The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-01 00:00:00

TO TRY EDITOR OP ERR EXPRESS.

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1, Lanciuter-placc, Sept. 30th, 1851.
Sis,—l am directed by the committee of the
" London Union on Church Matters", to forward to you
for publication the enclosed correspondence. 1 regret that
it was impossible to publish it earlier, but the committee of
the uaiuu did not meet this afternoon.-1 nm, Sir, &c.,
WM. T. YOUNG.

"1, Lancaster-place, 23rd Sept., 18.51.
"My Lord,—l have been requested by the committee of
the London Union on Church Matters,' ut a meeting over
which I was unespectedly called to preside this afternoon,
to invite moat respectfully your lordship's attention to the
use made in the various Romanist and dissenting organs of
a letter recently published, and bearing the name of our
highest ecclesiastical authority.
" The fact which is assamed to be established by that I
letter, viz., the concurrence of all the bishops but one or
two, and the vast majority of the clergy, in the belief that
the absence of episcopal ordination constitutes no disqualiti-
cation fur the due administering of Christ's ordinances in
the catholic church, is one which, uncontradicted, causes
the greatest perplexity and disquiet to many members of
our communion.
" That your lordship's personal sentiments are misinter-
preted in this publication we are ourselves convinced ; for
we find a complete refutation of the sentiment imputed to
you in the following extract from your Lent Sermons of
1842, p. 60:
Our present position is this:—
"'Our blessed Lord gave to his apostles a general commis-
sion to build his church ; and a promise of the Holy Spirit
to guide them in all things necessary for the due execution
of their all-important task ; as well as an assurance of his
own continued presence with the ministry, even to the end
of the world. Under that authority, and with the certainty
of that guidance, the holy apostles did proceed to construct
the church, according to a certain form of polity, which,
so being of apostolical origin and authority, was observed
by the universal church in all its branches for many ages
so that it was never even thought of that any persons should
claim authority to minister the word and sacraments, who
had not been ordained by a bishop. The doctrine of an
apostolical succession in the ministry is asserted by the
presbyterian divines, as well as by. ourselves only they
maintain that the ministerial commission has descended
through a succession of presbyters; we, that it has come
down to us through a line of bishops ; and that we have the
testimony of all history on our side, 1 think has been
already proved.'
,11 e are persuaded thata public reference to this passage,
as a true expression of the doctrine of the church of Eng-
land on the subject of episcopal ordination, would be a great
means of re-assuring many doubting and tit %wilding minds,
and we therefore would earnestly request your lordship's
sanction to our making use of the above extract fur tho pur-
pose,.as containing a sufficient disavowal of an imputation
so injurious to the church.
" I have the honour to be, with the highest respect, my
lord, your lordship's most obedient and humble servant,
(Signed) Wm. H. I'dttt, Chairman.
"The Right Hon. Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of London."
" Fulham, Sept. 25,1841.
"My dear Dr. Mill, —My three sermons on the church
are of course publici jurist; and, as I retain unchanged the
opinions expressed in them, I can have no objection to your
referring to any part of them.
" I remain, my dear Dr. Mill, your faithful servant,
"The Rev. Dr. Mill, &e. "C. J. LONDON.

" P.S. I take this opportunity of stating that an account
which aptcared In the ChurcA and Seale Cia:ette of my
haring inMecil at the ceremony of laying the first stone of
the French church in St. Martin's-le-Grand is wholly un-
true. Neither was I present on that occasion, nor did I
ever allude to it. The writer probably confounded that
ceremony with the consecration of the French episcopal
church, of which the lice. J. Muddy is the monster.