Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-01-30

eAoAO Nv" AAAolc dppIOP11doO tlAAO w W.
clare the Gospel for the forgiveness Of sins.
~ ouMA ~ justified in Gods sight in leav-
ing my church on this account I ~
And 4hen asto the ohicef6r tie
q hssT1rur1oN OF MINrsrEhs
into parishes, . "a service vlilch iSexceding
rarely alSed (which most q fhosS who are
out SO Justify for reform, per-
hap eyes Saw used, and of which if the
articles are never seen by the peo-
pie. 6hce iH ten years, it may be with equal
truth affirmed of this Office that it is not
seen once IN forty years. But we need
not to speak ABOUT it,, tor that which con-
fessedly has no lawful right to be in the
Prayer Book, canhot Yairly urged against
the scripturalness Of our Church. But we
may be told that
EVERY RESOLUTION AGAINST THE R1rU-
ALIsTs WAS VOTED DOWN
by the lower House. at Che late General
Convention and that the Ritualists had
great rejoicings.: 1t was pity there was
such failure. and it is true. the Ritualists
rejoiced, but as Dr.. Andrews. who, was a
clerical mepaber from Virginia, hassaid, it
was as men rejoice who. .had expected to
be hung, but 'tffoughs some accident or
arts of counsel find themselves al. large,
tho in defiance Of the. court and of public
opinion. sa The reason OF the failure was
that the remedy proposed gave such in
creased power to The Bishops (Which could
be used in beth directiops) and yet, not
withstanding this blunder, which occur
red too late in the session to be, obyiated,
there was a numerical majority for the
measure against the .Ritualists; but not the
necessary constitutional majority.
And as our iePressn tatiye, already refer
red to has said, "there was not a member OF
that House who did not know that the
moral sense ofth I!s HOUSE, bx 4. very large
majority, was against the Rituaists.''
''Neser, says he, in an acquaintance with
it for more than twenty years, have I seen
and felt such coming together oof conserl
vative men ofzall parties for freeing the
Church from the iit1putations of, iPopery
brought upon II by soMe, 81 its members y
Now this il the calm and well considered
testimony of0nsthe lowest of Low Church
men, as published'in a pamphlet sent to me
the other day, deliXeged by him in Phila-
delphia in reply:to the complaintsmade by
Bishop Gtaaarnihs several days before he left
our Church ana which were his reasons for
leaving us. ,se.ss - .iGsz.s%os sass Il. LA
Bishop Johns again, Hsthe. address allu-
luded to before, says, ~, with regard to the
Ritualistic innovations rs t am thankful to
report, that in. the. House of, Bishops not a
voice was heard. in their favor. On tine
contrary,,a decided majority were DESTROYS
to condemn them IN il detail byyspecial legis-
lation, and forbid them by .Ganonn
...shaAa Islesxss ny-ehurei4 becasrse her
canons forbid shers ministers mixing sevi-
ces, that is preachhg or officiating in other
churches, or
MINISTER'S 1SE I9sR 2E oTHER CHURCHES oEFrc1-
,.:,.,... AT IN For Us "a b.,.. ..4..y
Without at this time examining the ques-
ton Of ss..orders in the. ministry whether
Christ and His apostles authorized any
particular ministry, QI whether with His
approval any man who pleases may start a
new Sect, and gladly recognizing as do
the unmistakable Presence of Christ with
and His blessing upon our sister. Churches
of the Reformation, yet does this necessi-
tate the admission that their Ministry is as
scriptural and hence as perfect as our own.
And surely those members of our Church
who hold this opinion concerning our Min
istry ought not to be greatly blamed and
thought hardly Of, when John. Calvin and
Philip Melancthon and Martin Luther and
Hugo Grotius and John Wesley, the Eng
lish Reformers and the Church of England
all seem to have, thought the same, thing.
And in the case Of many, in. that illus
.trious line, all will admit, there was a
goodly amount Of piety and, conscientious
endeavor to find the truth, and no little
theological learning and scholarship and
skill in sacred dialectics. These gifts of in
tellect and graces Of heart have not for the
first time manifested themselves In our
century. y .t.sy hsav,,4... I'm .vsi /
But this aside, L ask. is it not necessary
to erect some limits some safe guards ?
Our faithful mother ID too wise TO leave
her children exposed to many dangers
which dan be prohibited by prudent legis-
1ation. ~ ,,..,,T i, ,s,,,;l, -s ,,g
It sounds (Igl 1 very lovely to have fellowship
with every other church and exchange pull
pits and, commune and all, that No one
would enjoy the privilege more than un-
der certain circumstances. an r.aet4r. r.
Iwould like very much, it is the impulse
ofmy heart to exchange pulpits with Broth.
er Baker, Of the Presbyterian Church, for
example. But sunpose Brother Baker
should die and some one should succeed
him, who Ito use Ghrist's own words and
Of whom He bids us beware) should be "a
wolf in sleeps clothing" who, although
unrecognized by our Presbyterian breth-
rem, Of by us, came only in our communi-
ty ito kill and to Destroy And this sup
position is not absolutely. absurd as some
might think; the Apostle warns us against
those. .s.'who, in, the latter days, should
bring in damna ma s heresies,g denying even
the L9rd who bought them.a,', For every
one knows that quite a,number of Preshy-
terrain CHURCHES in the North, not many
years ago, went off into avowed Unitarian
ISM ism Suppose we say avs such ses an one should
come in our midst, Of wonderful eloquence
and brilliant powers Of intellect, and in
consequence Of a .ss!'free pulpit sS,'some ofyou,
as well as his own congregation, should be
led away from rom the tftrnth a2 it isin Jesus. :"
Doa Yo4 not see that although this regula-
ton Of our Church in some cases seems
hard and onerous, still in the main, twill
prove safe and most wholesome prohibi-
ton. 20, a,,oo,rs~ = rss2 -rs .t-.1.