The record-union., 1899-11-19
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

upon any man who believes what DR..
McGlffert believes to withdraw from
the church, the right, nay, the duty of
SUCH man to remain in the church, if
only by way of solemn protest against
the setting up of any other rule of faith
than the standards our church has
MADE her own, must be obvious to all
VINO are thoroughly and from the
hearts core Presbyterians,' says the
New York Evangelist (Pres.). When
until now has the Presbyterian Church
been afraid of scholarship? When
until now has she blinked in the face
of light? When until now has the
fact that her great men have been in
the van of learning and of thought and
of intellectual progress been anything
but her glory and her pride? And has
1t come to this at last, that the Pres
byterlan Church in America dares not
keep pace with Presbyterians in Scot
land, in England, in France, in the
search for the rights of conscience?
Has it come to this, that our standards
are no longer the protection of every
one VINO subscribes to them? Has it
come to this, that our church is fain
! 10 make an assault on the rights of
conscience as the only way to conserve
the truth she holds? No, thousand
times no! Our church is no timorous
weakilng, tagging behind the march
OF thought. She may for a moment
nave faltered in dread of she knew not
what; but the experience of a long CEN
fury has taught her that there is nc
danger IN reverent inquiry no weakness
IN patience, no disloyalty in giving
room TO every honest man who invokes
the protection of her Standards
speaking of DR.. McGiffert's reported
refusal to withdraw from the Presby-
terrain Church, the New York out
look says: Or. McGiffert insists. as
we understand him, that his teaching
Is not inconsistent with the standards
OF that church: that under those stan
uaruS there is provided all the liberty
VI teacnlng which he claims for him
sell and for the young men who are
uIuer MS instruction. For him to
ABANDON this claim until it is proved
erroneous by constitutional methods
would be to abandon the younger men
IN the ministry whom he represents
ana Tor whom he is standing. The
presbyterian Church has a constitu-
tlon, and 1t provides method for de-
termining whether any individual min
lister Is acting within his constitutional
ilpertles or not. AS this method in
wolves heresy trial, and heresy trials
0ie iiot popular, another and as it
'eeiis ~ US, extra-c unconstitutional, if
iioe unconstitutional, method was hit
upoh at the last meeting of the Cen
eral Assembly for getting rid of the
question which DR.. McGiffert's teach
ihss nave raised. Resolutions were
passed purporting to be an interpreta-
ton OF the standard, but really consti-
tutlng another standard. among them
the declaration that the Statements Of
the Holy Scriptures are absolutely free
from error when interpreted in their
natural and intended sense. Then DR..
McGlffert was asked either to acknowl
edge the accuracy of this new standard.
or else to withdraw. This is not the
constitutional method provided for in
the church for amending its constitu-
ton
Inc professional theologian ACQUIRES
peculiar abstractedness of thinking"
observes the INTERIOR of Chicago
winch appears to come of his profess
lonal necessity for system. Here is
LII. DE Witt asking and repeating the
question, III We accept the conclusions
OF the new Biblical criticism, can we
sui mold to the unity, the truth. the
inspiration, and the self-evidencing
quality of the Holy Bible?' Can we
hold to this proposition, which is duly
formulated, labeled, and filed awav.
and thus becomes part of an abstract
theological system? Well. now. if q
man will study the Bible, and do what
it says, he will find out for himself
whether it be united, truthful, and self-3
evidencing; and while the question
whether there We're one Isaiah or FORTY
may possibly have a curious interest
for him, if his attention be called to
II, yet ne will not find it in any way
related to or influencing his conclusion. |
rms habit of systematizing everything
in religious truth seems to produce an
abnormal pathological condition of the
mind, Which cannot eat the fruit of the
tree OF life, unless it be cooked, nor |
drink of the waters of salvation with |
out first making tea of Them
we 90 not think 1t presumptuOus,
says the Catholic Champion" (P Ed |
of the New York Guild of ST. Ignatius, |
that We or any members of the church |
should offer suggestions to the com
mittee of General Convention, and we
therefore venture to give this advice: |
First, lay it down that the clergy shall !
not countenance marriages of persons |
who have really been married, and di-
vorced for any cause, while both are !
living. Secondly, provide a tribunal, |
appointed according to a canon of the |
general convention, to which all doubt |
full questions shall be referred. Let |
them not be left to individual priests, |
nor referred to individual bishops. Even |
II we credit every bishop with the sin
cerest purpose of obeying Gods |
law and doing justice, yet multiplicity |
of tribunals of appeal will inevitably |
lead to conflicting decisions, and the |
force OF the very best canon that can |
H.