The record-union., 1896-04-19
In RELIGIONS REALM
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.

Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian Press
some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
.The body after the resurrection is to
be an actual body says the "Congre-
gationallst,' of Boston. mot of flesh and
blood necessarily, yet answering the
purposes of a body in the future life as
truly and as perfectly as the human
body meets the requirements of this
present life. Personal identity will re-
main, and the resurrection body will be
somehow an outgroWth of the body or
this world. Probably the Christians
body hereafter will be physically perfect
in the sense of no longer experiencing
WEAKNESS, pain or sickness. We rea-
sonably suppose that 1t Will be, as COM
pared with our present bodies, What
that of Jesus was after his resurrection
and before his ascension as compared
with what his body had been before his
death. Moreover, we are told that the
future body is to be immortal, undying.
Sc much as thiS-yague, yet not without
ats helpful value-We may understand
Gods Word to reveal. Probably when
death and resurrection shall have been
experienced they will be discovered to
Lave been, Notwithstanding their SOL
emn import, very simple and natural
events, and the body which will survive
them will seem much like that which
preceded, but possessing additional
powers and possibilities. What we do
not yet know about them may safely be
ieft to be made known in Gods good
time. But the scantiness of our in
formation about what follows it must
not obscure our assurance of the sub
lime fact of the resurrection itself
There is a future life into which those
who love God are to rise. Christ taught
this and rose Himself in testimony of
the fact. There is no need of modern
spiritualism in proof of it. The Chris
Han Church has been proclaiming it for
nineteen centuries
Down on the Connecticut shore
where the theology of the New Eng
land Primer still fingers, there has
been trial for 'hereSy' that puts every
other to shame" says the New York
Evangelist" (Pres). For that, and
IN the belief that it will make any other
or the kind in that region hereafter i'm
probable, If not quite impossible it is
worthy of memorial Not only was the
pastor acquitted, but the whole prosecu-
ton was converted to his views
1t transpired in this case that nothing
was at stake. Was it the clear air of
the coast, the good sense of the council
the grace of the church in charity or
the discovery of a fright and false
alarm, that brought this great trial to
such happy, very expeditions and
harmonious close? It seems that all
combined, but that the latter really
ruled the issue. One utterance of
the council is especially significant, and
1t is given for edification. How CRATE
ful to our reasonable faith and our
consciousness of natural and necessary
changes in the statement of funda-
mental doctrine is this calm and Chris
tian confession which we hope some day
to hear in our own church courts: The
council would recognize the fact that
the theological difficulties have arisen
naturally from difference between the
point of view held by some members of
the church in accordance with their
previous training and habits of Chris
tan thought, and the point of view to
which their new pastor has been led in
the course of his Biblical studies and
ty intense desire to preach a living
Christ for the life of our own time. The
council further recognize the fact that
in consequence of this difference of
mental attitude with regard to import
ant truths, the aggrieved members of
the church, in their hearing and recol-
lection Of expressions of their pastor.
have been led to the conclusion that his
teachings have departed from the es-
sential beliefs which are commonly held
in our churches
we give considerable space this
week TO the report of the result of the
council in the case Of the Rev. William
L Brown, who was put on trial for
heresy in the State of Connecticut. We
dc So" observes the New York out
look" mot only because the result of
the council indicates the beneficent
consequence of converting a heresy
trial into friendly Christian concilia
tory council, but also because the min
utes of the council contain such an
admirable statement of the spirit in
which both progressives and conserva-
tives in the Church of Christ should
act during such a period Of intellectual
transition as the present. In this case
a bitter and apparently irreconciIahle
controversy had arisen in church. The
majority of the church united with the
minority in asking the friendly coun-
sci of neighboring churches. The ag-
grieved minority were advised to put
their case with the evidences on which
1t was based, into the hands of the pas
tor of neighboring church, that he
might put it into form for trial and
issue. The council itself was
what is known in Congregational
circles as a mutual one; that is both
parties in the church agreed to sub
NIT the question to its arbitrament
The case was rather a heresy arbitra-
ton than heresy trial. The council
was not a court for the trial of an ac-
cused, but body of advisers called in
to give their Christian counsel to a
church in perplexity. This is the first
and perhaps the most important fact
in this case A church quarrel has
been obviated, a bitter dispute which
might easily have extended TO other
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