Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-01-30
50 we may confidently look for the chang

ing OF s.s ~ sd
W. THE WORD PRIEST 81, "a
back to its uncontrolled form Presbytsr,
and any good dictionary (Webster's una
bridged 8. ,)will tell us that Priest is tho
contracted form for Presbyter, having
reached this form in the ordinary courseef
the changes in the formation of our Ian
guage.~ If all the world, who know any
thing, know that the word Priest means
and stands in our Prayer Book for 4 tesbys;
ter, or may know it by consulting a dicss
tionary, shall I, because We have not yet.
succeeded in restoring it to it's uncontrac-7
ted form, leave my Church r. Can not the
ignorant have the meaning of it explained
to them Has not the Bible many words
and phrases which need explaratian, and
unless explained lead into deadly error
Because Evangelical Christians Of every
name lfave not yet succeeded in getting a
translation of the Bible, free from error,
t-mnst we, in feverish haste, say we will not
lave a day longer Bible that Unitarians
and Romaiiists and Ritualsts find covefts
FOR their damnable heresies 81 et usgo off
and get up bible which which will
be free from every pretext for heresies; let
us throw down from tllew walls of our Prot
estant Zion these coverts and hiding places
| for deadly error" For remember friends
that the Ritualists appeal to the Bible for
their doctrines as well as to the language
Of our Prayer Book. ''H ~! *5'1A '1sApst
And why in the Communion Office have
not the words body and blood of Christ
been eliminated? Talk about the word
Priest and Altar these words give y ,'s'''
A HUNDRED FOLD MORE WEIGHT TO
RITUALIsTlC TEACHING.
Can any words or phrase be Imagined
which can be more readily perverted? Why
not change them, toe and so leave. not a
spot where the Romish doctrine of q cor
poreal presence. can, find a lodgment
For this simple, significant and Instructive
reason, that they are Christ's own words,
as recorded by inspired Apostles and Evan
gelists, and are no mistranslation. ~.
! And from that fact may we not learn
wisdom. The Lord Jesus Christ knew
that these, His words, would be fearfully
perverted, but nevertheless He did not
deem it necessary to. adopt, others. He
left it to His Ministers to explain and His
people to gather for themselves. from the
other Scriptures His true meaning, and
so say to myself and to you, when inyit-
ed to leave our Church because Of some
words in our Prayer Book whose meaning
can be perverted. Am or are you called
upon by the same Lord Jesus land without
His call we must do nothing) to abandon
Scriptural Church because word occurs
| in His other sacrament, though confessed
ly in it's intended import perfectly scrip
tural, yet susceptible of being used by
evilly disposed persons to teach erroneous
doctrines |? Are we called upon by Him for
these reasons to break up our Church and
present that pleasing spectacle to the eng
mics Of Christianity, a new Sect. .,e,s.,,,,.
| Is there sufficient reason. in the sight Of
God for me to leave the Prostestant, Epis-
copal church because of the language Of
| the Ordination Service and I'the. Declare
ton of the Absolutiop of Sins?"., .
When we read in our Bible that the Lord
Jesus breathed on His Apostles and said
receive ye the Holy Ghost" whose sins thou
dost forgive they are forgiven and whose
sins thou dost retain they are retained y
what do we. understand by, it, !? How do
the vast majority Of Protestant Commenta-
tors explain it ? Why, j in this way,
that they, the Apostles, and their succes-
sors, flor Christ promised be with them
\ always even to the end Of the world, 1sfsobld
have the Holy Spirit given them to enlight-
en- them to preach the. Gospel; to declare
the terms upon which sinners should be
forgiven, and upon which of course their
sins should be retained that they should
be the administrators Of the Sacramento
which are means of grace. and the guard
ians of those Sacramento against intru-
sion.
If then this is what we understand to
be the meaning as applied to the, Apostles,
where is the sin-where is the harm Of us
ing them in ordaining their successors In
the Ministry ? Isn't it the teaching Of
every Church that the Minister can only
do Christ's work according as he is helped
and directed by the indwelling of the Holy
| Ghost And His Presence can certainly
be presumed to exist where preacher Of
His gospel is being ordained.
And because these last words, whose sin
thou dost forgive, &c., were not used for
a thousand years in ordination services,
and were first adopted and used in, per
verted sense by the Romish church, is that
a valid objection They are Christ's
words in ordaining the first preachers OF
the Gospel, and as. His blessed words can be
perverted in the Sacrament of His Com
munion and yet we are not called upon to
give them up. neither are we called upon
by Him to give up these words or leave the
Church in which they are used because
they can be perverted.
| Ana as fegafos ~ esj 81 r,aig4s. .1if
| THE. FORM OF ABsOLUTION. ,.tI :
Does not every preacher of the Gospel de-
clare to sinners if they repent that the
| Lord Jesus Christ assuredly forgives them;
and if they do this while they are sitting
| in their pews where is the sin-Where is
the wrong to tell them 1.-THE same thing
when they are on their knees and have
just confessed to God their sins and be-
| walled them and asked His forgiveness
through. Jesus Christi At is. called hes
declaration of dissolution or remission of
sins.' 80 " s..fJpnGi .llsnF .eg4-3 ].
Listen to it again and tell me if i is not
the pure and unadulterated Gospel, that
very Gospel which ye believed and by
which you are now in Christ? almighty
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,