The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-10-31

that holiness without which no mar
shall see the Lord We exhort all th,
members Of the church fully to recog
nize and deeply to feel, therefore, th,
weight OF responsibility which the bap
t,smal eoveneat lays upon them. ald
1t is still!true that il the bapsism o.
infants be not recognized as requiring
such cody training as may secure BY
the Divine blessing the submission o.
their whole nature, body, soul andspirit
to the renewing and sanctifyipg influ
ences Of the Holy Ghost, then tie mind
Of Christ and the purposes of the
church for the child are not fulfilled
Ii, refraining henceforth from the dis
cussions Of words in the acceptation oil
which there seems to be far less of real
disagreement than has been imagined
we might now give ourselves with one
heart to the rearing of our children in
the fear Of God, and to securing the
great work of their salvation, then we
shall have succeeded in rendering GU,
formularies 80 practical and 30 fruitful
in godliness az to elevate the whole sen.
timent of the church to a lofty spiritu.
ality not likely to be disturbed by agita.
tons to which, perhaps, we have sub,
jected ourselves by manifold inconsst-
encies between our professions and our
practices in the relations we bear to God
in covenant.
TIE RITUAL.
As we dwell on these things, dear
brethren, our minds recur to others OF
which we must not fail to speak.
We counsel you to bear in mind that
while on the one hand we must not suf
fer ourselves to deny any real good by
reason OF mere popular outcries against
ritual forms, 80, on the other hand, we
are never to allow professions Of self
denying labor and service to blind us to
the actual dangers of any movement in
the church. What is known as ritu-
alism" is mainly question of taste,
temperament and constitution until it
becomes the expression Of doctrine.
The doctrine which chiefly attempts
as yet to express itself by ritual in
questionable and dangerous ways is
connected with the Holy Eucharist.
That doctrine is emphatically novelty
in theology. What is known as
eucharistical alteration is undoubtedly
inculcated and encouraged BY that
ritual of posture lately introduced
among us, which finds no warrant in
our "office for the administration of
the Holy Communion"
Although men may, by unlawful
reasoning on Divine mysteries, argue
themselves into an acceptance both OF
the practice and the doctrine which it
implies, these are most certainly un-
authorized by Holy Scripture, entirely
aside from the purposes for which the
Holy sacrament was instituted, and
most dangerous in their tendencies.
To argue that the spiritual presence OF
our dear Lord in the Holy Communion
for the nurture Of the faithful is such a
presence as allows worship to Him
thus and there present is, to say the
very least, to be wise above that which
is written in Gods Holy Word. For
the objects Of the Holy Sacrament, as
therein revealed, are, first, the memoir
ial before God of the one sacrifice for
sins forever; and secondly, the strength
euing and refreshing of the souls Of the
faithful. Moreover, no one can fail to
see that it is impossible for the common
mind to draw the line between the wor'
ship of such an underlined and mysteri'
ious presence, and the awful error OF
adoring the elements themselves.
Wherefore, if a teacher suggests this
error by act or posture, he places him
self in antagonism to the doctrine Of
this church and the teachings Of God
Word, and puts in peril the souls Of
men. In the presence, therefore, OIL
this danger, we call upon the ministers
and members of this church to bear in
mind that while they should always
cherish and exhibit that true and gen.
uine reverence which devoutly recog
nizes ",he dignity Of the holy mystery
| and the great peril of the unworthy re
ceiying thereof" Yet it is the bounden
duty Of each one to deny himself the
outward expression Of what to him may
be only reverence, if that expression
even seems to inculcate and encourage
superstition and idolatry.
AUR1CULAR CONFESSION.
In thus speaking OF dangers connect
ed with present movements in the
church, there are other points on which
YOUR bishops must not be silent
The first relates to private confession.
Whenever human soul is possessed
by a searching and sincere repentance
and longing for deeper spiritual life
there come also with these things q
keener sense of the exceeding sinful
ness Of sin and desire for an authori
tatiye assurance of forgiveness. And
then, on the other hand, frivolous and
worldly persons, simply because they
desire to rid themselves OF any sense Of
present responsibility or future retribu
ton, seek for the same assurance. Ad
vantage is taken by some teachers in
TIE church of these two entirely differ,
ent spiritual states to insist upon prl'
vate confession to priest as either the
absolute duty Of all Christians, or as
essential to thy high attainments in
religious life. Meantime, the fact that
pardon is granted to any child Of God
on his repentance, accompanied by
nrayer and a reliance on the promises
ia Christ, as well as in the use OF the
means of grace, is utterly passed by.
The teachings of the church in this
matter is plain and clear. $500,
Cbo nermits and offers TO her child.