New-York daily tribune., 1844-01-17

sponsbe for SANDER. the passage in your letter
now referred 10 only repeats the offence, with ~
| gravatlons. :" Be quiet, take the matter coov
says an arrogant gentleman who publicly smites
another IN the face" You have no right to resist,
for you worthless fellow. and for that reason
would have you know that did not strike you
you strucl, yoarsel." This would hardly prove
a satisfactory mode of adjusting an insult.
happen to be acquainted with the 'unan-
swered and unanswerable'' arguments and state
ncnts OF Dr.. Hobart and Dr. Bowden, and there
fore decline any benefit from the plea of ''ig-
noTance," which you politely suggest. Still not
having implicitly followed DR.. Mason and DR..
Miller" greatly as | admire them both, viii, OF
course, be the more open to the prospective lllu-
mnatlon so kindly promised me.
This, believe is all that | need to say, in JUS
! tifcation Of the course | have taken, and the
views have thus far advanced. and from the
farther prosecution OF which am not to be de-
tered by abusive cpithets, charges of unworthy
motives no matter from what source they come.
| Those who know me know that nothing but a
sense OF duty can have prompted me to depart so
far from my ordinary habits as a man of peace.
| Forbearance has a limit.
And now shall proceed to state the question,
as clearly as | can, hoping that the reader may,
as to your views of the point at issue. Many
persons will not believe that your words mean
all that they appear to affirm. Let them have
an opportunity Of Judging, from your owln pen.
The language of your proposition is well known
BY this time-but l will repeat 1t =" There can
be no church without prclate."
refer the reader to my last letter for the true
sense Of the words church and Bishop when
used by hg!-church preatIsts. will not, there
FORE repeat them here. Thus understood, pro-
coed to redeem my pledge, and to show that in
It's nature and consequences this position, though
so confidently assumed, Is unScrptn1ai.
wish that two considerations may be kept IN
view throughout my remarks for they are ncccs-
sary for a right understanding OF my position.
a. That | am not, IN this discussion, the ad-
vocatc Of the ecclesiastical polIty Of that part OF
the Christian Church to which to which | consl-
der it an honor to belong, except SO far as that
po!liy involves the ministerial rights OF presby-
lcrs, or parochisl q. c. parish or congregatonaD
Bishops. In affirming their rights, L affirm the
rights Of the prcsbytcrs Of all antl-prelatlcal
churches. 1L) [ am not assaihng the views OF
those Of our fellow. Christians who believe that
prelacv is scriptura and eXpedient, but who do
not believe that it is enjoyed III scripture as to
be sine qua non in the constitution OF the Church
Of Christ; and who according y admit that the
order of d Presbyterian ministry IS valid, though
not the best order. With such am not contend
mo we agree to differ; we concede to them
what they concede to us, legitimate standing IN
the catholic church. The dogma which | have
undertaken 10 resist and expose, Is that which
makes preIacy essential TO the very being Of the
church, so that without prelates there no church.
and of course, no valid ministry and ordinances,
no promises of God, no lawful reliance upon Gods
grace, no covenanted mercles, and no Just and
certain hope of reaching Heaven. This is the
dogma which you have received from Paplst
hands, and which | hold to be at war with the
spirit and letter of the word of God.
|. Because there is no warrant from the Word
of God for making any particular external form
of poty a condition Of that Christian fellowship
and communion with God, which are the dlstn-
gushing duties and privileges of the Church of
Christ.
If there be such warrant, produce 1t. The
burden of proof rests on you. Let any one eX-
anime the tenor of the preaching of Christ and
his Apostles and then point to solitary evidence
that they placed, as you do, merely external rcla
tons upon a leve; with the exercises OF the spirit
ual graccs, of repentencc toward God, and faith
in Cfrist-or that they made the exercise of these
ais outward relations to form of church pollty.
On the contrary, this is the very error for which
they condemn most earnestly the high-church pre-
tensions of the Jews OF their day, who insisted
upon their ecclesiastical relationship to Abraham,
their possession of ritual, their CIRCUMCISION, their
doctrine of uninterrupted succession and who
were so tenacious of these cxtemals, that they
were for bringing some of them into the Christian
church with them. (Sce the Epistle to the Gal
latian church.) Understand me, | hold the
Church of Christ to be a society, community
of believers; and agree that 1t is right TO conform
to the general principles which are to be found III
scripture for the regulation of that community,
and the attainment of the end of all association,
the benefit Of those associated. | admit that |
find what | conceive to be satisfactory evidence
of :; best form for the outward and visible Church;
best, because best adapted for the developement OF
the grand principles OF individual and social plety
and brotherhood. find order enjoIned, and sub
mission TO order; the preaching of the Gospel,
and obedience to the Gospel when preached
But do not find any authority given for the doc
trine you teach that one particular order Is abso-
lutelv essential to the being of Church. | do
not find that the preaching of the Gospel must
depend for It's efficacy upon the circumstance
that it comes to the public ear through the lips OF
a ministry constituted after particular fashion.
The blessing of God is promised to the truth, and
to men only as they preach the truth The true
apostolica succession is SUCCESSION OF apostolic
truth-and as compared with such succession Il
line of Preales reaching back to the days of the
Apostles, though not link IN the chain were
wanting, is as the chati' to the wheat
Take another view of the SUBJECT. Profound
learning, combined with unqucStlonabe plety,
has been long employed in investigating the cues
ton as 10 the precise and detailed forms which
the earliest Christian communities assumed, un
der the eye OF the Apostles. And what has been
the result of their inquiries? An acknowledged