The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-10
Epiacopal General convention-ni,u.

WIZ De souched In the episcopal General
Convention at New York was thus handled
by Bishop Lee, Of Delaware, in the opening
sermons
A Church confident OF the Divine truth
Of her Scriptures could take her stand on
the highest ground. Human testimony was
unnecessary to prove the truth of the Scrip
lures; that was proved by Divine power,
and tradition was unnecessary. Yet, to a
certain extent, the early Councils were en-
titled to respect. The Jews kept the law
strictly; the Sanhedrim watched every
letter and every revelations but with all
this they elected the Saviour. The preacher
then spoke of the General Councils of the
Church, and denied that the bishops had
power to interpret or ordain things of them
selves necessary to salvation without the
clergy and laity. They had no power
to proclaim such things except they were
in unison with Holy Writ. The pre-
tensions Of Councils to be unerring were
wrong, and only brought ridicule on the
Church. The Nicene Council, however,
promulgated the true doctrine in declaring
the unity of the Godhead, which was in
strict accordance with the truth. But why
trust to Councils while we had the Apostles,
who still could be consulted Where they
had spoken, there was no appeal but what
they had not settled could not now be set
tied. The whole Catholic Church could not
establish any doctrine not established by
the Apostles the Church was founded on
:" the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief cornerstone"
Jesus Christ himself also appeared in this
vision 1.-THE text was from the Revelation
in his sacerdotal character, between the
golden candlesticks, and showed in himself
the entire establishment Of the symbols
once used in the Jewish worship. The
mockery by modern priests was not what
belonged to the ministry of Aaron. We
had a great High Priest, who, by one
Offering, had perfected forever our saliva
ton. The language of the Epistle recog-
nized no sacrificing priests, and there
fore no further sacrifice was necessary,
since Jesus Christ offered himself for the
sins of the world. There is given to the
world royal priesthood, which sacrificed
to God with prayer and praise, and which
offered themselves as true sacrifice wholly
acceptable to God, which is their reasona
BILE service. There are many titles among
the clergy, but none which bring to the
mind an idea of sacrificial or mediatorial
services. This error cannot be sanctioned
even by on appeal to the Fathers, but if
those glorious men had but seen how their
unguarded expressions would thereafter
have been Inexperienced, they would
have cut off their right hands, or wished
their tongues to cleave to the roof of their
mouths, before they would have spoken or
written them. Propitiatory and sacerdotal
Offices were inseparable, and the daily
sacrifice which pretended to reGnact the
scenes of Calvary was dangerous and
gross error. For q mortal to pretend to
offer up Christ daily was serious
error, and the tendency of the sys-
TEN was simply to make the priest offer
up sacrifices for the people. The theory
that the ministry was Of a sacerdotal cha
racter was not sanctioned by the Protestant
Episcopal Church; the very name of Pro-
testant showed this and according to one of
the articles of the Church the pretence of Of
fering up Christ by masses, &C., was grave
and dangerous error. 1t was absurd to say
that because the word priest was used in the
prayer book, the Church conferred sacrifcial
powers and in this connection he quoted an
extract from the ordination services of both
Roman and Episcopal Churches, where in
the one authority was given to offer the sa-
crihce-in the other the simple authority to
preach the Word was given. The preacher
next referred to the power of forgiving sins
claimed by the clergy, and denied that any
such power was possessed by them. If
such were allowed, any man might assoil
another, and what would prevent man from
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giving Of ecclesiastical censure, which was
the same rs giving the power to retain sins.
He dwelt strongly on this matter, and again
referred to the Eucharist as not being by
any means q propitiatory sacrifice, and
quoted several Bishops, who stated
that the title of priest, as applied to a
minister, by no means gave him power
either to sacrifice propitiatorily or to forgive
or retain sins. He next alluded to the in
novations which have taken place in SEN
suous ceremonies, which merely strike the
eve. A minister was not ordained to be
master Of ceremonies, to value the cut and
color Of garments, and to bow down in
foolish pantonime. But this underlies
another and tar more dangerous business,
which could only be evaded by going back
to the pristine purity of our religion. We
maintain Christ as the rule Of faith and
practice, Himself the only propitiator, and
His blood the only cleanser Of sin, while
| His Word was our only absolution and in-
tercession and if we had these in their
simplicity and purity then we had the
true faith. If not Protestant Church we
had no right to be a Church at all, and the
Reformation would be considered mere
sham. On this platform we must stand,
and make Christ, as he is, the Alpha and
Omega, and the author and fnisher of our
faith. He drew beautiful picture of q
vision which, he said, often came before his
minds eye, Of Church in its pri-
mitive purity, which was candle
stick of the Lord to illumine our cities and
forests, our mountains and plains, and be-
ing pure as the Church of the Reformation,
true to her Lord and to her faith such a
Church, he said, should ours be, and she
would then be of great and glorious infu-
ence in this Western World. He next touch
ed upon Christian union, which he said
should not be effected by looking to parties
far removed from us in faith, and being at
the best superstitious. We should choose
between the dead past and the living pre-
sent, and not go back to the cloister and
the cowl for our faith. How far unity
among Protestant Christians was possible
was question which could not be answer
ed in moment, but Christian fellowship
could be fostered and practiced, and this
would lead to union more lasting than
any other. Let US give such concessions as
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