The record-union., 1896-02-22
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
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 revival of ritualism is calling to
itself considerable attention on both
sides of the Atlantic, says the New
York Observer Pres.). "A promin-
ent English divine speaks out plainly
and pertinently in one of the December
magazines He thinks that the chief
danger to Professionalism in his country
Is not from the Roman Catholic Church,
but from the Anglican Church. The ma
jority Of the parish churches, he as
serts, display Catholic symbols now.
Sacerdotal doctrines are boldly pro-
claimed from the pulpit. Ecclesiastical
literature is saturated with the priestly
spirit. The sacrament of the Lord s
Supper is transformed into the sacri-
fee Of the mass; baptism is the mystic
instrument Of regeneration, and in the
confessional the priest grants absolu-
tion to the penitent. So difficult is it in
many cases to distinguish between the
Anglican and Romish churches, either
in creed or worship, that an Irish news
paper was not conscious OF perpetrating
a national 'bulI when ii graVely an
nounced that some public man had re-
nounced the errors of the Church of
Rome and adopted those of the Church
of England Such practices and tend
encies indicate peril to New Testament
religion, and call upon all true children
of the Reformation to renewed diligence
IN guarding the privileges purchased for
them by the blood of their forefathers. !"
THE dean of the Episcopal Theo-
logical School in Cambridge, Mass,
has an article in the Independent on
matters of interest in the church during
the past year, says the Living
Church Up Ed of Chicago. Besides
other things of no particular moment,
he thinks it proper to return to the
subject which has so severely afflicted
his party or school during the year.
namely, the pastoral on the incarnation
and the inspiration of Holy Scripture
He says: The writer's evidently con-
sidered the church to be in danger of
grave heresy, but most people felt that
the danger had been greatly exaggerat-
ed He then, with contemptuous sar-
cessm, likens it to calling out the whole
FIRE department to put out a suspicion
of smoke. He is speaking Of a docu-
ment which was put under the author
ity Of the entire body Of Bishops in
1884, and emphatically reafirned by
the House of Bishops in the canonical
pastoral Of 1895. It seems extremely
likely that the Bishops Of all the do
ceses and missionary jurisdictions rep
resent the feelings Of most people in
the church better than a single dean
and his friends The danger was not
exaggerated, neither has it passed.
Dean Hodges, in concluding this branch
Of his subject, gives a specimen of the
clever verbal legerdemain characters
tic of his school, by which facts as well
as statements are transformed into
something different from themselves,
and the minds Of the unstable are dazed.
Most people see in the affirmation Of
the doctrinal pastoral by the full House
Of Bishops a determination not to allow
their strongest utterances upon the
faith to pass away or die. DR.. Hodges
sees in this affirmation only the head
stone Of the grave in which he conceives
that the Catholic exposition Of the pas
toral has been inferred"
"A friend called the other day" re-
marks the New York CHRISTIAN Intel
lieencer" GRef), "and raised the query
whether the friends of Christian union
were as wise as they might be in the
use Of means for its attainment He
suggested that possibly and even prob
ably it would be best promoted if more
emphasis was laid on denominational
loyalty, especially if the motive of such
loyalty were an intensification of the
desire to accomplish the most possible
for Christ and His church, It seems to
US there is much force in'this sugges-
ton. If. as we believe, the only feas-
ibIe method of unifying the church of
Christ, of diminishing the divisions of
Christendom, is that of federation, then
the most earnest and jealous loyalty to
ones own church and denomination is
not only consistent with a spirit of
unity and fellowship with other
churches, but may be provocative of it.
This seems to have been the Apostles
idea in exhorting the Ephesian Church
to keep the unity of the spirit in the
bonds Of peace while everyone should
do his individual work according to the
measure of the gift of Christ Indi-
vidualism is consistent with the closest
fellowship, when unity Of aim and pur-
pose draw men together. In society
and business we see this continually ex-
emplfed A man is a better citizen
and can be depended on to work to-
gether with his fellow-men for worthy
ends. the more he is devoted 70 his own
family and is seeking their good.
There is no authority in Christian
ity different from the inherent author
ity of truth, observes the 'Watchman"
(Bapt.) of Boston. "Our moral response
to the statements of the Bible or the
claims of Christ is no measure of the
allegiance we owe to them. On the con-
trary, Christianity enunciates law
ard theory of life which rest upon
divine sanctions. The truth which man
discovers may not differ from the truth
God proclairns. So far as both speak
the truth they agree, but our certainty
Of the truth that God proelaims is inn
==-~----------------- -------
sz----