The Arkansas banner., 1850-02-26
tFor Inc Baisrl
THE EPIsCOPAIcHURcH.


 iioa of the Prophets aAd A Os,les, Jesus Christ hlmself bsiag the chief soeat-ssOne. She is the daughter of the Charch of angiADd. from whom she received the Apostolic Ministry, and ths faith which was once delivered ts hs saints. Aad which ] prevailed universally, wirhns any serious inter. mixture Of error, for the fr1 five ceatarles after Christ
 The Anglican Reforners were net guided in theis glorious work, by Iheisewn private opinions snd fancies, but by the coneathnt voice of the Primitive Church. They restored the Bible to lis due supremacy the ealy rue O faith, bat did ao presume to put forth any Interpretations of the Bible, which had not the saRotsn of the highest antiquity. The medieval corrn,tioBs, therefore. which disfgared and pAsied ,heEaesh Church. were opposite aud contradictory Holy Scripture, as interpreted by right reason, and ths church unlversaI during the first i've centuries of the Chris tian era It was the task of the English Rsfor mers, 10 correct thoss evils which, had grown uP ia the dark night of the middle ages ana to reduce the ecclesiastical system to it's pristin, form. work 90 vast and delicate required no common strength
 
 prune away all that spurious ,xcrescenes which dis6gured the church, and impaired her vigcr. and on the other to preserve sacredy, ali those parts which in primitive days were accounted necessary to her integrity. IL is common with mankind ia their oscillations Of opinion to go from one extreme 10 another; and hence some of the essential char acterises of the church have been rejected because .L. ;.,A errsr. and have been handed down through corrupt chaOnsls. The English Rsforuers were happily free from this weak and were desrous only of separating between those things which were truly erroneous sud superstitions, and those that truly scrptura and spostolica. The result of their labors is that admirable system of ecclesiastical pOli,y which distinguishes the Protestant Episcopal Church
 The book of Common Prayer, in its divisions of Liturgy. Offices, and Articles, is entirely agreeab. to Holy Scripture aud being also the faith il was held and sxpounded in the parss ages of hs church. commends itself proper ani qualified arhiEer of the differences among bodies of lrosssed Christians, in our day as to the true doctrines Of tAe Word of God.
 When the Revo lutionary var began, there were only about eighty parochial clergymsn of the Epis- copa Church in the United States, to the north ward and eastward of Maryland In Maryland and virgaia, the Episcopal Charch was much more numerous. Ia the more southern colonies, the Episcopalians were fewer in proportion, than the the last two mentioned but more in number than in the northern. The dificaity of obtaining Epis- copar ordination which had existed during the sckuo dged supremacy of the British crown, con tinued to operate with greater force during the struggle which terminated in the independence of the United States. Daring this period, there was no resource tor the supply of vacancies that were continually multiplying, by deaths and removals Thus the far greater number of Episcopal Churches cossi for several years. In the State of Penn sylvania, there was part of that time in which there but officiating minister of the church throughou. iis whole extent
 As soon however. as the independence of As,eri- ca acknow sdged by Great Braitaia. measures were undertaken fer obtaining the Episcopa,e on this side of the Atlantic.
 iter some delay. these measures were happily successful. Dr. SEABuKY, elected Bishop of Conn eeiicut. obtained consecration from the non-uring Bishops of Scotland, who had carefully maintained the succession in tsat country, notwithstanding their severance from the State in l6ss. And Dr. WHITE. of Pennsylvania, Dr. FRovosr, of New York, and Dr. MaDIsoS, of Virginia, wese cOnse- erated by the English Arch5ishops.
 The Episcopal Church in this country, thus re- eeived the succession, and perfected her ts to be the bride and spouse of Christ: She became com pete in herself and independent of all foreign sistance or influence.
 The Episcopal Church has progressed with great rspidi,y, since her first compiets organization in this country. She has grown from l -0 clergyman end 900 congregations, to 1859 clergyman and 1880 congregations. and her Bishops have increased in number from to 32. The population o. ihe Uni ted S,ates esiimats belonging to this church. is 2,e0o, ,ooo
 The Episcopal Church in her form of govern meat and manner of legislation, bears singular re- semblance to that of the Republic under which she foarishes. The two Houses of Congress find a parralel ia the House of Bishops and tho House Of Clerical, and lay deputies which compose the Gen sral Conventions of the church. As in Congress, so in ths General Convention, no laws can be Tado which do not pass both houses, aud the join. ac,iOa of both Is necessary for establishing any rules that shall be generally binding Again the indspen- dance aud sovereignty of the States of the Union. is represented in the Diocsses of the Episcopal Church. The one have Governors for their heads. the other Bishops. The one has its State Legisia. turs, the other its Diocecaa Conventions.
 The Episcopal Church, therefore, has no mon. archical elements in her government. For ths repctaIOn Os any such charge it would be sufficient to point out ths individuais of our country, who from the day of independence have sought home
 in her bosom, she has supplied six Prssldenls out of the twelve, wAsHISeroS among them. She has furnished four Vice Prefidenis out of the twelve; she has furnished two Chief Justices of the United States She supplies two Justices Of the Supreme Court and furaisles, least twelve of tine presen,