The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-01
New Work by a Convert.

Henry John Pye, M. A, son-in-law of the
Bishop of Oxford, and man of note in the
Episcopal Church. having recently been receiv-
ed into the Church, has written a work, "Why
do we Believe" which has attracted consider
able attention in England In his preface the
author gives his personal experience:
al How came you to changes" is the first
acquaintance, the reply varying according to
the experience of the individual. Mr.. Pye's
treason why" is as follows He had been at
different times perplexed asst the Establish
ment by the various facts which have been
happening during the last twenty years, and
his misgivings were no sooner removed on each
occasion than something else occurred to revive
them. Thus the case of Hampton, which
caused such confusion before Mr.. Pye took
orders, was followed in year or two by the
Gorham case, and that, two Or three years
later, by the ecclesiastical condemnation of
Archdeacon Denison. Afew years after this
came the Essays and Reviews" and the per-
mission by the Privy Council of the denial of
eternal punishment and seeptical views re-
speeding the inspiration of Holy Scriptures
This was followed by a sermon pueiished by the
then Bishop of Lond II, expressing his approval
of the Judgment as to the not making the
denial of eternal punishment actually Peual."
Then came the case of DR.. Colenso, which, as
Mr.. Pye remarks, the Anglican communion
finds itself inadequate to deal with, While 1T
rests contented with an excuse for not making
more decisive efforts to repudiate missionary
scePtic. All this made it difficnlt matter to
believe the Establishment to be the Church
sent fEom God. Mr.. Pye had become more
hopeful at the beginning of 1868, but he was
reused from his false security by the 1ndifter-
ence of the bis ops III Convocatfon to actual
heresy, and the refusal of the Archbishop OF
York to interfere with Mr.. Voysey. The
bishops, in fact, became living witnesses to
him of the utter unreality of the so-called
Church of England, and he must thank the
to which they were unintentionally the
means of directing him. In dealing with
the subject which forms the title of his book,
Mr.. Pye begins at the beginning, and takes
first the very foundation of revelation. He
very truly remarks that if there is any revela-
ton at all from God to man there must have
been inspired teachers, and Jesus Christ being,
all admit, n teacher sent from God, he pro-
ceeds to discuss how we are to arrive at the
mind of the teacher, what secondary authority
there is for preserving the revelation delivered
to mankind and transmitting it in its integrity.
And he goes on to show that the existence of
secondary authority in any sense involves the
fact of there being association, and he gives n
good definition of what is the true idea of this
association Church he also well defines
communion as the mutual recognition of those
who acknowledge the secondary or mediate
authority above named, and to insist that there
can be but oHe communion among Christians
not ninety, would appear from the registra=
tion in England of so many places of worship
dedicated to similar number of different
Protestant sects. He has rendered good SER
vice by his article on the fictitious idea of
purate reunion, and this strikes one of
the most clever portions of the work On
Episcopacy, the supremacy of st. Peter, and
that of the See of Rome, as inheriting the
place of the great apostle, Mr.. Pye collects the
most convincing arguments, his clear reason
ing being in itself a contradiction to the modest
estimate OF his woFR-whfciT VIC nave before
noticed in his preface. When he has crowned
his edifice, Mr.. Pye, in the second part of his
work, proceeds to examine the foundations of
the dilapdated building he has just left, a task
which he aecomplishes with no less ability than
the former. Our Anglican friends must read,
mark learn and in wardly digest every word of
this portion (the second) of the work we can
promise them that it will do them much good