The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-10

lAlt Eplae0pal Orders OF DlVlnl
highttssA Presbyterian View o
the QuestiOnssCan DR.. CummIns
Episcopal Powers be ReVoked1
To the Rdltor OF the n. Y. Tribune:
sR-In common with very many o
the religious community the writer hal
highly appreciated the generous indul
gence Of the Tribune in opening It's col
umns Tor the discussion oil some Of the
points OF issue between those who ap
prove and those who condem the recent
interdenominatlonal communions which
were held during the sessions Of the
EyapgelIeal Alliance. More particularly
10 hA1 toilowed WITH greet interest liz
earnest and courteous Arguments which
have from time 70 time been presented by
Qn. PBhef and Thompaong ubori he
| quetion whether the cary usage "a Inc
Church Of England favored the recogni.
ton ot non. Episcopal ordets, Il hRA how.
gu, occurred to HMM connection with
this that there was danger that, In the dis.
cussion of 0 side issue like thisSthelmain
lguestion might, BE- DO oveflo looked Is 10
misrepresent the position of the great
body Of Christians who do not belong to
the Episcopal Church. Whether this an.
prehenslon Ia well founded or not, Il "a
certain that the fact ought not 10 be ig-
nored, that the status Of these nor. EpiS-
copal churchesis not In the slightest de-
gree affected by the result OF this discus
sion. Suppose II be true, as DR.. Thomp-
son 80 earnestly and learnedlY aflrms,
that the primitive teaching and practice
OF the Church Of England tolerated none
but Episcopal orders; this does mot at ali
settle the main question, which Is, whether
such orders are essential or even important
in the true Church Of Christ.
II Is just at this point that we Presby-
terians-to cite only q single one Of the
non-Eplscopal communions-meet the
issue with all confidence, and, making
our appeal TO Holy Scripture, reject The
entire claim Of special and exclusive val.
idity In the Episcopate. Going 10 The
New Testament for our polity, as we do |
Tor our doctrine, we confidently challenge
the scholarship Of the age TO establish the |
propo1hpn that Diocesan EpiscopacyI
Yilh the three ministellal orders Whieh It
embodies, iS' the diyiiely appointed meth!
cd OF ruling the Church Of Christ. II has
not been proved-it cannot be proved
and this fact, sttesied by such authorities
@ Waterly, Afford and Jacob, must 81
course, consign the claim OF exclusive
orders u. the common catagory Of nm |
warranted assumptions. -
q u howeyerr the necessity and reality Of
actual apostolical succession are once
dearly established, h Monld be difficult
70 evade the force Of the Roman Catholic
claim TO Che only. true ecclesiastical avg
thorlty, for the reason that the order ofI
the Church Of England are derived from
deposed and excommunicated bishops,
whose powers, having been revoked by
the aulhofitY which conferred them. must
have been rend ERE null and void sFrSf,
THIS point Of view u Seams I'd al Outsider
that painful but inevitable dilemma
awaits those who are now dealing with
the new departure Of DR.. CUMMING. Eth.
o disposition does not retract the SC. call.
ID poWergoi the bishop, andsin that case
Dr., Cummins will retain his supposed
apostolic authority, and the new Reform
I'd Church will be as good as the Old one, 4,
or 1t does avail to withdraw them, and In
hat case It follows that the orders Of the
Episcopal Church were severed from the
rue apostolical succession by the act oil
,,ebetlion when the Reformation began.
md BY the subsequent deposition OF Rome
; But with all this we Presbyterians have
1ery little concern Standing or, the
word OF God S"w which e0ntaineth Saiff,
hings necessary to salVationa (ses articleIi
H., Book Of Prayer, we declare IL, all Sc
1ousnesS that the claim 70. divine and
pedal authority which the oman Caiho.I
ic and the Episcopal Churches so ire-
Iuently Teiterate, is without support in
he New Testament; that 1t cannot be
justified by the early church history! as
he Apostolic Fathers present it;andt that
I breaks down altogether when tried by
he test which our Lord himself gave for
he discrimination Of religious professions
BY their iruin ye shall DIVIDEND
eltappears 70 the write, and 10 others,
important that these facts, familiar as they
re to all controvefsialists, should be
briefly restated during the present discus.
lion, In order that there may be no mis-
apprehension on the part Of the public as
o the attitude of the non-FpiscopalI
Churches. The question whether The
Episcopal Church did in former days ex-
libit more Catholic and Christian spirit
han she does at present is OF concern 10
spiscopaliansl but Is certainly Of very lit. ;
le moment 10 other and much larger de-
nominations; and whatever may Be the .
esult ofithis argument on aside issue,
We, as Presbyterians, shall continue 10
est our church policy on the solid foun-
iations an unerring and Interchangeable
world. R. Il. B.
UnfOsraty-pIacs, n z, Jan. |, 1874.