, 1872-12-15


The religious community Of England is just
now agitated over question OF church dis
cipline which has many points Of resemblance
with the celebrated Cheney case, though result
ing in q precisely opposite decision. In the
| case Ct Mr.. Cheney, it was reported to the
Bishop that this clergyman VAS in the habit Of
! omitting the word Regeneration" from
| the baptismal service. Bishop White
| house ordered an ecclesiastical invest1-
| cation, which resulted in establishing
that Mr. Cheney had exercised his discretion in
| the use or omission Of the word, Mr. Cheney
himself never having denied it, but maintaining
his right to omit it as matter Of conscience.
Mr.. Cheney WAS first suspended; was then de-
posed, but never gave up bis church; and the
Bishop, through some pew-holders in Mr. Che
ney's parish, brought suit for permanent in
| junction against Mr. Cheney's officiating in
Christ Church,-a suit that is still pending.
| These circumstances we're the principal features
Of the Cheney controversy.
| The present Eng1igh case concerns the burial
service instead Of the baptismal service. Com
q Rector in his diocese had declined to read al
the words Of tho burial service over o deceased
| pnrishioner Of immoral life. The particular
words which we're construed to be Objectionable
in case Of this kind are supposed to be that
portion Of the English service which consigns
] the body to earth, fin sure and certain hopo Of
| q joyful resurrection" The English Rector de-
| c1ned the use Of these words in the burial Of
q person who did not die, as he believed, in
| the grace of the Lord.
The decision Of Bishop Wordsworth, Of Lin
| coin, was very different, however, from that Of
Bishop Whitehouse, OF Chicago He wrote to
I the complainant that, ''in dealing with such un-
happy persons, it is the clergyman's duty to
endeayor to bring them to repentance; but, If ho
conscientiously feels that there ere expressions
in the burial service which he cannot use he is
not to be condemned for leaving them out, see
ing that when the rubrics were last settled there
were means OF enforcing discipline against tho
laity es well as the clergy" There is not much
force to bo attached to the reason which tho
| Bishop Of Lincoln gives for his decisions the
main point is simply thas clergJ1aen in his
diocese may or may not, use all the phraseology
of the liturgy in the burial service, according to
| their opinions Of its ftncs1.
| In the Chicago case, whilo Bishop White
houso'a decision, that no clergyman has tho right
| to exercise lis discretion in tho use
| of the prescribed liturgy, excited the most
| vehement opposition, Bishop Wordsworth's
decision, that a Clergyman has this right has
developed IN equal a1nount Of diszcnsion in
England. AL the arguments which wero used
by Bishop WhitebouEc's supporters in this
country have been advanced against. Bishop
Wordsworth. II, it is sald, g clergyman may
exercise his discretion in regard to the burial
| service, may ho not do go with every other
! portion OF the Prayer-Book? Aside from this,
| the discretionary use or omission OF the words
"a sure and certain hopo,' in the burial service,
| is much more responsible assumption than the
| disuse OF tho word "regeneration," in the
| baptis1nal service. 1t is said TINT, es
rule, baptism occurs ct ages in
which al1 children arc alike in the matter Of
| innocence but, at death, the individual clergy
/ fA16
Judgment upon the moral life Of the dcceased.
An omission Of the words indicating future Hal-
vation,' while these words are part Of the
Prayer~Book, and as long as they continue to DO
used generally in cases Of death, is the passing
| Of sentence upon the life Of the deceased, and
indicating distinctly that it will be followed by
future punishment. What should constitute the
cause for such sentence might become g
bone Of contention that would lead
to the utter dismemberment of tho
Church. It is also claimed by Blahop
Wordsworth'a opponents that the words were
not intended to refer to the deceased especially,
but as ia sure and certain hope" for all man.
kind who die within the pale Of the Church. It
Was similarly claimed by many in this country
that the word Regeneration" does not intend
to be accepted literally, and tie House of Bish-
ops have decided, in effect that it must be used,
but that it does not mean anything.
| How much trouble this decision Of Bishop
Wordsworths may occasion in the English
Church remains to be seen. 1t has not
| yet excited the same amount Of contro-
versy as the Cheney case in this country,
for the reason TINT it did not include IN ecc1esi
astical trial. There is no means Of disposing Of
the Objectionable Phrase by reference to a
General Convention, as among us. Parliament
alone could effect the change. To introduce the
subject Of changing the Prayer-Book in any par
ticular into Parliament, would precipitate 8
Church crisis in England. The differences that
| now exist between the Ritua1iBts and non-Ritu-
alists, the High Church and Low Church, the
Conservatives and the Modern Profess
sionists, constitute already several parties
and any effort to make one alteration in the
Prayer-Book would bo fraught with the danger
of flood of proposed amendments. It would,
in all probability, open the way for q diaestab-
lishment which Parliament will be careful to
avoid. Yet the laxity which, according to
English Conservative views, is given to