The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-16
BISHOP JOHNS LETTER,
Editors of tho Intslllgopcer:

Editors of tho Intelliscncer:
AS this is time Of much theological
discussion, / hope you will give an hum
bley iayman an opportunity to have his
sSy, as well as those learned doctors in
theology. There arc some features in the
letter Of Bishop Johns to Mr.. Latane,
published in your paper Of the 10th inst,
which should be explained to the relig.
ious public, but before doing this 1t will
be proper 10 explain Bishop Johns him
self, aud this will be done with that re-
spect and reverence to which his position
and age entitle him.
Bishop Johns is well advanced in years
He has spent his life, or the greater por-
ton Of it, in the minestry Of the Episco-
pal Church. The polity oil that Church
is such that minister's pathway Is more
closely enviroBed with theological guide
boards than that of any other religious
organization, His ministerial course Is
plainly pointed out 10 him, and he Is moi
expected to deViate from it. His lie is
one continuous round OF duties which
partake Of monotonous samenss, if the
expression be allowable, or in other
words isliie runs in the same continuous
groove, OF what appears to him the same
There is a spirit Of subordination in thai
Church among the ministers to those
whom they regard as their superiors, moi
to be found in any other Protestant
Church. Their ordination VOWS impe
them to this, Tor when man Is ordained
q Deacon, the following question Is sol,
emily esked him by the officiating Bishop:
"Willyou reverently obey your Bishop
and other chief ministers, who according
to the cannons Of tho church, may hsve
tho charge and government over you,
following with q glad mind and will their
godly admonitions."
To the above the candidate for orders
makes the following answer:
will endeavOr so 10 do, the Lord
being my helper"
Alter he has served the usual term as
Deacon and comes forward to be ordained
as a Priest, Il use the word as l find II in
the Book OF Common Prayer he reiter.
ates this promise more positively. he il
then asked by the officiating BiShop
WIN youreverently obey your Bishop,
and other Chief ministers, who according
TO the cannons of the church may have
the charge and government over you
following with a glad mind and will their
cody admonitions and submitting your.
selito their goodly Judgments"
TO this Episcopal interogatory the can.
dldatc gives the following direct answ er :
VI will do 80, tho Lord being my
helper"
These promises are here quoted for the
purpose of showing the subordination ex.
lsting among the ministers Of that church
to those who are accounted their super.
iors. s % :! 3 -
Bishop Johns spent many years OF his
lie in this state oil subordination before
he became Bishop. He learned obedi-
ence while a deacon and a subordinate
Priest, and after he became Bishop, as
amalter OF course, he expected to be as
reverently obeyed as a Bishop, as he had
yielded obedience to Bishops while he was
a subordinate. Discipline and subordins.
ton are the great bulwarks OF the Eplsco.
pal Church, especially among the minis.
tiers: Such being the case, the Bishop can
gradually lasten innovations upon the
church without let or hindrance. Binhop
johns has not done this, but his habits OF
subordination have led him to submit to
innovations by general conventions which
his unbiased judgment would probably
not have approved. Rehas been present
at these conventions, and has Witnessed
the adoption Of canons that are innova.
tons, and yet his subserviency to the
dominant powers Of the church has pre-
vented him from comprehending their
full force as innovations. With him 1t Is
difficult TO recognize the fact that the
Episcopal Church IS not now as protest.
ant asst was fifty years ago He has been
devoted 70 the church, and has doubt.
leSsly labored as q Christian minister To
discharge hiswhole duty, but his devotion
to his church has led him to overlook the
errors that have crept into 1t. And al.
though low churchman and evangeli-
cal, 1t is difficult for him to comprehend
the errors OF ritualism and sacramenta-
rianism, and still deludes himself with the
hope that,the errors Of the church can be
corrected in the church. he does not ap.
pear to realize the fact that these errors
are continually growing.
Having said this much in exclamation
OF Bishop Johns himself, | will proceed
10 give his letter o brief notice.
In tho first place the. BIshon snnsaro IA
be satisfied with the concession made by
tho General Convention in Baltimore IN
relation to the word Fgenerdte In the Ran.
tisrnsl service. All tho Bishops, except
one, signed declaration that they aid not
believe that the word Tegenerdte, as used
in the service, implied q moral change.
The Bishop is easily satisfied. This de-
claration did not carry with Il any au-
thoritative force. The word regoneyate q
there, and II it does not imply moral or
spiritual change, what does 1t imnlv +?
Had the Conventiodsagrced to revise The
Prayer Book and supply tho word regtn.
dte.with some word or phrase more In
consonance with what evangelical men
conceived to be truly scriptural, or omit
=. ted 1t entirely, It would have been salts
factory. But the matter was Just left
where it was, and any sacramenlarian
Priest Of tho Church can preach baptis-
NAL regeneration with impunity, and
should his Bishop undertake 10 enforce
discipline, he simply appeals 10 the Pray.
er Book and goes "icot rec" and contiS:
uesto preach the same doctrine. Bishon
Johns has no power 10 prevent one Of IN
subordinates preaching the doctrine Of
baptismal regeneration IN the Diocese Of
Virginia 1.-The choose to do so.
In the next place Bishop Johns defends
q canon OF recent date, prohibiting minis,
ters OF other Churches from officiating IN
Epiacopal Congregations. BE says The
pufpcrt and scope Of this Canon Is ITO