The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-07-25
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

as the foremost truth in Anglo-Saxoh
Christianity" SAYS the Christian Ad-
vocate on. E.), Nashville. Inc
prominence thus given TO the uoclilhe
carries with it certain unmlstahaple
benefits and certain equally unlnlstah-
able perils The great prominence oI
any one doctrine involves danger II
disturbs the balance OF truth, Whlch
is preserved only when all the ooc-
trines of revelation are Kept IN lhelr
place and proportion But a special
danger attaches to the prominence Oh
the doctrine of the Incarnation mas
much as it is apt to magnify the dlVlhe
sympathy with sorrow at the expense
of the divine adherence of sin, ana
to minimize divine tenderness into an
effeminate humanitananism. How sub
tie and perVaSive the danger is must
be apparent to every student OF the
religious literature of our day. The
profound awe which our forefathers
felt in the presence of the majesty OF
God has given place to familiarity
which borders on flippancy. Even
strongly evangelical Christians write
and speak of Christ with fondling ia
miliarity which is subversive of real
reverence, and which would be i'm
possible if they saw His glory. To
them He is the great friend of the
poor, the wretched, the sinful-the
brother who is always sympathetic
and helpful. But the conception of the
brother bulks so largely that it filings
the conception of the Lord into the
background, and thus the religious life
loses a majesty and a strength it once
possessed
The Christian Endeavor societies 'oc-
cupy," The Independent" New York,
says, 1.-The most important field Of
Christian activity The church is wise
in giving them large opportunity to
labor They bring as much consecra-
ton and more enthusiasm to the SER
vice of the church than do the older
people. Let their elders make and
mar creeds; let them put wise heads
together in deciding weighty questions
of policy and polfty; let them make
the laws and hold the courts of trial.
The young people have more impor-
tant work They will not adopt or
amend or repeal any church canons
in their conventions this month; they
will not ordain any ministers or cOnse-
crate any bishops; but they will do
some good. They will prove that they
love Christ and are devoted to His
cause; that they are willing and anx-
ious to work for Him that they are
concerned with the activities of the
church, rather than within it's laws
and usages; that UNCONVENTIONAL
boundaries do not hedge them in; that
they are one in the service of the
Master. God speed the young people,
and may they become a greater power
in the dissemination of the gospel"
With mot the remotest disposition to
cast the wet blanket of unfriendly
criticism upon the Baptist Young Peo
pies Union of America" and wishing
for them, in their national gathering at
Chattanooga, 1.-The most helpful, enjoy
able, soul kindling gathering they have
yet had" the Examiner" (Bapt), New
York, yet ventures to ask the young
people: do the results of these great
annual gatherings, on the whole, justify
the heavy cost in time, thought, and
money which they entail? This has
been year of peculiar stress and
strain, due largely to the hard times
in our great missionary enterprises.
Now suppose that instead of undertake
ing this year the great meeting at
Chattanooga, our young people had
concluded to deny themselves the pleas
ure and privilege of the gathering, and
had directed the cost of the trip into
the channel of the suffering missionary
cause. Our desire is simply
to throw out the suggestion as a seed
thought for the earnest consideration
of our consecrated young people,
whether the time has not come for
lessening the number of these huge
spectacular gatherings, impressive
rather by their 'bigness' than their
utility. Would not, we venture to sub
NIT, a quadrenniaI general meeting
answer every purpose now sought to
be accomplished by the yearly meet
ing, especially if supplemented by many
smaller conventions held at convenient
points during the intervening period
Our country is too vast, it's distances
too magnificent, for annual gathering
of great masses of people, from every
part of it, such as the Young Peoples
Union and the Christian Endeavor So
ciety aim to draw together
Jul StHuIUc Nel1lOuiSl Is "a Adi-
whist who turns himself loose" says
THE Interior" (Pres) of Chicago. 1--WE
Calvinists say that a man is so dead
in trespasses and sins that he cannot
wink, cannot twitch a finger-and can
not even wish to. He is as dead as
Noah's dromedary. Therefore, abso-
lutely all of the glory of his salvation
is Gods. We write this down in our
creeds, and do not think it worth while
to talk much more about it, except
when we recite the Lords prayer, in
which we say, Thine is the glory But
go into any Methodist prayer meeting,
class meeting or love feast, and see
how it is. Glory to God!' shouts a
stentorian brother. Amen in the |
heartiest tones comes from every |
where. If a new convert makes pro-
fession, or an old one tells an expert |
ence, Thank God,' Bless God,' Glory |
to God,' rise like the voice of many |
waters. Every last scintilla, every |
tiniest beam of glory goes to God. No |
Methodist will allow any other Meth
odist the least particle of credit-and if
one of them at the end of six months
probation should claim any for himself, |
or withhold the least possible part of it
from God, the presiding elder would |
put him out, and make him stay out
another six months until he could show |
up a sound and fiawless conversion. |
That is the difference. The Methodist |
has it not spiked down in his creed as
we have, but he has it loose and free |
and he is never tired Of waving it as
his banner, or of shouting it in a song
and battle-cry"