The record-union., 1896-07-12
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian
Press.

HreSS.
Sermons of solid instruction must
needs be long,, observes the New York
'Churchman" (P. Ed. IF the ignorant
are to be taught, the statement of facts
must often be deliberate and elaborate.
No one resents a long speech ON the
tariff, and no one who desires to learn
the great doctrines of Christian belief
and Christian morals should resent a
long sermon. People who come to
church to be amused, entertained or
excited, come from a wrong motive. The
office Of the preacher is, first of all, to
diffuse among his flock, by judicious ex-
position, the information which he de-
rived from his theological studies, or
large part of this information. If the
laity are often ignorant, it must be be
cause they have not been taught or are
unwilling to learn. X cIamor against
long sermons is one evidence of this un-
Willingness. Yet Pearson's elaborate
treatise ON the creed was delivered orig
inally i'm series of parochial sermons,
and the most profound and closely rea-
s0ned statement of Christian morals,
III some important departments, which
Z,
was preached by Bishop Butler in dis
courses from the pulpit The hearers
listened because they were interested,
and We're taught because they desired
to learn. 1t is the congregation who
are oftenest responsible for that preach
ing which is merely emotional, anec-
dotic, fiimsy and profitless. The long
sermons of Barrow, of Liddon, of Pusey,
tl,1 o1,,,,
goer."
What the majority of the Bishops of
the Protestant Episcopal Church de-
clared in our columns could not be
done. what the Episcopal Convention
felt that it could not concede, even as
the price of church unity, has been
done,' says the New York "Independ
ent, "in one pulpit at least. The rector
CT an Episcopal Church in Cleveland
invited a Methodist minister to preach
to his congregation, and the Methodist
minister did it. He did not do it in an
unconsecrated building either; nor
from the reading desk in the conse-
Grated church, but from the pulpit.
Moreover, he was offered the gown to
preach in, but felt himself more at
ease without the canonicals. At the
close the people did not flee, but re-
manned to shake hands with the inter
loper and to express their qualification
at such a manifestation of fraternity.
We are strongly moved to add a joyful
approval but we restrain ourselves
long enough to say that all this was
in clear violation of certain canonS. In
order to maintain these canons the
Episcopal Church has had sorrowfully
to acquiesce in the ending of negotIa-
tions with the Presbyterian Church
for unity. Here is a rector, we need
not give his name who evidently has
not the fear of ecclesiastical punish
nlent before his eyes, and he makes free
with them. Ought we to countenance
such willful disobedience? We do not
feel sure; but we do say that if canons
Of the church We're broken, no canon
OF Gods law was fractured. On the
contrary, it was such a manifestation
of brotherly love as the Scriptures en-
ioiIl, and of such practical unity as the
church itself is earnestly seeking. An
other Episcopal pulpit in the same city
was likewise offered to the same min
lister DR.. c. NJ Cobern. The attitude
Of these two rectors is worth all the
letters the Episcopal Commission on
Unity has written in all these years"
ct may vet appear says the North
western Christian Advocate" Meth)
of Chicago, that the restoration Of
Christian doctrine when that phrase
is used in the sense of visible Christian
unity, is not the sole nor the most i'm
pcrtant problem before the English
church. The day has not come in which
the Established Church is the only &c
clesiastical power in England to be
reckoned with by the Pope. If ex-
ternals exclusively occupy the atten-
ton of the English church, the main
problem relating to the physical care
Of the people may fell more completely
than ever into the hands of non
confornists. The genuine church cares
for the people. God will not approve
anv church that neglects the neglect
ed. If any English churches not estab-
lished forget their errands, God may
put new life into the English mother
church. and make her paramount be
cause of renewed faithfulness to the
people of that great land"
1T is not too much to say" says the
'Watchman" CBapt) Of Boston, that
the high hopes entertained by our
churches.from the multiplication of sun
day-school appliances during the last
TWENTY-FIVE years have not been real
lied. However we may explain ii, a
generation is growing up in our Sunday
schools which is practically unacquaint-
ed with the Bible. Literary men of high
standing deplore the popular ignorance
of the Scriptures; ministers say that
they can no longer take it for grarAs
that the simplest Biblical allusions will
be understood by some of the members
OF their congregations, who have spent
ten wears. or more in the Sunday school;
1he religious press teens with COM
plairts that Christian people do not
know their Bibles; the daily papers,
during the last two or three years, have
repeatedly emphasized the unfamiliar
ST. of the people with the Scriptures,
and educational institutions have found
81 necessary to make special provision
for aeouadnting their pupils with the
Bible. tleen1ing II at least as great a re-
nroach to an educated person to be un-
familiar with the Bible as to be ignorant
a. the masterpieces of English litera-
t1,re If any one doubts the extent of
popu1ar Ignorance of the Bible among
the Young people, even of Christian fam
il.es. let him test an average class of