THE DECLINE OF THE PROTESTANT MINISTRY.
THE religious press is commenting on the decline of the Protestant ministry; that is, the numerical falling off year by year in pro portion to churches and population. In the California Christian Advocate we find this comment: “The Episcopalians say that the falling off is due to the openings for brilliant careers constantly oc curring in other directions. For ourselves, we believe it is entirely due to the decay of faith in the German universities. The teacher's rostrum may be occupied by a man of brilliant gift and profound learning, but if he have no faith, his class-room is robbed of both light and heat. When skepticism masquerades as advanced Christian thought, we are not surprised if the class-rooms are empty.” There is another reason for the decrease of Protestant ministers, and that is the waning of Protestant principles in the Protestant churches. No doubt German universities are to an extent responsible for the results, which are far more extensive than they would have been if American Protestants had not so blindly depended upon such institutions as teachers of doctrine. In this respect the tendency has been largely to copy from German fashion about as Paris is copied in dress styles. Protestants are supposed to learn doctrine from the Word of God, and as long as this rule was ad hered to there was no decline in the number of Protestant ministers. The Scriptures are “profitable for doctrine,” and from them the “man of God” may be “thor oughly furnished unto all good works.” But Protestants have become so ambitious to have worldly knowledge, “science falsely so called,” portrayed in their ministry, that they have sadly departed from the original Protestant bear ings. The prophecy of Revelation 13 foretells a restoration of papal influence to its former universal pres tige, and this could be accomplished only through the waning of Protestant influence, which could re sult only from a departure from the Protestant standard. So we find the Outlook, in commenting on the decline of the Protestant ministry, noting the fact that “on the other hand, the number of students of Roman Catholic theology is not only not declining, but increasing proportionately with the population.” Naturally, as Protestantism recedes from its orig inal positions, it recedes toward Catholicism. There fore, in the same prophecy of Revelation 13, we are shown a world power, at first lamb-like, but event ually speaking as a “dragon,” and commanding the people to imitate, or set up an image to, the power that had met so great a temporary reverse. Such a consummation must naturally follow in a Protestant country where Protestantism is “de clining” and Catholicism is “increasing,” and where it is getting to be the fad in high political circles, as also in some “Protestant” ministerial circles, to express the hope that we may yet have a Catholic President. It is also noticeable, and significant, that the message which gives warning against the making of the “image” to the papal power, and the re ceiving of its “mark” (Rev. 14:8-12), which is now being proclaimed throughout the world, is so far receiving a more bitter opposition from waning Protestantism than from increasing Catholicism. Furthermore, declining Protestantism is doing more, directly, to accomplish the state enforcement of the papal “mark” upon the people than is the Catholic Church. The Advocate, in acknowledging the downward trend of the Protestant ministry, says, “The real cause is not easily defined.” There could be only the one cause, namely, departure from the Protestant faith, logically followed by education along that line. G.