The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-03-10

The Ritualists, in England, seem to be
getting it'' pretty strongly of late. The
Guardian, of Dec. End, contains the last
Charge of Archbishop Longley,-which
comes, it may be said, as a posthumous
paper 1t had not, indeed, been finished.
The Right Reverend Prelate remarks:
"The bitterness of the controversy which
has now unhappily existed for several years in
connection with the Rubric, respecting the
ornaments of the church and the ministers
thereof, is very deeply to be deplored, and
can not fail TO be subject of great anxiety
to those who desire to maintain due order
and discipline in our Church.
"There is an amount OF moral and cireum-
stantial evidence against them [clergymen
who affirm the legality of the disputed orna-
ments, which they would have done well to
ponder In the first place, there is the inva-
riable usage of our Church for three centu-
ries during which 700 of her Bishops have,
without exception, acquiesced in an inter
probation of the Rubric adverse to their
views, and sanctioned the use by the parochial
clergy of the surplice and hood alone at all
times of their Ininistrations. And not only
is there this acquiescence, but (Which is of
still greater weight in the scale,) the contem-
poaneous Interpretation of the legislators
themselves is directly adverse to these limo
vations. 1t seems impossible to conceive
that the distinguished diyines who acted in
framing the Rubric as it now stands, and
who must therefore have known its real
meaning, should have proceeded to contra
dict their own convictions, and publicly as
sert that to be its real meaning which in
their hearts they knew was not such"
ut is constantly pleaded in behalf of those
who have adopted a very advanced ritual,
that they are self-denying and devoted men,
who sacrifice everything for their Lord sake
and for the temporal and eternal welfare of
their flocks-who devote their best energies
to relieve the sufierings and soothe the sor-
rows of the poor and destitute. Such char
acters, in whatever communion they may be
found, are worthy of all honor and respect.
But these meritorious exertions can not undo
the great mischief which their conduct and
proceedings have caused, can not atone for
every extravaganza they may please TO adopt,
which startles and estranges those whom it
ought rather to be their aim to eonciliate.
There may be zeal without knowledge, and
zeal without charity that charity which re-
trains from things which are not expedient,
even though they be lawful, for the welfare
of the Church in general
+" 1t is now more than a quarter of q CEN
fury since, in the course of my adminstra-
llOu Va llC DlOCCoC Vi hlDOu, NdilC lutO
collision with movement in Leeds some
what similar to that on which / am now
mountaineering. The clergy of church there
had adopted practices which appeared to
me inconsistent with the principles of the
English Church, that of auricular confession
being the most offensive. l felt myself
bound to revoke the license of the curate
who had thus, as considered, transgressed
the limits of his office; he appealed TO the
ArQh hnra Of
my decision. The course which L adopted
was resented by the rest of the clergy of that
church, and secession TO the Church of
Rome was the consequence. Those who
thus abandoned the Church of their baptism
at any rate showed themselves in their true
colors, and behaved honestly in openly avow-
ing their true principles at the sacrifice of
worldly advantage
"Now, IT is far from my intention to i'm
pute to all those who have taken this i'll
advised step of adopting the sacrifcial vest
ments, any sympathy with Roman error; but
/ am constrained to avow that there are plain
indications in some of the publications which
have been issued as manifestations of the
opinions of that section of our Church, that
some of its protested members-yea, even of
her ministers-think themselves at liberty to
hold the doctrines of the Church of Rome
in relation to the Sacrifice of the Mass, and
yet retain their position within the pale of
the Anglican Church, with the avowed pur-
pose Of eliminating from its formularies
every trace Of the Reformation, as regards
its protest against Romish error. The Ian
guage they hold with respect to it is entirely
incompatible with loyalty to the Church TO
which they profess to belong. They call it
"a Communion deeply tainted with Protest
ant heresy;' sour duty they say, is the ex-
pulsion OF the evil, not flight from it, Il is
no want Of charity, therefore, to declare that
they remain with us in order that they may
substitute the Mass for the Communion; the
obvious aim of our Reformers having been
to substitute the Communion for the Mass"