The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-03-04

OF, which may, without any gross lmproo
ability, be supposed not to have taken
place. We have not little OF evidence
to any one of these events. We do moi
even know the names or countries OF the
men to whom it is taken for granted that
these events happened We do not know
whether the spiritual ancestors OF any
one of our contemporaries we're Spanish
or American, Arian or Orthodox. In
the utter absence of all particular evi-
deace we are surely entitled to require
that the strictest regularity was observed
in every generation, and that Episcopal
functions were exercised by none who
were not bishops by succession from the
Apostles. But we haveno such evidence.
In the first place -E.,sSss not full and
accurate Information touching che pohty
of the Church during the century which
followed the persecution of Nero. The
question whether the primitive ecclesias-
tical constitution bore a greater resem-
blance to the Anglican or the Calvinistic
model, has been 6ercely disputed. 1t is
question on which at least full halt
Of the ability and erudition of Protestant
Europe, has ever since the Reformation,
been opposed to the Anglican pretensions.
Our author himself, we are persuaded,
would have the candor to allow that if no
evidence were admitted but that which is
furnished by the genuine Christian liter
ature Of the first two centuries, judgment
,Oould not go an favor Of prelacy. He
then in his own brilliant and unanswera-
ole manner adduces the proof that the
establishment of this claim of the Church
of England to apostolic succession i'll this
sense is simply absurd aud impossible
Indeed it is so untenable, that many of
the first men in that Church, as well as
the American Episcopal Church have re-
iected it, as may be seen in DIR. Smyth' s
able work on Apostolical Succession
The only apostolical succession that is
worth any thing is the succession of apos-
tolic truth, of the Gospel, as apostolic
men proclaimed it That is necessary,
and fortunately that does not depend on
the hands through which it has been
transmitted to us. The truth of the
Epistle to the Romans does not depend
on whether We received it through the
thousand hands from Rome, or FIVE thou
sand hands from Corinth, so that we have
she genuine Enistle. any more than the
uutritive properties of loaf Of bread
depend on our ability to trace it through
baker, miller, merchant, farmer, &c, to
the harvest field. If it is bread it is not
less nutritive because we do not know the
pedigree of its transmission. If the Bi-
bic is conceded to be the inspired truth
of God, it is not less true because we
cannot trace the hands through which it
passed from the pen that first traced its
pages. Now as all parties now in ques-
ton concede that we have the genuine
apostolic teaching in the New Testament,
we have only TO 90 back to. that, and
drink from the fountain itself, and not
depend on the long and .tortuous pipes
that run through centuries of corruption
and darkness, for the blessed water of
life. This is what Jesus and the Apos-
ties have told us to do, and we are salts
fed with their authority.
Hence if it were impossible to trace
the historical connection of the Presby-
terian Church further back than the Re-
formation, it would have precisely the
same connection with the primitive Church
that all other Protestant Churches have
and not whit less of any authority thai
comes from that connection. And as at
ter all, the only authority which any
Church possesses must come from Christ
we are satisfied when we reach that au
thority, without troubling ourselves witt
what Paul rightly called "fables anC
endless genealogieS which minister ques
tions, rather than godly edifying which il
in faith.
But as some may lay stress on this con
nectiOn, we propose to show that tn
Presbyterian Church, through the Churcl
of Scotland, has through this ancien
Church of the CHldees a more unbrokel
historical connection with the primitiv
Church than even the Anglican Church
and that if there is any value in thi
kind of succession at all, We have it. Thi
We will attempt to do by maintaining
series of historical propositions leading
to this conclusion.
The Valley of Death.