The daily gazette., 1882-05-29
LECTURE IN THE OPERA HOUSE.
Egbert II. Clenve Tells Why He Left the
Pro- estaut.Faith aud Decame Catholic.

Egbert u. Cle1ve Tells Why He Left the
Pro 'estaut.Faith and Decame "a Catholic.
Egi,vrt 7. Clcayc, formerly Protestant
minister ot Ohio, delivered an able discourse
on "Thu Faith of our Fathers" yesterday
afternoon before Il good audience. This
gentleman is known as the champion Of
Christianity before the Frec-thinkers' Ma
tional Convention, which challenged any
minister in the land to come before them
and demolish iniidelity. His success in the
acceptance was taeitly conceded in vote of
thanks by acclamation of the convention
itself for his able and logical defense Of
Christianity.
Mr.. Cleave preludcd his remarks yester-
day by critical reference to the "seemingly
mercenary kind of journalism" Of this city,
and paid high compliment to the GAZETTE
for its evident liberality and enterprise in
publishing news to which the public is en-
titled without charge. On the subject of his
discourse he said that after a ministry in
several of the sccts, and lastly in the
Evangelical Alliance, to meet all the con-
llicting elements of Christianity he had to
come to the CommOn-sense conclusion that
the true religion the true church of Jesus
Christ on earth must have unity and au-
thority, and infalliblity, visible as well us
invisible, or the doctrine OF the combined
humanity and divinity i'll Jesus Christ was II
In an attempt to include the Catholic
priests and congregations Of Columbus in
the Evangelical Alliance he was himself
captured and found in the Catholic faith the
unity, authority and ntalibilty he sought.
He then could see that Professionalism was
not religion ut all, but the destroyer of
religion by the aholishment of the authority,
sacramcnts and moral laws of the Gospels,
positively or negatively, In the revolt against
the tViCar of God ON Earth and the cree
ton Of the principle Of private human
reason and private inspiration, of private
Interpretation of what was not the Bible rs
sole authority and critic in matters OF
religion and morals.
Professionalism, he said was the defiance
and subversOn Of the laws of God in moral
and social government. This is positively
evidenced in the divorce courts of this land,
which are the natural product of the re-
lgions of private Judgment and false Chris
tianity which have rejected the very soul OF
Gods laws-the sacraments. There were
3 300 applications Tor divorce in Ohio alone
two years ago; every eighth marriage
among mont Catholics in Connecticut ends in
divorce. Judge Lord of Massachusetts,,
who received 30 applications in two days
| from couples married under three years, eX-
claimed on the bench 81 am here to admin
| lister the laws of the land, but God help the
land giving such evidence of prostitution
Mr.. Cleavc disclaimed all inte ntion of a
word wounding to the feelings of his non
Catholic brethren. He also declared hat
nearly all so-called Protestants were merely
nominally such, Christians by Catholic i'll
heritance ut least, in spite of the destructive
principles of Professionalism. Neither he nor
the Church condemns any one on account o1
religion. 1t is simply Il matter of conscience
| between each individual and God. But
| Professionalism is irreligious and immoral
chaos-the spiritual parent of all forms oi
infdelity. The sharp and incsivc treatment
ofIngersolism closed an eloquent, charitable
and logical discourse.