The New York herald., 1869-03-08
CHRIST CHURCH.
The Last Three Hundred Years the Real
Dark Ages Of the Church.

The Last Three Hundred Years the Real
Dark Ages Of the Church.
Rev. Morgan Dix preached last evening al Christ
church. Thirty fifth street. corner OF Fifth avenue In
aid Of the free reading room Of the New York
branch Of the American Church Union, before
numerous congregation, the subject of the discourse
being 'The last three hundred years the real dark
ages Of the Church." The reverend gentleman took
his text from the Lamentations OF jeremiah, fourth
and fifth verses "The ways Of Zion do mourn, be-
cause come to the solemn feasts; all her gates
desolate her priests sgh her virgins are aicted
and she is in bitterness Hereferred to the picture
presented the eye OF the acted city OF Jerusalem
and subsequently proceeded to point out the evils
which he considered had surrounded the Church
within the last three hundred years. II was neces-
sary to speak OF Romanisn, secondly OF continental
and 10 look 10 the drifting which had been going
In those departments OF religion which they now
respectively held. For instance within the last
three hundred years certain d0gmas had been pre-
scented by the Roman Catholic Church which now
regarded as true and necessary to be believed unto
salvation. In those dogmas he included that
OF the immaculate Conception and the temporal
power OF the Pope Yet, Notwithstanding this
ana e hrc ana love
those dark ages dark even for her. because OF her
transgresslons. With regard to the second point
Luther. He ruined his work In attempting TO rely
solely the Scriptures and ignoring the authority
OF tne CnuTcn. he saw HIS error ana rcpenteu, but
IL was too late. He saw that IL was too late; that
unity, harmony and concord were impossblities
upon the principle upon which the Reformation was
built, whereupon he INDUCED only In passionate
vective. The result was confusion and sectaran-
isms. Luther at once perceived that he had
committed gigantic error In advocating
the Scriptures alone as means Of salvation,
knowing well tnat the authority OF the Catholic
Church was the instrumeU that should decide con-
tr0versies Of faith. The reverend gentleman then
went to poiat out the evils which succeeded the
Reformation and asked, were not those dark agesY
What was the rcsultY Professionalism AZ o moral sys-
tenn was stamped rs failure. In no part OF Europe
which had not become Protestant at the beginning
OF the movement had ever since become Protestant,
while a large portion tnat did become Protestant
had since returned to the Roman Catholic faitn. lie
contended that any form OF Catholicism was better
than thar system OF private Judgment. Italian re-
formiss OF this day rejected and repudated the word
protestant. Its internnable variation had largely
tended towards its failure, It's power was
tb Anglican Christianity, he alluded at length
60 the enect OF foreign influence. When CAL
vanism appeared the Reformation developed into
raI0ualiain, and evil results followed rapidly.
Prayer was altered and the entire work OF the
Reformation itself was iung into an abyss. Rev.
Dr. DIX then traced the progress OF the new rci-
gion In Holland and elsewhere, the spread Of Pur-
ianlsm and tho subsequent rise OF what was called
tnc Evangeiican Churcn. In fine he contended that
the Church for the last three hundred years had
been largely beset with evils, with no regard to the
doFmas imposed by the Catholic Church, the rise,
progress and decline or the Reformation, or In the
hfst.ry OF inc Anglican Church. pure and normal
been dark and obscure there were yet bright hopes
Tor the future The services or the church were
tnen concluded, the excellent musical arrangements
being throughout prominent feature