The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-04-29
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY APRIL 90.
[Por the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
Bishop StaIey'. Pastoral Address.
Continued from cur previous issue

much Importance seems 70 be attached. it was
stated by the Bishop in his sermon last New
Years day that the only way for " DiSsenters''
and C~hurchmen to live together in peace is to
agree TO have nothing to do in common on mat
tiers Of religion. They may meet TO discuss social,
scientific or sanitary questions, but not on any
religious basis, rs for instance, TO pray for the
conversion of the world. If this be true il is q
sad commentary on our common Christianity.
But 1t Is difficult 10 see how the questions Of
Apostolic Succession and Episcopal Ordination
are involved in a meeting to pray for the CONVEX
sion OF the heather, ami 10 hear of the progress
OF the Christian work in the world. 1t is n we'll
known fact that the Missionaries of all the Pro
testant societies residing in the three great cities
of India, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, are ac-
customed 10 meet o tn by month for prayer
and consultation IN regard to the Missionary
work. And while some VI the Colonial Bishops, as
the Bishop of Cape Town, take =" High Church"
ground and strive to Idud II on n small scale over
their dioceses, others, among whom may be men,
toned the Bishop of CeylOn and Bishop Gobat,
have hitherto repudiated these principles, and have
cordially recognized the Missionaries of the Anne
rlcan Board as Christian brethren. Hear the late
Bishop of Calcutta on this subject. He says,
" Episcopacy is accounted in the teeth Of our
Articles, TO be absolutely, and under all circum-
stances, essential 10 the existence of a Church.
| am full of alarm every thing seems to
be at stake. There seems to be something judi
cial in the spread of these opinions. If they
should come over here and peryade the teachings
of our Chaplaius, the views and proceedings of
our Missionaries, or friendly relations ,Cith other
bodies Of Christians, our position among the Hin
docs and MahOmetans, -lCHABoD,-th glory is
departed, may be inscribed over our Church of
India"
As far as the writer was able to Judge, the
members of the American Mission We're ready to
receive the English Mission in a fraternal spirit,
and to meet them more than half way : as allies
against ignorance and SIN" An erroneous re-
wort bod l.apr,A ON rant m tho iSlanAo fhot fha
new Mission represented what is called the Evan
gelical branch Of the English Church, which
perhaps contributed To this state of feeling. And
if the Bishop and his preSbyters had arrived the
preceding June, we have no doubt that they
would have been invited to be present at the
meeting Of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association
as corresponding members. But the overbearing
and intolerant spirit which they displayed, and
their apparent determination to ride rough shod
over their predecessors, and to use the influence
and patronage OF the government to further their
schemes, put all cooperation out of the question.
On the subject Of : : the want of courtesy it
is not pleasant to handy recriminations. l for
bear to fill your columns with the abusive Ian
guage applied to the American Missionaries by GER
tain clergymen of the Reformed Catholic Church,
both in the pulpit and out of it, language which
necessarily puts "a stop to further social inter-
course with those who use it. In this very PAM
phlet occur such terms as 90 plous fraud : mar
row-minded and disappointed sectaries,' &c,
which are generally regarded as discourteous, not
to say offensive. He accuses certain of the Pro-
testant clergy of speaking evil Of dignities, . of
sowing sedition, ;" of : trading in the supersti-
tious fears of the natives, - and of making them
believe " that God is plaguing this land, and has
killed their Prince and King because of the pres
ence here of an English Bishop In the au-
thor's own words, 50 Vague charges of this kind
are easily made, let them be proved" Until
some better authority than 8" current gossip" is
produced for these assertions, they will justly be
considered as unfounded calumnies by all UMPIRE
JUDGED readers.
The two principal g defects in the teaching of
the Puritan Missionaries which the Reformed
Catholic Church supplies, seem to be first, their
gloom and a~usterity. and secondly, their ignor-
ance of g the Catholic as distinguished from the
d~enominational view of Christianity"
The former has been greatly exaggerated. 1t
cannot be proved that the old athletic games were
ever prohibited. They were so intimately con-
nected with their old system of idolatry and their
wars, that they naturally fell together. Read
Ellis Tour around Hawaii, and it will be evident
that the attendant gambling and RIGHTEOUSNESS
formed the principal attraction of these games,
and that when these vices were forbidden by law
the games lost their interest. Read the ninth
chapter of Mr.. Dibble's History, and it will be
seen how the new and wonderful arts Of reading
and writing SO interested the whole people at
first, that for a time they took the place of their
old sports, which were going out of fashion. 1t
is probable that the Missionaries did not take
pains to teach the natives new sports and pas
times. 1t was not in their line. They would
have cut d poor figure as dancing-masters, and
were also SO oppressed with work of far higher
importance, that they left this subject to regulate
itself as in other countries. Besides, will his
Lordship specify what dances have received the
sanction Of the Episcopal Church both in Eng
land and America. 3
have before me extracts from the journals both
of the General Convention of the American Episcopal
Church, and of the Convention of the Diocese of Viz.
GINA, which show that the Episcopal Church in the
United States in former years gave her testimony
strongly against gaming, attending theatres, public
balls and horse racing" and solemnly warned her
communicates against indulgence in worldly pleas
ures. As for dendti0nGiieing the people, there is
nothing that will do it so eaectually as the proecrip.
ton Of the national language.
1 might pass over the Bishops exposition Of the Catholic
ton, yet | cannot resist the temptation to add a few remarks on
the subject. Now to an outsider, this sect, so intensely secta-
rian, local and national in its character, seems less entitled TO
the epithet Catholic than almost any other, and less adapted to
become the universal form OF religion for the world. Never has
the term Catholic been more perverted than when 1t has been
made to designate eTciusiUenGss. But it seems that its rghtto
nation. I am told that {" the continuity of this Holy Catholic
Church depends on the ordaining power Of the Bishops" and
that q" her Christianity is something definite, something trans
mitted down to US in creeds and formulariea in a prescribed and
visible organization" But why the dozen different sects who
claim TO have apostolic succession are to be called CathoEc, and
how the succession alone is to prevent schisn, is not easy to
this very week (Holy Week. are taking place AROUND the Holy
Sepulchre-see the awful imposture Of the Holy Fire-see the
half dozen &" branches of the Catholic Church" fighting around
the very grave of our Lord. while the Turk looks on in contempt,
and then tell US what . Catholic" means as opposed to "denomi-
violently sundering her connection with the Church Of Rome,
after having been communicated by her supreme authority
after confscating all her landed property, after hanging, burn,
ing and banishiug her faithful priests, can have the enrontery to
claim identity with the ancient Catholic Church Of England.
Still less can it claim identity with the still more ancient church
the Roman missionary, Augustine, or with the martyrs Of Iona.
succession, beware how they break a lance with Il huLnls