, 1873-12-15
BISHOP CHENEY,


y
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their superiority ~ hc.,songg 70 higher ot,er OF
uyor 'proa,it, rss elakopo aver erfAnt,us, print
inter pares to whan. designated ccr,ntn powers
f ,ls y wsS 1r! stscrnms" H'' "e''r''ne Of tic
YIa Apos"lio Church III ,erarnlern, tho 'rst mud
lcAl Vi MI churches, s irs liz with very marked
s'Is' uro i" is .,'s s"e 5aes Rs s rs
irutier,' hnds worry oxnl.cd position among his
lreresonec VI ~. Potter nr.l s JOHN III lnattera af
10 t!pg the tewi1 cnurch In tl1a tst Council coll
yss % n 3etas . n e ~ r. s HGstsi rntsf
hvs led soe of liz Tthcsa of !ho fertl, soatury TO
committed tu llm lIIs own tl.rone Mpon Garth =
t11s iiisef BIT M n1r "nref oxauaa M II tho sase
y sn,y 9osr Of tic 1y Peter dssifss TINT III
When ST. Paul vs!ts him a tho prcslytc.s urp pres
ont. Bp'uotimes IN Is nontinnod nlonc; at osher
tioiic,l From the Il n,ny TO Inferred That by
notnbor OF tho presbytory, yet holding superior ro-
G President Sa n 1 coege aSalt 8 ;o
thcro s no t.ncc of any Eriscopata In tho Church. ~
eept thc soitary Of Jmcs At Jcrusaen whcr1 the
thprarter of tic ,nnt nnd his rcntlnn TO olr Lord
would Secure That rtninence nn>ng hts lreabysr1ni
pecrR anaogoH - a' tIinc"r1 .'.k Ml'iGh VIZ ilc
Irofssser Of Divinity in Trinity cocse, Cambridge
Englnud.l ,
tta retained In tlo nj orinsd Eplncolal o'urcl!2
It IS mol continuation Of tho nnostolate. Dlohops
nro not The Of tho Apostles The Apostles
Of our Lord could hnvo no SUCCESSORS as thor olco
was OF special appointment by Christ Himself, cit.
tloyca with miraculous powers by tho Holy ahost, md
e elu he naety as y ana t0 Of e suenas Of 5sss
Their oAco ccSscl with their lves, aud ioy Scripture
over s:s peroaato Sa s't oca IL tie charcb ''l'' A
Tho El:copato 1s no. tue depository of tho trnsh,
Tho dsvlncly constituted ody to which committed
x1f fhC
they eau bo dispensed Holy Scripture warrants lie in
Rejecting such teaching utterly anagonistlo 10 tho
yery rrss und osseneo Of tho Gospel Of tho Son Of
The Episeopate Is not un ordinance Of Apostolic IN
ucn hut 4 %ns aanplsd by BY the hsst.Aross.o1to
0rst suygastol by tho Apostles In doegnng to certain
4 ther, fcllow.aborors among tho prtsbyte!s tho
tain aiatrete temporarily. Tho authority delegated
by 81. Paul to Ttmoth, and Titus was donbtless the
b. the lr;mltivo churches IN Tho adoption of EpIsco
taey 1f er the dscsaso Of tho Apostles "Tho , vsry
] s g sS rSS vas nh II ap5ta Ga9a It It ali LII
prcabytcrs but afterwards restricted to a higher
:Fade Of n,'alslcrs. This seems to indicate TINT
ward out ot Tho APOSTOLIC; that i came not
from syns % @ vR
them par excellence tha Of overseers nishops.
rho Episcopal oalcs in It's original inssltuon. wa
5ud fla Bishop, with loily Of Ircsbytora md Dea
sas sf1s,u,ss s ibo 'n es s 'nGe ssS hsS
viii s essag sn ns s sk s IS
Of Christians increased, and srreud
sss'a a ws ayea pna ssa
Bshops arroluted to take charge Of them;
rnt iy degrees tho Episcopal Offices were fully occa-
Of tls clergy, an oinor spcelai Eo-
elesiasusal polity.
