The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1868-11-21
RITUALIsM.
The Finale in Memphis,
DR.. Rogers bids a Farewell to it and
Closes the Church of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
An Affecting Scene

From the Memphis Appeal of the 10th,
we clip the following
RituaIism, winch after struggling for
long time, amid violence and even blood
shed. against the established services OF the
Church Of England, in that country, and
which at last obtained a CoothOld there, too
strong to be crushed out by the thunders Of
the Anglican Bishops, and crossed the At
lantic and dOmiciled itself II New 1Ork,
burst upon Memphis some Six weeks ago
with an ecIdt seldom accorded ts any move
ment, religious or secular 1t was intro
duced by man who had, from early boy
hood, been identified with Memphis and
with the Episcopal Church of the Southwest
the Rev.-Dr. Rogers,-a man of whom all
that knew him knew that he had devoted
himself solely to the service Of His Maker,
and that every act of his, was to the iurther
ance Of what he believed to be the interest
OF Christ - Church upon earth. The cOase
quence was an immense attendance at his
church, Zone impFOvised for the occasion, at
Greenlaw Opera House, and dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Nary Of course many at
tended there out of courtesy. but members
went there to hear the elucidation of matters
Of faith which had perplexed them with
doubts. Each subsequent Sunday increased
the throng of those who visited his church,
and the clergy and faithful laIty became
alarmed at the progress of the new faith
which he had introduced The Bishop of
the Diocese meanwhile took the matter In
hand, and forbade DR.. Rogers to pursue the
course which he had marked out for himself
and DR. Rogers refused to obey the iDjunc-
ton. Our readers have been made aware
OF and kept posted in the controversy which
ensued, and how at the late Ecclesiastical
Council of the Episcopal Church the mat
ter was left to the Bishop of each diocese to
decide AS soon as Dr Rogers learned this
decision, be made up his mind to leave the
church which forbade him the exercise of
those rights which he deemed due to the
mysterious Being whom we worship, and
went TO that church which his conscience
told him was right and true. He accord
ingly announced in the appeal that he had
renOunced the Episcopal Church and had
embraced the Catholic faith OF course this
took the community at large by surprise,
but those who knew him best were prepared
for the change. Speculation was rife, i'm
mediataly, as to his probable future course,
and whether he would attempt to perform
service at his church on the ensuing Sunday,
and Yesterday an immense crowd assem- bled
at the Greenlaw Opera House to solve their
doubts and hear his farewell discourse.
! The want Of space fOrbids our giving any
| thing like report of his farewell address.
! Inc COa0CBA f6IIdln6U as we UFSL uGScrlU6u
/ it. The altar, flowers, cross, and the back
ground of woodland, were all there, bat the
| candles were not lit, and a row of chairs
i had been moved across the front of the stage
/ The curtain was rolled up half way, and the
whole. stare wore q desOlate and sorrOwful
aspect The little acolytes were gone, and
only the lectuTn remained as 1t originally
was. At about quarter past eleven DR..
/ Rogers came before the audience in plain
dress and addressed them.
| After adveTting to the peculiar circum-
stances under which be came before them,
! he proceeded to one of the most eloquent
and powerful discourses that we have ever
| listened to He divided his address into five
/ headings-the first being the authority upon
/ which all Christian faith and belief rests
the second the Catholic principles, and
/ whether the Scripture per Sc, or. Church au-
/ thority, Is to decide. he third was the in
! fqAibility Of the Church lojtile united Dr.
Rogers maintained that while the Church
was unted-during the first eight hundred
years of its existence-it was infallible; but
since divisions came, and its integrity was
assailed 1t was not, or rather may not, have
| been infaliible. The fourth point ia ken was
the condition of the Church during the past
thousand years, and the condition of the
| Church universal at the present day.
| The fifth and last was the question.
! W nat uOeS the OiuTCn rest IN : ana tNlS
! he handled in a manner that showed that he
was not an enthusiast or the convert Of an
/ hour, but deep, clear reasoner, and that he
had studied the subject of which he spoke,
well and thoroughly. He said that the
l-Church did not rest upon the Bible, but the
! Bible upon the Church, it (the Bible, mean
! ing the New Testament) having been writ
ten and compiled after The Church was es-
tablished. We have not the space to follow
/ him through the course of argument proving
| this, but it was most convincing, and made
a marked effeeg upon the congregation. Dur
ing the course of his address flashes of elo
quence lit up the otherwise argumentative
Grafton, and when he came to the close-the
bidding farewell to the foek that had fLl-
lowed his lead, many of whom he had bnp-
tised as children, and who bad grown up
under his very eye and all of whom had
known him for a quarter of century, In
his struggles with the world and against it
the scene vas truly affecting There was
scarcely dry eye in the house DR., Rogers
in conclusion, said that he had considered
and weighed the question well, and had de
termined that It was not for him to with
stand the edicts of those who, rightfuily or
wrongfully, are the leaders of branch Of
the Church to which he held allegiance. Be
leving that the doctrines of the Church OF
Rome were right he would 90 TO them, and
he implOred all those who we're, ike himself,
in the awful state of doubt, to make up their
minds either not to resist or to go with hlm
at the conclusion there was not dry eye
in the house, and we understand that many
of those who thus far have followed the
fortunes Of Dr. Rogers have determined to
20 with him into the bosom OF the church
of Rome.
I 4