The record-union., 1895-11-16

the moral and social redemption of the
community, and manifest thereby to the
world Christian unity which could be
seen and felt"
"The function of the ministry changes
from age to age" remarks the New York
outlook, but these changes are in
method, not in fundamental principles.
Whoever believes that the Christian
church possesses any unity, that it is any
thing else than a mere series Of accidental
organizations, must also believe that there
is special function to be fulfilled by the
minister in that church; and if we ask
what that function is, surely we ought to
get light upon the question from the
practice and teaching of the New Testa-
ment. II we turn to the life of Christ,
we find that he was not in the prlestly
order, and that he never performed
priestly offices; that he definitely refused
TO perform Judicial functions when
asked to do so; that he declared
that his kingship was not political
| in its character, that his authority
was the authority OF q teacher of truth.
and that, when asked to punish men
for wrong-doing, he declined, Affirming
that his mission was to save mems lives,
not to destroy them. Ii we pass from
Christ to the apostles, we find Paul de-
claring that he was not sent to baptiZe,
nor to interest and entertain men by the
graces of oratory, nor to satisfy the Greek
demand for a comprehensive system Of
philosophy. And. curiously enough,
Peter, whose successor claims the divine
right to govern the church, attlrms IN ex-
plicit language that he has no such au-
thority. The minister is not a priest; he
does not stand between God and man to
mediate between them; h6lS not appoint
ed to offer sacrifices; he is the successor
of the prophetic, not of the priestly order,
and the prophetic order was not ecclesi-
astical. He is not the dispenser of special
grace which has been given to him for
that purpose. He is the teacher of divine
truth"
"As for the higher criticism of the
Bible" says the Christian Register
(Unit.) OF Boston, "our people have long
ago come out from the hard -andfast lit
eralism which accepts everything, con-
tradictions and ALL as literal inspired
truth. Nevertheless, until the general
misconceptions as to its place and value
are cleared away, 1t is useless to expect
general use ana appreciation OF IL which
we desire. 1t is true that all the detailed
pioneer work in this field Is far too dlfli-
cult for any but the deepest scholars; but
the results of their labors, so far as they
touch bfoadly the place and relation
of the Bible itself, are not difficult.
When a mother, teaching the old Bible
stories TO her children, can no longer
truthfully claim that they are literally or
historically true, and yet wants her chill
dren to feel their power and value, it is
more study she needs, not less. She
needs to be freed from the uncertainty
that takes away every atom of ones en-
jOyment OF the Bible as literature. She
may, it is true, confine her teaching to
the inexhausribie riches of the New
Testament: but even there she loses
much if she is not quite sure of her own
attitude toward certain unavoidable diff
culties. as, for instance, the genealogy of
Jesus in the very first verses of the very
first book"
SIT cannot be denied.'' says the North
western Christian Advocate (Meth.) of
Chicago, that public sentiment with re-
gard 10 divorce is immeasurably below
what healthy social condition demands.
In this country especially the marriage
bond is fast becoming simple matter of
contract, which contract may be dissolved
at the pleasure OF either party. The other
day a well-known writer secured di-
vorce from ner husband upon grounds
involving only matter ofpersonal COM
fort There was not even incompati tiDility
of temper alleged. The causes at work
to produce this condition of affairs are
numerous. There is the over -emphasi 8
of the idea Of individual liberty, with a