The record-union., 1899-09-24
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

/
| the New York "Churchman" (P. E).
| They seem to feel that the best way
to win England is to criticise Rome. 0t
course, the ritual controversy has
reused that hope that seems to spring
eternal in the breast of the English
Romanist; but whether IL be a. shrewd
move to attract recalcitrants from Can
terbury by recalcitrating from home. or
whether it be due to a changed mind, it
Is certain that there is more outspoken
criticism Of the hierarchy than for
many day. The Weekly Register is
actually angry at Cardinal N-aughan's
somewhat foolish resuscitation Of the
old abuse of alien priories at NVestniin
ster, where he has introduced j body Of
monks from Solesmes to sing the daily
offices, while The spiritual business of
the institution is to be carried CIT by
the regular clergy It raises the cry of
'un- English! 1t is vexed, just as the
Anglo-Saxons in Norman times used to
be yexed, at the .gnoring of the English
! Benedictines in favor of these grasp
Ing foreigners of course it says
and we find it hard to believe that the
voice is of the nineteenth. not of the
twelfth century-'the money for these
|
from the poen-,s of English atholic
laty; it is they who will be asked to
provide buildings ard enduwnents f r
French monks etc. Surely, this does
something smack of Professionalism. It
would seem as though English Roman
lists We're going over again the
! ground their countrymen traversed in
the sixteenth century, and discovering
- IL Il vl,a
has always meant-greed, and foreign
ambition to rule and to oppress.
# X
'Sir William Harcourt, whose letters
OF the London Times did so much to
fan the flames of dissension last tall,
las made haste to send up q shout OF
triumph over the recent decision of the
Archbishops,'' says the Living
Church" P. Ed of Chicago. HE re-
CARDS it as a complete Endorsement of
his own position, and as committing the
| episcopacy of England TO a course Of
action which will cut up by the roots
the whole system AMI operation of the
Catholic revival { anything were
| needed to provoke disobedienea, it
would only be necessary to convince the
high church clergy that Sir William is
/ j
that the episcopacy, under the leader
ship of Canterbury and York intend to
initiate a new reformation of this de-
seription, and nothing more would DC
needed to drive them into an absolutely
unyielding position. But nothing is
more certain than that the Archbishops
have not seen the logic of their position
in the same light with Sir William, and
AZ
adopting such a line Of action. 1t is
much to be hoped that the clergy and
| laity most concerned will keep their
heads, and not suffer themselves to be
influenced by political defamation The
attempt to cut at the roots of the Cath
| olic revival has been made at least
| twice-once in the early days of the
movement, when the Bishops were
unanimous in their attack upon it; and
again through the Public Worship
/ Regulation Act The results were not
reassuring to those who thought thus
to defeat a great cause. The present
decision is not a renewal of such at
tempts."
How large a number of ritualists
will refuse to obey the decision cannot
of course, be known" says the New
York Observer (Pres.) But as it is
said that the Bishops will accept it as a
basis of action in proceedings taken
against those who defy it, the great
majority may be expected to do SO fl
nally but for the declaration of some
of the extremists that they would well
come disestablishment rather than di-
verge from what they hold to be the
n
trine and liturgy of the ancient En-
glish Church. 1t is difficult to believe
that clerCymen who have promised obe-
dience to Episcopal authority and con-
formity to the prayer-book will repudi-
ate both. 1t is still more difficult to
imagine that they will retain the pay
and privileges of the church while
teaching doctrines and practices which
that church declares to be unlawful.
Should they do SO, however, it would
doubtless be a mistake to assume that
proceedings will not be taken against
them, or that under the decision they
cannot be made to submit or be de-
prived of their offices. The recalci-
trants will not be dealt with hurriedly,
and every effort will be made to smooth
the retreat of those who have wan
/ the church But that the decision will
be enforced there is little doubt, even
at the risk of an actual split in the An
gIican communion"
."The child is at the front to-day in
/ the consideration Of educational. relig
ious and social problem" says the Bos-
/ ton ''Congregat But the
churches are largely unconscious of the
| fact. They have no well-defined views
/ in regard to it. Infant baptism is only
one element in this problem of the re-
/ lation of the child to the church, yet
perhaps if it were clearly defined it
would prove to be the key to the solu-
| ton Of the whole question. Belief in
/ infant baptism is not and ought not to
! be a condition of membership in Com
gregational churches. Some Congre
gationalsts do not believe in it. 9th
ers know nothing about it ,and ignore
it. Some ministers hold that all In
fants belong in the kingdom of God,
and that to sprinkle water on their
heads in the name of Christ is to claim
them for his kingdom Others still-and
we are of this number-believe that the
/ family is the unit Of society and of the
church: that in the covenant between
/ Christian parents and their heavenly
/ father their children are included that
| in offering their children in fbaptism
/ the parents and the church recognize
! this covenant and renew it in this re-
spect, that they promise to teach their
children to know and love God, relying
! on His promise to the childrenS chill