The New York herald., 1873-12-07
EMiSCULAYED EPISCOPACY.
An Interview with Dr.. Thompson en- The New
Movement In the Church.
What the Rector Of Christ Church Thinks Of tia
Prospects Of Bishop Cummins-The Negative
Position Of the Reformers-The Clinging
to Apostolic Succession-The Rector's
Views on Ritualism-The Beauty
Of Holiness, and the Alteration
Of the Blessed Sacrament

~ II. -
representative man or the Protestant Episcopal
Church. He belongs to the High Church party, W
q north country Irshman, a man OF broad views
and large culture and, above all, Is the editor or
an influential Church weekly, the Church Journal
1t was. therefore, deemed desirable that his views
should be obtained in reference to the recent re-
form movement in the Protestant Episcopal
Church.
Dr. Thompson, in reply TO inquiries as 10 the ult-
mate success oil Bishop Cummings in establishing
church in this city, said that, in his Judgment such
q result was not very likely. The declaration OF
the Bishop and the platform he sought 10 lay down
was OF a negative character. 1t assumed the form
or protest. For vitality 10 be preserved in any
movement there must be positivism, and this the
movement Initiated oy Bishop Cummlns seemed to
to HIM sadly wanting.
.But is not this" inquired the reporter "a pro-
test against practices that are deemed TO mighty
dangerous by many persons to the sous wei
iaresu
"Yes, that is so; 1t is protest. But then Bishop
Cumm could have entered that protest just as
enectually, and, indeed, more So by remaining
Bishop OF Kentucky than he can by leaving the
Church. l protest against these practices that
Bishop Cummins condemns; do oil other High
Church cergymen. Look at the position OF Bishop
Cummins' party for moment. DO they want to
develop an eNaHReHcdi spirit III tlc CHuICuf ibOJ
can 90 it within the Church; they need leave it
for that. In their declaration OF principles
there is not one salient point that is distinctive
from that OF other Evangelical Churches. All
sects have distinctive feature, but our friends
who have separated from US pride themselves on
what they have hot. They cling to their idea Of
apostolic succession, and seem to have waited i0r
the secession OF q bishop In order that they may
be able to have him Tor head. But this apostolic
succession will only recommend itself to the dis
affected in our Church, and will become . sort OF
emascuated episcopacy The Methodist and the
Presbyterian will care nothing Tor 1T, and Will
laugh at tine claims OF apostolic succession on the
part OF Bishop Cummns. His personal claims are
entitled to the respect of oil men, his reputation
is unbem,shed his faithiulness and his earnest
are manifest, and his intensity Oh 1eeling -
apparent TO all who know MN. But ,,,., ne
The clergy associated with him, with one excep-
tion have been deposed, and. as rule, are
had received letters from q clergynen. Wen,
there are probably more than 100 men who never
ought To have been ordained-good men, but un-
successful men, who cannot stay long IN one
parish, who would be glad to have new churcn
But II these men could not succeed when they haG
the benefit oil an organization, bishop ana all tne
advantages that are the result OF beng ollclany
associated with PARISH, are they more likely 70
succeed wnen they have none or these things, and
are certainly not strengthened by q positive aud
distinctive creed, or by tue force OF character OF
reformer like Luther or Dorner?"
sWnat IS Dr. Cneeney IS position in ChlcaeOS Ii
he not man OF influence and positions"
"As pastor he IS but he has Dcen deposed for
several years, and he NAV, as he SAID himself, DO
deprived of the church IN wnicn his c0ngreganon
WOrsnips. The Courts have decided that u CnufcD
built Tor a certain organization cannot De diverted
from tne aith OF that oreanization. He has there
iore ecclesiastical holding Jon his people IL ~
entirely personal, as u pastor.n
..But Bishop Cummlns intends to meet some OF
the dilculties !hat are found in separation IRON
the Protestant Episcopal Church by me ntr0duo.
ton into his cluiches oil the Prayer Book OF 1785.
which. he alleges, WIN meet the case to large OK
tent.u
"lhe history OF that Prayer Book is not very
favorable 10 Its adoption. 1t was completed by
Bishop White, prompted by the SocinIan views
OF the clergy OF the English Georgian period, and
was during the interregnum between one Conven-
ton and another, before the clergy Tor adoption.
