The record-union., 1899-10-29
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
az Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press

OF the Pan-PreSbyterian Council at
Washington says the New York In
dependent" was what might almost
be called an incidental word from the
newly elected President, Principal
Caven of Knox College, Toronto, than
whom no man is more honored in Pres
byterian circles, at least on this side
OF the Atlantic. In a short, felicitous
speech acknowledging his election, he
said:
l fully appreciate the spirit of unity
but L hope to live to see among these
churches also visible and organic un-
ion'
IL there be any danger attending
these very valuable international gath
erlngs of denominations which possess
kindred polity it is that they mag
nlfy the spirit of unity to the detriment
OF the cause of visible and organic un-
ion. These international councils, or
conferences, ought to have some infiu
ence in reducing the number of de-
nominations as we'll as of bringing
them into kindlier fellowship. There
were over eighty different denomina-
tlons represented in the Pan-Presby-
terrain Council This is ridiculous
fact that geographical divisions must
| separate them to some extent. And
yet there is no real reason why even
geographical division should separate
the Presbyterians of Canada from those
OF the United States, and certainly not
| those Of our Northern from those Of
our Southern States; nor any reason
why the two Reformed Churches, for
merly German and Dutch and the
! Presbyterian Church should not unite
just as there is no reason why Congre-
gationalists and Free Baptists and the
Christian Connection should keep apart
from each other"
| Speaking of the recent Pan -Presby-
terian Council, the New York "Observ-
err (Pres.) remarks: THE Council takes
no action except of the most general
| character. 1t can disapprove of sin in
the abstract, and approve of general
benevolence and goodness but specific
and detailed action may infringe upon
the habits, customs, prejudices and
| feelings of some of the many members
OF the Alliance and thus harmony and
cooperation be jeopardized. Hence the
Alliance can neither discuss in a prac-
t1cal manner what are called the live
| issues of the day, nor take practical
action upon any moral, religious or
social matter which is prominent. These
limitations seems to ardent spirits un-
fortunate, but they are almost inds-
pensable to the conservative and per-
haps narrow scheme Of the body, and
grow naturally out of it's constitution.
For if nothing can be considered which
IS not agreeable to representatives from
Edinburgh and Belfast, South Africa
and Oregon, France and Germany,
Switzerland and Italy, it is evident that
the free topics are held within a. small
circle. We doubt whether the found
erS OF the Alliance, Drs. McCosh and
Cairns and Schaff and Prime and Hall.
looked for this sort of contraction. We
think that they designed and desired
that the Presbyterian Alliance, as
they called it, should be inclusive rath-
er than exclusive, in it's councils and
its membership; not so wide as the
Evangelical Alliance in its member
ship, but hardly less wide in its delib-
erations and scope"
What we mean and all we NEAR"
says the Cumberland Presbyterian"
OF Nashville, Tenn, lis that a Prespy-
terrain Church doing just what ours is
dong and teaching what ours is teach
ing, and that too just where and how
we are working and teaching, is J.
necessity evangelically and ecclesiasti-
cally. 1t is not a reflection upon other
Presbyterian churches to say they all
occupy territory and have missions diff
ferent from our own, and that we
would not if we could exchange places
with any of them. Nor would we unite
with any of them, if doing so would.
as seems likely, in any way destroy the
peculiar work which we believe we
were called as a denomination TO 60.
To be specific, we saw nothing in this
alliance which seemed to Indicate that
our medium theology has yet nearly
won the victory over ultra -Calvlnistic
creedS which it must win before it
stacks arms; nor do we believe there
is in all the world another Presbyterian
Church which can do for the unsaved,
even in the cities, but particularly in
the rural districts and the towns, what
ours has done, and what it can do for
more abundantly it if lives and labors
always in the shadow of the cross.
Greater ecclesiastical dignity may be
desirable, and more pulpit culture may
be censummation devoutly to be
wished, and vastly more consecrated
wealth may seem indispensable in these
days of opulent churches, but-and
these words are prayerfully and delib-
erately written-if we must choose be-
tween these and preachable creed and
a soul-saving spirit, let all these things
60"
THE nearest approach to a modern
Gallo in these days of patriotic fer
vor," says the New York "Churchman"
CP. Ed lis probably Mr.. Sedgwick, who
in the Atlantic Monthly" in drawing
glowing prognostic of universal en-
pire in these United States for the
church of Rome, bases his chief hope
on the decline of the sentiment of ma
tionality #* Mr.. Sedewick is
welcome to all the comfort he can find
in the fact that the Episcopal church
is constantly gaining ground, but we
should view this with very mixed sat
isfaction If we thought with him that
we were making the more recalcitrant
Protestant sects more and more accus-
toned to the structure and to the rites
of Rome, to which. it seems, we are
nearer by far than the other Protestant
sects.' We should trust rather to prove
the, bulwark against Romanism by pro-
viding purer catholicity and scope for
individuality in unity. But we are be-
hind Mr.. Sedgwicks times His Amer