A Compromise With Catholics
SPEAKING of the action of the Edinburgh Missionary Conference in excluding all mention of Protestant missions in papal fields, the Western Recorder of February 2 says:— We had never expected to see the day when a body of Protestants would apologize for the Reformation, and discredit and dishonor the life of Luther and countless others who went to their graves in a warfare against the sins of Romanism. The very word Protestant was first given to those who protested against the infringements of Roman Catholicism, and yet in spite of this we have seen a Protestant conference agree not to mention the work which Christ called them to do in papal fields. We have read with unspeakable horror of Henry IV, standing bareheaded and barefooted in the courtyard at Canossa for three whole days, waiting to be admitted to the presence of Pope Gregory VII. But this was an episode of the eleventh century, which, if possible, has been surpassed by the spectacle of a Protestant conference prostituting itself to the papal propensities of the Anglican Church. We had much hoped that some of our Baptist delegates who attended this conference would express their disapproval of at least this feature of the proceedings, but thus far they have preserved a sphinx-like silence. We would gladly welcome any such avowal of disapproval, and promise to it the widest possible publicity. Their silence can only be construed as a tacit indorsement of this deplorable occurrence, which, in our judgment, will do much to retard Protestant missions in Latin countries.