The record-union., 1896-01-11

thought and progress. One of the sig
nificant features Of the year in the
realm of religious and philosophical
thought has been the progress Of the
revolt Of maternalism toward a spirit
ual philosophy. This has been quite
as marked among the scientists as
among the purely speculative thinkers.
The epoch Of bald materialism which
followed the exposition of the Darwin
ian theories, and the exclusive atten-
tion to physical phenomena, has been
replaced by an increasing recognition
of the spiritual factor in the organiza-
ton of the universe and its primacy in
human life Like Hamlet to Horatio,
Theology has said to Science, There
are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio, than are dreamt of in your
philosophy And Science has needed
the suggestion. The revival of idealism
and the vogue of monism are simply
phases of the movement of thought
from the philosophy which deifed frog
sperm
Carlyle describes the insight of
genius as cooperation with the real
tendency of the world The most pow
erful tendency of the times" saws the
New York Evangelist (Pres.). ''is to-
ward combination. organization, and is
profoundly affecting all forms of human
activity. The new civic patriotism and
the new philanthropy are expressing
themselves in new organizations daily,
until in our cities the multiplicity of So
cieties has become burden. A large
number of organizations with the same
general object but which take no coun-
sci of each other, are sure to overlap and
to waste time, money and effort The
next great movement needed is one
which will coordinate the many or
ganizations now working separately,
and more less efficiently, for the better
ment of society. A profound change is
taking place in our churches, which is
fitting them to render this important
service; that is, they are beginning to
see and to accept their social mission.
There are many weighty reasons why
the churches can and ought to under
take this work. It would enable them
to bring conscience to bear upon Iegis-
lation; it would close the chasm be-
tween them and workingmen; it would
enable them to lay hold of the strength
which comes from organization; it
would prevent the indefinite and waste
full multiplication of organizations; it
would cultivate Christian fellowship
among different churches and in differ
ent denominations, and substitute CO.
operation for existing competition be-
tween them, thus making practicable
many reforms now impossible"
1t is now nearly half a century,"
says the Christian Central Advocate"
of st. Louis, since John Angel James,
the celebrated predecessor of the late
DR.. Dale, published a remarkable vol
ume on An Earnest Ministry the Want
of the Times In it he raised the ques-
tion whether evangelical preaching at
that time had lost, and was still losing,
any of its power Reviewing the TWEEN
ty-five years that had gone before, and
with whose tendencies he was intimate
ly acquainted, he was compelled to ad-
nit that during that period the modern
pulpit had become less efficient as re-
CARDS the great ends for which the
gospel is preached-that is, the con-
version of sinners and the spiritual ad-
vapcement of believers
The pulpit still demands an earnest
ministry as the want of the times. On
both sides of the Atlantic there are un-
mistakable signs that earnestness in
the special sense of the book we refer
to is fast becoming a lost chord in the
preaching of too many pulpits. What
John Angel James meant by earnest
ness was that urgency which character
lied the sermons of the great leaders of
evangelical revival. Earnestness about
the teaching of Jesus Christ and the
doctrines of our most holy faith is cer-
tainly to be desired, but it yields in
Importance to that strenuous earnest
ness which makes every other aim sub
ordinate to the supreme aim of persuad
ing men to repent of sin, trust in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and live a devout,
Christian life