The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-08-08

P0A ANAS~ y1pAASS VI OAAA
will be hailed as an omen of the
good time coming"
1t is to be regretted that so little
pains have been taken by Protestant
Cha istiansio to inform .abemselHes
about that great Church ofthe East
the Greek and Russo7Greek Com
munion. Christianity was frstplanted
in the East. The Eastern, or Greek
Church, was the earliest formed after
the Apostles dispersed from Jerusa-
lem. From the young days of Chris
tianity. that Church was foremost in
missionary effort; her Bishops and
Tense Of the Faith; fTeir writings are
still a1th9FffIes for the Gospel, and the
Greed and the traditions of Christian
dom. The Nelo Testament Scriptures
took their form in their language. I
History has long ago made us ia.
miliar with the title ofthat venerable
Chureh-next to Jerusalem-as" The
Mother of all Churches" For many
years she witbstOod the %encroach-
ments Of the Papaey, and the oppres-
sions of Mohammedanism. -Four
hundred years before the Reforma-
ton n Western Europe, the Greek
Church was the only aud the effective
Protes' ant pol0er that. eontended
AGAINST the growing p~retensyons Of the
Bishop of Rome. aud kept Romanism
away from the whole East. Perhaps
one of the most brilliant pages inhis-
tory, is the struggle in the Eastern
IChurch against the desolations of bar
barian invaders, the corrupting inau-
cnces of conquered and assimiIated
heather nations. and yet preserving
her faith, and with it eoloaizing the
vast territories of the Cars. ~,
One cause that there is not more
general information abroad upon the
present Russo Greek Church may be
found in the dirersftyof language Fan
other, In the until recently isolation
Of the Russian Empire, from Western
Europe and our country! But now
much more is known Many facts are
brought to light. Russo. Greek htera-
ture Is coming more under our obser-
yation. Some English Christians aud
scholars have from time to time urged
the claims ofthat vast body of Chris.
tians upon the attention of the Eng
lish Church, and argued for the es-
adjustment of full ecclesiastical rela-
tions.I .igI4a 7H4 l tAAgMt
About four years agoia joint com.
mittee of the English and American
Episcopal Church was appointed to
gather information and open cores
pondence with some of the chic
Bishops of that Church relative to q
proposed INSTRUMENTATION. i he
Scotch Episcopal Church also con.
CURED. On that committee were
Archdeacons Bickersteth and DENIM
son, Lord Compton, Sir @. Prevoor
and Chancellor Massingbird. On tht
part of the American. Church were
Bishops Delaney, Williams, White.
house, and Judge Ruggles. lJ q
The reports made have attracted
much attention. There is reason fol
believing that this action will ulti
mately lead to the establishment o
mutual union and corporation on the
basis of a common episcopate, and tht
Apostles and Nicene Creeds. Tht
following extract from the report o
the recent House of C~onvocation. o
the English Church indicates the OBJ
ject and motive: ~ ~ -eI5
The committee desired to draw at
tention to what they understood b.
intercommunion: 4a
1t is not, as many persons i'm
agine, the fusion of one Churel
into another; there is no question o.
submitting ourselves to the authority
Of the Orthodox Church of the East
or requiring such submission from
her. Neither is it, on the one hand
: to engraft into our own Church an
[. of the doctrines, rites, or ceremonies
peculiar to other Churches; nor, OF
the other hand, to require them Il
abandon what may seem to us super
huous, and to. conform themselves Z,
? the measure of our simplicity. No
. the intercommunion which we seek il
: simply the mutual acknowledgment
4 that all Churches which are one il
the possession of a true Episcopate
one In Sacraments, and one in thei
E Greed, are, by their union in thei
. common Lord. bound to receive on,
. another to full communion in prayer
: and Sacraments, as members of tn,
same household Of faith. iol 4ao ~Il
4 The object was emphatically de
clared to be-, ~" doii9al -
To establish such relations between
the two Communions rs shall ehabl
e the laity and clergy of either to joil
/ in the ~Sacraments and Offices Of tn,
other without forfeiting the com
mupion of their own Church.
The Committee were of opinion, q
/ That, considering the steps whicl
have been taken by the America
Church, our own Church, and by tn
LPrimus of the Scotch Church, and con
7 sidering also the cordial way in whiel
these overtures have been received
the time has now arrived when som
further and definite action should b
! made in this direction. ~ j
The Rev, Chancellor concluded b.
proposing the following resolution:
; That the House humbly prays hi
Grace, the President, that he will b
? pleased, in conjunction with hi
, brethren Of the Episcopal order, L
| take such steps towards opening di
rect negotiations with the Casters
patriarchs and metropolitans, with
view TO establish such relations be
t tween the two communions as shat
enable the lalsy of either to join ia tn
Ohces OF the other without forte. tin,
the Communion of their own Church
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