The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-07-09
NUMBER 6.
Religious.

|
this paper to religious controversy of any sort
The TELEGRAPH will not Intentionally slfoN
partially for any sect or denomination. W
are In the practice OF publishing the move
ments of churches and religious bodies as mat
tiers OF neecs, precisely the same as in othe
departments of intelligence. Ed
| Nix. EDITOR In your issue of June 1lthi
an extract from the american ChurchotdSs, OF
the union of Methodists and Episcopalians il
one church. The one absorbing religious top
ic of the day seems to be union. II shows
that true religion is making progress in thu
world. The old lines of separation are being
broken down. Denominations once the mos
antagonistic to each other are seeing "eye tc
eye" We hail this tendency to come togeth
er upon the broad platform of the Gospel Of
love and reconciliation, with profound JOY.
The Methodists and Episcopaleans do not
differ materially in doctrine There would be
no insuperable barrier in the matter of church
polity. In such union the so-called "High
Church" party would have 10 abandon, OF
course, the unscriptural and absurd dogma OF
Apostolic succession. They would have to
recognize the right of ministers of OF her de-
nominations to preach and administer the sa-
craments. They would have to exchange
pulpits with them. The hope Rev. Mr.. Tying
expressed the other day, while preaching in a
Baptist church, would then be realized, that
the time would come when according to the
canons of his church he would be able to in
vite the Baptist minister to preach in his pull
pit. 1t would be glorions thing for the
Episcopal church if the union could be effect
ed. 1t would remove the intense narrowness
which has characterized its spirit and its
movements. 1.-THE little one would become
a thousand, and the small one strong ma
ton" "
1t wonld have to adopt also the excellent
Itinerant Methodist system. The Mghodist
church might be willing TO extend tue time
of ministers to five or seven years, instead OF
three, as at present. 1t must be remembered,
however, that the average stay OF ministers
in all the denominations in the United States
having a professed settled pastorate,i is ac-
cording to statistics, less than ttoo years. Then
there are all the discomrorts, notifications and
expense of 'candi6ating," and the friction
and unpleasantness attending removasi in the
settled" system while on the Methodist
plan the pastor always has a parish and the
parish pastor, and generally, with mutual
good will the minister and people separate at
the close of the defined period.
Let the term of pastoral service be length
ened, let parsonages be well furnished, and it
will be clearly seen the Itinerant system
would be incomparably the best in the world.
Thus again, would the Episcopal church
gain by unity with the Methodistss SOFT
The Episcopal church has been trying to in
corporate into its system in some way or an
other, lay preaching. 1t has not yet succeed
ed. 1t has been bothered to find a Suitable
name, and also to lay out suitable,lwork for
this efficient class of Christian lahorers, BY
coming into the Methodist church itiwill find
nearly ten thousand lay preachers actively as
sisting the regular ministry. Thus again,
would it gain by the union t.'A
The Episcopal church, as represented by
the more devout of its clergy, and members,
desires gerater spirituality amongits ministers
and COMMITMENTS. There is confessedly q
lack of means to awaken and dcyelope this
feeling. By coming into the Methodist church
it will find class meetings which nearly every
other denomin alton, in some form, is adopt
ing, and prayer-meetings, and other means of
grace adapted to secure this very end.
The Methodist church might be willing to
adopt a brief llturgical service The present
service of the Episcopal church il altogether
too long. Besides, the Episcopal minister
cannot pray except out of his book. For
special occasions, some Bishop must first orig
mate a prayer, and the clergy must slavshly
repeat it. The Methodist church might be
tempore methods The Episcopal church GER
tainly would gain by such combination. By
shortening the service the minister would be
able to preaeh instead OF being compelled to
read II short essay, after the wcarisomc and
anything but devotional preliminary exercis.
es. The Episcopal church would then realize
the force of the Apostle Paul's utteranee, ''It
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
mot the foolishess of an intermins Die service)
to save them that believe" -neal
1t is plain however, that fla union is TO be
accomplished, our friend of The 4me,ican
Churc4tRan, and those he represents, must
change their tone regarding The organization
of the Methodist church. The writer, in the
article on union, takes it for granted his read
ers are babes in intellect, that they do not
know the facts of history, let alone the philos-
ophy of their causes. He writes like broth
er Episcopal clergyman in England, vino is
manufacturing history for little English boys
and girls, in which he says, Washington was
good man. The American revolution was a
very wicked thing. The Americans had nc
cause OF separation from England 5usU
The poor man thinks the separation Of
America from the mother country was terri
BILE "schism, - utterly uncalled for, T" total
ly groundiess." He would doubtless ike to
see this ''schlsmatic' nation which went out
from the maternal bosom, soiltou UNSUITABLE
cause, come back. The divine right of kings
still haunts this English priest, as the divine
right of the clergy does our friend Of the
Churehman. Both are too absurd for repeti.
ton in this enlightened age.G 1t would be
just proper, (and it is just as likely to oc-
cur for the American nation, after having
freed itself from the English government. in
consequence of its repeated acts of grossest
injustice, ,sero to return, with its territory
stretching from sea to sea--with its teeming
millions of intelligent and progressive inhab-
itants-with its free schools and free ballot
and free press, as it would for the Methodist
church in America, with its two millions OF
communicates, its five millions of attendants,
its one million Of Sunday school children, its
eighteen thousand local and travelling minis
tiers, its one hundred and twenty colleges and
academies, its church property estimated by
scores of millions of dollars, to return TO the
church which thrust it out SIS evil la the DAYS
of its infancy, which mobbed its ministers,
and socially branded its members 1t would
be far more modest and becoming in the wrl-
ter to acknowledge how much, incidentally,
the Episcopal church is indebted to the Meth
odist church, as England is to America-to &C
knowledge that the church in America, which
under God, John Wesley organized distinct
from the Episeopal church, giving ii ministers