The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-12-21

Ar4 AiiSlellANs II I4llllFoS EAcNSCNA % my
have done for a few years back, When
YOU viii have no Professionalism to de.
fine or DEFEND, but each man will have
gospel Of his own. Good morning,
gentlemen" - Editor lutermountain
Catholic.l
VII
The conversation was not resumed
for several days. James found it d
less task to define Professionalism than
he had imagined. He had been ac
custOmed to take the word in Il very
loose and indefinite sense. As chief
of the Protestant League, he had
meant by it little else than the denial
of Catholicity: in his warfare against
SOcinians, Rationalists, and transCen-
dentaists, he had made it stand for
doctrines and principles which logical
ly imply the Catholic church: in his
own pulpit addressing the people of
his charge, he had understood by it
simply Presbyterianism, With a slight
leaning, perhaps. toward Arminian-
ism. But he had never given the term
clear, distinct, and uniform meaning,
which he was willing to stand by in all
places and on all occasions. He saw
that to define it in negative sense,
and make Professionalism merely pro-
test against Rome, was not necessarily
to distinguish it from paganism. Ma
hometanism, Judaism, deism, or even
atheism; and to restrict it to simply
PreSbyterianism. if aot against his
conscience, was in the present state of
the world, bad policy 1t would be
tantamount to saying that Protestant
ism is an empty name; that there are
indeed PreSbyterians, Episcopalians,
Baptists, Methodists, etc. but no Pro-
testants; that there is a multitude OF
sects, indeed, sometimes arranged I'M
der one common name, but without
any common faith or principles, except
that of hostility to the church. 1t
would, moreover, too openly expose his
weakness to the enemy and confess
that the great and mighty Protestant
party, which has begun by assuming
such lofty airs, and threatening to be-
come commensurate with Christen-
dom, had dwindled down to the little
handful of Presbyterians in Great
Britain and the United States-thOSe
on the continent having pretty gener-
ally lapsed into Socinianism, rational
ism and transcendentaiism-d divided
into four or five separate, if not hos
tile, comnlunions, and their numbers
every day relatively diminishing, which
would create mirth rather than dread
at Rome, against whom he wished 10
carry on a war of determination. on
the other hand, to extend its meaning
50 as to embrace all the so-called Pro-
testant sects, from Dr. Pussy down to
Theodore Parker, from Oxford to the
Melodeon, was hardly less inconVe-
nient. He would never march through
Coventry at the head of such motley
oil
motleydom and all devildor had brok-
en- loose. He should never hear the
last of it. But to find a definition
which should exend beyond the mar
row boundaries of Presbyteriandom
without including all sectariandOm
was the difficulty. Hoe opus, mic la
Dor est
James spent several days in meditat-
ing on this problem, and without hit
ting upon a solution quite to his mind;
but having obtained a few hints from
some of the earlier Protestant contro-
and trusting to the chap
ter of accidents, he took occasion, find
ing himself in his library alone with
John, to renew the discussion.
II think" said he, addressing his
brother that, if you review our for
mer conversation, you will own my
last answer to the question, What is
Professionalism is all that you have
any right to demand
Il have no wish to make any unreal
demands" John replied. What
| want is to find out precisely what
in its distinctive features this thing
or this nothing which you call Pro-
testantism, really is. If your answer
tells me what it is, and distinguishes
it, or enables me to distinguish it
from what it is not, it is unquestion-
ably sufficient"
Professionalism is the essentials, and
the essentials are all the truths clear
ly and manifestly revealed in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Tesla
ments"
II you believe the essentials be all
that is necessary to constitute one
then all who believe all the
truths clearly and manifestly revealed
in the Scriptures must be Protest
ants?"
Certainly"
IF Catholics, as is very supposable,
to say the least, believe all that is
clearly and manifestly revealed in the
Scriptures, then Catholics are Protest
ants"
But Catholics do not believe all that
is clearly and manifestly revealed in
the Scriptures.
They profess to do so, and they say
With you, all that is clearly and mani
testify revealed is essential to be be-
ieved, and no point of it can be disbe-
ieved without essential error"
"But they hold that other things
han those clearly and manifestly re-
'ealed in the scriptures are also es-
ential to be believed
That is, they believe all that you
iefine to be essentials are essentials. |
tut they do not believe that these are
I'll the essentials. But this does not |
Under them from being good orthodox |
'rotestants; for your definition ex-
dudes only those who believe less, not |
hose who believe more, than the es-
entails"