The record-union., 1897-12-19
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS. NEWSPAPERS.

EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS. NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
| tartan Press.
! Discussing the possible formation OF
an african Protestant Eplscopai
Church. The Living Church" (P. Ed
| of Chicago says: With the fullest ap-
| probation of the existing dlfflcuiues,
we must beware of creating great
er difficulties. This project, al least IN
this shape, is Of a revolutionary char-
acter. Whatever may be said OF dio-
cesan episcopacy as essential or non
essential, it is certain that such thing
as two Bishops exercising jurisdiction
over the same territory, independently
of each other, even though 1t be over
different races, is an unheard-of thing.
1t is excluded by the whole trend of
canon law from the beginning, and this
is because it is in itself a violation of
the principle of unity, and must almost
inevitably lead on 10 actual disunion.
If we look at what is practicable, II Is
hardly TO be supposed that any number
Of diocesan Bishops will sanction a step
which violates their right of jurisdic-
| ton and seems TO tend directly TO the
| formation of a distinct and separate
organization. If any are Indifferent 1t
| may be because. not holding strongly
| to the catholic principle OF unity, they
| ara willing to entertain the idea OF
| separate church for colored men. Ii
| is possible there may be a better and
| safer plan, if not quite SO ambitious.
| When the time comes for the appoint
| rnent of colored men as Bishops, why
| might it not be as suffraSans within
! the dioceSeS as already constituted? 1t
i is proposed, we believe, to bring up the
subject of suffragan Bishops, hitherto
! forbidden under our canons, at the
next general convention. Ii would re-
quire no great change TO permit such
| Bishops to be constituted, and on ac
count Of the relations of a suffragan to
| his diocesan, no principle is violated,
and some risks are avoided.
when the war ended the Southern
! Presby:erians found small number of
negroes in their churches" says the
New York "Independent." Most of
the negroes We're speedily gathered into
independent Baptist and Methodist
churches: but a few remained Presby
terian, and in time very few colored
Presbyterian churches were organized.
Their white brethren were Christian
I hot thoN
to work for the education Of their col
| ored brethren, and then supply them
with pastors of their own race and
choice. They voted in general assembly
that, once ordained. the negro minister
| had the same ecclesiastical rights as the
white minister; and this is greatly to
their credit. But it was over and over
declared that this could not be a per-
| manent arrangement. They could not
endure to have it fixed policy to have
| white and negro ministers sit beside
each other as equals in the judicatures
| of the church, and declared that as soon
as possible the colored Presbyterians
must be set off by themselves into q
colored Presbyterian church, just as
| there are colored Baptist and Metho-
| dist denominations Now the time has
come. There are enough Presbyteries
Of colored churches in the South to Or
| ganize a separate denomination. This
| is done at the desire-such things al
| ways sre-of the negroes themselves.
| They know they are not welcome as
| equals, and they are glad to go out
| OF course they are. They like to be
moderators and clerks, and to discuss
| in the sessions and make the decisions,
as we'll as their white brethren; it is
| much pleasanter than sitting in the
| back seat and holding their tongues.
And so the Colored Presbyterian
| Church, long announced. comes at last,
with good wishes with promises of aid,
with caste separation. comfortably and
peaceably accomplished. 1t is very nice,
even if it be not Christian"
I'VE have great hopes of that section
of every denomination which is known
as the broad church," says the New
York Church Union.' ''The name has
perhaps been somewhat less in evidence
of late years but that character and
school of thought were never more
abundant or more influential. Indeed,
there are some denominations which
church-the praise of it is unto the
Lord. The new and brighter views on
theological subjects so characteristic Of
the broad church movement, these are
fast spreading and prevailing; the toll
erance and sympathy which We're ex-
tended unto other churches by the
broad church party of each church,
these have in many denominations PEN
the spirit OF the church; the emphasis
upon the all-permeating character of
sacred things the refusal to distinguish
between the secular and the sacred, the
insistence that the commonest uses of
the world could be and We're meant to
be religious, this inspiring. consecrating
teaching so prominent in the broad
church impulse was never more deeply
rooted in all sections of the church than
ii is to-day
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