The record-union., 1896-07-26
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian
Press.

xCoos
or the Pope's encyclical the New York
independent" says: And this is the
condition of unity. Then we reject it.
We will have none of it. We seem to
see here the explanation of the weak
ness and decadence of the Roman
Church since the Renaissance, in that it
has preached the authority of men
against the province of reason in mat
ters of religion and of the knowledge of
God and his word. Against this mechan-
1cal unity, this monarchchial unity. we
Will set up unity of the spirit, the unity
of faith and love and service of the Mas
ter. To his unity of subsection the Pope
Invites US; we invite him to our better
spiritual unity; and we ask him to rec
ognize our fellowship in the Church Of
God as we recognize his. When we rec
ognize each other, then the visible unity
will be established which he now denies
and rejects. We have said that this is
virtual, if not an intended reply to Mr..
Gladstone and the English High
Churchmen. They are told that their
priestly and episcopal orders are in
valid but they are told that they are
A. 7SAAAoiA blQSl IeluIn " SUDJGCllOn
tc the Pope. They are told that the
question is not that of valid orders, but
OF Papal primacy. Yet not few Eng
ltsh churchmen might be willing to ac-
cept Papal primacy, if only their Angli-
can orders were declared valid. That
might leave an Anglican Church rec
ognizing the primacy of the Bishop of
Rome, but allowed it's Anglican GUS
i,,-% ~
knowledges the Pope. but keeps its
married clergy and its liturgy"
"The Pope's encyclical is a very inter-
esting document, end for various rea-
sons important remarks the New
York Examiner" Bapt). THE alb
stract, extending to 5000 words, is care
fully as we'll as officially prepared, and
deserves an attentive reading. In brief
compass, with logical completeness, and
In plausible words, the central claim of
the Pope and the Roman Catholic
Church is set forth, without abatement
and without suggestion of compromise.
AS the student of the subject has often
felt, If the premises of the Pope's argu-
ment be admitted, it is impossible to
stop short of his full conclusion, not ex-
cepting the claim of Papal infallibility
If you go part way with him, as do the
great state churches-Anglican, Greek,
Iutheran-you must go all the way, or
sacrifice your logical consistency to save
your Christianity. OF course the Pope,
in speaking of the reunion of the
churches, is not thinking at all of the
evangelical denominations which are so
conspicuous with us, but to him are not
worthy of notice nor entitled to the
name of churches; he is thinking only of
the politico- ecclesiastical bodies like his
own, with which negotiations are pos
sible'
The humorous aspect of the Chris
tian unity proposed by various relig-
ious bodies, which is embodied in the
suggestion on the part of each holy
body that all ether communions shall
come to its point of view, has more
than once been pointed out" says the
New York Outlook THE kindly and
courteous encyclical of Pope whom all
Protestants respect throws the humor
of that proposition in still bolder relief
There cam never be a reunion of Chris
tendon on ground held exclusively by
any one body of Christians When
such reunion comes about, it will be
because an inward and spiritual con-
viction and faith draws each body
away from it's particular position to
the central point where truth in it's
highest aspect is one Organic unity
can never be effected ON the basis of an
infallible authority vested either in
line of popes or in a succession of coun-
ellis. The spiritual conception of the
nature of the Christian religion and of
the functions of the Christian Church
has sunk SO deeply into the heart of a.
large part of the world that consen-
sus of opinion which would rest the
authority of that religion and Of that
church upon an external tradition of
any kind can never be obtained This
does not mean, however that the hone
of a union of Christians throughout the
world large enough to include not only
all Protestants, but all Roman Catholics
and members of the Greek Church as
well is a pure illusion. The constant
discussion of the subject shows how
much the divisions of the church weigh
upon the noblest spirits among religious
people; and the marked change in the
temper and character of the discussion
evidences in another way the growing
interest and faith between Christians
of every race, creed and church"
''The commencement of the Episcopal
Theological School in Cambridge. Mass.
took place with satisfaction to those
Immediately concerned" says the "I.iv-
ing Church" (P Ed of Chicago. land.
while it has not furnished the church at
large with any special sensation for the
present year, on the testimony of its
friends its character and tendencies re-
main unchanged. 1t will be remem-
bered that this seminary is not amen
able to any ecclesiastical authority.
Why should young men who seek the
ministry in a church, the most conspicu-
copal,' that is, governed by Bishops.
prefer a school which does not meet
with favor from many of those officers?
What sort Of loyalty is to be expected
from young men who wish to be or
dained by Bishops and yet find Bishops
objectionable2 Practically however.
there is but little basis of fact in the
idea that the secret of the schools pros
perity is to be sought in this peculiar
relation TO the Bishops. Most of the
young men who enter are doubtless ig-
norant on that point, and only know
that their own particular Bishop ap-
proves their selection of place of theo-
logical education The promise that
they shall be allowed to do their own
thinking is the best card Nothing couId