St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-25
PURITY OF THE CHURCHES.

cleS recently of more startling char
acter than the publication in the Fort
nightly Review of Canon TAYLOR'S
articles, in which he presented figures
and statistics to show that foreign mis-
sion work was failure, and that Mo-
hammedanism was outgrOwing Chris
tianity. The causes for the failure OF
mission work, as enumerated by Canon
FARRAR, have already been referred to
in these columns. Now the question
arises why is it that Mohamme-
danism is outgrowing Christianity?
Seldom. if ever, does Moham-
medan renounee his faith. He is
also "a successful proselyter. 1t
is no surprise, then, that Mohammedan-
ism should be on the increase. But why
is it that Christianity does not gain
in the same, or even a. greater proper
ton? The Christian faith is surely
sublimer and more beautiful than the
Mohammedan. Our Christian civiliza-
ton is of a more ennobling type. So
that, leaving out of consideration all
question of divine influence or of Splr-
itual manifestation, and studying the
subject in purely secular light we fail
to discover why the gospel of the Naz-
arene is not more attractive to
mankind than the fanaticism OF
MAHoMET. The fact that it is
so must impress itself upon every
intelligent mind. Why, then, is the
beautiful flower of gospel truth per-
70 II arE yx-ht
rank weed of a sensuous faith -four
ishes and spreads as tine green bay
tree?
The cause of causes for the dwarfng
of Christianity was forcibly set forth by
the Rev. DR.. HAMS, at the recent ses-
sion of the Episcopal church congress
in New York. when he said that compe-
tition in Christianity was ruinous.
Upon the old principle that a house
divided against itself must fall, the
rise and growth of Christian sects
and denominations have been bane-
full to the spread of Christian in
fluence. The strength of the Mohamme~
dan church is its unity. Its one motto,
'ALI.AH is great, and MAHoMET is His
prophet" has been the inspiration OF its
progress and the bond of its union. No
creed except that which the prophet
taught finds lOdgment i'll the mind Of
the believer. The progress of Chris
tianity has been wonderful, it is true,
yet if in all the 1900 years of its history
the Christian church had been cemented
in one faith, and all its armies had gone
forth conquering and to conquer under
one banner, who can estimate the
achievements that it might have
accomplished? Even to-day, if those
throughout the world who pro-
fess the Christian religion were
to congregate together and, max
ing common cause of their faith, in
augurate an era of aggression, who
could picture the grandeur of their
conquests or place limit upon the pos
sibilities that lay in their pathway?
But instead of that, the church is split
up into sects, each going its own way,
and often in opposite directions. In
stead of unity there is division. There
is likewise useless expenditure OF
time and energy, for we find dozen
factions occupying the same field where
only one is needed, and the other eleven
could be more protitably employed in
other directions.
Thus we find sect rivalry to be the
great obstacle in the way of Christian
progress, and the preachers are mainly
responsible for it. Catholics. Protest
ants and Greeks are at war with each
other. Sects in the Catholic church,
sectS in the Protestant church are all
engaged in internal strife. Presbyteri-
ans laugh at the Methodists for shout
| ing so loud. Methodists rail at Presby-
terans because they have long faces
and wear blue stockings, and both
unite in ridiculing Baptists for their
water-cure theory. Episcopalians &C
cuse Cath olics of teaching superstition,
and the Catholics in turn taunt
| the Episcopalans for their tendencies
| to initiate Catholic rites and ceremonies.
And so the Wrangle goes on while the
| devil, the Mohammedans and the pa
gans are reyeling in victories. Is it any
| wonder that Christianity is being out
stripped in the race while every Chris
| tan church is hustling on its own hook
| with the devil picking up the hindmost:
Viewing the matter from human
standpoint, it seems impossible that
| Christianity should extend its influence
| over the face of the whole earth until
| Christians shall have first learned what
| the children of this generation have
long ago learned to be the secret Of
worldly business SUGGESTIVE value OF
cooperation.