The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-10-20

The Hawaiian Reformed Catholic
Mission.

Mission.
We have had occasion to refer more than once Il
The proceedings Of ~ the Reformed Catholic Mission
AZ Honolulu. and Of Bishop >taiey. who j. ~ the
head Of il. We have strongly protested against
this intrusion 81 members OF orr own church into .
missionary sphere already occupied by another
body u Christians. ~ an act at once unjust. un-
courteous and unwi>e. a. directly violating the mu-
tual understanding on which the various sections
of the church of Christ have hitherto conducted
their missions. aud ContTadictiug alike apostolic
Prcccpt and apostolic practice. IL has been shown
10y uS that III, church of England has ever rcCor-
uizsd the various Reformed churches a. being true
churches 81 Christ. and worthy compverS with her
self IN the great work OF evangrliz.ug the world.
We had. however. az th4t time. no conception that
the case was So bad a. il turns out 10 be. \ pam
phlet on this subject has Just been issued by the
Rev. V. Ellis. we'll known in connection with NADIA
ga>car. and form cTly = missionary in the Sandwich
Islands. and therefore possessing a personal aC-
quuiutance with the character and circumstances o.!
The inhabitants The AIgh character OF Mr.. Ellis.
united with his personal acquaintance with the
facts. invest his defence of the American missions
ana his grave charges against the criginator> of the
Reformed Catholic Mission with equal authority
and Importance. II l. scarcely possible that 50
wcll-iJrui>hrd an author should bt found tripping.
Indeed every statement he makes i accompanied
WIKI evidence. ami ne writes moreover with a mod
GRAFTON of tone and spirit calculated 10 show that
he i no heated and reckless partisan. And vet.
unless his statements can be diSprovcd or IN some
Way rrbutted. II viii be impossible 10 avoid the
conclusion that this Reformed Catholic Mission.
whatever the name may mean. Is one OF the gross
est decisions ever palmed upon Christian men.
The establishment Of the Episcopal Mission at
Honolulu was warmly advocated by ONE high
churchmen on grounds apparently equally conclu-
sIEe 10 the reason and touching To the sympathIrs.
" y sort Of historic and chivalrous charm was i'm
parted 10 the enterprise by representing the non
compliance of the Government of England with a
series OF applications made by successive sOvrreigns
Of Hawaii Is 80 many wrongs inflicted on the peO-
pie which the church of England i now called upon
t. redress" Twenty years after Captain Cooks
visit. Vancouver brought religious truth before
the mind OF hamehamcha L.. and promised him
teachers from England. The fuihllment of this
promise was pathetically urged by tie king. but
urged in vain. Thirty years later a similar appIi-
cation was made by kamehamcha II. and again re-
fused, although the king visited England in person
to press the application aud to take back with
him an English church establishment" The Hawai-
ians still continued to look =. with an eager eve tor
the church OF the future to be sent to them from
England"
In 1857 the old desire again broke out in a re-
quest addressed by kamehameha ". to the Queen
OF England and the Archbishop of Canterbury that
a Mission OF the church of England should be
sent ont To Honolulu" Nothing less than a bishop
and six clergymen would suffice to meet the wants
OF a population of GS.000 souls. Of whom 2 10000
only were protesting Protcstants and -. 600 uncon-
nected with any creed. All that had before been
done for this people had been done by American
Furitans. who had inflicted on "A people addicted
to gaiety and spending much of their life in the in
nocent recreation of the dance. the restrictions
natural 10 descendants of the stern old Puritans
of New England. if anything rather more severe.
sour ana Nlhegar-Hke. These people had 50
grossly mIsmanagcd their missions that they made
as fast rs they made proselytes." bro
ducing "a superficial Christianity thinly yelling a
heathen faith and heather practices; They made
the mistake of - Introducing themselves into the
secular Offices of the kingdom and were so utterly
even to arrest the progress of heather
that immortality in Hawaii is ten times
greater now than when the people were heather" {
! nder such circumstances it is no wonder that
the people are craving for your teachers. that
hey are wearied out by the acknowledgement of the
American Puritans." Hence, lastly. the appeal 5
hall all this be in vain. and will not English I
throw light on their Hawaiian darkness
~ establishing among Them the Reformed Catholic !
lission and erecting a new cathedral at Honolulu. f
hat neglected place, where among IA populal~~
1 49o souls Their are onlE-..Sa G47Tb cn tIr = !.
