The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-12-29
PROTESTANT RULE OF FAITH.
DOES THE PRAYER BOOK TEACH ROMANIsM?

the Protestant hule or i attn was stated 70 DC We
Bible to the exclusion of all other authority. The
Roman Catholic rule is the Bible and Tradition
together This is also the doctrine of the Puseyite
EpiscOpalians. 1t is also the doctrine OF multi
tude Of EpiscOpalians not ranked as Puseyites,
both in England and il this country. Bishops Ho-
bart, Ravenscrott, Browuel, and others were given
as examples. The germ Of this ROmanism was
traced to the Prayer Book which in the service for
the ordination of Bishops, Priests and Deacons,
rests the warrant for their authority as officers in
Gods house, not upon the evidence of Holy
Scripture" alone, but upon the evidence of ''HOly
Scripture and ancient author"
This erroneous and dangerous doctrine deserves
still further notice, for the instance already recited
from the Prayer Book is not the only one point
Let us open at 1.-The form Of Ordaining or cOnse-
Grating Bishop and what DO We seeP' The pre-
siding Bishop says:
Brother, forasmuch as the Holy Scripture and
the ancient cGnORS command, that we should not
be haSty In laying on hands, &c.
Here, it viii be perceived, Is the same vicious
principle introduced as in the former. In what
they regard as not only Scriptura act but also In
all their Church GOvernment-the ordination of
BishOpS-those upon whom, according to their
theory, the very existence Of their church de.
ponds, the command of "aacieat caaOaS that
is to say tradition, is brought in by the side of the
holy word of God.
1t would be pertinent here to notice the way in
which the ApOcrypha is exalted in the Episcopal
Liturgy True, its inspiration is denied in the Ar
tiees, yet it is commended and is to be read in the
churches for example of life and manners y
And in the liable of Lessons for Holy Days we
find that out Of one hundred and fortyfour lessons
to be read from the desk to the people in connec-
ton with their worship of God, eighteen, or just
one eighth, are no part of the word of God at all.
In the English Prayer Book, one OF these lessons
for example Of life and instruction, is the ride
ulous and fabulous story Of Bel and the Dragon
Is it not strange most I'M Protestant fact, that
any Christian Church should, after naming as it
does in the VI article the books Of Holy Scrip
ture, Immediately make provision for the ApOcry-
pba under the honored title of the other 60okS?"
Why, after rejecting them from books that are ca.
nOnical, exalt them above the Epistles of Clement
and other ancient writings, and appoint them to be
read in the church, Why, in the 0Hertory, part
of the Lord sSupper should two sentences from the
Book of Tobt be inserted just after a verse from the
Gospel of John? "THe other books" truly: mark
the phrase. All let it be remembered that the
Apocrypha was and is part Of the Romish Bi.
bic! And it was part Of the policy for eoneiia-
ting Papists to honor it as much as possible. If
it is not formally made part Of the rule OF faith
in the Episcopal Church, it is put into place of
honor In its worship that belongs only to the word
Of God, aud where the eOnsciences of men viii be
tempered with by the practice.
So it seems that when student of theology en-
tiers the class room in one of its Summaries or a
minister his pulpit, he marches in, carrying under
his arm the Word Of God" Ancient Authors"
Ancient CanOns." These are his rule of faith:
and the other books, are tucked in beside them;
or rather bound up between the Old and New Tes-
lament as books which "the Church doth read for
example Of life and instruction of manners.
Although the vi article Of the thirty nine, de-
oares that these books are not to be read part
of the Word of God, yet it will be found that the
Homilies speak a very different language For
example, Baruch is spoken of as ''the Prophet
Baruch," and his writing is called 1.-THE word of
the Lord to the Jews. The Book of Tobit, full
Of lollies and fasehOOds, is expressly ascribed to
the Holy Ghost Here is the language used
The same lessou doth the Holy Ghost also teach.
in sundry places of the Scriptures saying, Mer-
eifulness and almsgying purgefh from all sins, and
deliyereth from DEATH and sufereth not these to
come into darkness. (See .HOmily against disobe-
dience and Wltul Rebellion, part l, page AIS; and
HOmily on Ams-deeds, part H. page 52S. VIII |
our brother, the Southern ChwehmaR, tell us
whether if the Holy Ghost teacheth" what is
written in this book, it is not inspired, and ought
not TO be considered as part Of the rule of faith?
VIII he tell US under what light all Protestant |
Christians ought to view this dishonor put upon |
the Holy Spirit in one of the accredited standards
of the Episcopal Church. not only in ascribing to the
Spirit of all truth, production never inspired BY |
that blessed Agent, but, what IS worse still, in as
eribng to that Holy Spirit doctrine utterly false
and ruinous to the sOul-one that is as thoroughly
Romish, and unscriptura as any promulgated by |
the Council of Trent? The XXXV article, de /
elares both Books of HOmiies to contain cody |
and wholesome doctrine, and orders them to be |
read in the churches.
The American Prayer Book makes some modi-
6eation 1t declares the Books of Homihes to
be an exploitation Of Christian doctrine" &C., but
suspends the order for reading them in churches
until a revision of them may be conveniently
made for the clearing of them, as well from obso-
lcte words and phrases, as from local references"
No revision OF their doetriaal teaching is limited
at; that part is expressly approved Every Dea-
con promises, at his ordination, to read these
Books in the churches. Besides this, we find the
American Church Missionary Society announces
its object to be to extend and build up the king.
dom Of our Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with
the principles and doctrines of the Protestant
Episcopal Church as set forth in her Articles, Lit
urgy, and Homilies p' Again, the Evangelical
knowledge Society has Published an edition of
them with an introduction highly eulOgistc.-
From all which it is evident they are regarded as
authqritqtve ecpositjoas Of such subjects as they
handle
And now, let it be noticed that while in these
HomiEes the Apocrypha is thus hOnOred, the
Prayer Book, as already stated hOnOrs it also by
appointing large number Of lessons to be read
out of it, side By side Nth the pure lcord Of the
Icing God Is there no tampering here with the
rule OF Christian faith?
The question now arises how did this happenP