Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-03
about | 900 900 more as the entire Roman

| dDout .uUU,uuu ulOIt aS Tie cullfc hOIildI
Catholic population.
! This is a body of believers about equal
to the combined numbers of the Baptsts
| and Metho1ists. the two communionS in
which are included the vast majority oil
| the Protestant Church membership. Bv
| the side OF it the largest of the other de-
| nominations is small. The great mass OF
| the Christian believers in this country are
divided into Catholics on the one hand
and into Baptists and Methodists on the
Iothei. and the strength of each is in the
hold it has on the plain aud simple people
more especially.
The communions which are more fav-
ored by the rich and pr r>sperous, the crit
ical, the fastidious. and the fashionable,
are far inferior In numbers to any of the
three. The Presbyterians. who are dis
tinguished for their wealth. are growing
only by slow degrees. Tue Episcopal
ianS, far less numerous, are gaining more
rapidly, in the towns at least, and chiefly
because they are making concerted efforts
to engage the sympathies of the poor and
humble. The Congregationalists, the
last of the main divisions of Protestant
ism in this country, seem to be losing
their hold, even in New England. the
place of their origin. Meantime the Ro-
man Catholics and the Baptists and Meth
odists are increasing more rapidly than.
any other communions, the first every
where. and the two Protestant denomin-
atioNs in all parts of the Union except the
large cities.
1t is significant that the two commun-
ions which inclnde so great majority of
the Protestant believers are thos Sc which
have been least affected by the theological
revolution now going forward The faith
of both Baptists and Methodists remains
substantial unchanged Ir is the same
now as it was when they received their
first impetus from the early revivals.
They believe in the Bible as the absolutely
infallible Word of God and as the only
source OF authority in matters of faith and
practice. Perhaps they are less disposed
than formerly to rely on the terrors of
the Law as means ofconverting sinners,
preaching the love of God rather than his
wrath, but they dare not question the
perfect truth of the Bible. They are dis
Protestant in spirit and foes of
the Roman Catholicism which dom mates
an equal body of believers.
The Roman Catholic Church, OF course,
makes no compromise with the agnostic
which are subverting Protest
ant theology to so great an extent. 1t
regards them as the logical consequence
of throwing off the authority of the
Church, and substituting the private and
individual Judgment in matters of faith.
1t dcesnot change its theology to catch
changes of popular sentiment, but con-
tends the more confidently for its author
ity rs divine commission for directing
the conscience and Judgment of men, and
saving them from the shipwreck OF inf
deity.
On one side, therefore, we find the ex-
ponents Of the simplest and least critical
faith OF Professionalism. and on the other
The ancient Church against which they
rebelled. These are the two great religi-
Gus forces. and numerically they are near
" equal. Outside Cf' them the theolog-
zeal revolution of this day proceeds, but
within their ranks, recruited chiefly
among the palmer people. theology re-
mains at substantial equilibrium. They
are believers and not skeptics. and togeth-
er they comprise the great mass of the
Christians Of the United States. Totally
in everything else, the two fore
ss, Roman Catholics and Baptists and
are united i'm their inquest
oning faith in the authority which each
and the 3ible-N. Y. Sun.