The record-union., 1897-09-19
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

course of the higher criticism during
the present century, or during the six
ty years of the reign of Queen Victoria
has been marked by many unfounded
assertions which have been proved to
be enormous blunders; that speedy
means of attaining notoriety Is found
in making assaults upon the truthful
ness and reasona bleness Of the Scrip
lures, and that not a few men, Animal
ed apparently by a love OF notorlety,
have used this means to crafty their
desire, and that under proteStationS of
dealing with the Scriptures as litera-
ture, that is, according to the rules of
literary criticism, those rules have been
utterly disregarded the facts of the
history of literary criticism utterly ig-
nored, and the books of the Bible been
subjected to a criticism to which no
other book or books have been com
PEELED to submit Such a statement
the conference had ample warrant for
making. 1t did not make it. The
whole world would have received meal
culable relief if it had been made by
the 200 bishops of the Episcopal
Church The utterance of the con-
lCICIlC Is NdludDle anu SOIIElDlAS "
be thankful for, SO far as it goes. 1t
is pity that it did not go farther and
| rebuke the highly speculative, unfair,
and often laundering criticism which
has weakened at least the faith of men
in the Scriptures as revelation made
by the Holy Spirit, and has been one
of the causes of the increase of lawless-
ness at the present time which is de-
plored even by men who do not accept
the belief of the evangelical churches"
THE tribunal of reference, the func-
ton of which, if created, would be of
judicial character, was not pressed up
on the Nambeth conference" says the
New York "Churchman" Up. Ed,
though the resolutions looking tow
ards its establishment, which were not
put, are printed in note. AS the
scope of the committees resolution
so the Chairman Of the committee
writes, was limited to colonial churches
and to English dioceses,' we hardly feel
competent to discuss it, AS an at
tempt to restore a wholesome measure
of discipline in a national church, it is
to be commended. One thing it was
not-that is to say, a scheme to make a
patriarchate of Canterbury. We once
more emphatically declare that this can
never be accomplished with any sort of
acquieScence on the part of the Amer
lean Church, SO long as the genius of
that church continues to be what it is,
and we trust it will never change in
| that respect. If there were no other
! reasons to oppose (whereas there are
many, it would be sufficient to object
on the ground of the Archbishop of
Canterbury being a State nominee,
even if his functions as patriarch, or
whatever he might be styled, were only
the presidency of a federation"
Comparing the encyclical from the
English bishops Of this year and that
of 1885," observes the New York In
dependent" zone is struck by the diff
ference Of tone in certain parts. Es-
pecially are we surprised by the fact
that, whereas, in 1883, great considera-
ton was shown toward the ancient jan
senist Church in Holland and wish
expressed for union with her, she is
this year left out in the cold. The Old
Catholic Churches of Germany. Switz-
erland and Austria are spoken warmly
of; but the fountainhead of Old Cath
olicism in Europe is given the cold
shoulder. We remark, also, that Rome
is ignored. However, on this point we
are not unprepared, but the silence
towards Holland needs explaining. Is
it because she has appointed a commit
tee to look into the question of Angli-
can orders, and has reported unfavora-
bly,? Or is it because the Old CathO-
lie archbishops and bishops of Holland
forbade the Old Catholics of America
to receive any sacraments from the
hands of the Protestant Episcopal
Church? The Church of Holland and
the Old Catholic Church in America are
put in the same box. Is it because
they both question the orders of the
Anglican Church? Why bother so
much about Apostolic succession? We
are far from the unity of Jerusalem"
The newly discovered leaf of papy-
rus containing the Sayings of Our
Lord. of which announcement has been
made. has now been published at Ok
ford, says the Living Church (P. Ed
of Chicago, with a comment by the
editors. Bernard Grenfell and
Arthur Hunt. 1t is clear that it has
no connection with the work of Papias,
with which some notices have identi-
fled it. Whether the critics will feel JUS
titled in adding such of these sayings
as are new to the small list of probably
authentic sayings of our Lord which,
though not found in the Gospels have
| come down to use in ecclesiastical au-
thors, remains to be seen. 1t is ques-
tionab.e whether this discovery can be
/ turned to the account Of those who
have held that there were other primi-
/ tive Gospel narratives besides the four
! TO which the church has set her seal,
! portions Of which continued to be
/ known in some quarters to the end of
| the century 1t may be regarded as at
/ least equally probable that those ex-
pressions which have no parallel in the
Gospels are of apocryphal origin"
There are economic, social and po-
litieal reasons for making our systems
I of education as complete and thorough
! as possible" remarks the Christian
/ Register" (Unit) Of Boston, but the
moral and spiritual reasons are still
/ stronger Intelligence alone. will not
! induce men to do right or make them
unselfsh: and education of itself win
not regenerate human nature. But
/ these are essential to the conditions
most favorable for the operation of 9TH
er influences Men must know and I'M
derssand before they can be expected
/ to do. We could not regenerate the