The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-27

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The excitement in Chicago on account Of
! the trial of Rev. Mr.. Cheney, for unauthorized
omission OF the words ''regenerate" and ere
generation" from, the ''Book of Common
Prayer" had not subsidized when another great
excitement was occasione6 there by the As
sistant Bishop of Kentucky, Rev. DR.. Cum
Minis, who preached last Sunday at Trinity
church, in that city, in direct opposition to a
every autocratic and bitter letter" from Bishop
Whitehouse, of Illinois, accusing him of stir
ring up trouble in the diocese, and formally
forbidding him from coming there to preach OF
for any purpose whatever. The Chicago
Eoening Post thus states the case, adding that
Dr. Cummins, deeming It monstrous as
sumption for the Bishop to prevent a clergy
man In good standing from preaching at the
request of a church, especially when that
church was his former charge, and believing it
necessary for the vindication of his own repu-
tation and rights, paid no attention to the
mandate. 1t is repetition, on larger scale
and with more conspicuous opponents, of the
famous Tying and Boggs case. Bishop White
house, like Boggs, has all ''high churchmen'
and the letter Of ecclesiastical law on his side,
If not the spirit of that Gospel which the
founder of Christianity babe his disciples 90
and preach to every creature. DR.. Cummins,
like young Tying, is sustained by slow church
men" everywhere and by the sympathy of
the general public. To outsiders, who
care but little about the difference be-
tween theological tweedledum and tweedledee,
and who wonder why DR.. Whitehouse, with
his fondness for ritualism and his reverence
for authority, does not aspire to be Pope of the
Church of Rome, and why the Cumminses and
the Tyngs Of the Protestant Episcopal Church,
with their impatient disregard Of its regula-
tions, do not found sects of their own, it is
pretty quarrel as it stands.
The quarrel between the Bishop of Illinois
and the Rev. Mr.. Cheney involves points of
interest and Importance to all American clti-
zens. Mr.. Cheney may have unwisely vio-
lated the prescribed forms of his Church by
emitting certain words from the Book of Com
mon Prayer, but 1t is not surprising that the
community in which he lives should justify
him in appealing to the civil courts to restrain
Bishop Whitehouse, at once prosecutor, selector
of the jury and president of an ecclesiastical
court, s'organized to convict and appointed to
condemn" from proceeding to remove him
from his rectorate and break up his business
and profession. The ground on which Mr..
Cheney asked for and obtained an injunction
was that his accusers were combining and
confederating' to injure his character, and
that their actions In the premises were ''con-
trary to equity and good conscience" The
Bishop has postponed the trial until the Goth
of July, and vehemently protests against all
claims of the civil tribunal to interfere,
whether by equitable proceedings or 10 any
manner of supervision and control in the
ecclesiastical discipline of the Church in the
trial of its minister's" Brigham Young like
wise protests against all claim of the civil
tribunals to interfere with poly gamy as prac-
tised by the weather. members Of the Nor
mon Church. But both Brigham Young and
Bishop Whitehouse must be reminded that in
this republic the separation of Church and
State is complete, and so-called ecclesiastical
courts have no more legislative authority than
an irresponsible debating society" Their
decisions cannot override the rights of citizen
or the laws Of the land.