The record-union., 1896-12-06
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian
Press.


those who belong to the church that
points to the Bible as book containing
the Word of God to see the head OF
large and influential American universe
ty speaking SO loosely and recklessly
about this venerated volume. Much OF
what DIR. Schurman has said about the
oracles of God seems to be merely the
outcome of irresponsible garrulity, re-
deemed by a somewhat sanctimonious
tone from rank irreverence. He prac-
tically denies the authority of Holy
Scripture; he positively throws doubt
upon what, in speaking of historical
documents, we would term their verac-
ity. He puts the inspired writings on
the same footing as Macbeth and
Faust The Scriptures, he holds, do
not deal with matter of fact. Their
truth lies in the way in which they
evoke a response to your nature, sat
isfy your feelings and imaginations.' 1t
Is odd to hear a metaphyslclan assert
that because the Bible acts on the feel
ings it is not, therefore, an appeal to
the intellect, as if any emotion is ever
felt without consciousness, and con-
sciousness could be destitute of ratio
cination. The intelligent reader of
Macbeth is affected so as to be con-
WINGED of the Nervousness and horror Of
murder, and he who sees Faust played
is urged to avoid Righteousness. Many
more, however, have been deferred from
homicide and immortality by the author
itative commands uttered by God, and
repeated by His church, Thou shalt do
no MURDER Thou shalt not commit
adultery Vengeance is mine, saith the
Lord than by any merely literary
emotion reused by a work of imagina-
tion. Besides this, literary beauties
have influence only on minority of
mankind The most ignorant can un-
derstand the laws of the Decalogue. and
to measure the power and influence of
the Bible on the susceptibility to artistic
charm which it's readers possess would
make the Word of God mean one thing
to one man, and something else to his
neighbor.'
Whatever else the Bible is,'' says
the New York Outlook" lit certainly
IS collection of Hebrew literature Its
very name indicates this, for the word
Bible is a reconsideration of the Greek
word Biblia, meaning, not book, but
books. 1t is a collection of books, and
includes legend, law. official records,
historical fact, historical fiction, epic
poetry, lyrical poetry, proverbial phil
osophy, drama, patriotic and religious
addresses biography, letters and dream
literature. The notion that this concep-
ton of the Bible as literature is incon-
sistent with its inspiration, it's divine
quality, it's spiritual usefulness. is due
TO a relic of the Puritan notion which
confounds truth and fact, and would
Danish the voice of imagination from
the world. God speaks to all faculties
and in all voices; that is the lesson we
are learning in our larger conception of
the Bible as literature. This concep-
ton is bringing back the Bible to us.
Much of it has been lost book. The
whole library has stood on our shelves
or laid on our parlor table, but to many
devout soul the Bible really used has
consisted of the Gospels certain of the
Psalms, few extracts from the Penta-
teuch. and some from Paul's Epistles
The new study of the Bible has opened
other books to us, and is still opening
other books to u.s."
'.The speculative thinker has a large
place in the life of the Christian world
larger than sometimes we are aware
Cf,' says the "Watchman" Bapt.) of
Boston, but his true function is not
that of a dreamer who constructs a log
ically consistent system; his true func-
tion is that of a prophet who discerns
more deeply than others the tendencies
nd le. .f 1,,e
truth of revelation into relation with
the present life of the world few
years ago an attempt was made in some
theological seminaries to bring them in
closer touch with the current move
ments of thought by establishing chairs
on the relation of science and religion. or
ny special courses of instruction upon
sociological questions. That is very
well in it's way, but it does no go far
enough Our seminaries need to be-
come veritable schools of the prophets
In which men are taught to understand
the gospel in its relation to present
tendencies of thought and the problems
OF current life. One of the most cheer
Ing Indications of the time is the circum-
stance that the spirit of these institutions
is being increasingly regulated by this
conception. The young ministers of the
next twenty years will find when they
enter upon their work that there will ba
less contrast between their ideas and
the actual facts they will confront
Speaking Of the Pope's bull on An
glican orders the New York s.Trinitv
Record Up. Ed says: Now. the text
being published, it is evident to the
general public that, as has been wittilv
said, this bull is one of the Irish breed
The old fables about non-consecration
of Parker and Barlow, and the like. be-
Ing here abandoned, the invaliditv of
Anglican orders is charged only on
grounds OF defect of form and intention
In the Ordinai. As to this the Pooe
makes the surprising blunder of saying
that until recently the only words
used with the imposition of hands were
Receive the Holy Ghost, whereas
everybody knows that even from 1850
to 1862 the form also conveyed the
power Of forgiving and retaining sins
and dispensing the holy sacraments
This blunder is bad enough, but the
bull goes on to say that express men,
tion of the power of Offering the holy
sacrifice is essential to the form. and
that for want of this English ordina-
tions are null and void. But for nearly
a thousand years there was not in the
Roman office for ordination the faint
est allusion to the sacrifice. So, then
according to the Pope's own judgment
there were no valid orders in the Ro-
man Church during a thousand Yea rs