The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-01-11
NEW YORK. THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY II, 1914.
From the Commercial Advertiser.l
Rev. Dr. Potts to Rev. DIR. Wainwright.

From the Commercial Advertiser.
Rev. DIR. Potts to Rev. DIR. wainwright.
JAN. 2, 1874.
Rev. and Dear Sir-I have now before me two
communications from your pen, one dated the 3Otl
ult the other Jan. z In the first you express your
thanks Tor ''the courteous terms" in which my let
ter OF the 9th ult. was ''drawn up"-and admit
that 'as to the important point and the one which
alone called forth my letter, the sentiment you ut
tered, (there cannot be Church without Bishop
is accuraely reported" farther declaring your readi
ness ITO avow 1t and maintain II upon every suitable
OCCASION" and concluding with some compliments
ry remarks, which will do my best to merit. The
latter communication, of this date, reached me late
this evening, and now propose to give it prompt
an acknowledgment as my pressing avocatlons
will permit.
have acntively and respectfully read it oener than
once and with an to give the utmost force to
the seliustication which is its principal object I am
not surprised, and will add, not offended, at the
what marked change in the tone of your last letter infer
ring from it, however that from farther reflection you
had come to the conclusion that your previous commenda
ton o" my courtesy had been premature say this did
not surprise me because leltvery from the beginning,
that If the report OF your remarks at the New England
festival should prove to be correct you would speedily
find yourself exposed to small amount of anmadveson
on various accounts and hence would naturally enter
tain displeasure toward any who might call pub
lie attention to your unenvabe position can say with
unaffected sincerity that it pains mo to find you in this
position and still more pains me to be the instrument of
exposing it to the public view
am perhaps INDUCING vain hope when beg you TO
beeye this for you have already implied not express
sed doubt Of the sincerity Of my unwillingness 10 be-
ieye" that your dinner remarks had been correctly repor
ted. trust am not in the habit using words at ran
dom. felt all that described unwllingness to be.
leve it. confess that my doubts not very sanguine
but they real because first, am always shocked
when meet with any avowal the unchurchng dogma;
secondly because the manifest ncongruty to call by
harsher name. between the dogma and the OCCASION
inclined me to believe it possible that you had
soened its aggressive aspect and thirdly because deem
il respectful and charitable suppose farther that you
might be one of the number Of preatists who hold the
more tolerant views of the subject That there such
would to God they not few among your clergy
is evident from your expression that the great body
of the catholic Church" have maintained the principle"
you affirmed
Why should be suspected of disingenuousness in
pressing hope that you in the Kind hearted minor
y embracing many able ministers and worthy members
ofyour communion who cannot the length of deliver
ing the vast majority OF Protestant Christendom to
the uncovenantcd mercies of God which mercies
at all beg your pardon if have offended by surprising
that upon the point OF no Bishop Church." posi-
bly, might accord with Cranmer, Wright Usher Sitting
fleet Whately and others, who seem to have had some
bowels of compassion -rather than with Laud and bod
WELL and Oxford Tractarans who thought of cut
ting oil the heads of Christian Churches than if they had
been many thistlcs
Before proceed set the main issue in its true light
wish to make remark or two upon collateral point
yet which Affects the questionwho is the aggressor
in this You to lay considerable stress upon the
circumstance that there Mt least two clergymen"
present at the New England dinner, who nothing
worthy oil anmadverson III your remarks can only say
that if they cared so little for their denomination
to be content that it should be unchurched publicly
and unceremoniousy, they differ materially from two
other clergyman who also present but who
doubt withheld from rebukng such attack upon the
spot solely by the consideration that festive occ
not exactly fitted for bringing controversial ques
ton before promiscuous assemblage of persons"
IN this connection, beg leave to say also for all
that hestated some time before ] could make up my
mind to risk the suspicion Of mmodesty by venturng to
take the place Of ADLER and better very happy
to say that my approximations on that score have been
quoted by my knowledge of their approval the
have taken Still wish you and them TO hold alone
responsible 1t is not, assure YOU from rabd rage
for controversy or from any overweenng my own
hal IIp my
genial occupation but from conviction OF the impro
priety of letting offensive edict of accommodation
pass unshullenged.
