The record-union., 1897-08-15
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed In the Sec
tartan Press.

1T is a sad appointment" says
the New York ''Churchman' (P. Ed,
to find that the recently discovered
Greek manuscript of the 'Logia' or
Words of Jesus is apparently of no
value for critical or other purposes.
Its sole virtue would seem to be <hat
it is the earliest Christian manuscript
extant, for critics have assigned it to
period between A. D. 80 and A. D.
300, probably about A. d. 200. How
ever, no one doubts for moment that
it possesses the authentic works of
classical authors whose earliest extant
manuscripts belong to a time centuries
| later than the Goddess Vaticanus and
| Sinaiticus. And it is fair to conclude
| that even if an authentic manuscript Of
| the Gospels eaHier than the earliest we
now know were TO come to light, 1t
would add nothing of substantial value
to what is open to every reader of the
English Bible. Disputed readings here
and there would receive elucidation,
and a new strand would be added to
the chord of Christian evidences, but
unless such a document belonged to the
early second century it would tell moth
ing more than Harnack has told in his
recently published book ON the chro-
noIogy of early Christian literature
The critical faculty has now become SO
| developed as to arrive at conclusions,
with tolerable certainty, such as could
have been nothing better than bold
| conjectures a short time since"
NO better subject could be treated
| by a religious guide, says the New
York independent" than that which
is discussed in the Presbyterian Quar-
terly' the organ of the Southern Pres
| byterians, by Robert P. Kerr, D. D., OF
Richmond, Va, nor could more radical
| ly right principles be easily enunciated
than those which he lays down.
| We heartily agree with DR.. Kerr, and
with his appeal to the Psalm-singing
! Presbyterians, the Baptists and the
| Episcopalians fully to recognize the
churchly rights of other Christians.
| But we begin to ask: Why did not DR..
Kerr direct his chief question to his
own readers? What is the duty of the
Southern Presbyterians in the matter?
! Can they not do something? In the
| first place, if the peculiar doctrines OF
the Baptists is nome essential, and if
| those who hold to emersion only and
will not practice infant baptism ought
not to be refused admission to a Pres
| byterian church, why should not one
who holds what is admitted to be a nom
essential error be also accepted as an
elder or a minister in the Southern
| PreSby Church and be allowed to
be the pastor within that body of a
hundred believers who hold those views
and have, with DIR. Kerr's approval,
been admitted to that church? Here
is duty that might Well be suggested,
one that would do much to break down
sectarianism. Then why did not DIR.
| Kerr further suggest that difference
which prevents the Southern Presbyte-
rfan Church from joining with the
Northern Church is a particularly nom
essential one, and that the next South
ern General Assembly should take steps
to do away with a very serious hind
rance to Christian unity in a peculiarly
unhappy schism?''
|
Heretofore periods of financial de-
preston in the United States have led
to increased attention to religion, to
spiritual attainments, and to great re-
vivals and large additions to the MEM
bership of the churches" says the New
York Christian Intelligencer" (Ref). !.
| Recently, however, spirituality has
not been promoted and materialism re-
duced by financial losses and distress.
! The loss of earthly possessions has not
led men to consider the uncertainty of
| mOterial prosperity, its unsatisfactory
| nature, and to seek for spiritual at
tainmentS that cannot be taken away,
and that go far toward satisfying the
| desires and aspirations of the soul. On
the contrary, the insecurity of proper
ty, the loss of money, the decline in the
value of earthly possessions, have in
| creased the naterialistic spirit. Posi-
bly, the church is responsible for this
change in the American tendency. The
pulpit has been less Independent, per-
| haps, than in former times, and more
| in subjection to the pew. Whether the
responsibility rests upon the pulpit or
the pew may be doubtful, but the op-
portunity to contrast the temporary
nature of worldly prosperity and the
permanency of spiritual acquisitions has
not been improved The fact has not
been impressed upon men that riches
take wings and fly away, are depend
ent on the uncertainties of human ac-
tion, while spiritual gains are secured
| by Divine enga gements by the new
nature received in conversion, and con-
stitute the good part which cannot be
taken away"
1.-THE statement is probably true, says
THE Watchman' (Bapt.) Of Boston,
that the evangelical churches Of New
England, and perhaps of the entire
country. do not hold so large 4 place
in their communities, and exercise so
great an influence upon the social and
moral life of the people, as they did
forty or fifty years ago. It is unneces-
sary to adduce statistics to prove this,
for it is a matter to which the ordinary
statistics are not entirely relevant. The
brother with the lead pencil and the
writing pad may prove that there are
more churches now than then in pro-
portion to population; that the
churches have more members, and that
the Sunday schools and the young peo-
pies societies flourish apace: but these
things do not make it clear that the
church has held it's own as the chief
formative force Of the moral life of the
community. Several reasons are COM
monty given for this state of affairs,
some of which are highly creditable TO
the churches, but there is one reason
that is receiving too little attention.
Nav it not be that the churches have
lost in influence through their lack of
sympathy with life? We are fond OF
saying that these are wonderful times