The record-union., 1898-01-30
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.


church.. says the Living Church
/ (P. E.) of Chicago. The wide gate
and broad way will leave no distinction
between the path of salvation and the
underlined limits Of the world which
ieth without. The Baptists at their
gatherings a short time ago surprised
us by advocating view of things
which would, without much pressing,
abolish the necessity of baptism. We
, are now told by the Outlook that his
torical scholarship has proved that the
Lords supper is not. in strictness OF
speech, a church ordinance. 1t is the
Passover transformed, and the Pass
over was a family, rather than 4
church, festival 1t goes on to say
that: 1t is true that in the early church
generally those who united with the
church We're baptized. and generally
| only those sat down at the Supper OF
the church who were members of the
church. But there is no authority for
erecting this national custom into a
divine statute. No baptism of any kind
is a prerequisite to the Communion; the
only prerequisite is love for Christ and
loyalty TO Him. This is historical
scholarship with vengeance. 1t only
remains to round this off by adding
what we learn from another quarter;
namely, that our Lord at the last sup
per haa no intention to institute a per-
manent institution. There was, there
fore, no authority for erecting this or
dinance any more than the other into
a divine statute. Thus baptism and
the Holy. Communion both being set
| ociI Cih ic Inff
manent outward badge of the Christian.
The Quakers would appear to have been
in the right in giving up both these in
stitutions.''
Must we conclude that ecclesiastical
discipline is worse than failure for
| the ends which it seeks to accomplish?
If not that, at least so much we must
conclude-that ecclesiastical discipline
for doctrinal errors is a very dangerous
curative practice" says the interior
| Pres) of Chicago. This is not the
ory, but fact Of history and of ex-
perience. 1t is to be employed only in
such emergencies and in such manner
and in such a spirit that no smirch of
the norfid stain of fire and blood shall
rest upon it. A prosecuting church
ought to perish, and will perish, unless
Christianity is to perish. Irenic forms
and words in the lips of a prosecuting
spirit only add to its blackness and
balefulness of aspect by the contrast.
We have before said that a. man whom
to convict Of heresy an elaborate ar
gument is required, is ipso facto not
a hereto. The hereto is a loveless man
that is the Scriptural definition. 1t is
the man who openly, Wantonly, la
grantly, in violation of his solemn prom
ise to seek and maintain the peace Of
the church. insults her faith at some
vital and essential point and4 thereby
inflicts pain and injury upon her and
her faithful people-takes away, so far
as he can, her repose in God and her
trust in her Redeemer. To be heresy
it must have in it the spirit of reck-
less or wanton injury-the absence of
the spirit of considerate love and re-
gard for consequences. This does not
necessarily imply rudeness of manner,
though usually the animus can only be
thinly concealed. Like it's counterpart,
the spirit of religious persecution, it is
visible through disguises.'
The scriptures are clear enough as
to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit says
the New York a"Independent." Doubt
less, God is revealed to US, in His spir-
itual operations within US, as an in
working spirit. There is Holy
Ghost. But He is revealed to US not
for specula ton, not for theological an
alysis, not for religious discussion but
for comfort. He is called the Com
forter. Jesus told His disciples about
the Holy Spirit, just for the purpose
that they might not feel orphaned after
He should leave them. They were to
understand and remember that wher-
ever they We're, in whatever distress
or loneliness, Gods spirit would be
with them. Before priests, rulers, or
Kings, in prison or on the cross, they
could be at peace, because the Com
forter was with them, and He would
support them until God Should take
them to Himself. Equally they were
not to be left without a teacher when
their Master should be taken from
them. Jesus would leave them, in bod
lily presence, but the Holy Spirit would
bring to their minds all His teachings
in His absence. The spirit of all truth
would guide them into new truth. Thus
the divine inspiration should be with
them; they should be filled with the
spirit, they should speak with tongues;
still better they should interpret; still
better. they should prophesy-that is,
they should be empower to preach and
teach. so that their words would be
with power. All this was told them for
their encouragement, their comfort.
This comfort was the purpose of the
doctrine of the Holy Spirit revealed to
them, comfort and strength in appli-
cation, comfort and strength in teach
ing and service.
.eThe two great branches of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in this
country are identical in creed and dis
cipline." says the New York Exam
iner" (Bapt), but separated from
each other fifty odd years ago on a
question that has been dead for more
than thirty years. Every attempt to
unite the two bodies has thus far failed.
new one is now in progress through
a ioint commission sitting in Baltimore,
and we shall await the issue with inter
est. We hear a good deal, now and
again. of the great desirability of a
union of all evangelical churches; but
the inquiry naturally arises: If two
branches of the same church, divided
by nothing more tangible than a rem
iniscence. will not give up their sepa-
rate existence, how can it be supposed
that divisions based on fundamental
differences can be brushed aside with
a mere wave of the hand?"
1T is possible for an age to be ire
lioious both on the side of a material