When Dr.. Wainwright gentleman, scholar chris
tan minister Gn each of which titles there to be
ners has taken so public so extraordinary an OCCASION
Tor the purpose Of unchurchng the whole OF Protestant
ChristcIdo the Churches OF Germany, Switzerland
France Grea, Britain Holland and Americaai except
the proatica bodies in England and this country
y high time to demand that the public should be put
in possession OF the evidence by which bold and
inching assertion is to be sustained if the evil
dence is not forthcoming it is equally high time that the
enormity of the assumption should be exposed There
hundreds perform the latter task better than
myself but still believe it is not task which requires
the strength of giant.
And now to the point; for will overlook many obec
onabe matters suggested in your letter, because am
anxious to reach the main point as speedily as possible
The settle those bearings Of the discussion
which merely personal the better will readers be
satisfied
am bound to say in the outset that having dscaimed
any intention to offer insult TO the unprelatica
churches, willingly discharge you from further respon
sbility upon that point Had you, in addition, been
pleased to qualify proposition to admit the
clesastcrights Of those Christian bodies who hod the
Head, even Christ" ! should have laid down my pen
though had claimed for your body lofty
superiority. But you have made such admission. You
stand where you stood when rcbuking the descend
ants of the Puritans You have inleed denied any nten
ton to he ofiensve' exclusive" but the question
rccurs was not the principle" you affirmed, offensive
because exclusvel We virtually charged with acting
under forged commissions with living in rebellion against
God because orsooh there cannot be Church." red
and venerable name, the name of our birth place!wh
out WHAT without Christ the Divine Redeemerl no
without Bishop" But to be out of Chriss Church
in the most essential meaning Of the phrase to be out OF
the pale OF salvation And hence to affirm that there
Church unless it have preate is to affirm something
that goes very far toward shutting heaven against the
whole of Protestant Chrisendom with the exception
yourselves.
Now, if these consequences naturally flow from your
position, ask again if it is not necessarily an offensive
postionl And whether therefore, you did not
offensive attitude when you uttered ~ Let US settle this
point first and afterward consider the plea OF provoca
ton which you offer in Standardization and we shall then
be prepared to judge OF the proprety OF your attempt to
alter the issue. Your object my dear sir il to exchange
places with SO Judge from the drift OF your letter
in which you speak of the public attack have made
upon you; ofmy having given you challenge and de-
iancc;' of my having forced you to follow me as CON-
blatant" in daily newspaper and finally at the close
December and call me TO prove my negative oil your
proposition In short you wish to assume the attitude OF
defendant this case and the character
of assailant This is very ancient expeden in
troversy and is always resorted to by dputants who
wish to avert from themselves the imputaion OF having
Justly provoked religious controversy and TO secure
the sympathy othe bystanders wanonly assMled per
admit there is advantage in this but think II
be shown that you cannot in this instance claim it,
For first you made offensive attack not only upon
the probable majority of your hearers but upon the
jory OF the Christian Churches and ministers in this city
Whether meant to be not, it Whisper thc
principle" in the blandest tones and do not change
its real character Say, you hold it in common with the
great body Of the Catholic church, that cannot evade
the responsibility of having publicly uttered an offensive
thing, by sharing that responsibility with others Nor
can imagine n begerent style than that of the
marks which Immediately accompanied tam arena
"a throwing down and taking upof gauntlo'-o read
TO maintain that there cannot be Church without
O Bishop" ask whether IT not Dr. Wainwright who
compelled" one follow him into the columns of
"a dayncwspaper for surely he could not suppose that in
these days of newspapers and reporters all that he might
soy upon this occasion would not be Immediately sent off
through the length and breadth of the land have
many offensive and exclusive specimens of Cburchism
but one the odousness of which perfect
~ disomharrasscd Of all ornamental drapory.
But secondly, it provokedand may you therefore
iupIx IN be cd in he MIA of