The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-03-29


could be no difference Of opinion among
the fairer devotees, would be pointe Lace
\ But the learned divine whom we follow,
comes right up to the scratch, without crack
ing a>smile, and says that the unity of the
Church of Rome is not circumstance to
that of the English Church. "No student
of history who is conversant with the Coun-
Gil of Trent" he says, cor who is familiar
with the vexed questions which yet divide
the Roman priesthood, will ever be moved
by Divine influence to exchange the unity
Of the Anglican Church for the unity of the
Church of Rome >><l------
There are some other very humorous pas
sages which we regret our inability, from
want of time and space, to reproduce in full.
How dron, how slyly ironical, for instance,
is our authors reference, in the following
words, to this Pan-Anglican gathering,
which he calls the Lambeth Conference -
| "None Of the Ecumenical Councils of the
early Church, he says, actually embraced
so large an extent of territory, and none of
| them assembled more real intelligence,
learning, moral worth, and sound religious
faith" Speaking of the chamber which
was the scene of this convOcation, he says:
"Vivid traditions of suffering and of tri-
umPh to the Church of England, were as
sociated with the venerable hall of Lambeth.
Around its walls hung the portraits of the
ArchbiahOps Of Canterbury, reaching back
to period before the Reformation-a cloud
of faithful witnesses, bending their silent
gaze upon the scene below.o Silent indeed!
1t is well that pictures can't talk, or there
would probably have been q sudden deser-
ton of that SO venerable hall.r
Another mastery burlesque from our
author is an inimitable picture which he
draws of the Convocation in the character
of a Quaker meeting. 1t consists of two
scenes. Scene first is the dealing of the
Conference with the Bishop of Natal Tho, Il
in the language of our author, "having con-
tracted the sin Of heresy, persists in his
claim to be recognized bishop Of the
Church. 1t has been made a cause of re-
proach," continues our text, "that this
vicious heresy has not been more exposed,
and it's author visited with the discipline of
the Church" After explaining that the Sc
cular power stood in the way of direct ac-
ton, our reverend narrator shows how the
set-constituted board of inquisitors pro-
nounced their anathemas in the terrors of
an omlnous silence. "The author of the
heresy," he says, sis refused recognition
among the bishops of the Church; his name
is unspoken; his presence is not asked, nor
would 1T be permitted in the hall of council.
Ii the Lambeth Conference had done nothing
else, it was worth the labor and sacrifice in
volved to pronounce the silent but solemn
Judgment against the most portentous
heresy of the age"
Scene two is the mode of treating the cir
repressible conflict between low and high
Church. After showing most lucidly how
one wing of the Church was fast debasing it
self into that utter vulgarity called "naked
Professionalism" and how the other wing was
PROFESSIONALLY tending to Popery and the
Old Boy how also the members of each fac ]
ton were earnestly calling on the Conven-
ton to raise its stern voice to check these |
deviations" of the other faction,-after all |
this, our author beautifully and ingeniously |
TANKS the difficulty by saying, the Confer |
ence RETAINED from any such attempt. 1t |
abstained from words of suspicion and dis |
trust, and by its silence has administered a |
rebuke to those who are prone to agitation
and harsh accusations against their breth-
rem" We are notified though that the time
may arrive when it will be proper "to
awaken the sleeping thunders of ecclesias-
teal discipline and expel these tendencies
by authority
We have ONLY to regret that our author
did not limit his communication to harmless
sallies of this kind, which are graphically,
if not seriously written, and where the merit