Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-29

COnSiufraDie discussion eIiSueu, Dull before
any action was arrived at they House adj
! iourned until II O'Clock Monday. d..
RITUALIsM IN THE GENERAL CON.
vENTION.
To the Editors of the Union and American:
Whether from idle curiosity or for more
meritOrieus reasons, the reading COM
munity, who have puzzled over the tele-
grams during the past month, respecting
the doings of the Triennial Convention OF
the Protestant Episcopal Church, recently
1 held in Baltimore, naturally desire to know
| in brief, the result of the deliberations OF
that body on the yexed question of
Ritualism.
When the American Provinces secured
! their independence, the Church in this coun-
try in no way connected with politics, re-
tanned its continuity, not in subsection to, but
communion with the Anglican Church. So
great, however, at that time was the hatred
entertained by the people of America to-
wards England, that the Church came in
for its share, and her priests and people, on
| account of their sympathy with and eccle-
siastical adhesion to the English Church,
were regarded almost as Tories at heart,
The fact that Washington and other
honored leaders, civil and military, adhered
to the Church of their fathers, destroyed of
course no little of this feeling, but it gene
rally existed. There were no bishops in
this country, and to secure continuance
ofthe Episc0pate Presbyters were compelled
to 60 to England for Conservation, which
they obtained with great difficulty, the Eng
! fish Church claiming the right of nominating
as well as of consecrating bishops; a right
oil, no
\ repudiated. a
Ceremonial with all the externals Of re-
ligion were at low ebb in the Mother
| Country at the time; but recently large
body of pure relgionists, followers of Yves
! ley, had been driven from the church. The
| Presbyters in this country. yielded to the
! pressure, and while striving to preserve the
faith intact, gave up to popular clamor
many things in the way of aesthetics; the
services of the church, rendered in log cab
ins and in novels, was as simple and formal
as possible; the surplice was disregarded,
and no distinctive clerical dress used gener-
ally other than the monastic black gown.
In the lapse of years, the church has out
grown prejudice i'll a great measure, and
members of the clergy have resumed prac-
tees which are not contrary to the law of
the church, however they may have diSp-
peared from its usage. There yet remains
in this church body. of men who not
only do not use these old customs, but who
actually deem them symbolic of false doc
trine, and from these parties comes a con-
tinuous demand that the church shall res
train all practices which do not tally with
their notion of what is proper, tasteful and
correct. 1t is the same old puritan spirit
| ol IN Ia
down the affairs from the English Cathe-
drals, smashed stained glass windows, and
split organs into kindling wood, simply be-
cause such accessions to worship were used
by the church of Rome, and must necessa-
rily be idolatrous.
At the last General Convention QS6S) a
committee of five Bishops were appointed
TO consider and report to the next General
Convention (the one just adjourned) if any
and what action should be taken to
secure ritual uniformity. The presiding
officer of the convention, who had the APP
pointment ofthe committee, is Bishop who
is dreadftilly afraid of ritualism and Roman
ism. He appointed a committee of like
views, and they reported a canon on the
subject, so harsh and Sc intolerable that the
House of Bishops refused to act upon it,
but asked for a joint committee on the
subject, from the House of Clerical and
Lay Deputies. This committee was az
pointed and sat for three days, during
which the original report OF the five Bishops
was scarcely alluded TO. They, however,
reported a cannon, first declaring the law
of ritual to be the rTIbrics of the prayer
book, together With the canOns of the
English Church on the subject, SO far as
they were gin use" in this country previous
to iTS9, except, of course, so far as the
same may have been subsequently repealed
or modified by proper authority in this
church. As these canOns on ritual are
inteIspersed among vast number of gen
eral canOns, they are by DO means gener-
ally known or understood by either the
clergy or the people of this country; hence
there was further provision made or pro-
posed that in all doubtful matters the
opinion of the Bishop should be absolute
I law in his particular diocese, at least until
his decision ofthe vexed question should be
reversed by the House of Bishops in Gen
eral Convention assembled.
If Bishops were infallble, this arrange
/. ment would be acceptable; but they are not
infallible, and il requires no very keen vision
to see that such canon law, instead of
producing virtual uniformity, would create
as many uses as there are Bishops.
After much learned debate, the canon as
reported was rejected and committee APP
pointed, consisting of five of each order,
Bishops, Priests and Laymen, to report at
the next General Convention Gn 1870
what English CanOns were actually in use
in 1859, and to define in particular terms
the law of Ritual in the church; how far
/ one may 90 either in simplicity or in or
nateness of service. In the meantime, en-
tire liberty is given to the rectors Or par
ishes, subject only to the oversight Of their
Bishops, who have authority given them to
restrain positively Illegal excuses, whether
they be Of defect or of commission.
Law is law, and when definitely promul-
gated it should be obeyed; for the next three
wears, absolute law, and only that, can be
1 enforced by the most absolute Bishop II
the use of incense is contrary to the law OF
the church, no matter what the
Lord saith, Malachi, CHI. Y. I'D
the Bishops should forbid it;
if lowly reverence at the holy name IS con-
trary TO ecclesiastical statute, no matter for
+ the opinion of the Apostle Paul on the sub
ject philippians Oh. XII, V. 10Y, the Bishop
should inhibit the practice; but it must be
upon the plain showing OF the canon, CHAP
ter and verse, and not the mere SIC rOtO, sac
jube0 of the ordinary.
The result of the vote on this subjec!
/ was a plain exhibit that there is vast ma
jority of the churchmen of the country who
will not permit themselves to be dragooned
into hue and cry against body Of mer
Z of the same communion with themselves
who are laboring earnestly to advance re,
/ ligion and the church; to secure the preach
! ing of the Gospel to the poor by resisting
the pew system, and striving to restore t.
divine seryic" much Of that devotional
character wi ie l, in the days of wretcheC
. irrpvefence, it h IS lost. LAYMAN.
NASHVILLE, Oct. q.