
lie opinion IN support OF the su1remacy
OF law. 1t has done more. The general
agreement of the people in compelling
submission to constituted authority, and
the resistance offered to it by the saloons,
has intensified opinion that there should
be no modification of the Sunday closing
provision. The liquor dealers have,
therefore, by assuming q position which
cannot be tolerated, not only concen-
trated upon themselves all the odium at
taching to defiant law breakers, but have
Get back long way the liberal Sunday
legislation at which they aim. The pro-
portion OF the population which tavors
liquor selling on Sunday has always
been greatly exaggerated, and the opIn-
ion of those most competent to judge Is,
that if test vote were now taken, the
excise law would stand unchanged"
The Christian Advocate (Meth.) of
Nashville, in some remarks on the point
ed reproving of sin from the pulpit, says:
I'm our eXperince as a preacher, cover
ing thirty-hve years-more than thirty
OF which were spent in the pastoral work
we have never known even one man to
forfeit the favor of his flock or the re-
epect of sinners for declaring the whole
counsel OF God, nor have we known one
to be removed for such cause. We
have known some who, having concluded
that the church needed to be hanged,
drawn and quartered,' went at the work
without gIoves,' and, what was worse,
without love or sound judgment. They
blamed and denounced. without any at
tempt to edify or even TO expostulate.
They yerged so close to vulgarity and
offensive personality as to excite disgust
and great dissatisfaction. Their removal
was demanded at the close of the year
and properly so. The churches they
were sent to serve would have been far
better off had they been removed at the
end OF three months. Removal under
such circumstances teaches an important
lesson, viz, thai dull meat ak is no
suitable substitute for the sword OF the
Spirit Experience costs some men
dearly, but 1t is the only school in which
they will learn. We know what we
sayw
DIR. Lightfoots opinion that the orig
inal Bishop was the Chairman or Presi-
dent of a counsel of presbyters seems
clumsy and perfectly gratuitous' to
the ChtTclma1e protestant Episcopai),
which says: "Ihat the first presbvterate
should have received from the apostles
a special commission to convey ordera
10 a new and higher order than them
selves, while it would have been just as
easy for the apostles to have conveyed
the orders direct to those appointed to be
Bishops, seems hardly reasonable to sup
pose. 1t certainly contradicts history,
unless the eplscopate may be conceived
to have had two sources, one in the apos-
tolate, the other In the presbyterate
terrupt the true and Scriptural succession
IN the ministry, and it may even be al
legged that those presbyters who thus
acted as consecratorS of Bishops acted not
as presbyters, but as specially delegated
representatives of apostolic power and
authority. Such Bishop-making presbv-
ters could then be unique III church his
tory as instruments in the transmission
of the ministry. For in post-apostolic
times, as Lightfoot says, the power OF
conferring orders were strictly confined
TO the episeopate. 1t is, however, far
easier, more reasonable to accept the
plain record OF the second century histo-
torians, from which we learn that the
original Bishops in every city derived
their orders direct from the apostles
themselves
The Northeastern Christian AdUocate
(Meth.) Of Chicago, discussing the oppo-
sition OF Lutherans to the Illinois State
law, which requires that the national flag
shall float over all private and public
schoolhouses during school hours, re-
marks; They claim that the law is un-
constitutional and should be repealed so
far as it applies TO private schools. Many
people will say that while the law ought
not to require the flag to be displayed
over private schools, the Lutherans
would do better to prefer and volunteer
to obey the law, leaving all questions
about unconstitutional bunting in abey-
ance, for the sake of patriotism and peace
among felIow-citizens. That certainly
would be sensible, to say the least. II is
just possible that our fellow -churchmen
have not surplus OF respect for the Leg
islature that passed the law. In that we
are not disposed TO take issue with them
We imagine than some of those Illinois
statesmen made up their minds that they
had already convinced the people that
their servants at Springfield were preci-
Gus scamps and thought IL well TO prove
that those servants were patriotic, even if
not honest. y flag law served as an admi-
rable tub thrown 10 whales. On the
other hand. it is not impossible that
these Lutheran leaders are willing to do
some artful attitudinizing on their own
account. Just as legislators essayed to
save the country and thus put their
patriotism on exhibition, churchmen