IF containing $500 persons. two chapels and Il
Roman Catholic cathedral 10 boot?
such Is the statement put forth by those high :
who unlike the great Apostle. desired :
To enter into other mems labOrS." 1t contains, -.
Is We have put it. fourteen direct statements of :
of fact: and if these statements were true .
ONE ground for "a new Mission would undoubtedly !
existed. What will our readers think when 4
We tell them that Mr.. Ellis adduces strong grounds
o show that every one of these fourteen statements
without exception. simply and absolutely u1-
We do not profess To discuss the details.
We only call attention to the results. unless the q
ontents of the pamphlet can be disproved. But t
'e cannot refrain from the strong Indignation at r
he unsecmly. gross and scandalous manner in r
.hish the American missionaries, than whom. as Il n
no more devoted body of men exists. have I
cen libellously attacked alike by the Bishop of u
'Nford and by Bishop Sta!ey. -
OF this gentlemans opinions and modes of pro- IL
eeding our columns have contained illustrations a
former occasions. Judging from the facts stated n
Mr.. Ellis's pamphlet. aud suppoSing them To be Is
ne. he appears Ia be a theological hybrid. of 4 d
Decies unhappily not unknown in these later .
avs, combining the narrowcst bigojry of extreme Y
igh churchism with the ductrinal laNity of the \
.hool of Bishop Colenso. BY virtue of the one half =,
this theological compound. he appears To teach :
e coordinate authority of tradition with Scripture. "
lptlSmal regeneration and sacramental grace in =
'nncctlOn with the Lord : supper. and To give eX- ~
r'ssion to his views IN that " language OF dogma" l.
nglican ritualiSm. By virtue of bis other half. p
It once be calls into question the inspiration OF q
oily scripture. distinguishing what Is human in ii
,ripture from what is Divine (not. it will br OBJ NJ
rived. combining the two elements in one revela- re
On but dividing the one revelation into two parts. q,
eternal principles from what i temporary and -
cidental. We tranScribe the whole passage in =
e Bishops own words - They tthe lawaiians) -
I'VE anything but an intelligent acquaintance OF
18th the Holy Scripture. O. its composite char IN
of the times and circumstances of the authors De
hen they wrote the various books. they know az
thing they do not. in fact. possess that hi,tori- IN
j aud common Information which can alone rem in
IT Its perusal profitable and even safe. No at Y,
seems to have been made to teach them how \,
distinguish the human from the Divine in the -.
spired Nolume-eternal principles from what is ~
mpOrary and incidental III
Every one who reads the pamphlet referred to III
this article will feel that explanation is loudly p
He'd for from the friends of the Reformed w
Itholic Mission" If the statements of Mr.. Ellis st
II be rebutted by evidence on the other side. let IN
be done. but the reputation Of all parties con- Pr
rned demands that II should be done at once. IA
excellent and high-minded persons have been he
| 10 support this Mission who are utterly incapa- .
2 of knowingly lending themselves TO any IN -
'rthy or ungenerous scheme. If Mr. Ellis be 70,
,ht. these men must have been grossly deceived. VI
is due to themselves TO ascertain the facts. and Lee
ldicate their reputation from any share in what Ia
little better than a delusion. If this i not
ne. indelble disgrace will rest on all who do of
t separate themselves a: once and for ever from -
movement publicly convicted OF being founded ,
her on the most culpable ignorance or the gross