The record-union., 1898-09-25
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

tartan Press.
There are subjects Of such import
| ance as to require special and very
| careful study, including the gathering
| OF much information which may not be
easily accessible, before any direct leg
| lSlation should be attempted" says the
Church Standard (P. Ed Of Philadel-
| phia. I'VE respectfully submit that the
grave subjects of marriage and divorce
! belong in that category. We have
| pleaded against rash legislation on
| those subjects; we have neither said
nor thought that legislation is unnec-
| essAry. We believe it to be irnpera-
| lively necessary; but it would be better
never to legislate than to legislate, as
the Joint Commission has proposed, on
| the ground of an ignorant medieval
tradition of Western monks, which IS
consistent neither with Holy Scripture,
nor with Catholic tradition, nor with
common sense. The General Conven-
ton needs more information than it has
before it can grapple wisely with the
great difficulties of that subject. The
| whole miscarriage of the Joint Com
mission has been caused by the simple
fact that its zeal has been greater than
its knowledge. What we should pro-
| pose, then, is that the House Of Dep
uties, acting by itself independently.
| should appoint a commission, not to
propose legislation, but to gather infor-
nation and communicate it to the
house at it's next annual session. 1t
would verify be a tremendous work.
hn art olyp n
at one time, and the membership of
such a commission (not committee)
need not be confined to the member
ship of the house. If the House of
Deputies We're to take such action, the
House of Bishops would be constrained
in sheer self-defense to take similar
action, for it could not afford to allow
it's own prestige to be damaged by
tagging behind the lower house Thus,
in three years, or more likely, in six
years or nine, the. members of both
houses might be expected to take up
the subject of marriage and divorce
with more intelligence and with some
thing like a matured and reasonable
conviction"
This steady leavening of the Church
of England with papal practices has
its natural result in the increasing de-
sire for reunion with Rome, and still
more significantly, in transfers to the
Roman obedience" says the Con
gregationalist" of Boston. When the
differences Of practice are so slight it
is quite natural for people to take the
final step. In a game of sell assertion
the Roman voice speaks loudest The
ritualists are everywhere schooling men
for Rome. The Pope, on the authority
of Cardinal Vaughan, recently said IN
public that in the (Romen Catholic
diocese of Westminster there are TO
fewer than 600 to 700 converts month
ly,' or, at the lowest figure, 1900 year
ly in London alone. The Pope's fig
ures are not infallible. but the step
from ritualism to Rome grows ever
shorter, and many take it."
eve are not now undertaking to
criticise the Sunday-school," says the
Living Church" (P. Ed of Chicago.
Every one knows it's weaknesses ard
defects. On the contrary the lesson We
wish to impress is this: If the Sunday
school is the only tangible means left
for the Christian training of the young
1t is Of the utmost Importance that the
best possible should be made of the
brief opportunity which it affords The
Christian faith surely ought to be
taught with the utmost thoroughness,
illustrated in every possible way, and
enforced by every appeal Of love and
tenderness to the religious instincts,
which in the child are still fresh and
ready to respond to every true toucn.
Then comes the call of duty upon
which the whole Of lift ought to be
constituted, to keep Gods holy will
and commandments, and to walk in the
same all the days of my life What
this will Is and how to keep it. the
special duties of religion through
which the Christian soul maintains it's
relation to God and exalts it's life TO
the sphere of spiritual realities, sur
rounding itself with the atmosphere
of absolute purity and holiness, iced
to be constantly enforced In PRAYER
and sacrament the spiritual life abides,
and grows from strength to strength.
While the heart is still tender and the
mind still responsive to all that is truly
divine, is the time to impress indelibly
these precious lessons, to cultivate to
to form habits which cannot be easilv
broken
"A small body may have great mis-
slon, says the Christian Register"
(Unit) of Boston. TT may have such
a mission simply by accepting it. by
seeking to be fit for it and worthy of it. /
The high calling comes to all who will
hear and heed. The warrant for doing
divine work belongs to any who will |
do such work. The power is present |
Wherever there is first willing mind.
A dozen men, with the divine endow- |
ment, with the devotion. zeal and per-
slstence of apostles, might do again for |
the modern world what was done by |
the twelve, as We idealize them and |
their work eighteen hundred and fifty |
years ago. A dozen men who should |
forget themselves in the business. who |
should throw themselves fearlessly up