The Convention rejected 1T, ana Bishop White
never expressed regret that 1t was not accepted.
Then the fact that the Nicene creed Is omitted
the only universal prayers IN the Prayer Book. the
prayer that is used oy the Protestant the Greek
ana the Roman Cnurch-ail re found to
1t is not generally known, and the want OF
this knowledge occasions great confusion in
the minds OF many persons VINO pro ess to con-
suer these Church questions, that 1t IS only on the
Nicene creed that or any other clergy man can DO
arraigned for heresy. rms gives the church
to preach any shade Oh theological belief tnat did
not trench on tns creed.
'sTDe Prayer Book teaches Ttualism' as 1t IL
called Bishop CLmmins says, and gives the young
clergy seeming authority Tor indulgence in what
he considers questionable practices.
''lt is true that the Prayer Book does give large
liberty in ,hat direction Ii Dr. Ever or any otner
priest chooses TO put candles on ms altar and
coihe himself and others IN red pettc0ats, there
Is nothing in tie Prayer Book to lUrbid him. But
this cry OF rltualism Is greatly exaggerated. Take
this city, Tor instance. there are three churches
here th9t indulge In these ritualstc practices;
there lour, Dut one has been suppressed by
the Bishop. Now the united congregations OIL these
three churches are not equal to my own congrega-
tion, that OF Dr. Pottcr's or o any representative
church IN this city. 80 YOU see how greatly thus
cry IS exaggerated. 1t is true that bisnOp Cum
mins would consider my practice nearly as pad ~
tnat OF Or. Ever or any OF the rltual.sts out do
not. | hou there Is distinctive difference.
II think Bishop Cummlns would say that yours
possibly only preluie 10 the other, aud
should ike to know from you whether you tnlnk
that the tendency OF the Church Is toward an ex-
tremc rtuasm, and whether the Protestant
Church Is likely to driIt toward RomeS
81 think there was more justlfiaUlc fear In that
direction lO years ago than there is now. Then
IL was SAID tia: our services should be more orna
mental, ald tnat the erect OF an ornamental ser
vice was the promotion ol good tas,e, from winch
we got crosses placed on the steepies OF our
churches ana stained glass windows ior the
the direction OF the beauty OF holiness. These
representations won many OF us over, and
there was .orce in tacm. During the last three
or iour years, however, thus attitude has been
changed. and the advocates OF the beauty OF be-
leyers' are preaching tine alteration OF tho
b,cssod sacramento lie disguise Is thrown OH,
and we know aud see the danger. before we ala
not. 1t rs true that and many other clergy teach
the doctrine OF the real presence but we teach
IL IN "a very different sense 10 the Ntua,st. we
say that the COMMUNICATE, In partaklng OF the
Dread IL III tue spirtua ptcschoo VI na,, a"u
when we say spiritual, we 90 no. ,nca', u ~ Us
metaphor but as spiritual reality. we say
that the soul is awakened then to the presence
OF Christ. hut the way To mans soul
il not down his throat, ana, therefore,
we attach no Importance to the mere
fact OF his eating Of the bread. so that
A sect has distinctive specially as creed, which
men accept or reject and are scctarans, as they do
this or as they do not; but In the Church there IL
a WIDER liberty, and, with the exccpt0n--l am
happy to say-of Unitarianisn, almost every phase
ar ru1 ia
of the Church; and, therefore. cannot see why
Bishop Cummins should not have used TINS liberty
to give emphasis to his own views"
Thanking DIR. Thompson Ior his kindness In
giving so full statement OF his views the reporter
withdrew.
Correction.
To THE EDITOR or THE HERALD
LII WAS Rshnn McIIyaine and not Rishnn rnttar.