The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-05-25
THE GREAT REBELLION IN THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.


/ doctrine which they could not consist
entity longer use, while for u time 1t
| will create lamcntable differences anC
severcnces will doubtless, in the neal
I future. end in harmonIzing most all 10y
/ omissions and remedial measures, anI
! conformingthe Church and doctlne anC
/ fervor to the spirit of the country anC
advanced cultivation. Many of thos,
ceremonies, borrowed from the aristocrat
IT, habits of England, such as secret
and separate session of II House oil Blsh-
on, and the division into two bodies OF
m. clerical and lay members OF the
House of Assembly, must in the ehd
give way to an organization III accord
with the spirit Of the present republican
dav. The special eXclusiveness and pc
cuiiar virtue set up for the clergy OF the
Episcopal Church over all other educat'
81 clergy of other evangelical dcnomlna'
tions must Weld to the spirit of harmony
unity and equality, which was 50 much
the spirit Of the late Bishop MclIvaIhe,
and for which he labored to effect III the
Convention from all the world which
assembled a few years ago IN New
York. 1t is growing to be felt that II II
Is proper to preach IN other churcnes'
or to Worship in court houses and other
unronsecratcd places, there Is no justice
in not rcciprocating hospitality nor Is
there danger to result in the discChtIn-
nance Of exclusivcncss or the selt.shness
manifested in always rccelylng-hcNeT
giving.
The great body of the laity who pre-.
sentcd themselves rs representatives OF
thi, class at the late General Convention
of the Episcopal Church in New York,
and who took and were awarded such
high positions and fame for special and
General intelligence and who hold the
foremost places in the social order OF So
,iety-a class who represent those VINO
Give the sinew of progress ana OF war
ont of which class comes almost all Tue
material means which support ana IN
duras procress-are growing restless
naturally, under an organization when
places them in subordinate positions ana
bower to clergy and missionaries whom
they appoint and support, and when
/ places our clerGymcn IN church assem-
bile, and power on Il par with thGir
| Iavmen, who represent, In tact, the
. Church membership. This Is position
which, practically, gives those VINO con-
tribute nothing q power to neutrai'He OF
1 defeat the will of those who contribute
/ all the material means These are chains
and forms which there is u steady, IN
rr.,.in,, desire to break away from, ana
instead to place each member oil Con
ycptions at least on the same equality
There are also other inconsistencies
which begin to awaken thought, and
create the belief that that they need
ubroration. For instance, at an ordIna-
ton which took place not long since IN
the same church where the Convention
of the Diocese of Southern ONO l. about
to assemble, the whole community were
startled at the assumptions which were
made and Solcmnly given TO young
man Just being ordained as IL minister.
Those who see these young men Just
cut of college, or see them IN the current
social intercourse of life, before they
/ have matured in years or put of boylSh
WAYS, scarce can bring themselves to
believe in the actually OF the power
which the plain meaning OF the words
used i'm the ordination service expresses
nor to believe that the alternate form
can, BY any ordinary judgment, be sup
posed 10 mean anything like the same
thing; nor that. by the simple laying on
of hands or repeating the words of ii
Bishop, will contcr-can confer any
such authority as the words imply, and
which were spread before the readers OF
the Commercial, in the following Ian
guage: ..
"Receive the Holy Ghost for the office
and work OF priest in the Church OF
God. now committed unto thee by the I'M
position of our hands. Whose sins thou
dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose
thou dost retain, they are retained. And
be thou II faithful dispenser of the Word
of God, and of his Holy sacraments
In the name the Father, and Of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen
If this is true, what Is the use OF the
office of Christ?
Nor can most people of intelligence
in or out of the Episcopal Church, be-
hcve that the true intent of thes,
words is the same rs those of this alter
nate service, permitted to be used Instead
of the above:
Take thou authority to exercise th,
Office Of priest, in the Church of God. now
committed to thee by the imposition ofour
hnnd, And be thou II faithful dispenser
s. ,ho Word of God. and OF His Holy
sacrament. In the name of the Father
and Of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
amen
words can reconcile these two paragraphs
They are scarcely reconcilabie with M
,euircnt action. or that intelligent men
can retain them.
There is another strange anomaly ana
Inconsistency which Is growing
grown-to DC unbearable III the EpiScV
pal Church, and is largely shared by al
other Churches. Whilst Sunday attei
Sunday the clergy of the Church place
before their people the great sutfcrings I"
the Church for want of money; that loca
preachers and missionaries, on the one
hand, are starving. on the other hanO
they are calling for volunteers and mean:
to send away others to starve. Whilst
they are deplorIng the difficulty in
churches arising out of church indebted.
ness, and the conservation of a church
editice can not be had without a free
dom from debt, the real truth is that
scarce church throughout the length
and breadth of the land exists without y