National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-05
THE EPISCOPAL CONVENTION
THE UONFI,IUT m THE CHUROH.

THE CONFLICT IN THE CHURCH.
On Wednesday next the long and Rnxiousiy-
expected triennial convention Of the Episcopal
Church in the United States will meet in st.
Johns church, New York city. AT no period In
the history of this Church has there been such
diversity of opinion respecting har true Status as
at present. The difficulties which beset her are
not of recent growth. Many years have elapsed
since the publication of Dr., John Henry New
mans famous tract No. 20, which fell like thun-
derbolt upon the Christian wsrld, and gave to the
vaunted ProtestantfTm Of the Anglican Church q
blow from which it never has, and, perhaps,
never will recover. The "Traets for the Times"
we're issued in rapid succession from the Oxford
press and, as If argument we're PSWerless to stem
the current Of their influence, persecution the
most severe, and trequently Of the most petty
character, was speedily followed by civil action
strong arm Of power accomplished what logic
was unable to perform. A dangerous calm en-
sued Drs Newman, Manning and scores Of
other eminent oiergymen, with hundreds Of the
| laity representing the nobility, wealth and in
telect OF their day, found peaceful refuge in the
eyer-ready Church Of Rome.
| Although reviled, prosecuted and forsaken by
| some Of their best men, the Traetarians 6C
Ritualists, as they are now called were not annt-
| Inflated On the contrary, &c If purified by fire,
| they manifested undytng energy and labOred
| quietly everywhere with q zeal unsurpassed by
the earliest Apostles Of Christianity. That they
| have not labOred in vain Is proven by the fact
that their influence in the Church, not only in
this country, but also in England, has prevented
any addition of Professionalism where they already
| thought there was far toe much The evidence
| and acknowledgment Of the defeat and weakness
of their opponents is the secession Of Bishop Cum
| Minis and The efforts to influence diocesan con-
| Ventions, which have been made during the past
year In order, however, TO understand the ex-
| act nature of
THE DIFFICULTIES TO BE SETTLED
Il will be well to take an impartial glance at the
three parties or schools Of thought in the Church,
known as the high, low and ritualistic The first
is the conservative element, ever seeking quiet,
easy going state Of affairs, never able to progress
| beyond RpOstOlical succession, and always crying
| peace, peace, whether there is any or not. I'm
able to curb or utilize the restless energy of its
| younger members they have quietly Withdrawn
| from its fostering care and become a power in
RThe Low Church party is ultra Protestant, with
! the UtOpian idea added, that the "lion and the
! lamb shall lie down together" and there will be
| shall lead them. 1t claims fellowship with all
| PFOtestants and impossible union with them. This
party seems to have used the liturgy of the Church
with all sorts of mental reservations, and sought
tOdestFOy the force Of canon law by violating it..
| No party ever had, humanity speaking, the power
this one had; and, We may add, no party in power
ever Numbered as this one has from the very first
| 1t originated about the time Of the Tractarian
movement and gradually declined, until now its
influence is gone forever. To this party the fall
| of Bishop Undertook, Of New York, may iDdi-
! reetly be ascribed. One Of its most prominent
features, and by means a creditable one, is the
establishment Of fund for the education Of young
men for the ministry, and exRcting from them be-
| fore they commenced their studies or had read
one line Of theology, written pledge that they
| wOuld never preach anything contrary to the
views held by Low Churchmen.
| The Ritualstic party ignores Professionalism in
every form, declaring it q miserable failure and
the handmade of infidelity. 1t seeks the restora-
| ton Of ritual and doctrines lost to the Church
when tares and wheat were pulled up together in
the hour Of passion, called reformation No one
can help being struck by the earnest manner in
which these men, right or wrong, urge upon their
| opponents the necessity of reading church his
tory anG not to condemn before both sides Of the
| question have been examined.
The distinctive doctrines held by Ritualists are
! the direct succession from the apostles, the
| priestly Office, sacramental confession and real
| objective presence in the adorable sacrament Of
| offered as a memorial sacrifice to the living and
| the dead.
We have thus given hasty outline of the con-
| tending parties about to assemble. 1t remains to
be how this people is to be led out Of the will
derness Of dispute in which they have tarried so
many years. With Bishop Cummins the conTen-
ton has nothing to do; the act Of severance from
! the church has been made doubly sure.
| Evading the issue, by postponing until the next
| convention, will no longer avail. The time for
action, calm, deliberate and decisive has arrived.
! Seymour as bishop Of Illinois, and the recent ad-
mission Of the church Of st. Mary, the Virgin,
to the diocesan convention in New York city, in
dictate that the antiPrUtestant element is neither
feeble nor idle. 1t must be q source of no little
comfort to Episeopalians to realize that in a few
J weeks they will doubtless know exactly what the
Church does teach, and then, let us hope, for the
sake Of Christianity itself, that there may be an
| abiding peace.