Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-11-16
E,v. = w noorns' FlnrwrLL AID


pnrss.-The Greenlaw Opera House was
filled by at least two thousand people
yesterday At eleven o'clock, to listen TO
the farewell remarks Of Rev. j. W.
Rogers, who bid adieu TO his old Episco-
palian congregation, 10 that pleasing
tone Of oratory which he is so remarkable
for. In his peroration great many were
affected to tears by bis words offarewell.
We believe the reverend gentleman sim
cere In his professions, and has our best
wish through the remainder Of bis jour
ney in life. We give an outline OF his
argument He said he would not speak
Of himself further than the circumstances
required. Having graduated at Prince
ton twenty-five years ago, he dedicated
himself to the ministry in the western
district Of Tennessee, where he had been
reared. The question Of authority was
first brought home to him by the late
Bishop Hopkins. II there was no "suc-
cession" leading back to the Apostles,
then every good man and woman had
authority to administer the Lords sup
per. Many Episcopalians, called "low
churchmen," adopted this latter theory,
and communed with any good sect.
This was the chief question Of contro
versy in the speakers early ministry.
Next came the Oxford Tracts for the
Times" These opened new fields Of
controversy, and demonstrated from the
Prayer Book that we might remain in
the Episcopal Church, yet hold to all the
distinctive doctrines ofthe RomanChurch
This being accomplished, many OF the
purest spirits Of England went to Rome
john Henry Newman, Wilberforce, DIR.
Manning, and hundreds of others. This
was the second phase Of the Episcopal
Church during his ministry. Then came
on her fierce conflict with German
Rationalism; and driven from the old
intrenchments of the so-called evidences
of the genuineness and authenticity OF
the Scriptures, her clergy were compelled
either to admit that many of the books
of the New Testament we're doubtful, or
to bstake themselves to the old and most
reasonable Catholic doctrine-that the
church which settled the canon Of Scrip
ture was intalhble. Butifthus infallible
in the fourth and fifth centuries, why
not so until the eighth century, when
the Greek schism occurred? This was
the third field of conflict. The High
Churchmen having won this field, seeing
still their poor sheep all wan iering astray
and nobody to tell them neutrality-suspicious.
our Lord is really present in holy Eu'
charist or not, they cast about to restore
the lost unity, that the oracle might be
consulted. This was Ritualism. DE
1.-THE speaker) had taken an humble part
in this movement, and found himself
alone in this Diocese. The General Con-
vention having been afraid to act, and
left the matter to the caprice OF differing
and contending Bishops, he believed
there must be some church of Christ
not afraid TO speak, and .iUaIh
BILE in her definitions; and if so,
ii must be that church which
claims this right and stands up living
miracle in all the nations-the Roman
Catholic. He demonstrated that the
Church existed and made her greatest
conouests before the New Testament was
written. That had she never collected
those sacred relics, she could do so still,
by the indwelling power Of her Lord,
who called her "the pillar and ground
of the truth" and promised to be with
her to the lend of the world" This was
a universal tradition, and the Church did
not derive it from scripture. She only
quoted scripture to corroborate and in
derse what her Lord told her at first, and
that were all written according with st.
John, the world could not contain the
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