The record-union., 1898-12-18
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
HE Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.
We do not believe it is necessary"
says the Living Church" P. Ed Of
Chicago, "for spirituality, to read the
Bible through once a year, or to read
SO many chapters every Sunday. We
fear, alasi that too many children have
been turned from the way of righteous
ness by being wearied out with mere
routine of Sabbath observances, at a
time when they should have been al
lowed part of Sunday to themselves,
and not taught that there was any
thing wrong in simple, healthful exer-
else. One finds it hard to legisIate
about such things, but everybody
knows there have been any amount of
foolish restrictions from the earliest
days even until now. Our Lords SIM
pie and eminently practical treatment
of the Sabbath day question should
have been a rebuke to extremists for
all coming time. We must be espe-
cially careful not to make Sunday
bugbear. while at the same time we
must show ourselves that reverence for
the day which viii have its effect upon
those who are growing up around US.
We do not want to see the true Sab
bath idea pass away, though the day
itself is properly called Sunday. 1t
is not merely the number of services
we attend that is the test of our growth
in grace. The Lords day is pTe-emi-
nemtly and first of all a day Of mingled
worship and rest-rest from corroding
business cares, and rest from exciting
and enervating pleasures as we'll"
'"rhe Protestant, Roman and Greek
churches have saved men from them
selves and from one another. They
have secured noble triumphs in the
spiritual life Of man. But each has
also revealed it's limitations and imper-
fection. The thinking soul, the grow
ing mind, the living heart, is bigger
and better than the best of books"
says the New Unity" Unit) of Chi
cago. TT is truer and nobler than the
most magnificent of churches. 1t is
more sacred and awful than the hottest
of rites and the most sacred symbol.
Sooner or later the soul of man must
find its center of gravity within it's own
base if it is to stand. God is in the
tide that flows through the human
heart, and if He is ever found He must
be found there. The only true rela-
tiOnship with God is that first hand re-
lationship that sanctifies sacraments,
crowns Popes and makes the Bible The
seat of reason is the seat of religion.
The heart of love is the throne of God,
and conscience is His voice as heard
through the imperfect organization of
man. To the salvation of the soul the
Bible holds the same relation as the
Sheaf of wheat does to health. Thresh-
ed, Winnowed, ground, eaten and di
gested it is life. But this does not pre-
vent the indolent pauper from starving
in a stackyard or the dyspeptic wasting
away in a bakery"
THE English speaking world is sup
piled frequently nowadays with a new
translation of some book Of the Bible
into English" says the New York
Christian Intelligencer" (Ref). THE
fact is one OF the pernicious results of
the higher criticism, so called. The
majority Of these renAerings are not
good English. They are English with
a Hebrew idiom, that is not English,
but Hebrew English, or as to the New
Testament Greek English. The Revised
Version is faulty in many passages
through its literalness. Suppose any
French or German book of to-day were
translated after that fashion. How it
would be ridicuied and condemned! But
a great many people encourage such
vicious treatment Of the Bible because
the Bible condemns their sins and
humbles their pride. The best render
ing Of the Bible into English to-day is
the King James Version, because it is
in Incompatible English"
= &#
I'm the religious world" says the
'Watchman" (Bapt.) Of Boston, "some
excellent people regard discussion as
full Of peril. They regard absence of
discussion as a token of blessed har-
mony; whereas it frequently indicates
Indifference to the great matters con-
cerning which the minds of men, should
be aroused. The periods of exciting re-
igious controversy, like those in which
Athanasius, Augustine and Luther en-
gagged, have been epochs of intense
spiritual vitality. In our own time the
tokens are already evident that the
attacks upon the scriptures are begin
ming to result in a clearer and
stronger conviction as to their unique
dulnOIIly.- OUe OI lDe mann CRITICISMS
against the Baptist Congress has been
that it affords a free platform for the
expression Of opinion. Certain ex-
treme and sometimes fantastic notions
have been expressed in that body, but
why should the men who entertain
these ideas be silent about them? Let
them bring them out in debate. and an
opportunity be given to reply to them.
Discussion is one Of the principal ways
to arrive at truth. A belief that can
not be defended and that cannot main
tain itself against all comers, certainly
needs reconstruction. The net result
of the sixteen sessions of the Baptist
Congress, in which the largest liberty
for the expression of opinion has been
encouraged, has not been to strengthen
eccentric opinions, but to demonstrate
that the common beliefs of our
churches can be vigorously defended
Unless we gravely mistake, these de-
bates have been a powerful force for
working towards the essential harmony
OF our churches"
at is unhappily true says the New
York Examiner" (BaDt). that at
tendance upon public worship especi-
ally in our large cities, has suffered a
decline from which there are no pres
ent indications of recovery The
causes of this deplorable neglect are
apparent on a little reflection. In some
measure it is a reaction against the
rigid Sabbatarianism of an earlier
y1ar-i0d IF wa