Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-10-11
Religious Intelligence.
Correspondent Of N, Y. Times.

LONDON, heuneelay, Ctpt- 10, lCoas
The Psn-Anglicsn Synod is meeting-and al
90 meeting with storm ofmild riiicule. Times,
Pail Mall, Telegraph, .Nelrs, Punch, Satur-
day Rerieio, Speciat0r-I can speak for 50
msny-all take the same view Of this singular
Episcopal gathering. They look upon it as use
less, foolish, and, in certain sense, futile, or,
If one must use so harsh a word, contemplate.
Every important question is shelved. The pro-
gramme is an astonishing one for such an as
semblage. Bishops come from the remotest
parts Of the earth to settle petty formslities Of
intercommunicltio forms Of clergymen's e
certificates, and so on. They can settle nothing,
define nothing, meet no question Of faith or dis
cipline, and beyond some social enjoyment, some
good dinners at Lambeth, foreign Bishops
preaching in London churches. some Gonizing
Of this sort, nothing can come Of it. That seems
all plain enough, but the Bishops are not TO
blame for IT, In England their hands are tied
by the State All the Bishops in England can
not make Bishop. They are commanded to
elect and consecrate whoever the Prime Minis
ter for the time being may appoint All the
Bishops cannot change scrap Of the Liturgy
or Articles or even decide upon their meaning.
Parliament alone has power TO do one, and the
lawyers the other. The Mother Church has no
power over the Churches in the Colonies which
are subject 10 local legislation. OF course, the
American branch is independent enough. Eng
land, as the Bishop Of Louisiana told them in
sermon the other day, for two hundred years
refused TO give them a Bishop, which conduct
went fa~ 10 rec0uncile the American Church to
q political separation from the mother country
Some Of the papers made him say that II was
one Of the principal causes OF the Revolution
The Times gave his name, from some old regis
ter, as ''Bight Rev. L. Polk forgetting that
poor Bishop Polk was cut in two by a cannon
shot on the battle field The Bishops will do
the best they can and all they can; but they
have really no power to DO anything. As TO
unity with dlssenters, they would scorn it ex-
cept on their own terms, and the Eastern and
Western Churches would not be less exscting,
If the Anglicsns proposed TO unite with them.
Rome demands submission-nO more, no less;
ConstantinOple would demand at least conformi-
ty, orders which she would not consider as at
least doubtful, and subordination. Anglicansm
stands in a curious and perplexing position tow
ards what she calls the other branches. Of the
Church Catholic. Anglicsns admit the validity
Of the Roman, Greek and Armenian Churches,
while these deny or strongly doubt the validity
Of Anglican orders. To an Anglican a Greek or
Roman Catholic Bishop is a real Bishop, the
priest Is a priest; while by the Roman Catholic
and Greek Christian the Anglican Bishop and
clergy are, to say the least, strongly suspected
Of being mere lsymen. And these lay Bishops |
talk OF proposing 10 members Of the much more |
numerous, ancient and undoubted churches TO |
unite with them. Before the Primate Of all /
England and the Archbishops and Bishops Of |
the Pan-Anglican Church could unite with /
either the Greek or Latin Churches, the great |
and ancient bodies Of the East and West, they /
would have to receive first, conditional baptism, |
second conditional if not absolute ordination, and
inally conservation, after which the whole body /
1f Anglican clergy would have to be reordained
The prospect Of the Pan Anglican Church sub
hitting such a process, authorized by act Of
Parliament, 50 far as England is concerned, does
not seem very hopeful. Yet this is what some
hundreds Of English clergymen, with such men
Il their head as Archbishop Manning and DR..
Newman, haYe done and are doing
It does not seem likely that an Anglican Arch
bishop or Bishop will give up his position to
mite individually with the Roman Communion.
Jlergymen have in that way renounced livings,
positions, prospects AMI fortunes. But the Arch
bishop Of Canterbury, for example, has a grand
I'D palace 10 London, a fine country house, and
. salary Of $4,000 year-three times that Of
he President Of the United States. Scores of
Bishops have died 81 worth - millions, besides
lroyiding tor numerous families. How strong
must be the religious convictions Of men who give
~ such advantages OF three sons Of the dis-
philanthropist Wilberforce two be
ame Roman Catholics. and are seldom heard Of;
be third is bishop of Oxford.
In the Pan Anglican Synod America and the
'olonies are proportionally better represented
han England. OF the twenty-eight English
bishops ten have declined to attend il. Most Of
he eleven Irish Bishops, and all the seyeu Scotch
Bishops, are at Lambeth, with perhaps half Of
he forty-;hree American and forty-eight Coloni-
j Bishops OF the unanimous attendance Of
he seven Scotch Bishops the Times sarcsstical-
J remarks that people who are uncertain of
heir position in society never neglect an invi-
alton" The Anglican Bishops in Scotland
old the same position as Dissenters in England,
be national church beng the Presbyterian.
There is a demand for more Bishops IN En-
and, but they are rather costly lu1uries, and,
E many think, more ornamental than useful
he proportion is much less than in America
nd the Colonies, but there is not a need Of SO
lany in dense populations. The forty-three
american Bishops are required more by terri
orial extent than numbers, and the Bic hop Of
.ondon may have as many churehmen in his
Ingle diocese as could be found in all the forty
hree American dioceses. There is not much
Of al increase until the church cuts
cCse or is cut loose from the State, and then
he can have any number che chooses to psy
Or.