Smyrna times., 1874-11-18
A Sermon by Isishop CnInmins.

Bishop Cummins preached a sermon in the
First Reformed Episcopal Church, New York
city, last Sunday night on the failures Of the
late Episcopal Convention. We append
short synopsis. lie said You seek in
vain among all the proct edings Of that body
for one recognition OF the Protestant churches
around her More than that how strkingly
did that Convention ignore the greatest reli.
gous event in our age, the late Evangelical
Alliance-the greatest of Councils since the
Day of Pentecost. Aud every Episcopal min
lister has placed his neck under that despotism
that makes him deny to his Christian brethren
that they are ministers of Christ. Now |
beg you to mark the difference, on the other
hand, between this attitude toward the prOtes-
tant Churches about her, and her attitude to-
ward the Greek Church. On the first day of
the session a resolution was offered inviting
Greek priests to take seats in the body Of the
Convention. Now remember that there is
only one Greek priest in this country, and he
holding service in 4 private house in this city.
The resolution was passed inviting Greek
priests to take their seats by the side Of the
members, and r, cpgnzng their equality. This
Greek Church that Is aS corrupt a~ the Chulch
Of Rome That is the Church the Protestant
! Episcopal Church invited to sit on an equlIity
WI!h hcr But these noble diylncs of New
\ Gork, these men of tod ) own calling, were
totally ignored, passed over, forgotten by the
! Church-the one Church III the land which
has the name Protestant in its title Sitting
IN CITY filled with great divines of Protes tlnt
churches, and never extending her hand in
sympathy or love, or recognizing their Gxis,
tence. How different is this manifestation
from that of the refOrmers Of the sixteenth
century, who courted the friendship, society
and love of the great Protestant divines, who
loved them, who took John Knox iato their
cOunsels to help prepare the revised Prayer
Book, who in the presence Of Bishop Hall,
spoke of the continental churches as the dear
sister churches of the continent. Imagine a
Protestant Episcopal Bishop now calling the
Presbyterian and Methodist Churches dear,
sister churches. Is there no degeneracy from
those days? The next point is her stern re-
Iusa to grant any relei to the burdencd con
sciences within her fold. There has existed
for the past hundred years body of men OF
whom the world has never been aware. | am
glad to give them praise to night. | allude to
that body called Evangelical clergymen in the
Church of England--Evangelical because they
cling to the gospel, to justification by ialth the
simple access OF each soul to Christ without
mediation of priest sacrament, salvation
coming direct from Christ; that evangelical
body of clergymcn have been the life, the holy
seed and sustenance of the Church OF England.
| They have sought for relief, they have
petitiOned the General Convention for that re
lief In 1868 they asked for the repeal OF a
certain canon, so that the word priest might be
interpreted to mean presbyter. They also
asked that, in regard to u certain word IN the
order of Baptism, it might be allowable for the
clergyman to omit it. As FAR as remember
their petitions were not even considered. But tC
pass to the third fault of that Convention, per
haps the most important of all; refer to the
failure to provide an adequate remedy .toi
Rtualism They passed canon on Ritualisn
to destroy Ritualism. 1t has been received
! with great ecl.t, and it is thought that at last
we have reached point where the Episcopa
Church is detsrInineda to put down. ttituaiiSm
If So it is very significant fact that last week
the Church Journal Of this city, in it
editorial with regard to tho canon and tn,
action of the Convention, said: Nobody
. wants to see Ritualist tried, and it ad Is
''thcre will be no troubling anybody" And
that is the result of the whole legislation
Bowings toward the altar are still allowed wheI
there are no elements upon it, more terrible
form of idolatry than Of they were there On
single evil seems to have been aimed at-tha
is eucharistic alteration, adoring the bread anC
wine.