Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1860-05-03
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH,
W'ittenf for the Fayetteville Observer.
A Novelty that is NOT a Novelty
MO. ".

= For hundreds of years "there wa
darkness over the promised land
b OF christendom, and "gross darkness
covered both ministry and people
!, !, ldolatry. superstition, unsound doc
trines, and corrupt practices every
where prevailed. Yet this was still
the church of Christ. Just as tn
Jewish church, was the church O
God, while in state of idolotrou
rebellion. In our Saviour's time
the ministry of that church had be-
come exceedingly corrupt, yet he
recognized them as having divine
authority, and after this manner
counsellec bis disciples: "The Scrlbes
and the Pharisees sit 10 Moses seat:
all, therefore, whatsoever they bid
you observe, that observe and do;
but do no! We after their works.
{Matb. XIII: l2.)
10 the sixteenth century, the
time in Gods good providence had
come, when the apostolic church of
England should arise, and, throwing
Oft the Papal yoke, again take her
place as a branch of the universal
church of Christ. In doing this,
'she freed herself from the errors
into which she bad fallen"
There was no new church created
at the Reformation. The Eoglisb
Church, by the help of her divine
Head, reformed herself. She did
not thereby lose her identity, much
less her apostolic existence. "Tbe
errors of The church were not the
church herself, and 10 quitting them
she did notquit herselfany more than
aman chapgeshis face when be washes
it,or loses his identity when he recov.
ers from disease. The Euolish
church, after the Reformation. was
as much the English church as
Naaman was Naaman after be had
washed away his leprosy iu the river
Jordan" During ali this period
OF darkness and corruption, the {
church Of England did not lose her E
nor her identity. sob was .
~sijy and rer1ly Job, when he was {
covered with sores. So was the {
church in Britain visible, in the dark $
'st hour OF that black midnight of a
gees. She was visible in her
hurches, in her ordained ministry, I
q the holy sacraments, the Holy
scriptures. She shone forth in the
ames of her martyrs, who suffered
~ tiiV tiUtu.
The rule Of the reformation
hlch she followed was this: to re.
'ct whatever doctrine was unscrip. .,
lral, and whatever of usages were
'ntrary to the practice Of the a,
'urch in the first and purest ages. IL
he simply threw off what Popery OF
ID superadded to the faith. The
eat difference between the refor-
alton IN England and the reforma. Ro
IN on the continent was this: the fe,
'glish Church rejected nothing, of
npl,y because the Romish Church q
Id or practieed, for the reason that oo
IS, o! itself, did not make doc d.
ne or ceremony wrong. Hence, arr
> retained the ministry in the three III,
lers of Bishop, Priests, and Dea. an
IS, liturgical service, clerical vest. la,
nts, and other minor matters, none trn
which we're the fruits of papacy. itba
is very true, Rome had abused
Office of Bishop, but that was
good reason for rejecting what con
apostles had established. So an
ne had more than abused the liyi
lament of the Lords Supper, not to ,
Y by Withholding the cup from tbe
laity, but by degrading that The
ne ordinance of Christ into an NJ
OF absolute idolatry; yet that bis
t abominable abuse would not the
lily the rejection of the sacra- No
t altogether. There we're some obta
gs which the English Church
, and still hold, in common T
the Roman Church, for the good la to
IN tina: those things we're held due
he church in the apostolic age. Banl
he contrary, the reformers on $50
continent were not content to sIe4
ID simply what was corrupt, but Dom
cir zeal they cut off what was ed nc
o1,e Thoxy ~osoo4.J n.