Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-07-21
Anglicus to Anxious.

ESTEEMED SIR The urgent ma
4 tufe of present duties has prevented
} me, as | fully intended, to follow M
my last letter to you by another
Immediately. | however, now, pro-
, pose to present you with few more
thoughts and facts on the great ques
ton you have chosen to bring before
, us. The Historic church. [ am
not, sir. one of those, who would
mock at the idea of /" historic
church" The church Of Christ Is
" historic. But 'the historie'church
OF Christ is not the question, but,
the claim of the nglo-communio to
that distinction, is the question be-
fore us. Whenever the documents
shall be appealed to, which shall
clearly, and in undeniable facts, give
to the Anglo communion that high
distinction you claim for her, then,
will be soon enough to consider
them. | call, sir for the unimpeach~
able testimony of history, to your
claims. | ask for New Testament
proofs for your 4" order of ministry, !"
and you failed to give it. To fail at
this point, was to fail altogether. l
now affirm that there are no records
Of ancient history, that will sustain
your claim. shall not permit you
on this question. to demand from me,
proofs for the " historic church, F" as
| believe it; you did this on the "or.
der Of the ministry, and | gave it.
On this special point however, / ask,
and your readers will ask, and your
congregation will ask, for your un,
answerable proofs out of the pages Of
authentic history. Until you are
finding them for US, | will give you
and our readers, few more facts and
doings of this, so-called, historic
church. In my last, clearly showed
that the bishops of the Anglo.com-
munion, were politically appointed,
and not made bishops by the Great
Head Of the Church. TO talk about
Apostolic succession under such cir
cumstances, is absurd, if not wicked.
| will now call your serious attention
to another point, suggested by the
extract on "Human Inventions"
kindly furnished by some one for us
both. That extract says Of the Cath.
Ollie or ROmish communion that cit
has changed the Sabbath from Satur-
day to Sunday, and has not only
changed the mode of baptism, but
the subject" This witness to the
fact that baptism was changed in
mode and subject, by the Romish
communion, is true. You sir, admit,
as also rejoice to believe, that the
Church of Christ was born on the day
of Pentecost. You doubtless also
believe that the church then brought
forth. had its constitution, laws, or
dinances, ministers, citizens, togeth-
or with its rites Of naturalization.
Baptism is the rite in the view of
your church, by which any one can
become 4 member Of Christ, a
child Of God, and an inheritor OF the
kingdom of heaven" So was
taught when child in an Episcopa-
liam school. Now, my dear sir, as
baptism occupies SO vital and impor-
tant position at the very threshold
of Christ's church and Kingdom, it
is very necessary, that it should be
properly attended to, according to
the Z. Law of the Lord" He who
gets into this kingdom in an uncon-
stitutional manner, can have no Dir
vine right to administer any of its
ordinances. He therefore who has
not received christian baptism (m-
mersion upon sincere profession Of
faith in the Son Of Cod is not con.
stitutional citizen, much less an &C
credited officer of the church or
kingdom of Christ. For several
centuries the church of Rome, and
certainly for many generations the
Anglo~communion, have set aside
both the proper subject, and the
proper ordinance of baptism, and
have substituted on their own author
ity, sprinkling-which is not baptism
and an unconscious babe, which is
not proper subject; consequently
the priesthood of both these organiza
tons, no matter how far back into
antiquity they may trace their exis-
tence, are not the church, born at
Pentecost and have no legitimate
authority or standing in the Church
Of Christ.
According to the gospel of the Son of
God neither the Romish communion,
nor the Anglo Episcopalian, has one
bishop, deacon, or priest, if you will,
who has any legal right to officiate
in any service connected with the
Sanctuary of the Lord. Having
themselves, never entered legiti-
mately into the church themselves,
they are no more citizens in it than is
an alien, subject of Victoria or Ma
pelican, a citizen Of these United
States. And thus your "Apostolic
succession" " order of ministry"
and your " historic churchism, are
all oyerthrown at this point, and
crumble together into ruins. And
yet all the official grace and power
you profess to possess were conferred
upon you by this pigment Of a
proud. cruel, and blasphemous eccle.
siasticism. You have not in all these
United States, nor in the British
Isles, single bishop, deacon or
priest whose commission has been
received from the hands or lips Of
any truly authorized. baptised, con-
secrated authority according to the
New Testament aad WHOM his turn
could show it derived from similarly
constituted authority and SO OF
back to the apostles. No, sir, all the
fancied official grace which they and
you possess, has been conveyed by
means Of g broken cisterns," which
do not, and never did hold single
drop of the true consecrating oil.
The men from whose hands you re-
ceiyed your office. never entered the