The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-05-22
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec q
tartan Press.

among us who, unable to deny the evil
dent meaning of the Prayer Book. dis
parage the strong, dogmatic teaching
of its prayers and services so wonder
fully consistent throughout, by alleg-
ing that the language of devotion is a
thing by itself. 1t is not to be taken
too seriously. 1t is fervid and poetical,
mystical if you will, and more or less
of the atmosphere of ancient and out
worn conditions and modes of thought
still clings to it. 1t is, perhaps, too
beautiful to be sacrificed. The best
plan is to treat it as poetry to reduce
it to a system of symbols, under which
new thoughts, characteristic of the
present age, may be understood. If
such a treatment of the Prayer Book
could prevail-which we do not believe
to be possible-all hope would be taken
away of maintaining the faith and
keeping it alive among the people,
through the forms Of the liturgy 1t
is the most skillful plan ever devised
for depriving the Prayer Book of its
power and usefulness, and reducing it
to a repository of mere emotional out
pourings, destitute of solid meaning.
But the majority of men, we are as
forms so carefully composed, so free
from extravaganza, and so destitute of
mere emotionalism, mean anything else
than what they say The Prayer Book
will continue to be, as it has been in
the past, a bulwark of the faith"
=
The Rev. DR.. Herrick Johnson. writ
ling in the New York EVANGELIST
(Pres,) on DR.. McGinert's Apostolic
Age" which has raised a commotion
in the Presbyterian Church, says: AT
ter reading some parts of his book over
and over again, and still reaching the
conclusion that on all the great evan
gelical doctrines of our church he was
true to the historic belief of Christen-
dom, and accepted without doubt or
question the Deity of Christ and of
the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the res
direction of Jesus Christ from the dead
His ascension to heaven, and kindred
doctrines, l did what I would have an
other do to me in like circumstances, 1
wrote to him my belief, based upon his
book, of his full acceptance of the evan
gelical faith, and asked him if he could
consistently confirm my conclusion.
am not at liberty to make public his
letter in reply, but he distinctly au-
thorized me to say that he neither de-
mics nor questions any of these doc
trines, and that he is a thorough going
evangelical believer, standing squarely
on the platform of the inspiration of the
Scriptures, and the Deity both of
Christ and of the Holy Spirit, and ac-
cepting unquestioningly the Saviors
resurrection and ascension "
THE Presbytery Of .Pittsburg has me-
morialized the assembly to require the
Presbytery of New York to take action
in the case of ProfessF McGiffert. We
are exceedingly sorry,}' says the In
terror (Pres.) of Chicago, "to contem-,
plate another heresy trial. Like civil
wars, these set ecclesiastical wars bring
out the evil in human nature and gen
crate undying hatreds; bring reproach
upon the church and paralysis to its
work 1t is a fearful responsibility
either to the man who brings an avoid
able prosecution for heresy, or to the
man who forces it upon the church
and every case involves one or the
other. With most Others we We're indig-
nant at first and despairing afterward,
when this new casuso belli was flung in
our faces But the teachings of the
book which it is proposed to bring
under ecclesiastical review in the per-
son of its author, have been universally
repudiated. Even Professor Briggs
came to the defence of the Lords Sup
per- This has led us to ponder whether
it is worth while, whether there will
be any gain to compensate the loss Of
arriving at a judicial anathema. We
saw at once in the volume that 1t was
interlined with caveats and inconsis-
fences which seemed to be after
thoughts in view of a heresy trial. The
author expected it, and no doubt de-
sires it. Is it worth while to accommo-
date him?''
1.-THE fundamental, though often un
recognized, question respecting the
Bible" says the New York Outlook
SIS much the same as that which half
century ago was raised respecting the
rocks To those who found in geology
evidence that the world was not made
in six days, it was replied that God
could make fossils and put them in
the rocks by an instantaneous process
of creation In a somewhat similar
manner it is now said that God could
disregard the ordinary laws of literary
structure and development in a sacred
book especially inspired for the pur
pose of furnishing a revelation Of Him.
To this the modern student responds,
The question is not what God could do,
but what He has done; and in the alb
sence of evidence to the contrary--and
there is no such evidence--it must be
assumed that the general laws of the
human mind. the operation of which
makes possible literary and pathological
study, operated in The minds OF the an
cient Hebrew writer's, and may be as
sumed by US in a study OF their writ
ings If not, then all scientific study of
the Bible becomes impossible"
THE most striking feature of the
strange situation we have to face" says
the New York independent" lis. that
secularity itself has taken on some of
the features of religion and assumed its
place and authority. 1t has aspects in
which ii vies with religion in moral ele
walton and grandeur. offers Itself as a
sufficient philosophy for the guidance
of life and the training of character,
and does not hesitate to proclaim the
faith of the Christian a kind of other
worldliness' which is no longer of use
in the conduct and experience of life.
Il is not strange that even Christian
character should droop and waver
under this tremendous reinforcement
OF secular motive. Men fall not because
argument for right living has been
shaken to pieces, but because they are
not morally strong enough TO hold
themselves up to the standard. The
foundations of religious truth remain