St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-21
Pulpit Utterances Which Re-
fleet the Teachings of
the Bible.
Rev. H. M. Simmons Delivers
a Discourse Touching Upon
the Catholic Question.
Rev. D. J. Burrell's Narrative
Sermon on the Fall
of Satan. @
Rev. M. D. Shutter Appeals for
Mans Humanity to Dumb
Animals.

At the First Unitarian church yestef-
day morning Rev. H. M. Simmons
preached on 1.-THE Excellence OF True
Professionalism" He said protest first
gave us the name Protestant, and shows
the true protestant principle. One ex-
cellence of this principle of protest
against error is that 1t leads to progress.
Catholicism also has been progressive,
and in many of its adherentS has been
very hospitable to new ideas, but it is
mainly conservative and looks to the
past for authority. The early Protest
ants, however, made little of the past.
Luther rejected the ceremonies and ira
ditions of centuries, denied DEGREES of
councils and doctrines of the church,
and was ready to abandon certain books
in the Bible itself. But Professionalism
afterward gave up this principle, and,
having rejected part of the old Catholic
teaching, insisted that the rest must
nevermOre be disturbed. Having aban-
doned some of the Catholic sacraments
and ceremonies, it kept the others as
essential to salvation. Having rejected
the Catholic idea of pardon through
confession and penance, it still Keeps
almost the same idea, and teaches that
the vilest sinners are fully pardoned by
merely accepting Christ as their Savior.
Having rejected most of the Catholic
miracles as nonsense, it still keeps those
of the first century as the surest and
most sensible things in history: Hay "
ing rejected the Catholic doctrine of the
infallibility of the church, it still
teaches the infallibillty of men in more
barparous ages; and while treating the
Jews as wicked infidels. keeps their
literature as very word of God. Hav-
ing rejected Mary's Catholic name of
Mother of God,' it still teaches that
she was just that, and that Jesus was
very God. 1t keeps all the Catholic
doctrines about Him and God and the
Trinity and true religion, and still cen
sureS the Catholics who are teaching
the same doctrines, and who taught
them to Protestants to begin with. So
far has Professionalism abandoned its
first principle, but if it would be faith
full to that principle and continue to
protest against errors, whether in
church or Scriptures. and read the un-
ending revelation of God in growing
knowledge, thought and love, and so
make continual reformation, this true
Professionalism would be much better
than Catholicism.
Another excellence of Professionalism
is in these very divisions which are
called its weakness. Those first Pro-
testantS at the Diet of Spires were
''bolterS," and the same principle has
continued to divide their movement into
many sects. Catholicism derides these
formity.' Yet these sects, with all their
,,nn nacc ho hvouuht fo1aratior,
which the Catholic did not ana never
would have done. VoItaire said: IF
there were but one religion in England.
its tyranny would be terrible; if there
were but two, they would cut each
Others threats; but there are thirty, and
they live III peace and happiness" So
when there was but one religion in
ChrlstendOm, its tyranny was terrible,
and prosecuted adj who dared to differ
from it. When there were but two. they
did cut each others Threats, and though
the intolerance was the same OH both
sides, the stronger Catholics did more
of the cutting. But now that we have
several hundred we live in safety. and
partly because there are so many. When
we see good men so abundant among
Catholics, Congregationalists. Episco-
palans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Bap-
lists, Jews. lnfldelS, and all the rest, 1t
no longer seems so holy business to
fetch the fagots and start the fires as it
used to. To-day two men who would
once have tried to burn each other at
the stake in the name of God. shake
hands instead, and act quite like broth
eIs. This liberation has come largely
from the multiplication of sects and
from the Protestant principle of free
dom which has caused them. This
principle does indeed disintegrate, and
will never make a strong church like
the Catholic; but it also brings higher
life and broader charity, progress and
peace, and biesses society more than
any supreme and uniform church ever
could.