The record-union., 1898-06-19
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
a. Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.


York "Churchman" (P. Ed. that the
doctrine of the Trinity, as it is defined
by the theologians, appears to many
as purely a metaphysical and theologi-
cal definition of the divine nature. 10
the average man it seems TO belong
wholly to the region OF abstract specu-
lation, and to have little or no bearing
upon human conduct. But If the church
has led her children on Trinity Sunday
to the summit of the Christian truth III
the revelation of God as Father, Son
and Holy Ghost, has she not also led
them to the highest plane of Christian
living? Does not the whole glorious
revelation of God in Christ culminate
in the crowning Christian virtue of
charity? The fathers Of the early
church saw the great practical value
of the doctrine of the Trinity, and
therefore they always spoke of it as
the External Charity Speculation
may have explored the world Of possible
belief but from all its wanderings it
brings back, as the most precious heri-
tage of it's journey into the realm of
the Infinite and the Absolute, law of
life. To acknowledge the glory Of the
Eternal Trinity and in the power of the
Divine Majesty to worship the Unity,
true faith to be more charitable, more
fOrgiving, more self-sacrificing. Trim
ity Sunday, therefore, which seemingly
is given up to the presentation of an. ar
ticle of religion which belongs wholly
to the domain of the theologian and
philosopher, is of all our Christian festi-
walls the one which most fully embodies
and expresses the great practical
Christian law of love-
1T is hardly necessary" says the
Living Church" (P. Ed Of Chicago, "to
show that the simple requirement that
in the sacraments of baptism and the
Lords Supper the use of the words and
elements ordained by Christ Himself
shall be preserved, gives no security
for the proper administration of those
sacraments, or for perpetuating the
| teaching Of the church concerning them.
According to the terms of this prov:s-
ion, it would be sufficient to read the
history of the institution as a lesson,
and then distribute bread and wine
But we are reminded that the form or
| directory to be used by any such con-
| Sregation must be authorized by The
| Bishop, and that we ought to trust to
the wisdom and discretion of the sue.
cessors Of the Apostles The fact re-
mains that in this matter the church
does not trust the individual Bishop 1t
| is SAID that in the earliest period of
the church. each Bishop had the jus
| liturSicun1 in his own diocese without
restriction. He had supreme control
| over his own liturgy. But for many
ages it has not been so. Little by lit
| tie. canons were passed limiting the
episcopal right in this matter Pro-
vincial control superseded that Of the
diocesan Bishop. And from the pro-
vince this control passed to the ma
tional church, or to patriarchal jur-
isdiction. IN our own church the Jus
liturgicum of the individual Bishop has
been very strictly limited The regu-
lar worship of the church has been
taken out Of his hands. 1t is not even
subject to the exclusive control Of the
whole House of Bishops Upon what
principle, then, are we asked to trust
the Bishop in a matter in which for
ages the church has not trusted him %
THE REV. Professor Charles A.
Briggs, ID. D., of Union Theological
Seminary. author of American Presby-
terianism' and other erudite and we'll
known volumes, was admitted to dea-
cons orders in the Protestant Episco-
| pal Church on May 9th" says the New
| York Evangelist" (Pres.). THE office
Of ordination was performed by Bishop
Henry c. Potter in Grace Church, who
| also some time since (about Easter
| tide), received Professor and Mrs
| Briggs to the communion of the Epis-
| copal Church. 1t is doubtless well for
his peace of mind that Professor Briggs
| is thus enthusiastically beyond further
| attack on the part of certain of our
church papers, but we nevertheless re-
gret his partial severance from the
church he has served so long, and, on
| the whole, with such distinguished use
| fulness. He has won a great name as
scholar, while serving in the Presby-
terian ranks, and he was we'll entitled
| to continue in her fellowship to the
end But the whole situation taken
into account. he has perhaps done wise
ly in this change of church relations,
and after all we are not to lose him
entirely. We call it only partial sew
erance.' for happily he is to continue.
as for so many years, in the discharge
Of his full duties as a Professor in
| Union Theological Seminary"
There must be considerable uncer-
| talnty,' observes the "UniVersalist" of
Boston and Chicago. ION the part of
Professor Briggs over the farewell Of
the Presbyterians and the greeting Of
| the Episcopalians, for While some OF
| his former brethren are shouting good
| riddance,' others are asking with sor-
row If they could not have made room
| for him in the old church without
crowding anyone else out. And at the
| threshold of his new religious home
| while some hands are reaching forth
with nfh