The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-24

scended powers. If the "power and command
ment" of God to His ministers" to declare
and pronounce to His people, being peutent, the
absolution and remission of their sins" be not a
part of the 'ofice and work of a priest in the
Church of God" what is 1t?
Beyond this the Bishops whole argument is
directed against the compulsory system of che
Church of Rome, which system [ abhor as
deeply as IL is possible for him to do.
THE BISHOP CONCLUDES
this discussion by saying
Il require the officiating ministers in st.
Clements parish to discontinue all teaching
and practice which leads to or countenances
such private confession or private absolutou."
Are we to suppose the Bishop here to say that
he will forbid the clergy OF st. Clements parish
to hear a private confession, or to give aOsolu-
tion in such case IL so, am bold to saw
that he will do that which the Church nowhere
gives him authority to do.
The American Church has given me authority
without restriction in this mitter. aud until shs
by her legislation shall take away that authority,
must USE MY LIBERTY.
This whole question touches the private duties
of the priesthood. No subject can be more
sacred 1t is q matter outside the direction OF
a vestry! and one with which a vestry, they
have no right to interfere. Were this conceded
every action of the ministry would be subject to
the direction of a vestry. The same will apply
to a Bishop.
The exhortation of the Communion bids the
troubled penitent to go to the priest and 'open
his grief" How that is to be done is not in the
province of Bishop or layman to decide.
No men In the American Church have higher
reverence for authority" than the clergy of st.
Clements parish. No men more deeply 'loathe
and abhor an aut tocracy.
Whatever the Bishop may command counsel,
or advise, within the limits of his rightful
authority, shall, with glad mind, be reve-
renty followed and obeyed" to the letter and
in the spirit.
The question of "prayers for the dead" need
not be discussed in this paper
The vestry having unanimously declared that
not one of them has ever heard me say one word,
in the pulpit or in the chancel, which they could
not heartily endorse, it noeds no words to prove
that we are heartily in accord so far.
DECLINE TO ACCEPT THR BISHOPS DIcTUM,
that / am responsible for the sentiments
expressed in the sermons of those who preach
tor me, and who are my peers, responsible not
to me but the diocesan authority under which
| they labor.
(Wbat follows was not In the original paper).
A more careful reading of the Bishops paper
seems to call for some examination.
The opinion that prayers for the dead are
! ef1icacious has never been taught or preached
| in St. Clements Church by anybody. To my
| knowledge the subject has never been alluded
! to more than once or twice. The Bishop says:-
''The two passages in the Prayer Book that are
usually relied on by the advocates of this doc
trine are found in the Prayer for the whole
state of Christ's Church Militant, and in one OF
the prayers of the Burial Service"
| The first sentence is, "And we also bless Thy
Holy Name for Thy servants departed this life
in Thy faith and fear" etc, etc.
| The Bishop knows (or perhaps l should say,
| he ought to know that this passage is not the
| one ''relied on by the advocates of this doc
| tripe." This passage is referred to, but the
strong part of their argument is in the prayer
| which follows the Canon of CDnsecratiOu, VIII
"And we earnestly desire Thy Fathery good
ness mercfully to accept this our sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiving; most humbly beseech-
ing Thee to grant that by The merits and death
| of Thy Son Jesus Christ and through faith in
Ill l,.~l,
obtain remission of our sins and ali other bene-
| fits of His Passion"
The argument is, that ''Thy Whole Church"
comprises three parts: The Church Militant
] the Church Expectant, and the Church Triumph
ant Therefore say they, the PRAYER reaches be-
yond those still in the flesh The Bishop then
alludes to the
PRAYERI THE BURIAL OFFICE,
and gives a quotation as follows:-"And we be-
seech Thee that we, with all those who are
| departed in the true faith of Thy Holy Name,
may have our perfect consummation and bliss
in Thy eternal and heavenly kingdom"
Let us now have the quotation just as it reads
in the Burial Office.
Sand we beseech Thee that we, with all those
who are departed 10 the true faith of Thy Holy
Name, may have our perfect consummation
is it that the words both in body
and SOUL are omitted? These are the very
words upon which the advocates of this doc
that the "perfect consummation and bliss can
not be until the soul is reunited to the body, and
that this is supplication that the "bliss of that
day may be granted to those souls now separated
from the body.
now return to the original paper.
The remainder of the discussion is upon mat
tiers of ritual.
THIS WHOLE SUBJECT
having been settled by the vestry, requires but
little consideration. The vestry know " full we'll
that the rector is not strenuous upon these
minor points, as Qor the most parE they in
He would probably differ from both Bishop
| and vestry in some points, but a man may do
that without loss of confidence, trust, or affec-
tion. The question OF
MIXING WATER WITH THE WINE,
at the time of placing the oblations upon the
altar, had promised to abandoa II 1t was an
offense to anybody, and it unfair to take
that question before the Bishop, especially as nc
person lin the vestry or out of it) had ever
raised one word of objection to the practice.
In speaking OF vestments, the Bishop SAYS
"Jhere is no authority for the use of colored
vestments in our Church., etc.
1t is pretty generally known, Isbelieve, that
there is no authority for the use of any vest
ments in our Church, except that of common
ecclesiastical law. There Is not one word OF
law in our canons, nor has the American Church
legislated upon the subject in any way, 'directy
or indirectly"
BISHOPS OPINION,
however wise, learned, or pious he may be
surely cannot be elevated to the position o.
law.
The Bishop of New York, in his recent action
took good care to recommend not to command
nor did he touch the question of coOred stoes
He simply requested the clergy who had uset
the colored chasuble to substitute white in place
of it.
The use of the colored stoles the rector and