The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-11-11

~ ffftsHNH1NT1
IN wine and oil upon the wounds OF
him who fell among Jewish thieves
and yet in the interview with the ''wo-
man of Samaria," at the well, he idcn-
titles himself (in Worship with the
very Priests and Lcyites who passed
By on the other side, when he says,
aye worship yc know not what; we
know what we worship, Tor salvation
is Of the Jews"
The case Of Korah, Dathan, and
ADRIAN, abundantly show that where
there Is wiIrul scism there also is sin
and churches which claim TO be "mcre
human institutions maze illega! as
sumption Of ministerial functions.
The testimony of the Fathers, begin
ming with lgnatius and ending with Je
rome, expressly declares with us the
Bishops hold the place Of the Apos-
ties" Even in the time Of Christ there
were those who, hearing his hard say
ings followed no after him and
St, John tells US "they went out from
Is because they were not OF us" For
centuries there remained an undivided
church, the "~Ucumenical councils ~
+ looping of sci8ms as mere excrescen-
, ces, which, according to the declara-
ton of St. Jude, Speak evil of things
which they know not. We unto them
! for they have persisted in the gainsay'
ing Of Core" And what is the voice
Of church history? The actual success
: sion has never been lost or impaired,
because ever since the first institution
. Of the christian ministry Bishops have
} ever existed, and always exercised
what they considered the exclusive
t right to ordain and send forth their
| successors, and other laborers, INTO
5 the vineyard Of Christ.
1t was an unfortunate circumstance
that at the period Of the reformation
there was not in Germany or Swilzer-
land, in France or Italy, Il single
Ronish Bishop who rononnced his
d opinions and joined the ranks OF the
Rcformcrs, At "the Diet Of Worms
+ ut which kuther was present conlutlng
) his pppish adyeraarics, he made no eX
ception to the article: "Our learned
men have expressly yielded ordination
to Bishops, il thele may be u rcIorma-
ton"
d Melancthon's language, in his apol'
Il ogy for the celebrated Augsburg con-
%fession, is, 81 would to God it lay In
c me to restore TO government OF Blsh
- ops. For | see what mannerof church
c we shall have, the ccclesiastic poIlty
# being dissolved. | do see that hereal~
I ter will grow up a greater tyranny IN
the church than there ever was before
4 Bcza, Martin Bucor, Calvin, and others,
5 held the same opinion, the latter OF
whom would have had Episcopacy if
permitted.
= In the reign of King Edward the vi,
{ John Calvin sent q letter to confer
f with the clergy Of England to this ef'
f feet, but the popish Bishops Gardiner
L and Bonner intercepted it, and it was
not discovered during Calvin's life.
These good men Of the reformation
, finding Bishops could not be obtained,
aud percciying the Importance OF q set,
tied ministry, availed themselves OF
=. PRESBYTERIAN ordination, and justified
c their departure from the old paths on
the ground Of necessity alone.
In the organization of the American
!, church, after the revolution, we were
happily saved this necessity, Bishop
# White having received Episcopal ordi-
nation in London.
J. | have already spoken of John Yves
8 ley's letter to Asbury. Charles Wes-
ley writes: ''If any one did leave the
:. church at the same time he left our so
n cicty, as often as it appeared we beat
, down the schismatical spirit. For tif-
8 ty years we have kept the sheep in the
fold, and having fulfilled the number of
T our days, only wait to depart in peace"
DR.. Coke, who came to this country
in 1884, as Superintendent OF the Wes-
lcyan Societies, applied to Bishop
White, and eight years afterward to
the Bishop Of London, for Episcopal
ordination; and as Il layman in the
church regret that his proposals were
not acceded to, for then (if DIR. Deems
be a Methodist we would not hear
that "any visible organized church is u
mere human institution"
But, in conclusion, while l make
= these assumptions Tor the church, DO /
necessarily unchristianize good and
true individuals Of other denominations
G except my own? Far.from it. | re-
) joice to believe that, rs individuals,
many of them adorn the doctrine of
y God their Savior upon earth, and will
!. hereafter enjoy his blissfal presence in
heaven. 1t is not for me to measure
$ the uncovenanted mercies of God.
Our Savior said other sheep have l
not of this fold," and when John com
; planned that be sag one casting out
devils "who rollowclh not u.s." Christ.
replied, ale that is not against us is
on our part" Moreover, we are told
that sin every nation he that feareth
God ana worketh righteousness is &C
ccpted with him !" and even the heath.
en- who have not the law, but do by ma
ture the things contained in the law,
these are 4 law unto themselves,
"the!r thoughts the meanwhile accu-
sing or else excusing n another"
But does this authorize teachers in
Israeli to remove their neighbours
landmarks, aud in hewing out for them
selves ''cisterns--broken c~isterns that
can hold no water" lead astray those