New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-25

q "A 1 - 49, - N = 81 X
their role in the Church q Epgland. where
there has been conviction and punish
ment All others have failed The
Romish errors which have been slowly
and stealthily. creeping into the estab-
lished church may now be considered as
checked, if not altogether stopped. These
cases of the Rev. Mr.. Voysoy and Pur-
chas were deemed the most fragrant of
any that had been presented to the Priyy
Council for its adjudication. The deci-
sion of the council has raised feeling of
intense indignation on the part Of. the
followers Of these gentlemen and their
friends. There wds, however, for these
errorists no escape, especially in the case
of Mr.. Purchas. In the services Of his
church there was as close an imitation as
possible of the ritual of the Church of
Rome. The action brought against him
upset the whole ground upon which he and
his ritualistic friends relied. All the prac-
tees in which they INDUCED have beencon-
demned. By the verdict the Church
Herald describes Mr.. Purchas, who is
only representative Of a large body Of
the English clergy as having been left
"without "a rag upon him, except
the cap upon his head" All these ritual
istic ministers are forbidden to elevate
the sacrament or indulge in genufexions;
the position at which they stood at the
altar has to be abandoned; the use Of in
cense and tapers is to be suppressed, and,
in short, they are ordered to put off their
fine new clothes and wear nothing but the
simple apparel of clergyman Of the old
school,. Thus these disorganizers of the
State church are brought to the alternative
of discontinuance Of their Popish num-
meries or to depart from the places which
the Privy Council have decided they so
unworthily fill. But it is not thus alone
that the recusant ministers are brought
mp for violation of the laws and canons of
the church, the Privy Council have now
before them the meetings of some of the
leading ritualists which are considered
heretical and revolutionary. A Mr.. Ben
nett, vicar of Frome Selwood, in q book
entitled "a Plea for Toleration in the
Church of England" spoke of ''the real,
actual and visible presence of our Lord
upon the affairs. of our churches" and
added, without that doctrine, as con-
timing and inferring the sacerdotal Office
of the priest and the sacrifcial character
of the altar, there would seem to be no
church at ALL" He declared himself to
believe and to teach the people to adore
the consecfated elements after the manner
of the Romanists. Though a slight
variation of these doctrines, herstical
to the established church, was made
in a subsequent edition of the same
work in 1868, and an essay by this same
clergyman, entitled "Some Results of
the Tractarian Movement of 1885," have
been the subject of protracted ecclesi-
astical suit before Sir Robert Phillimore,
who in 1870 gave decision condemning
the language of these writings, but, in
consideration of the modified retraction
in the second edition of the book and
essay, the charges were not sustained.
From this judgment an appeal was taken
to the judicial committee, and fears are
entertained by the London Times and the
ritualists and their supporters that de-
cision may be made adverse to Mr.. Ben
nett. The Times has great fears as to the
consequences of such result, and enters
plea of justification in favor of the posi-
ton assumed by Mr.. Bennett and all who
believe with him. In regard to the cases
of Messrs. Voysoy and Purchas, the re-
ligious papers in England. belonging to
the High Church party are fearfully ex-
cited. They declare that the judges who
are the Lord Chancellors- Chelms-
ford, an ex-chancellor; the Archbishop of
York, and the Bishop of London
were actuated by the basest motives,
and have fatty contradicted the
law. They further insist that they
will refuse to obey, and if their
decision is enforced respecting the OBJ
jectionable ritualistic paraphernalia, they
will advocate the entire separation be-
tween Church and State. All the oppo-
sition to the established church will he
combined and concentrated upon the
question of separation, and it will be
powerful, and ultimately prevail. One
effect of the decisions in the cases alluded
TO will be to drive the extreme ritualists
TO where they properly belong, and that
will be with the Romanists. As soon as
= decision in the Bennett case is an
if it should be as the Times APP
prehends, that will be the signal for a
general movement in favor of a radical