The record-union., 1896-04-19

necessary TO pfedcn once more d StcluSl
| theology, to emphasize greater loyalty
| to the idea of the spiritual kingdom, to
| denounce the arts by which the world
| is dragging down the church to lower
| spiritual levels, then the outcry will
| be heard as it was once heard against
the stern and unbending Puritans. This
is the age of partial compromise. How
| long can that compromise be main
| tained?"
MANY of our pastors are finding that
| the adherence of their churches to ira
ditional methods is one of the most seri-
Gus obstacles to their own usefulness,
says the "Watchman" Bapt) of Bos-
ton. IF they propose anything new; If
| they see how a present need may be
met by a readjustment of forces; if
they seek to bring their congregations
into closer relations with the real diff
cuities and necessities of the time, they
find that three-quarters of their en-
ergy is expended in overcoming the
inertia of an organization that should
: be alert to discover new methods and
acutely responsive to new demands.
| We do not wonder that ministers of
such congregations are on a quiet
search for new fields of labor. Much
| has been said and written about the
decay of of churches in the hill towns
of New England. The reasons assigned
/ for this decline are all of weight, but
| there is one reason not commonly given,
and that is the church itself did not
| seek to adjust its methods of work TO
| changing conditions of population. 1t
| kept on in the same lines of work long
| after they had ceased to be effective.
a business man has to keep up with
the times. Every little while some new
| discovery is made, new appliances in
| troduced, new methods devised, that
! he must adopt or lose trade. He has
the alternative of keeping in the line of
progress or facing the contingency of
| the bankruptcy court. The children of
this world are wiser in their genera
tion than the children of light. Church
methods are not divine in any sense
that precludes the application to them
! of common sense, enterprise and the
adjustment of means to ends
|
"Monastfcism is one of these survivals
which is likely to be a failure in this
| country" observes the STANDARD
| ~
Roman Catholic Church it is the least
American feature of that body, next to
the doctrine of papal authority. As at
| tempted to be introduced at various
times in other churches, it has always
| had a sickly growth and an early death.
| The setting apart of men and women to
| the peculiar service of God is one of the
first principles of the New Testament
| church; but such a setting apart as is
! included in the term monaSticism is an
| invention of man, with a perfectly defin-
| ite history, rise, a period of v1gor, a
| decay, and-in the near future-a fall.
| There are many other survivals in Pro-
| testant Churches of ideas and principles
| not found in the New Testament, but
| introduced during the second and fol-
| lowing centuries; and, on the other
| hand, some which arose from a mis-
| taken adherence to the superseded
Jewish economy of the Old Testament
! The practice of infant baptism is still
| retained, in half-hearted way, by some
| bodies of Christians whose whole church
policy repudiates the theory Of the
church on which that practice is logic
ally based. Members of such denomina-
tions defend their position by an appeal
to antiquity, which argument, if they
did but realize it, proves either too little
or too much for their case. Another
striking anachroniSm, which affects a
wide range of religious belief and prac-
tice, is the survival of the sacrificial
idea of the old dispensation in the
Christian Church. This error is a very
old one-indeed, it was the first that
hindered the progress of the gospel
IF every day were given up without
restriction to toll" says the Christian
| Register (Unit.) of Boston, land some
reformer were to arise, urging upon us
the necessity of setting aside one day
in seven for higher uses, we would re-
| cogniZe this as one of the most impor-
| tant measures for social well-being
| The only difficulty would be that it
would seem altogether Utopian. How
could We convince people that the
worlds work could be done as we'll in
six days as in seven? How could we
prevail against the greed of employers,
and induce them to give living wages
TO their workmen while the period Of
labor was lessened? So great a change
would involve an industrial revolution.
Now the fact is that, in the institution
| of the weekly rest-day, reaching back to
| remote antiquity, we have what we see
to be necessary. 1t is not necessary to
assent to the fanciful argument of those
who say that there is an especial value
in the seventh part Of time. The
human organism is not like a clock that
runs down at the end of six days. If
the holiday came once in five days. it
might be better, or, if once in ten, it
might be none the worse 1t happens
that ancient usage has set apart one
day in seven. In adopting it, we fol-
low the line of least resistance. As be-
tween the Christian and the Jewish day,
public convenience compels the choice
| of that already adopted by the majority.
1t will be seen that here is some COM
mon ground on which persons who diff
fer widely as to the authority of the
Sabbath may stand. 1t is good to have
some cessation from grinding toll, and
it is wen to guard any advantage that
has already been gained A certain
amount of Sunday legislation may be
defended on purely humanitarian
grounds. If the hours of labor may he
restricted, for the benefit of the lab
orer. certainly the days Of labor may
be limited also"
SAN FRANCISCO STOCK MARKET
San Francisco. April 18th