Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-16
had sunk to low depth; 1t was In darkness

had sunk to q low depth; 1t was In darkness
darkness intellectual, spiritual, moral. Man
had forgotten the God who created him, and
had degraded God by the low conceptions he
had of Him. Man had lost all sense of the
dignity of his own being, and his moral nature
had become corrupt to q degree that,
az the apostle says, there was utter despair.
In the deep night of this darkness o
light broke upon the world. 1t was Christi
He revealed to the world tue true nature OF
God, and the true spiritual naturetof man, and
the supreme excellence of which mans moral
nature is capable, and his consequent fitness
for supernatural end and his destiny thereto.
1t was want, d craving IL the human intel
lect and heart that was here supplied; from tbs
darkness and dispair and depreciation, the
wlrld saw the proffercd relief and hope, be.
lieved aud became Christian.
1t cannot long be disguised that the world
in our times is re'apsing into the condition it
was in the times Of which we have just spoken.
There Ia no denying that there
ia growing darkness in the
world now as TO the nature and even the being
of God. and as to mans spiritual nature.
From being little lower than the angels man
ia reduced to the level of the mere brute. All
distinction between right and wrong all moral
ity in human actions. is denied in the denial of
FREQ will to man and accountability for his
deeds. Whence has come this dreary, deaden-
which pervades the press and the pulpit, and is
being popularized among the unthinking
masses. 1t has come as consequence from
the elimination of the supernatural from the
Christian system. 1t has come, say this not of
| myself, from the principles of Protestsntism.
And prefer to let another, and not Catholic
speak here:
1t he's taken long time for men TO realise this !;
but not be doubted that the fact is becoming
| now more clear to them. The history Of Protest
antism is o growing demonstration OF 1t. 70 some
| minds the true nature of the Protestant movement
was long ago apparent: but it has only lately be-
come clear to the general apprehension Long ago
1t was seen by that that movement was really
neither the restorer of corrupted creed, nor the
coruptor OF lure creed; but that logically and
essentially 1t was the solvent of all creeds Whatever,
and that when it had to maturity Its essential
nature would ba visible. And now that time has
come. Let us look at England Europe, and America,
and consider the condition of the entire Protestant
world Religion it is true, we may still find in 1t
but is religion from which the supernatural element
Is fast disappearing, and In which the natural ele
ment is fast becoming nebulous. It has grown
| indeed, as Mr. Stephen says, into religion of
dreams. All Its doctrines are as vague az dreams,
and like dreams their outlines are forever changing
| Day by day they are becoming more and more in
constant; and more than this they are DAY by day
| evaporating. Mr.. Stephen has pitched on very
happy illustration Of this which may be yet fresh in
| the memories Of many Of US.
Mr.. Stephen here draws his conclusion from
the fate Of one Protestant doctrine; hut he might
| draw the same conclusion from ALL for the whole
body Of them Is in precisely the same state. The
divinity of Christ, the nature of His atonement the
constitution Of the Trinity, the efficacy of the
ments, the inspiration of the bible-al the old doc
trines upon these points ara getting as vague and
waveriug, as weak and compliant to the caprice
Of each individual thinker, the doctrine of eternal
punishment And 1t is evident that Mr.. Stephen and
the critics Of his school perfectly right In the
moral they draw from the spectacle.
As the Pagan world was made sensible by the
| very extremity of its darkness and misery OF
the need of power beyond itself, tn enlighter
and lend 1t help, 80 may we not hope that the
present extremities may lead the world Of oul
time back to the light which shines in undi
minisbed effulgencs in Christ's true church.