The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-19

| W. Dill AlOIleF TeASOl ID We Qttttul
in vhieh The BpiSc0pdl Church stands In b
present day to other Protestant CHURCHES.
| Ills now held by an overwhelming nj
jority in the Episcopal Church that IheI
can be but one form Of Church polity-
that ordination by Bishops, deriving the
authority byStactual succession, in an lr
broken line, from the Apostles, d eISebti
10 q valid mlniStry-and that withou
such ordination there can be no m
Church, and no lGiTal administration
the sacraments. SOD
Now, have faithfully sought to brln
this theory 10 the text OF scripture, {
three several periods Of my ministry, eac
time devoling weeks and months 10 III
careful examination aud comparison OF a
the passages In the Acts Of the Apostle
and 10 the Eplstles, which seemed 10 bea
upon the question, and the result IS th
clear conviction that no such claim Is au
thorized by the Word Of God. The Mo
sale dispensation, for obvious reasons, wa
designed Of God to possess one unVary
ing form through all the ages fits destln
ed continuance. Therefore, when II was 4
be inaugurated, God called Moses up int
Mt, Sinai, gave him the minutest direc
tons concerning every particular OF 1t
even showing him o pattern Of the Taber
naclo and or all the Instruments 10 be use(
In the service thereof, and solemnly charg
ed him: "See that thou make all thing!
according to the pattern showed to the
In the Mount" Had our Saviour design
cd His Church to be constructed on any
such principles, or TO be oil one prescribed
and invariable form, then surely when he
gave His last charge 10 His Apostles, he
would have showed them q pattern Of The
Christian Church, or given them explicit
Instructions IS to its intended form. Or
II He had leititto His Apostles, acting IN.
der Divine Inspiration,t TO establish forever
such form, then surely they would have
drawn the plan and written out the de-
tails and left them on record. And In the
absence of any such definite plan and In.
strucLions, either from Him 10 His Apos-
Ties, or from His inspired Apostles 70 the
Church, we must conclude that no such
tnVariable form Of government ia OF Di.
vine authority, or essential to the being oil
Q church. For Il established since the
day OF the Apostles, It must have been
either by falllble or by an infalliblC
church; II by a tallibs church, 1t has no
rightlul authority and cannot be binding
for ell time and In all places-if by an
tnJdIlibIe church, there has never been but
one branch OF the Christian Church
which claimed to be iulallible, and those
who hold that there can be but one form
Of Church Government, have no higher
authority Tor that dogma than for any
other dogma Of the Church Of Rome.
THE TREE To DE- JUDGED ny ITS FRUIT.
l have also looked at this theory in the
light Of existing facts in the Christian
world, II the theory be true, II an erclI.
stUe Episcopal ministry in the Christian
Church be oil Divine origin and authority,
then the non,episcopally ordained minis.
tiers OF the various Churches oil the Re-
formation are committing in our day, as
many Of the advocates for Episcopacy do
not hesitate to allege, the sin oil K0rah,
Dathan and ADRIAN in the days oil Moses.
But II so, where Is the evidence of 1t? Is
1t in the devout, blameless, consistent
Christian lives they leadE Is it in the
blessing OF God upon their lsbors, and
the power and success Of their ministry
Is it in the souls who, by Gods grace,
through their instrumentallty, are turned
from the power oil Satan unt0 God, and
find pardon and peace, and life
and salvation at the foot OF the
Cross OF Christ? Are these the marks
and tokens Of Gods dspleasure-
of Gods judgments-sgainst a bold,
daring, presumptuous sin? In other words
and TO put the question in the very form
In which our Savior put it to the Phari-
sees, who were denying the baptism oil
John because he had not asked them for
authority to bsptize:-"lhe ministry OF
these servants OF Christ, Is It from Heay.
en- or oil menI" Dare any man
say, it is not from Heaven? And
dare We set up standard OF our
own, by which we disown those whom
God hath owned, and condemn those
whom God hath accepted, and separate
ourselves from all fellowship on earth
with those, with whom we shall be glad
enough TO take our places in HeaVen?"
And yet the Episcopal Church in this
country and in our day has prscti-
cally planted herself on this high
ground and assumed this imperious
attitude towards the great bulk OF
Protestant Christians. Il is true that
her standards of doctrine remain un.
changed, and the XIX and XXIII arti-
Giles. IN the Prayer Book still testify oher
original Protestant stand on this question.
But the other has become the prevailing
sentiment in the Church and Is fast be-
coming embodied in the Canon Law Of
the Church. So far has positive leeislR.
ton gone in this direction, If we accept
the current Interpretation Of certain can.
mons, that no minister Of the Episcopal
Church can now, BY any one official act,
recognize any other Protestant Church
as alrue Church, or the ministers D t,any
other Church as lawful ministers ofChrist.
AS the Church journal Of a recent date
boGstingly states II :-"It may be an opiaton
tolerated IN he Church, that the apostolIcal
succession is not necessary TO valid
1t is an opinion, however,
which the Church absolutely iorbids every
Parish, every Convention, every Deacon,
Priest or Bishop, from acting on. Or,
as the Hartford UhurGhmdn Of the same
date puts 1t, yet more pointedly and AFRO.
gantly:-"Any man has q right TO believe
Free.trade ID better than protection, even
though he Is living under a Protectionist
Government; but II he carry his free trade
opinions into practice he Is o smugRler5t
land 90 the editor. believes, and gIorieS
IN believing. that the Episcopal Church
has outlatoed all non.episcopal ministers,
and views any minister Of her own who
would officially recognize them as an &c,
smuggler. This may be tie lao
Of the Church: / cannot positively deny
It, This certainly is tie spirit oil the re-
cent legislation in the Church. But l
thank God, tits not the spirit Of many Of
Of her ministers and multitudes OF her
people. | thank God that there are
thousands in her communion who have