The record-union., 1897-06-13
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed i'm the Sec
tartan Press.

as Expressed i'm the Sec
tartan Press.
"A curious story has come TO light,
says The Living Church" (P. E.) OF
Chicago, regarding Rev MI. Thom-
as, formerly a rector of parish IN
Lincolnshire, who seeded to Rome last
fall 1t appears from a statement of
The Tablet that he has received per-
mission from the Pope to be reordained
conditionally. AS this indicates the
possibility that he was already in valid
orders, the question a once presents
itself whether after all, the Pope ad-
mits that Anglican Orders may be val
id. The answer is curious one. Twen-
ty-five or thirty years ago there was
much talk of an organization called the
| Order of Corporate Reunion Not
much was known about it, though it
leaked out that it embraced members of
both the Roman and Englican
Churches. 1t was reported that some
of the Anglican members, already in
Priests Orders, had received reordina-
ton at the hands of some unknown
bishop or bishops, at some unknown
place and time, and that one or more
had been consecrated to the Episco-
pacy. Nevertheless, they continued to
officiate as Wears of English parishes.
The whole thing was supposed to have
died out years ago. But it appears that
this Mr.. Thomas received ordination, in
addition to his Anglican Orders (by
which he was enabled to hold his par
lsh), at the hands of one of the clandes-
tine bishops of this society. 1t is this
secret, irregular ordination at the hands
of a supposed bishop, without juris-
diction or recognition of any kind,
which is so far respected by the Pope
that its validity is regarded as possi-
ble'
In raising DR.. (Sheldon) Jackson to
the moderatorship," says the New York
Evangelist" Pres.). the Presbyterian
Church honors itself by doing justice
to one of her truest servants, best mis-
Slonares, most modest benefactors. and
most unSelfishly loyal sons. Therefore
the choice may be called an ideal one
and we hope it may be approved by the
whole church and followed as a prece-
dent by other assemblies. We have
never very highly approved the idea of
putting into the moderatorship men
who had distinguished themselves in
other ways than in the personal SER
wee OF the church. We have grand men
among us, men whom we delight to
honor as citizens and whom we devout-
ly love as brethren of Christ. We glad
iy vote for such men for such places of
trust, in which they may further dis
tlnguish themselves and serve the
church indirectly by so doing. When
the church indirectly calls a man tn
be her highest representative, it should
be one who has not only given his all
OF influence and service to the church
but has by that gift made the church
pre-eminently richer for all time"
The ancient type of religious re-
vlval is the type we now need" saws
the New York Outlook THE reli-
gion that overlooks the undermining of
the social fabric by political immoral
ity, by venal legislation by tolerating
public plunderers, is salt that has lost
its SAVIOR. The revivalist's exhorta-
ton, Come to Jesus needs to be more
broadly and practically applied. There
is no real coming to Jesus apart from
coming to the mind of Jesus. He reads
the Gospel with small intelligence who
thinks that the church in our country
with all her power of molding public
opinion, stands toward acknowledged
abuses and wrongs according to the
Masters mind, or deals as He dealt with
the covetous mammon spirit which is
the curse OF modern as of ancient civil
lZatlon. This, the revivalist'S op-
portunity, is also every pastors oppor-
tunity to become a revivalist of the
Scriptural type, speaking for Christian
citizenship, exposing and reproving the
moral anarchy which the spirit of greed
has introduced. Nothing is of religious
worth that is not of ethical worth The
ethical awakening wrought by John the
Baptist, in the spirit and power of that
stern reprover, Elijah, was the neces-
sary prelude to the pure Gospel of Je-
sus. A veteran theological instructor
said to us a dozen years ago: The need
of our time is prophet like Savona-
rola. -
1.-THE present era is one of unprece-
dented religious activity. but it does
not show itself in the same way as in
the days of the great awakening, under
Wesley and Whitefield, says the New
York "Churchman" P. Ed. 1T is
an activity which has far greater eff
feet upon the daily lives of the commu-
nifty, in that it is more of an ethical and
less of an emotional movement. In fact
the religion of to-day is the religion of
good works founded upon faith Such
religious movement will not fail-has
not failed-in producing a distinct eff
feet upon the morals of Christendom
In this movement the religious training
of the young has not received a full
share of consideration. There has been
a tendency to throw off upon churches,
Sunday schools and secular schools the
training in morals which should go hand
in hand with daily religious training in
the home
Toward the fulfllment of Christs
magnificent conception of worldwide
domination by discipling all nations his
toric Christianity has been working with
more or less of directness and zeal DUR
ing the centuries that have BEEN re-
marks the New York Observer (Pres J.
Perhaps it is just coming to appreciate
the broadness of the field and the pite-
Gus plentifulness of the harvest. Possibly
in the twentieth century that is to come
it will feel the pressure of the mission
motives with redoubled force. inaugu-