The record-union., 1898-03-27
iii .}EIIGiUM ) REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

| that the Articles had never been writ
| ten; We do not believe that Christian
/ ity Or unity has ever been helped, but
that 1t has been always and everywhere
hindared by the imposition Of dQctrlnai
! tests whether Roman CT Protestant,
which aIe doomed TO become obsolete
! within a few generations. But we GO
| not blame the English reformerS Tor
/ composing or imposing them. Take
them for all III all, these articles OF re-
! ligion are the most nobly catholic prod
! uct Of an age of universal sectarian
conflict. They We're written in cath
olic spirit and they were published
! with the pure intention to maintain
/ both catholic faith and Christian lib
erty''
1T is far better for all concerned,
says the, Living Church P. Ed OIL
! Chicago, that those who are in reality
! hostile to the principles of the body tG
! to which they belong should form
! hostile camp seen and understood OF
all men fer what they are than that
they should continue to hold position
| which enables them to reach and to
| influence people who would not Voiun-
tarily accept such leadership. But the
| Outlook" understands too we'll the ad-
vantage which q position within the
| body ccnfers upon one who IS wiling
to use it for the subversion of the faith
of those under his charge. That paper,
therefore, advises the liberal Episco-
palian' or the liberal Presby terrain to
| stay in unless he is put out. This ad-
vice IS accompanied with some remarks
on the necessity of unity in order to
carry on the common war against vice
and ignorance It is true that war
! cannot be carried on without unity.
But there can be no unity where there
is no agreement as to the weapons to
| be employed. What the outlook calls
! conserya tism and sacerdotalism insists
that tie antidote for vice and ignor-
ance is supernatural religion, with its
message OF forgiveness of sin and grace
to lead a new life. It is needless to say
that this is not the liberal view
Luther" says the New York out
! look" did not leave the Roman Cath
Olic Church; he would have remained
in it, but was turned out from it. Wes-
ley did not leave the Anglican Church;
he remained in it and died in it. Jesus
| Christ and Paul did not leave the jew
! ish Church; they would have remain
| ed in it, but were turned out from it.
We would have every liberal follow
! their example, and no conservative
church follow the example of the Jew
| ish Church. the Roman Church and
the Anglican Church. In a true sense,
Christianity. Lutherism, Puritanism
and Methodism were all reforms of the
| church from the inside. They would
have heen still more effectual reforms
had it not been for the spirit of heresy-
hunting and schism."
| Lately some of the religious jour
nails have been seeking information
which might shed light upon the mat
ter If securing better church attend
ance, says the New York Christian
Intelligencer'' Ref). Questions have
been sent to preachers asking as to
what kind of hearers they liked best
and TO layman as to what kind of
preacher they liked best The replies
have been varied and informing, and
we doubt not will be helpful. Yet we
cannot but think in both inquiries too
much emphasis has been laid upon likes
and dislikes The matter of Sunday
| observance and of the worship of the
|
than that of mere preference-What one
! likes or dislikes is subordinate to what
| is duty and what is spiritually health
| full The preacher can properly seek
to please his hearers, but that is sec
| ondary to pleasing his Master, and his
| own popularity must ever be subordi-
mated to faithfulness in proclaiming the
| truth Hearers should go to church
because it is Gods house and the ap-
pointed place for worship, rather than
from mere liking for the preacher The
example of our Lord is worthy of study
| in this connection"
"When people talk of going to In
dia for pure morality and Theism, go
ing back of the corruptiOns of modern
Hinduism to it's earlier purity" says
the New York independent ''one
may we'll recall that bad as the re-
Igion now is, the practices of olden
times would not now be endured. Not
to speak of the murder of infants and
the burning of widows as customs
hardly now extinct, it must be remem
bered that the most sacred castles ate
all sorts of animal food and exhausted
the botany of the country for intoxi
eating drinks There were twelve sorts
of sons and eight forms of marriage,
including capture and the taking of
brothers widows, and the most lille
gitimate relations by Rishis and their
wives Hecatombs Of animals We're
sacrificed, and even human victims.
There were hook-swingings and wheel
crushings, and the finging of living
men into rivers and over racks. There
wore DOIyparov and DOlVandry and
indecencies and debaucheries unmen-
tionable We shall not go back to old
India for morals and religion. Chris
| tianity is good enough"
THE old casuists,' says the New
York "Churchman," used to say that
there were two ways in which the
Christian could be affected by the
powers Of evil. The first was by tempt
/ alton, the second by possession. So
long as the Christian is conscious of
temptation there is a sense of conflict.
This is the wholesome and normal con-
dition in which the soul should live.
| This condition it is the purpose of Lent
to emphasize. It implies a clear sense
of the dividing line between good and
evil, right and wrong, a sensitiveness
to what is unholy and therefore hurtful
to spiritual life and an effort constant
| ~ to watch against it and keep it off.
This is the attitude of the fighter. L
I is in this view of the Christian career
that the servant of Christ confesses,
I find war, not peace, in following the
example of perfection All the second
airy purposes Of Lent are intended to
quicken this view of life as battle