The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1874-12-23
From the New York Tribune.
FAILURE OF THE EPISCOPAL
CONVENTION.
Bishop Cummins at the First Reformed Episcopal
Church.

Cnurcn,
A sermon was preached last evening at
the First Reformed Episcopal Church, at
Madison-Avenue and Forty-seventh street,
by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Cummins, on the
results of the late General Convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. The church
was very well filed. After the short even
ing services, Bishop CumminS spoke as fol.
lows, not taking any text:
WHY THIS CONFLICT?
Is it not strange and wondrous thing
that at the close of over 300 years of the
lifetime of the Reformed Church of England,
of the Church of Latimer and Cranmer, the
church that hath given such noble names to
all Protestant literature, the church of Jewell,
of Hooker, of Chillingworth, of Barrow, and
of Tillotson- that at the close of 300 years
of the lifetime of this Reformed Church of
England, the mightiest conflict going on in
the bosom of that Church is to determine
whether it's future shall be true to the Refor-
nation of the sixteenth century or not;
whether the church that hath been sanctifed
by the blood of the martyrs of the sixteenth
century shall be Romanized or not? And
the last Parliament of Great Britain spent
we'll nigh an entire session in discussing how
to cleanse the Church of England from the
deadly error which is difused so widely
throughout its borders, and in which Mr..
Gladstone, who threw himself with all his
might against the appeal to put down Rit-
ualism, was defeated by the mighty tide Of
Protestant feeling which arose in the hearts
of the English people. Is it not most sig.
ni6cant fact, after well nigh 100 years Of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in this
country, that the great question in the last
General Convention was whether the Church
is powerful enough to cleanse herself from
the same deadly error? That after 80 years
since the First General Convention of 1885
in the City of Philadelphia, presided over
by her first Bishop, William White, eight
days should be passed in secret session to
find whether the last elected Bishop was a
Romanist at heart or not?
Why has this conflict been confined to this
one body OF Protestant Christendom? Is it
an accidental thing, or is it natural result
of causes to be searched ous? Is it en- exot.
ic, like those vines of thie tropics which, after
awhile, destroy the life OF the tree they cling
to, or is it some deadly disease within the
tree itself? Is it something Springing from
the soul? If it be not so, why is this con-
hict confined to one Protestant Church p
Why is it that in the great Protestant
churches of Europe, why is it that in the
great Protestant churches of this land, the
Presbyterian, the Baptist, the Methodist
why is it there is no such conflict? Why is
there no party in these churches, seeking, if
they may -Protestantize them ? Why is
this deadly conflict with men who would un-
do the work of the Reformation confined to
the Episcopal Church? Is it accidental
An, no. The disease is in the system. The
standards are wrong (holding up the Prayer
Book The reformation in the Church Of
England never was perfected, never com
pleted. 1t began gloriously in the reign Of
Edward VI, and had his life been spared it
might have been perfected work ere he
died. But the Reformers were like sculptorf
engaged upon some great work of art, who
when Death knocked at the door, finding
their work half completed, gave one last ling
ering look of love at their work of art, drop
ped their tools, made haste to answer the
call of God, and left the work to be com
pleted by men of other times. That work
has never been perfected The reformation
of the Church of England, after 800 years
is an imperfect, incomplete thing. This ii
the reason-this is the reason for the exi5
teuce of this Reformed Episcopal Church
1t is because the reformation, begun in th'
church of our fathers, stopped ere it was hal
completed.