New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-01-31

From tie Commercial ,qdrert,ser.

fhe attention OF our IedQeIS particularly to the
conclusion of my last letter, which is as follows:
"Do you or do you not believe that you can, con-
sistently with your standards, with the teachings
of your accredited writer's, and the most eminent
living doctors of your Church, affirm that a min.
lister can be lawfully commissioned otherwise
than by external ordination by other ministers,
7rho haze themselves been externally ordained 2"
had little expectation that you would answer
the foregoing nterrogatory, for ] knew, and
doubtless our readers perceived, that any answer
true TO its point would involve you in serious diff
fculty Should you answer in the negative, YOU
must abandon the principles of yourown Church.
Should you answer IN the affirmative, you must
abandon your own proposition, VIZ. that there
is no warrant from Scripture for making any par
ticular external form of polity condition of that
Christian fellowship and communion with God
which are the distinguishing duties and privileges
of the Church of Christ"
You therefore did not find it expedient to an
swer the question-but instead of doing so ran
off into various dispositions, interspersed with
your accustomed vague charges against mc-de-
nunciations Of my Church-historica sketches
of the rise and progress of the present controver-
sy-assertions about unduly exalting forms, sc.
The public, | trust, will not be mislcd. They
have seen the force Of the argument from your
standards. They have seen the point of my In
terogatory, and its direct bearing as an 0rgu-
anentum ad hominem upon your Proposition
They know why you did not answer it, and they
will Judge between US whether your most adven.
turous assertion, that had in my last letter CD
deavor to cvade your argument, is well founded
or not.
When you volunteered in this controversy you
took your ground against me as being an Episco-
paan. I, on the other hand, accepted your chal-
lenge as from a Presbyterian. had right to
suppose, therefore, that we should each be true to
our own standards, and carry on controversy
under their sacred and binding authority. | had
pledged conformity to mine, in the same spirit as
/ don not doubt you did TO yours when you gave
an affirmative reply to the question, /" DO you
sincerely receive and adopt the confession
Of faith of this Church, containing the sys-
TEN of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.'
Form of Co., Of the Pres. Chh. Chap. XIV. Sec.
XII.
When therefore in your fifth letter you ad-
ranced your first argument in support of the al
frmative proposition, met it fairly and directly.
My course of argument was this-(the public,
trust will understand it and feel its weight if you
do mott showed that the Presbyterian Church
did "make particular external form of polity
condition of that Christian fellowship" &c. l
quoted the standards oil that Church, sustained
their doctrine by references to scripture and by
comment / adopted this doctrine as far it goes,
and assumed it as my own. To all this you Of
fer not single rcfutation, nor any thing that to
myapprehenson approaches to one.
You say that upon proper occasion you Will
hold yourself ready to PROVE" &c. GU say
what you could do, what you might do. and what
on some future occasion perhaps you will do, to
show that Presbyterian formulares teach no
more than is believed and admitted by all the de-
nominations of Christians who believe at all IN
the propriety and necessity of the ministry and
ordinances Of the gospel" But you have not
done this, or attempted to Go 1t, and permit meto
add, with all due respect, my finn conviction is
that you cannot do it. Your standards, at any
rate, do teach more upon The subject of the minis
Try than is held by Friends, Congregatonalists or
Baptists; and although you more than once sug
gest to our readers that you must be bcttcrJuoge
of the meaning of your formuaries than am,
(and although this may have certain effect with
persons for whom do not write,) | am confident
that the intelligent and candid of your own COM
munion will say that when appeal from you to
YOUR own accredited doctors IN regard to the
meaning of your Standards the appeal deserves to
be tried.
Now here must solicit your special attention
and the readers patience, for the question pre-
seutnc itself is of the utmost Importance 1t
lies at the foundation of all this controversy. Ii
the principle contend for is not sustained by the
most cogent and satisfactory arguments need go
no farther. IL a divncly appointed Apostollcal
ministry mean too In the sense oil the EPls-
copal and Presbyterian standards, and alhrn
that on this point they agrcc-ls not essential
to the Chureh-then Prelates are not essen
tial-then the question of Aposto!ical succession
-, oA hcrr
fore it is that / press this point home upon you,
and demand categorical answer TO the question
which concluded my last letter, and which i re-
peat in this If you can answer IN the negative
and sustain your negation, or IN other words II you
can support your first argument, that there's no
warrant from scripture for making any particular
external form OF polity a condition NC, then
You knock down your own ecclesiastical mansion
about your ears, and with the same blow you de-
molish the Divine right of Episcopacy But you
have not done this, and l repeat my firm beilet
that you cannot do it.
Now we must have clear understanding upon
this point, and the public must have clear I'M
Outstanding upon it. And it is for want OF thus
clear understanding that the progress of our ar
ounent has been retarded. And as YOU intimate
that the delay has been owing to me, l am COM
uelled to retort upon you, and affirm that this un-
satisfactory slow dragging OF the argument is
wholly chargeatle upon you Answer afirma.
lively or negatively to the question of my last let
Ter reneatcd in this. If afKrmatively, then you
are congregationahst and | leave you in the
hands Of the Presbytcrians to battle with them
the question of divinely appointed ministry. l
negatively then your first argument is demolished
and you must build up another
But you may say-you do say-'hat you ,. 9 hole
to a ministry. an Apostolica ministry, dlvlnell
Ion, do rnY1 hold to th