The record-union., 1897-07-11
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

tartan Press.
''The trend of things is not to the
diminution of lay power in the Church
of England, nor, we venture TO thlnk,
in the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the United States" says the "Churcn
Standard" (P.. ED of Philadelphia, and
while we believe there is an eVer-grow-
ing disposition to concede to blshops
all that properly belongs TO their Of
flee, we do not believe that any doc
trinaire theory of their inherent rights
is likely to avail, either here or in Eng
land, to such an extent as to transfer
to them that right to appoint pastors
of parishes which, in this country, is
vested in the laity of the several con-
gregations. For our own part, we hold
the theory that the bishop by virtue Of
his office, has an inherent and eXclu-
siye right of appointment, to be with
out foundation and inconsistent with
the facts of history. We believe cleo
ton by the congregation to have the
precedent Of Apostolic times We be-
lieve the people of settled congrega-
tions at the present time, with rare ex-
ceptions, to be quite as capable OF
choosing pastors as the people of con-
gregations founded by the Apostles
But then, we go still further; for we
hold that neither the bishop apart from
the congregation, nor the congregation
apart from the bishop can be expected
to act as wisely in the selection of d
particular minister for particular
place as the bishop and the congrega-
ton together If, on the one hand We
should deprecate the placing of the
whole power of appointment in the
bishops hands, we must equally depre-
ecate the unwisdom of congregations in
selecting their ministers without a full,
and free, and confidential consultation
with their bishop.
The recent discussion in the Re-
formed Episcopal Church as to whether
or not the black gown shall be the
vestment of obligation at the public
service is timely Illustration of
species of debate to which the young
man in the senior class listens with
disrespectful thoughts in his heart"
remarks the New York "Churchman'
P. Ed. He has a lively interest in
the question of clothes but when the
details of clerical vestments become
prominent theme of ecclesiastical leg
islation, and grave parsons become
heated in discussing how the clergy
man shall vest on Sunday, the senior.
looking out upon the world with the
deep and genuine gravity which is
characteristic of the best youth. turns
his mind to medicine or law, or consid-
ers whether he shall be a chemist or
capitalist"
'Presbyterians find it so often nee
essary to explain away the objections
to their doctrines because those doc
trines now emphasize unduly the side
of theology which was needed at the
time when the standards were forrnu-
lated, but which is not appropriate to
any large extent to their present work
Our work now" says the Chicago In
terror" Pres), ''is to convict men of
their inexcusable sinfulness and bring
them to repentance. The work of our
fathers was to smite down the usurper
and the tyrant, spiritual as well as
civil-and they did not seem to care
whether they repented or not Like
Jonah. they preached destruction, and
evidently, like him, demanded that the
Lord should be as good as his word,
without regard to the implied condi-
tions. They We're men of war Have
we any inclination to abandon those
old doctrines? Indeed we have not,
no more than we are inclined to dis
mantle our sea-coast batteries, and
sinh loJ J1I1t n
need to put them in evidence all the
time and be perpetually called upon
for diplomatic explanations The pub
lication of pamphlets for the use of
pastors in their evangelical work only
accentuates the necessity of doing this
work once for all and by authority, in
the issuance of a short evangelical
Presbyterian creed. We doubt wheth-
er the time is propitious for doing this
ediately-desirable as it is. The
church needs rest from controversy
on any subject, and for this reason we
would not wish that this or any other
question which might develop differ
ences should be precipitated. We can
rest on the certainty that it is newt
able, and meantime go on with our ex-
plantations showing that our doctrines
are evangelical"
''The last twenty years have been
occupied with a general shifting of
opinion in regard to the Bible" says
the Standard" Bapt) of Chicago.
The accession of several prominent
English and American scholars to the
ranks of the moderate higher critics
has called the attention of the general
public to Investigations and specula-
tions hitherto familiar only to scholars
accustomed to the use of German
books. A stage of this movement has
seemed to be a weakening of belief in
the divine origin of the Old Testament,
and an emphasis on the human ele-
ments in the composition of the New
Testament. Already this stage is pass
ing, leaving behind not just the old
conception of the Bible, but a new one
stronger and more enduring, because
more elastic and more nearly corre-
spending to the facts, We have not a
new Bible as some ambiguously as
sert; but an old Bible seen at a new
angle. May it not be that the lack of
ma ked and widespread revivals which
has been observed during this period
OF readjustment is due to that very
readjustment? If we have loosened