The herald., 1897-12-05
CHURCHLY NOTES

| Complaint is made Of the general
moral inefficiency of army chaplains in
the English military service and in the
United States as well. The Pioneer
| Undia) has correspondent who writes
of the few chaplains to be met in the
service who either by their appearance,
bearing or address, are fit to gain the
attention or likely to influence or in
terest soldiers. The Indian Witness re-
fers to the milk-and- water aimless talk
delivered by army chaplains to soldiers
and the "incOngruous, out of place and
profitless" sermons generally heard at
places of worship of the military. 'It
would be well worth WHILE" says the
writer, "for the government to offer ev-
cry possible inducement so as to secure
an efficient staff of soul doctors in addi-
tion to the body doctors now employed
in furtherance of this thoroughly Chris
tian and most important national work.
the moral elevation Of soldiers.
Here is a thought from Prof Fainbairn
Of Mansfield college, England, worth
considering Being recently asked
whether he thought the pulpit was wan
ing in power, and whether he believed
tlltl IL WOulu pB superseded, he Teplleu'
1--WE have lowered the ministry by low
ering the standard of the men who can
enter it, They tell us that the age of
the pulpit is past. The age of the pulpit
is cnly coming, but it will be the age Of
a competent pulpit
The professor hits the nail on the head
in referring to lowering the standard of
the men who can enter the ministry.
That is what's the matter with all the
once properly called Learned profess
sions." The standard of admission has
been lowered. The leveling process
leveling downward--h obtained to the
detriment of the church, of the legal
and of the medical professions, with it's
necessarily resulting injury to and af-
fecting more or less the whole body pol
itic. Yes, "a competent pulpit" is large
ly the need of the church. as competent
bar is the need of the state and a COM
petent medical faculty the need of the
preservation of the individual as well
as the public health. Let the standard
of admission be raised.
\ y y
Prof. Munro of the University Of Penn
sylvania, contributes an article to The
Chautauquan (October) upon the in
fluence exerted by Martin Luther upon
literature, that is of churchly interest.
He shows among other things the free
dom with which Luther criticised the
Bible. Although maintaining the essen
tial unity of the book and uphoding its
authority, the great reformer considered
it's parts of varying worth. He contend
ed that the Old Testament was to be in
terpreted by the Gospels, and of these
Johns Gospel, st. Paul's Epistles and
st. Peters first epistle were "the right
kernel and marrow of all books"
"In his Table Talk continues Prof.
Munro, che compared the form of the
book of Job to that of the comedies Of
Terence; he wished that the book of
Esther did not exist; he said the story
Of Jonah was moro lying and more alb
surd than any fable of the poets, adding.
If it did not stand in the Bible I should
laugh at it as lie' Luther criticised
reverently and never intended that
others should use the same freedom that
he did, Mr.. Munro says that Luther
was the pioneer of higher criticism, and
adds: "The most progressive modern
scientific thought is only following the
lines laid down by him. For if one is to
use his reason in estimating the value OF
the most sacred subjects, obviously he
is to try and estimate all things else by
the standard Of his own judgment.
~ + =
The bishops of the Methodist Episcopal
church ended their labors in semi-an-
nual session at Baltimore, Nd, on the
rf rChojr naVt y,1optinrr
takes place in Albion, Mich, on the 4th
of May, 1898. After adjournment the
bishops attended a meeting of the Gen
eral Church Extension society at Phila-
delphia. They went thence to Brooklyn
to be present at a gathering Of the
Aid society.
Referring to the church of the future
and the hope that it will not be gov
erned by the wishes and beliefs of the
dead past, Rev. Clarence Lathbury, in
the Arena (October) says many pointed
and striking things. He thinks the old
theologies are as foreign to us as the old
that truth must be inter-
preted anew by each generation; that
"the mama" must be gathered fresh ev-
cry morning, it will not keep over night.
"Ths enthroning the fathers" says Mr..
and handing them the scep-
ter Of the present is simply puerile. We
are the ancient. The world was never
so old and wise as now. The modern
man gathers up the erudition and ex-
periences of all cycles of history and
them with those of the
present. He is therefore the conclusion
and embodiment of all discovery and
wisdom since the dawn of time. Why
then should we go to the fathers?" This
is a paraphrase of the Tennysonian SEN
timent that we are
Heirs of all the ages
In the foremost files of time
But surely we must go to the past,
If not to the fathers, for many things,
unless indeed the faith of Christianity
be a growth and an evolution instead of
a perfect moral and religious entity en-
anating from the lips of Christ and His
apostles.
The question of the denominational-
ism Of the Christian Endeavor society
Is Just now the cause of lively discussion
IN the columns of the religious news
papers. The Christian Work claims that
The society is distinctively denomina-
tional, as is shown by the nature of the
pledges which the members of each So
ciety make at the outset. Says that
Journal: "Christian Endeavor is first
and last denominational organization
Los ANGELES TERMINAL RAILWAY
NOV. %. 1887.