National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-07
RITuLLLSF REKLERED.

To tAs Editor Of TIE National RsDa5Ifeaa:
Sir; In your issue Of Wednesday, the Goth OF
September, an article appeared headed "Bishop
Cumming Lecture Reviewed" and signed ar.
H. wish, in few lines, to direct the attention
Of your numerous readers to the impotent and
almost transparent fsllaeies Of the professed ar
guments Of this communication.
The writer evidently belongs to the class OF
ehurchmen styled "Ritualists''-a class who OBJ
serve certain rites, and with whom, in the judg-
ment Of the Protestant world, such rites are Of an
Importance entirely paramount to the vital and
spiritual graces Of pure Christianity. The
knowledge that any one with the living Oracles
Of God in his hands should be attached TO such
ceremonies is sufficiently painful A public de-
fence OF them Is kindling match to the righteous
indignation Of every genuine Protestant. In this
article signed ar. H. there Is apparent a grim
delight over the fact that, according to Bishop
styled ritualstie are the doctrines Of the Episco
pal Church, and are embodied in Its prayer-boOk
and eanong. The writer reloices that Bishop
Cummins' lecture is proof that the Episcopal
Church is only nominRlly Protestant, and inti-
mates that the reformation in England was not
substantially the same with the reformation on
the continent.
r. HIS right when he says that the bishop
impugns the Episcopal Church as holding GER
doctrine Of ''priestly confession and absOlution,
the "apostoIfcal succession" the priesthood Of
the ministry" and 'the doctrine of the sacrihee
tion, !" &C. He did so arraign this Church in Lin
coin hall on Sunday night, and in the New York
this but to say that the false and perncious doc
trines cast out Of the Church Of England at the
Reformation under Henry the Eighth and his
son Edward were reintrOduced afterwards by
Queen Elizabeth and her successors The ReIor-
nation consisted in abolishing these doctrines and
their corresponding ceremonies. To reintroduce
them was undoing the work Of the Reformation,
and that "the Church Of England" and the Epis-
copal Church in America have undone the Orlgi-
nal work of the Reformation is the very ground
on which the Reformed Episcopal Church takes
its stand. With the possible exception Of an
erroneous view Of baptism, the determinations OF
England and of the continent were substantially
the same, and from the doctrines of the British
Reformation, the American Episcopal body, like
the English Church, has in all Its devotional
apostalIzed.
and rites in question are now the doctrines Of the
American Episcopal prayer book and of the
American Episcopal Church, either BY actual
holding or by general patronage, which has ex-
panded this Romish decentralization into over
shadowing dimensions. He gave his hearers to
understand that the present character Of the
and deserves to be stamped with the broad black
seal of Protestant reprobatiOn. II r. H. finds
comfort in rejecting on his Church as standing
before the community in this attitude he is wei
come TO do so. And the uncandid retention of
the term PROTESTANT in the title Of his Church,
under these circum stances may De left to his In
Renuity to explain. For one, the present writer
does not complain Of High Churchmen and Ritu-
alists as untrue to the devotional standards Of
trinal formularies. In common with Bishop
Cummins and Reformed Episcopalians generally,
he complains Of them as untrue wholly, untrue
to the original reformation Of the Church Of Eng
land and as untrue to the Professionalism Of the
Christian world. The Episcopal Church as q
whole has deserted this Professionalism and is ar
rayed against It. 1t is q reproduction Of the
Church as it was before the Reformation and so
needs q second reformation. Bishop Cummins
tells the Protestant world this fearful truth
that its aid may be procured in securing this con-
summation.A
The chief ground of complaint, however, in re-
gard to the doctrines Of ultra high-Churchism,
and one before which all others are Insignificant,
is that these doctrines are contrary to the word
rather than embrace them. They abhorred them,
these very doctrines Of 'tritualism," because they
believed them to be abhorred Of Christ. r. H.
should remember that Cranmer, Ridley, Lati-
mer, Bradford and q host Of others could meyer
ind the word priest" in the New Testament, or
the word sacrifice" applied to the Lords sup
per, or that the bread and wine in the supper
minister Of Christ heard confession, or gave alb
solution, that the apostles had any successors,
or that prayers were to be offered for the dead,
or for any purpose to be made to saints or angels,
or to the Virgin Mary. The martyrs saw none Of
these denominations In the word of God, and be-
cause they could not see them where they were
not to be found. they must die at the hands Of
those who said they were there. Yes, sir, the
men who hold the doctrines of r. H. and his
stained with blood, and have on them a fearful
smell of fire. Let R. H., and those who think as
he does, remember this, and turn away while It is
called today. So much for the present. Fur
Their examination Of the article Of R. H. tO-nOr-
row. W.M.