The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-12-30
ING WEST YAsTUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER, 9O 1878

forced explanation, will admit Of a con-
struction which may quiet the consciences
Of many. But there are others again
which cannot be so easily disposed of;
and these TOO affect the most vital points
Of our religion. ~ Fgg "a y
THE RoMkNtztNo PkRrg lR TuE cHURcR
II Is upon such expressions as these that
the Romanizing party In the Episcopal
Church affect TO baild their Superstructlon
Of false doctrine, running, in one way or
other, through every shade Of sacrament
tai and sacerdotal error into downright
id0latIy i'm the worshipso of heSVrgin
Mary. Hence their unwilingnees that
these expressions should De expurged dirom
the Prayer Book, seeing how important
they are to their Romanizing purposes.
That such pretentions are Just TO the
extent claimed by .ihs51 1itualists, or that
they are at all In accord with the Articles
Of the Church, or with the spirit and gen.
eral scope of the Liturgy, cannot by any
honest mind for one moment be conceded;
and although the Prayer Book in its en-
tircty may Justly be regarded as one OF
the strongest bnlwGrkB Of PDtestantism,
yet still the Objectionable features are
these, working the mischief spoken OF,
through false Interpretation Or otherWise,
whether the fFamefs bi0that bOokintended
II or not.
MEN AND BRRTHREN, WHAPsHAiL YRfDo
, sdS 3 ABOUT IT ~ Y IS Il
Now what does the truth OF Christian.
ity In such o case: requires Certainly 0
reform, and not compromise, as many of
the Evangelical clergy seem 10 have con;
clhded. II they. have beens 'ehpn:in the
Episcopal Church." as thegsare SOME
times le ird to boasts does IL follow that
they must perforce swallow all sorts of
monstfosities insorder that they may dis
lnit2"
Findlpgthat thesedoubtful expressions
have been siezed upon by the Rituslists
to Justify the most eXtravagant errors OF
doctrine, and the widest vagarics oi o
formal, fanciful and esthetical worship,
the Evangelicals have been laboring for
years, without any apparent success, but,
under more and more discouraging cir.
cumstances, to have the Prayer Book 30
amended or modified as TO remove these
doubtful expressions, or at least SOFAS to
allow liberty Of conscience on the part OF
the clergy in dispensing with their use
altogether, or in the employment OF alter
native, forms, which might prove les
embarrassing ahdS lesss Distinctive 10
them in the exercise Of their ministry.
In this, however, they have signally,'
and, as some think, hopelessly, failed.
OF this latter class-that Is, OF those
who are hopeless-such as have not al
ready done so, will probably sooner or
later follow the fortunes Of Bishops Cum.
minis and Cheney
GROWING pIScREtsATfoR AdAHr Iow
= Esesr eHuRcuMEH. 81 ~
Another source OF difficulty is the Ia
mentable fact that the Episcopal Church
which once boasted, and Justly too, oi
Its great liberality, has Of late years shown
e.maf4ed and increasing tendency toward
AM Oppressive policy discriminaupgl
strongly against the Low Church clergy.
A Ritualist, however, may run 10 almost
any extreme Of doctrine or practice. and
1t depends very much on who, Is his Bish-
Cd whether any:not otice whatever be takenI
Of 1t. / speak particularly OF the church
in this country. Witness DR.. Ever,
OF New York, who daily flaunts
his Romanism In the face OF the
whole Episcopal Church Or Trinity, and
most q the other ,ehurch ein New ! ork,
and; hundreds of othels ALI over the'land
how many, 1'do not know, but certainly
enough TO prove that Ritualism is not
"dying out" or that the Ritualists are "a
mere handful" as some oi the more cred.
ulous Evangelicals are willing 10 believe.
{ LIBERTY IN. ONE p1REcTioN ONLY.
But let some poor Low Church wight
Tying, Cheney. or Cummins, for example
stumble over q Church Canon, IN the
exercise of what he supposes to,be, Q rea-
sonable; Christian liberty, and We hhall see
how soon the dogs ot war viii be let loose
upon him, and II he retract not his errors,
real or supposed, how soon he will be
hurled over the bsttlements otthe Church.
That the Episcopal Church isS highly
In It's character 'is willingly
conceded; and how far this grows out oi
its worldly conformity we do not under
take TO say. But that there is no Church
in Christendom more, difficult TO move In
the direction Iot needed fcform.is equally
true, iandethere are hundreds within lis
borders who have become heartily sick Of
this endless contest about Romanizing
tendencies, growing out Of q few express.
ions in the Prayer Book, which ought for
the sake OF peace, long ago to hsys been
removed. ~"
WAIT AND SEE THE RESULT OF THR NEW
MOVEMENT.
How far the movement" in an outward
direction, now favorably begun, viii, by
itsreactonayy influence, tend to produce
an inward reformation remains 10 be seen.
WAIT AND SEE.