The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-06

self. / believe He has been in all the
great line oIwitnesses and martyrs, the
true, faithful men in every age of the
world, in any religion, under every sky,
who have consecrated themselves to the
truth and given themselves to the love
and service of their fellow men, These
words have false ring. If Jesus were
no more than this He would not be a
Christ who could save us, and il He
could not save US, it would not be worth
cur while to know Him. For deep down
in our Utmost souls we know men gen.
orally know, that humanity is not right
with God as it is, and that a salvation,
adequate and sure. is a need To deny
this IS TO fail to penetrate beneath the
mere surface of human life And, IN
the effort to solve this problem, to lump
in Christianity with all other faiths that
have anywhere been taught at any
time, is the mark, not Of a clear, but Of
confused intellect"
I'VE have always been surprised"
says the .'Watchman' Bapt) of Bos-
ton, AT the remarkable interest taken
by other denominations in any discus
sion of the communion question among
Of other denominations at once seize
upon the debate as q 1--we topic for edi-
torial comment. and the daily press
treats it as one of the prominent ques-
tons of the hour. Any one who has
procured from q clipping bureau" the
articles that have appeared in the re-
li2ious and daily papers in regard 10
this feature of the Baptist Congress.
would think that whether or not Bap-
lists are TO continue to practice what
IS called close communion is one OF
the burning questions of the hour. 1t
might be plausible assumption that
our brethren OF other denominations re-
gard the practice of the BaptistS as a
serious bar to Christian union among
the evangelical churches. We're it not
that churches which are not separated
by such a practice show no particular
inclination 10 come into closer rela-
tions. Even the Disciples and the
Congregat ionaliStS; the several wings
of the Presbyterian Church; the Pres
byterian, the Reformed, and the Luth-
eran bodies-Which are held together
by so many historical and doctrinal ties
-aA doing very little to promote Chris
tian union in any organic way. Why
should the Baptists be singled out for
special attention as an obstacle in the
way of Christian union when churches
that have far more in common with
each other than with the Baptists re-
main aloof?"
THE discovery by George Smith Of a
full poetical account OF the Deluge IN
IN, Il tho bo mir ElNr.,s ny
at Nineveh was of immense interest,""
says The New York independent, but
it did not assure us of the age OF the
deluge story among the inhabitants of
the Eupbrates Valley; for it was on
tablets written in Asurbanipal's reign
that is, scarce six hundred years De-
fore Christ. To be sure, these were
said to be copied from tablets in Baby
lonian Libraries, but we did not know
how Old these original tablets We're. Be
sides, the deluge story was on the eIev-
enth tablet in a long poem, compiled
in twelve books, one for each month,
in quite artificial way. and might De-
long to a comparatively late period Of
religious and literary syncretism. The
Babylonian tablets, from which
the AsSyrian copies We're made, were
much desired Now Pere She'll has
made ths. discovery. To be sure the
record on the tablet does not amount
to much, it is such a fragmentary bit;
but it is large enough to make it sure
that the tablet contained the story Of
the deluge; and, most fortunately, the
most important part of all is preserved,
the colCnhon, with the date. 1t is
dated IN the reign of Ammizaduga.
King of Babylon: and we know that he
reigned about 2140 B. C. That is, we
have here a precious bit of clay on
which was written a poetical story of
the delUge, seven centuries before
Moses ard about the time of Isaac or
Jacob. That is enough to make the
discovery memorable. We learn posi-
lively that the story of the deluge was
familiar to the common people of Baby
lonia, and, therefore, of all the East
from Syria to Persia"
The Rev. DR.. II. NJ Field, writing
in the Evangelicai' Pres). remaks:
AS to the cases of Professors Briggs
and Smith. We thought at the time and
think now that the judgments were
very unjust and cruel, yet if the eases
We're brought up again. We have no
reason to suppose that the result would
be different The Presbyterian Church
is very conservative, and what it has
done before it would probably do again.
The contest has been SO bitter in our
New York Presbytery that some Of us
have felt that we had not grace to
attend its meetings. and that if we cen
suited our own peace, we had better
keep away. But no matter how the
cases Should be decided, they would be
appealed 10 the Synods and to the Cen
eral Assembly, with no end of bitter
ness, ana no matter what might be the
opinion of the most learned scholars
in the country, We should only be fight
ing the battle over again with PROB
ably the same result. Wherefore wa
say, Let US have peace,' Not only do
We say, Peace with honor but we
have been SO much disgusted with some
OF our ecclesiastical contests that we
are almost ready TO say, Peace even
with dishonor,' not dishonor by cur
own act, but dishonor put upon us by
the unjust judgment of others"
A Remarkable Diver.
native living in Nawiliwili. district
Of Lihue, on the Island of Kauai.
whom every one knows as Johnny, but
" hose family name is El1alol,oi &c :, pa