The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1874-02-12


be sacrificed for the welfare Of The party
without hesitation, / hope Gen. McCaus
land V ill allow bis pamc to DO used, aud
believe that in canvass be could awaken
40 enthusiasm that would take the District
BY storm. know many Of our citizens
agrco with me in relation to this matter
Let US hear from you. s.
BEoWNsvILLE, Pa,
February 8, 1871. J
Editor Register
have this morning read brief edito'
rial 10 your paper Of the 10Th ult., upon
the withdrawal Of the Rev. j. A, Latauc
from the Ministry Of the Protestant Epis'
copal Church. While | Gao readily agree
with you 10 your estimate ofMr Latnno as
man Of decided ability and Cody piety,
| must beg leave to take issue With you
upon the statement made In the last part
of your article, viz!
"They (the church) must feel that his
rOnuucintiou Of his church will be a severe
blow to It. When such men as Mr.. Lat
enc hesitate, doubt and change their church
relations, others less decided in their rcli.
gious convictions will lose all faith in any
earthly tabernacle or commission WhatoV,
er."
lam glad to anssure you, that much as
the church must always deplOre the defect
ion Of any such earnest and Cody man as
Mr.. j., such detection cannot, in the
very nature Of things, be a severe blow to
church, which in this country numbers
5000 Clergymcn and nearly 10000 com
municants, and 10 the whole world num-
bcrs over $4,000 cDcrgymCn and 80, OOO,.
600 followers. The loss Of one man CaI'
not have the same effect upon any religious
body, that the detection Of large number
would have; and to a church that has stood
firm, mistaken aud prosperous for 1890
years, even despite the large schism from
its fold oftho English Romanistsin 1870;
aud Of the Puritans, and The Baptists, and
the Mcthodists, and the Quakers and 9th.
era, the detection Of even such q man as
Mr.. LatGac, cannot cause more than 0
ripple upon The surface, ifcven that; mucl
less can it lead men 10 lose faith in thai
Divine insttution-the Church of Christ
No true Church, built upon the faith once
delivered to the Saints, can be shaken by
schism-that SIN, with which, from itS
very frequency, men arc 80 very familiar,
that it has ceased to be regarded as a SIM
Apply such a conclusion as yours to the
ether religious bodies 10 America. Since
December, 1858, oyer $50 elergymen have
Withdrawn from other Protestant bodies
aud from the Romish communion, to enter
the Protestant Episcopal ChurOa, including
such men as Rt. Rev. Dr.. Huntingdon,
Bishop of Central New York; Revs Drs
Coolidge, 0sgood, Todd, Austin, Bing'
ham, and during the months Of August
aud September, 1873, as many as Is, in
Guiding Professor in a Romish Col
lego, and a RomiSh priest with bis entire
congregation. Yet we find the Christian
world aud the Church Of Christ going
steadily forward towards that unity for
which every Christian heart prays.
1t is NOT these Ecclesiastical changes
that cause men to loose faith in tbO Church
of Christ. 1t is not the action ola Chris.
tian Minister 10 Withdrawing from any one
part OF the Church Of Christ 10 join any
other. 1t is the immense, unceasiDg, and
almost uunOticed, current, sweeping in
broad stream from the many, many and
far too many, religious organizations, only
to gil up the food of ratiOnalism, and in
fidelity, which, like second doluge,
threatens to overwhelm the Christian
Church.
The action and DC letter Of Mr., Lata.
ne, will doubtless have some effect With ma
ny who will not have, not take, the Opportu'
mtg Of examining his statements, to as
certain how mauy.sided is tho truth Of
God, thoughoue side is always each mans
way of looking AZ it. The Church with
that large charity which has always mark.
cd her actions, will grieve to see apy man