The record-union., 1896-04-12
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.

1.-The custom Of submitting the
bodies Of the dead to cremation instead
of laying them in the ground appears
to be on the increase in England, re-
marks the Living Church" (P. Ed OF
Chicago, land questions have begun
to arise in church circles as to the
relation of this to the burial office. The
Convocation of New York has lately
had the matter under discussion. 1t
really seems to us that the solution
is extremely simple. 1t is not necessary
that the church recognize any other
idea than that which associates the
bodies of the departed with the earth
from which they came. Whatever i'm
mediate disposition may be made of the
body in any case, it is assimilated
with the dust of the ground in the end,
whether it be preserved in a vase or
buried out of the sight of the living.
Cremation does effect in a short time
what otherwise takes place through
natural processes. The provision in
the present American Prayer Book,
allowing the whole service to be said
in the church. sufficiently covers the
point. After that it is a matter of in
crematory or a cemetery. This GUS
tom prevailed in the churches of our
large cities long before the rubric per-
mitting it was introduced. Perhaps
it would not put an undue strain upon
the Act of Uniformity if the same
practice were to be introduced in Eng
land. It would certainly be a less OBJ
jectionable departure from the letter of
la fh,.in 10, 1Jo
attend the door of a red-hot furnace
and commit the body to the fire. as
some one is said to have done"
THE Rev. William Sunday D. D.,
LII. D., a member of the Anglican
Church, Professor at Oxford, and one
of the most eminent scholars in the
English-speaking world, has recently
published says the New York "Ex-
aminer" (Bapt), "a critical and exeget-
1cal commentary on the Epistle to the
Romans. In his treatment of this epis-
tie, the author first gives a brief sum-
mary of the portion under considera-
ton, then a paraphrase, and follows
this by comment on the Greek text
and by notes upon the leading thought
OF the passage. Under chapter vi, LA
ms summary, in part, is as follows:
Baptism has double function ID 1t
brings the Christian into personal con-
tact with Christ, so close that it may
f'tly be described as union with him.
90 1t expresses symbolically a series of
acts corresponding to the redeeming
acts OF Christ: ImmerSion-death; sub
merSlon-burial (the ratification of
death); emergence-resurrec In
his notes upon the passage DIR. Sunday
says: That plunge beneath the run
ming waters was like death; the mo-
ment's pause, while they swept over
head, was like a burial; the standing
erect once more in air and sunlight was
species of resurrection. Nor did the
likeness reside only in the outward rite:
ii extended TO its inner significance. To
what was it the Christian died? He died
10 his old self, to all that he had been,
whether as Jew or Gentle, before he
became a Christian. To what did he
rise again? Clearly to the new life to
which the Christian was bound over:
and in this spiritual death and resur-
rection the great moving factor was
that one fundamental principle of union
with Christ, identification of will with
his This is disinterested testimony.
II is especially interesting in that it
rot only fully supports the soundness
of the Baptist position as to the script
ural mode of baptism, but also reveals
none the less forcibIy because indi-
rectly-the absurdity-let US rather say
the colossal wrong-of substituting any
other mode for that commanded and
exemplified by our Lord himself and
taught by his disciples
"One of the points urged against the
Raines liquor law" observes the New
York Evangelist" Pres.), ''is that un-
der its provisions 1t will be illegal for
churches to use fermented wines in the
administration of the Lords Supper.
The closing portion of Section 81 of the
bill sets forth that 1T shall not be lawful
for any corporation, association, CO.
partnership, or person, whether having
paid such tax (the liquor tax) or not to
sell. offer. or expose for sale, or give
away any liquor on Sunday or before 3
o'clock on Monday Very many of our
New York churches now use unferment-
ed wines, and 1t will prove no great
hardship for all TO do so. Sentiment and
practice have been working in this di-
rection quite vigorously Of late years
all the more so that sessions have been
left to their wise discretion in the mat
ter"
According to the announcement of
Ballington Booth" says the New York
Independent" :" his new organization of
American Volunteers is to seek distinct
ly those classes who receive most atten-
ton in the city missionary work of the
churches. We do not believe that an
other organization of this kind is need
ed. We doubt whether Mr.. Booth can
do this work any better than Mr.. Dew
ins or a host Of other missionaries have
been doing it. If the Salvation Army
was introduced in this country to win
Its constituency from the CUTTERS, as
General Booth said it was, it is a pity
that 1t does not concentrate its whole
force and activity upon this one great
and glorious mission. If in professional
achievement it is true that there is al
ways room at the top in genuine Chris
tian work, it is equally true that there
Is always room at the bottom. IL the
Salvation Army is to work upon the
same plane and among the same classes
as the churches, it is a rival Of the
churches, and it is simply another de-
nomination which has no good reason
for being. If, on the other hand, 1t pur-
poses to work in a field which is not we'll
occupied, there is a place for it, and it
will be we'll supported. The Christian
men of the churches will give it most
hearty recognition and substantial as
sistance."
"A speaker in discussing the modern
and the model church recently took OBJ