New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-04


mission may be accomplished there are two oesiderata
religious liberty and the settling OF internal struggles
OF religious liberty. In the first place. have already
been able show you how restrained and inadequate
this liberty is. When will 1t be more smplei IL our
famous government do combat" succeeds In reestab-
| fishing the legitimate monarchy we shall not
find that it will liberty in the folds OF s white
eag H. ON the other hand as we would fain hope, the
present political crisis results in establishing the Re-
public on frmer basis, era OF liberty may begin In
France which shall be able to turn TO account y
sowing good seed of the Gospel in that vast field
which has boon furrowed by many and sad trials
new work founded last year. at tines under the
of mission inerieure" the object OF which ia to
group together all forces with eye OF evangez
| ing. This work adapts itself TO needs which
urgent and clearly Christian duty that it cannot
fail TO extend itself Allow me TO seize moment here
to explain what understand applied 70 France and
TO other Catholic countries, by an internal mission
This mission conceive It, should be cOnhded to pas
tors and laymen devoted to this object, who arc
gifted with tho ability OF speaking in public. They
would from town to town and from village to village
announcing copeland this not In the form OF ser
mons, but by means Of meetings, addressing tnelr
hearers in plain popular language. as free as posse
from theological technioalities These meetings snou
he announced by means OF placards and inc puoii0
press and held not in buildings oonsecraed 10 religious
services where few would attend them but ID any co
yenent concert-ha. assemblyroom, or theater. "hh'
ever attempts Of this kind have been recenuy maui
have met with signal success. But tne soou inuo' "
| sown broadcast. Tue Gospel must De puDnsneu' ~
at all costs penetrate beyond the temples In whch " ~
been too closely confined, and brought 10 'ho uoo' "
the ignorant Butand insist strongly upon tnis pon
40 ,s, bove for This work who have no other MIN
str and who can devote themselves TO italone Catho
cism has its Preaching Frars Let Proestantism 100
have its preaching fraternity az iast 20 po,os+
be second great task that must be acheYed lffrost
ism is TO take proper footing IN France Is the settling
great internal struggle between chrb S" FOR aho
half century so long this struggle lasts our chnrcn
will not be able TO make any important cOnquests rms
struggle indeed absorbs the flower OF our strength in
stead OF concentrating 1t IN external action, ana mas
moreover snguarly helped 10 discredi Professionalism
among Catholics. The spectacle OF Jour disc0rdsofen
violent discOrdsS far from being edtylng ana they
furnish the enemies OF church with plausible peteXt
for their assertion that leads necessarily 10
negaon and that IL is on the high road TO dissolution
But mol The crisis through which we are passing Is not
dissolution Will describe lts true mature III low
words. 1t is the effort OF Churcn winch ater having
been thrown down, scattered, almost destroyed Is Ia
boring patient energy 10 rise again and reconstue
itself consistently with its own laws Notwithstanang
witt grandeur withOut utility. IL has compelled
many minds to shake OFF their indifference to concern
themselves about religious questions ana 10 give rea-
son for their faith It has served also to disspate many
illusions by showing what beials Christianity when It's
supernatural basis is removed.
This struggle would doubtless, have had neither the
same duration nor the same violence our C91Teh had
not been united to the sate put ths UNION az tne G
when church accepted u at the hahus OF Napoeo
unavoidable. 1t was the Official recognition
!
OF conscience and equality OF communons. III appeateu
at the immense benefit and IL was 80 indeed iOr
Of Citizenship restored to Professionalism To which
| we may add that at that epoch the severance
OF Church and State an idea that had hardly pre-
sented itself TO mems minds. 1t would require more
time than have at my disposal were to retrace how,
ever roughly, the history OF the present crisis VIII
limit myself describing its position at this moment
our Church deprived OF It's synods three centuries
ago The held at LOudun, In 1852 was dissolved by
Louis XIV. Our fathers well understood the weight OF
the blows struck by the great despot at thc Church;
| na4IIa fba Pres a
getcally declaring that 1t was absolutely impossible
that the reformed religion could be preserved without
holding these assemblies. Later, Napoleon restored to
Church its legal existence but he ala not restore
that NO one caimedit Our communities
therefore obliged to live apart from one another;
thew had no means whereby to express their faith
cert and to form resolutions in common 1t body
without head rather it consisted Of scattered MEM
hers with no ties except common memories common
! liturgy and common administration. Thanks 10 this
dIsorganizaton RatOnalsm at first moderate, and still
holding in a measure the supernatural element. and
eventually more and more negative spread ITSELF
checked in certain churches. The law declared truly
enough that it was the business OF the cOnsstoes TO
watch over the maintenance of discipline and of the
liturgy; but when these oonsstories, appointed since
1882 by all the members OF the community belonged Tor
the most part TO the radical party TINS law became
fixed authority whereby 10 deIend mel against Ihe lnno
walton doctrines To which she had hitherto been
stranger; her sefgovernDent was gone, she was cut
adrift vessel without rudder Such state OF things
/ could have gone Without Importing the
stence Of our church, and hence those efforts OF the
evangelical party for some years past to obtain from
| Government the right TO cOnvoke general synod.
/
TO the restorative ana liberal government OF NJ Ihlers
we have trumphed over the opposition Of our adver
at Paris and extending fewer than
sttings have sent echo throughout country and
deiOeration first the authority OF the synod, and Its
competence express the faith Of the Church, second,
declaration or faith third the religious conditions
to which electors liable. The majority of the synod
settled these questions IN at once evangelical and
liberal 1t restored 70 the Church her self government,
order and dignity In the reestabshng the constr
tuition Of the synod 1t expressed the faith of the
when it the series of It's synods interrupted
for so many years the Reformed Church OF France,
experiences above all thngs,l the need OF render
! ing thanks TO God, and of testitying its love
! TO its divine Head who has sustained and
| sOled 1t throughout the course Of its trials She
declares that she remains faithful to the principles of
| faith and liberty upon which she was founded With
fathers and martyrs In the Confession de la Rochelle
with all the Churches OF the Reformation in their
era Symbols 1t prOclams the sovereign authority of the
Holy Scriptures matters of faith and salvation by
faith in Jesus Christ the only Of God who died for
serves ana maintains at the foundation OF her teaching
her worship and her religion the great christian facts
gious solemniies and expressed in her turges, par
culary in the confession OF sins in the Apostles creed
| and in the service of the Holy Communion"
Lastly the majority of the Synod decided that
| could be appointed pastor OF the church II he
could not accept the faith, and that no one could
his heart attached 10 Protestant Reformed Church
G Of Sg d d6 Gn o ss ~
In vain minority protests against these decisions,
SenS carried ont into execution The decisions are an
established fact and carry with them considerable
moral authority. These decisions solennly attest that
the Reformed Church OF France desires TO be faithful
her glorious past career and to the Gospel that she is
moi philosophical school open TO all systems but that
she understands mission to be that of Christian
Church. which rests upon the affirmation OF the great
supernatural facts which form the historical basis OF
Christianity.
H. IN opposition 10 endeayors and by an abuse Of
power which would be anact OF despotism the Govern
nepts and ashes. Other OF the terror waving
through land belong 10 the sphere Of scientific
literature. Allow TO mention here two books, edited
\ thac Of he
an uncommon sensation among the learned people OF
our country, viz: "The Old and New Belief" by David
Strauss and "The Philosophy Of the Unconscious" by
/ Ernest OF Hartman. The latter book explains In
brilliant style system OF philosophy which purposes