Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-10-10
PROTEsTANTIsM A FAILURE.
Remarkable Sermon OF an Epig-
cOPaE Minister.

The latest New York sensation In re-
ligious point of view, is 8 sermon by Rev.
Mr.. Ever, Of Christ EpiscopaD Church,
Fifth avenue, the purpOrt of which is
that Protestantism is "failure." We
make room for the following extract:
Now-a-day, SO long ss givsE individ-
ual of to-day can "get saved" in some
human religious institution, that institu-
ton is considered as answering all the
purpose of the Church and there is the
slightest anxiety as TO whether or not
that institution contain a theological dis
ease which will kill it, and leave the in
dividusl of two centuries hence without
any institution to "get saved in" /
propose to call your attention to few OF
the facts that mark the disastrous fail
urs of Professionalism, and to ask you
whether those facts are not enough of
themselves-tO say nothing OF other-tO
stir to its depths any spirit that has
particle of esrnestness.
The reverend gentleman then read
some statistics showing how small In
proportion to the entire population of
New York is the attendance at Protest
ant churches. In conclusion, he asked:
Why is 1t that the Anglican branch of
the one great Catholic Church has no
more succeeded with the masses than has
Professionalism Why is it that there is
an Episcopal type of MANI 1t is because
we have run our Catholic and Apostolic
wheels In the Protestant, Calvanistic and
Lutheran ruts, which they do not ht,
never wiz, and never can. But wherever
we have returned to, as in HOlbOr1, Lon
don and other places, and tried cur own
true Catholic plan, we have, glory be to
God, reached down to the masses and
gathered in all grades of men from high
est to lowest. Ged is asking of Protest
antism, Where are the masses? And
God s asking of US: gave you the ten
Catholic tsients-Why haveyou hid them
in napkin? II is not because the clergy
and laity Of Protestantism are uneliye to
the wants OF the masses, or to their own
duty in the premises that Professionalism
has made its signal failure.
They ara earnest and godly men.
Heaven knows they spare no efforts;
earnest il season, out of season, earnest
in prayer and in work. But this only
makes the matter worse. The fault is
not in them. Men are often better than
their systems, and without doubt they
stand acquitted, while their system stands
condemned. l have mentioned but two
counts in the prasentmeEt; time fOfbids
me to go on with many others. Bat
these alone, viz the wholesale abandon
ment OF Professionalism by large masses
Of thinking and good men; and Sec
ondly, its failure to reach the masses, are
signs of the times worthy Of the thought
OF the churchman, snd account, in some
part, for movement which is deeper
than Ritualisnl, of which Ritu2lism is
mere fiuttering red feather. One thing
We know: Our Church is a Catholic
Church, which has been worked On Pro-
testant principles, and that something
must be done. The masses must be
reached, and this growing inhdelity
stopped by a more reasonable present.
ment Of Christianity than Protestantism
has succeeded in making, even by the
widespread presentment of our true
Catholic Christianity.