New-York daily tribune., 1844-01-18

ply very briefly.
In the first place you still discuss the question
as to who is the assalling party in thus contro-
versy, and reiteratc your conviction that 1t Is
who am the aggressor My dear sir, let US drop this
discussion. I can by no means admit the justice
Of your charge Let the public decide between
us on this point am quite willing to submit 1t
to their decision.
In the second place you speak OF the "angry
and lordy tone of my last letter-its discourte-
Gus language designed "to anger you-and Of
the abusive cpithets' and charges of unworthy
motycs.' | am totally unable to perceive that |
have given you any lust ground to speak on this
wise cannot for one moment admit that | am
Justly chargeable under either Of these heads. l
have only to say again. let the candid public
Judge between
All the other points In your preliminary obser-
yatons, that have any bearing upon the simple
question in dispute, shall be disposed of in their
proper places.
We have now cot fairly to @ the dogma . which
YOU say | have received from Papist hands, and
which YOU hold to be 4" al war with the spirit and
letter of the Word of Cod ] have received it
from Papist hands precisely in the way in which
you have received the Holy Scriptures, and the
doctrine Of the Trinity and the Atonement, &c.
You surely Will not esteem 1t "a Just ground Of
objection to any doctrine that 1t has been held
bv the Church Of Rome in common with the
great body Of the Church catholic, at all times
and in all places And as REGARDS this dogma,
remember that its truth never disputed, and
conformity with its distinctive provision never
departed from until after the Reformation that
il formed no ground Of objection in the minds of
the first reforiners, TO the Church OF Rome, and
that these great men yielded 1t up with marked
reluctance, and only from the compulsion OF the
circumstances in which they were placed. But
the question now properly before us is, where
does this dogma, as you term Il, ind ITS origin,
not through what channel it has come down TO
u.s. II it is g at with the spirit and letter Of
the Word Of God as you say, acknowledge
that no power Of prescription, universally of
acceptance, could sustain 1t lor one moment
Here | Join issue with YOU, and say that the p:in-
cip]c, there can be no Church without Bishop,
is not antiscrptural, but is in perfect consis;en-
cy "with the spirit and letter of the Word Of
God You ask me again for my definition Of
the terms Church" and "Bisllop' ! reply
that ] use them precisely in the sense in whlcl,
they are used in the standards of the Church Of
which am melnber. These are contained, as
you know, in the Book OF Common Prayer-to
here and if you detect in my remarks any de-
parture from this resolution and will expose it,
shall thank you chcerfully and amend the error.
] presume vou are equally ready TO be bound by
your own Standards and Will ask you for no
other definitions than those which are there
recorded, or which may be logically inferred from
their plain propositions You maintain your
affirmation lst on tins ground--" because there
Is no warrant from the Word of God for making
any particular external form OF pohty condition
of that Christian fellowship and communion with
God, which arc the Distinguishing dutcs and
privileges OF The Church of Christ" Now sup
pose it were as YOU affirm, this would not make
Episcopacy antscrptural any more than you
will allow presbytcrianism to be ant-Scnpturai.
Episcopacy excludes Presbyterian ordination Just
as Prcsbvterianism excludes congregational or
lay ordination.
But this reminds me that we have one or two
questions to settle in relation to your exact "po-
sition,' before we can proceed with a clear mu-
tual understanding. | take it for granted that
you admit ministry by Gods appointment TO be
necessary to the being of Church, and that
this ministry derives It's authority, not from men,
nor from the Church itself but from Christ, the
head Of the Church. We must, if you please, be
very explicit on this point, or our discussion
might soon assume a rambling and discursive
character which it is the interest (ior the saving
of tine) and, doubt not, the wish of us both to
avoid In the considerations you offer as ne
cessary for right understanding of your posi-
ton YOU say that you are mot the advocate of
the ecclesiastical polity of the Church to which
YOU belong, except so far as that pohty involves
the ministerial rights of presbyers or parochial
q. c. parish or congregationall Bishops Now
what are these ministerial rights and whence are
they derived think that when you have an
swered these questions the CongregatlonaiistS and
the Friends, and some other denominations will
not find much to choose between us as & to char-
ty,"" exclusivencss, unchurching, &c.
presume, then, you hold to the doctrine ''that
the Christian ministry is essential to the Church
and must always exist" | dare say that in this
point we should both coincide as to what is 6 the
spirit and letter Of the Word Of God" st. Jerome,
the father by sno means least IN favor with you,
says that is mot Church which has not priests.
The Lutherans. in the Confession OF Augsburg,
declared that in order that we might obtain
jnstifying faith the mireStry of preaching the Cos
pei and administering the sacraments was lnsl-
tuted, and they add that they condemn " the
Anabapusts and others who think that men re-
celve the Holy Spirit without the external word
CALVIN argues al length IN proof Of the necessity
of the ministry in the Church-savnr, that .'the
Church IS not otherwise edited than bv external
preaching; he atfirns that Christ so ordained
the Office of the ministry IN the Church, that
were it taken away, the Church would perish. =
In your own confession of faith, chapter NV,
section ID, II is asserted" The visible Church.
which Is also catholic or universal under the Cos
pei, (not confined to one nation as before under
the law consist of all those throughout the world
that profess the true religion, together with their
children, and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus
Christ-the house aud family of God-out of
which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation"