The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-26
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
.2REssIONs FROM VARIOUS
MALICIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The. Religious Thought Of the Day
a. Expressed In tho SEQ
tartan Press.

a. Expressed In tho SEQ
TARTAN Press.
signs seem to show" says the "Liv-
ing Church (P. Ed of Chicago, that
among people of naturally devout and
reverent minds, and who realize what
the world is and what sin is, and VINO
yearn for One who is mighty to save.
tnere is a reaction going on against
modern substitutes for the ancient Cos
pei, IN favor Of definiteness as against
Vagueness; something secure and fixed,
Wnere all is fluctuating and uncertain
iney crave Gospel which, while it
is universal in it's power of adaptation
10 the needs of men, is, on the side
OF God and as a divine message, I'M
cnangeable as God Himself is I'M
changeable. When we talk of what
people want it is necessary to re-
member that there are people and
people When our Blessed Lord
preached His own Gospel, there were
people enough who did not want il.
In their own estimation they were
WHOLE and had no need of a physi-
clan. They wanted a very different
Gospel from that which He brought
IN His person and in His words But
he made no attempt to adapt Himself
to their demands. His church in all
ages must follow His example, and be.
ware how she trims and squares her
teachings to suit the spirit of the world
or the pride of human intellect He
tnat hath ears to hear, let him hear.
There will always be found those who
are wearied with food which cannot
satisfy, and who long to come back
again to God incarnate, to Christ cru
clhed, the Christ of the church and
the catholic creeds, who is the Christ
of the gospels
1t is easy" says the New York
independent, "both to overrate and
underrate the new catechism prepared
by committee of representative men
belonging to the Evangelical Free
Churches of England On the one hand
1t does not betoken the immediate ar
rival of the millennium, so far as it
may be held to involve the disappear
ance of the lines of UNCONVENTIONAL d.
vision. Presbyterians, Baptists, Meth
odlsts, Congregationalists still hold to
the particular tenets or forms of church
government that have been their her
ltage for three centuries, and which
still express their genuine conviction.
Church unity has not yet been
achieved. On the other hand that
such ardent and conscientious advo,
Gates of these different types of church
belief and activity should be able to
traverse the whole ground of Christian
faith and without waving a single con-
viction, or Sinking a single difference,
should unite, without a single dissent
ing voice, in such a statement, fur
nishes an almost startling proof of the
real oneness of those branches of the
Christian Church. If church unity has
not been achieved Christian union has
won a most notable victory
mo recent movement" says the New
York Observer (Pres), has demon
strated more clearly the drawing to-
gether of evangelical Professionalism
than that having for its object the
preparation of a new catechism ex-
pressing the common faith of the great
evangelical churches. The movement
was begun two years ago by the Gen
eral Committee of the National Coun-
Gil of Evangelical Free Churches of
England and Wales, and the catechism
month. The Rev. DR.. Dykes, Principal
of the Presbyterian College at Cam
bridge, was first asked to prepare a
draft of the proposed catechism. This
was, in turn, revised by a preliminary
committee representing in the truest
sense the great evangelical bodies Of
the country. This work covered a pc
Rod of two years, the committee meet
ing every few weeks, and was then
submitted to a committee for final re-
vision, by which it was adopted. AS,
strictly speaking, the new catechism
is thus the work of representative the
ologians, acting on their own response
bility, and not at the command of their
own churches, it has no official author
ity Such ACCEPTANCE as it may meet
must depend on the confidence which
evangelical ProteStaniSm may repoSe
in its authors, and upon the degree in
which Christian people may approve
it's statements. Nevertheless, it is
pointed out that never before has there
been such unanimity in the preparation
of catechism, every question and an
swer having been finally adopted with
out dissenting vote AS the catechisn
traverses the whole field of Christian
theology, the committees preparing IL
representing Presbyterians, Congregd-
tionalists, Baptists, the various divis-
ions of Methodists, the Bible Chris
tians and unanimity was not reached
by evading doctrines on which there
is diversity of opinion, such agreement
can hardly fail to be a strong argu
ment in it's favor"
''Some of our churches are too busy
to study the Bible says the 'Congre-
gationalist" of Boston. Not to men
ton societies. fairs and entertainments,
they have more public exercises than
they can support. Besides these are
the societies into which the church is
divided and subdivided by sex, age and
various objects, each seeking to pre-
empt some hour not yet occupied for
meetings. Would it not be better to
exercise our spirits less and feed them
more? How many of these meetings
are simply repetitions of prayers and
verses and reports and remarks, with
out added thought or impulse? 1t is,
we believe. of first Importance that
men and women should be trained to
teach the Bible as a divine literature to
a new generation by new methods
which have proved their fitness This
generation has discovered new uses for
electricity of Importance to every one.
But if they are to be applied to light
ing our streets and stores and homes,
we must have young men continually
in training to be experts in electricity.