p. 35 | Religious Notes by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 18, 1883

Religious Notes.

By Editor

—The Baptists of Liberia number more than 2,000.

—"The lesson of a year," which the Independent teaches, after considering the year just passed, is that everybody should insure his life.

—A Baptist missionary at the Tennessee State Convention reported three churches that paid their pastor the munificent sum of six dollars.

—Thomas Sherman, son of Gen. W. T. Sherman, was recently ordained priest in the Catholic Church, and lectured on that occasion on "The Inquisition." He evidently has great faith in the infallibility of the church, or he would not defend an institution so odious to all lovers of liberty as is the Inquisition.

—All the Methodist Churches in Chicago, all the Baptist, also all the Congregational Churches except two, have discarded fermented wine, and use in the sacramental services only unfermented juice. The others think that the simple "fruit of the vine" is insufficient to represent the blood of Christ, and prefer alcohol.

—About the worst instance of wresting Scripture from its obvious meaning, is found in a sermon printed in the Christian Statesman. The preacher claims that the conquest of Rome by the barbarians was a fulfillment of Rev. 6 : 12-16. This, however, is on a par with the rest of the sermon, which teaches that "the kingdoms of this world" are to become the kingdoms of "our Lord and his Christ," by means of civil enactments.

—England has proposed to receive the representatives of the Pope, on the same footing as the representatives of any European Government, a proposition which the Pope approves, as a matter of course. The Monitor sees in this step an indication that "the Papacy is still a power in the world, and that it is now beginning again to resume that prominence in the affairs of the world, which gave it such prestige under the popes of past ages."

—The New York Tribune says: "That the world actually moves is a fact demonstrated by the discussion of the Methodist ministers in this city yesterday. Not only was the system of itinerant ministry attacked, but a prominent clergyman actually had the temerity to declare that the Methodists of John Wesley's time did not know as much as those of the present day." This is nothing strange. It is no uncommon thing to find ministers who think that their knowledge exceeds that of Paul himself, to say nothing of Bible writers of lesser note.

—The Christian Union well says that "the opinion is now entertained by some scholars that man is not immortal by nature, but possessed only of the possibility of immortality, and that immortal life is wrought in him only through faith." We would only add that a man does not need to be a scholar in order to entertain this opinion. If he be possessed of average sense, an unprejudiced mind, and the ability to read King James' Version, he will arrive at no other conclusion. In proof of this we refer to a few texts. Rom. 2 : 7; 6 : 23; 2 Tim. 1 : 10; John 3 : 16, 36; 1 Cor. 15 : 16-18, 52-57.