The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-09-26
Christian Conscience Against
Bigotry.

.what l. tie state % things,'' says Dean Al
ford. among u IN England? i am asking the
question not with any view Of passing . Criticism
On existing arrangements. | take them a nc
onmplished act-as the basi- Of what i have -
remark. We have In England one form Of
Church established. and IN connection with the
state. We have many other forms existing a.
Voluntarily associated bCdie-: existing by recog-
nized right Of the Christian conselener- lhI-
recognition has. Historically. not been arrived
az without Considerable dI5cClty, and y struggle
which has lasted fr age. though a legitimate
and necessary e~or0llay from the principles Of our
Reformation. IL was not seen 70 be such by the
d1rliuant party. tall the course OF Providence
proved too sJrUns for tic Seli-W1A OF men We
began by Ter-ecutInE N order 10 enforce cOniurIn-
ity We advanced 70 q meagre and ungraeloCs
tOlerati1a: ard. Notwithstanding that our Non
confirming brethren lave now. thank 6Dt- ac-
quired esluaiitv q civil rights. at this point q
uu-raeioG- alteration we fT the aost part remain
stil. The state has been more TecugnlZant Of,
more iJyel % the Christian conscience, than the
Church. which ought % have been it most jealous
and w-fehfui g-u1r1iau- Nothing i more strong
Is impresei % my mIDd- when / look over the
religious state u England. than that we. whO are
members Of her Established Church, have nesi
q face he Whole IMPORTANT question OF our Fela-
uJu- . N1uclri1Tmi-t-. with a view 70 a read
jGs-meut. IN the light Of the Christian conscience,
u or w0rd- and our act rejecting them
There J. o very vide ba-i- % doctrine. there J. q
-till wider basis u Christian morality. on which
We are absolutely a. one rs iaI a. thoee bases
extend, our aim J. iientical. We may not be
able u work t0Eetier, our instruments may be
different. our ta-ts- Ilay be Incompatible Allow
tie utmost lrce - thee considerations. and the
utmost force al-J % the consideration that our
very differences are themselves points Of con-
science. and that we are bound 70 stand up Tor
them. add not O. merge nor eOmprumi-e them;
stIli. allowing AZ this, 10 seems % NE that there
j. 10 Justification for the present alienation o. at
fectisu, the Ire-ent virtual SUSPENSION % inter
eourse, the present teFTeciatmg tone and manner
which prevail On tLe part Of English Church-men
towards Dis-cnters, and towards Churches which
tiicr from ourselves IN organization. That such
a tone does prevail, needs, | suppose, no proof;
bot how far Il j. carried can hardly be imagined
bot By help Ol illustration. In the last number
but one Of a weekly Church newspaper occurred
tire fOllDwing sentence, forming Iart Of q review
Of a work by DR.. Preuss, a Lutheran divine bod
ing a distinguished aeademieal OEce in Berlin
His Position. a. . member Of - body OF religion
Its without the Iale Of the Catholic Church, rat
urally places him without the Range 81 the
ChgFchs =ymIathies.' IL would be difficult 70
say whether the i~n-Olenoe, OF the ignorance VI
thI- sentence be :be greater; or whether both be
not SURPASSED BY It, utter opposition u the whole
spirit VI our ble--ed Lord and His apostles. Tie
Confession implied in the words without the
symtatLieS Of the Church i. / need hardly say. q
sIgn that he who nlakes il has vet % learn his
first lesson in the nature and attributes Of that
Church Of Christ Of which he -Ieak- - hipIaBt-
" Ii her symIathIes be not with all whom
Christ died % ave, she has deserted the effce 10
which He appointed her-that Of being His body,
and the habiiatiOn Of His Spirit"
There lies at the foot OF all this arrogance a
most misehievOus, but I gTieve To cay q widely
prevalent Eilaey. We Of the Church Of England
have absolutely no right u assume our own form
Of Church government u be the only lawful one,
and % look askance upon other forms, whether
IN England or elsewhere. We have not this
right, because we distinctly proclaim, as 70 all
things required Of necessity 10 be believed, an
appeal to Holy Scripture: and in Scripture as
much, or a. little, i found for one form as for
another. If depreciation IF NOnconiormists i
excused ON the ground Of our possessing superior
means Of education and endowment, then the
plea itself involves n violation Of the dictates OF
the Christian conscience for, If the fact be as
stated, il Is mainly OWING To our having excluded
our brethren from the national advantages which
we ourselves posses; and it Is high time that
such exclusion should come 10 an end"
1--WE have, / conceive, u curious example Of
the perversiOn Of conscience in the English
Church, in the fact that q large and increasing
party Of her members are ut this time agitating
for union and eTcommun with the Roman
and Eastern Churches. from both Of which we
are separated by important dDctrinal difference
that this desire for union i justified by them on
the most solemn grounds, rs furnished by the
words Of our Lords own microscopy prayer, and
vet that no mention whatever is made of any de-
sire for union on the basis Of mutual allowance
Of differences with our Christian brethren in the
I-aa1-A LODI - Cd Ill