eh51y as IN h o5 form 1 Ws nsoy 70 s IeesSs
before A. o. 200 BY general consent IN a the churches
Of tic Roman EaMre. u is frat found complete III
andrta, % mention @ Tradition tIat ST. john, atteT hia
return from Patmos appointed bishops Into different
hs up 10 e nahops uo ct ess"g n I
churches Ipf Asia aIuor. ST. John certainly makes
10 mention ot It IL liz inspired ETtsnss ana gycS
tho historic notices Of tho cpiscopae," saya Lghtfoo,
throw light Oh tho origin of The office. They slow,
and wSs uot lilo apos.olato continued Rccond that
it did not spread at uniform snto in n paris but
vas progressive leyelonent; thir;l tint the iact
be lissociaoa from the Influence Of St. John md OF
the other nnostcs. who may have lived neary to tho
T. i in easier 10 trace the progress by which tho
an!'e primitive crisconacy 81 tho second century Of
Claiming Divine rgst nnt the succession 10 tho order
md oice eof the Apostles Of our Lord, iords over God
heritage, ,an not fellow rrssby,eys With tAeIr brethren
Prof. LtghtfuO III his commentary OH Tho Epise totlo
Galatians has performed thls taGk with such a1nr4-
bic elc,rnesu nnl succfnctucss tliut adopt his ac
ter III tho development Of tho Episcopal authority
there were three dist'nct stagca Of progress oeced
sce e9 Mn o e nes Ct sa
grsa as he greas nSoca:G o. e IN tue
this Wow IL greatly due to forged cpistlcs tha bear his
name, Its gcnsns Writings warrant it. Now to him
tho raluo Of op!scoplcy IL that 1t 10 t7soc centre "
which WIS to avert the danger Or dslntcgtaton that
menaeed when Jerusalem Ind fallen. csrors aracns
lew can Le tilcd. lie writes to tho Bishop OF
smyrna: "lIaye snre of unity than which nothing Is
aud do thou nothing without the consent Of dol."
70 tho ycopIo hc writes; ''0ive heed to your
lattlgcs show 10 ,ore Tim .hH he valued lilo otcc
as tecuray for discipline aud hatmcpy In thu
Church. although lc may Lave uscd language regard,
INC, II III With We, IL =, less ignorant day
could not acqncscc. 1rcnnns, bishop Of Lyons wrotc
bis mous work ug4iht hyretics about seventy yeara
tliv olsrolmc, and regards IT us deos!tary Of nros
toc tradilion,- security Tor tue faith For alnidat
1sua as + So Sf es S s a' Il xh s /.
1reas ryics that in tho succession Of Bishops, from
apostolic days is ncas provided fur tho preservation
nf the truth, o teaching that must le correct
THIS In still higher view than that Of Igautius for the
b hops are ,oS s,.ly s rulers, to whom nnqaektioa.
more necessary 10 be in tpion with tlc1n,
and to heed them In order 10 be ln union with then
hNQ 10 HGcu t4G!n III GfnoF u NC AufH OF p0!-
senIug tho apostolic doc.rIne wrh it their puce
to prcscrFe.
GypTiau Diehop Of Carlhago from A. D. 2i8 tc
4 d. a53. aud hut stormy experience. In bis writ
tss lind tic fG!-b'own flower Of episcopal prOrog
alive. lie regards tho Bishop tho absolute Vice.
3trent Of Christ in things spiritual. He forceC
o the eIiscotac against his will, but ho raised It L
position from which. It las not set been depoecd
rhs duo TO H great alitis and force Of ehurac
ter dIaayed III two contests wilero he was victor
Al Cyrr!an was the grcat man Of his aay aud his
victoriea hgna in regard 10 tlc absolute sl
NJ nnN1t II mia 1t ~
tho rcrfect inslecl supremacy Of tho epscopatc II
be universal Church, these losltiona wsEo ass'snet
by tue otlcr Dls4ols end granted by tho Church. 10
vas ccne,ted lower that still siada Arm. asd th'
structure of q iscopa rrcrogatiso was co1nplesc.
Aud at this day throughout tho Roman, Greek. ant
Anglican communion it IL the Gyprinnic theory Of
tie elscopacy that everywhere and with fear 10 con
test Il, holds eway.
Against this oIscopacy, tho development OF late
unl corrupt sny, wo utter our Protest, mud return te
tho true, ssuro episconary Of tho second century,
tie psriod Immediately succeeding tho lecoaBe OF tlt
Apostles.
We hold with jerome, most lcnrned Of the auclents
ln bis commentary oil Titus, l., s.:
..i.t H.