The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-06-21

somo Views OF u wheeling ClOr.


We observe in the last number OF the
"CRuI and State," ian Episcopal paper
to which reference is made in an other
column) a communication from tho Rev.
JIG. Armstrong, pastor OF st. Matthews
Church in this city, on "the comPrehen'
siveness Of tho Church" 1t seems to
have been written in reply to some COM
ments by some correspondent OF the pa
per on a former article from his pen. 1t
is mainly devoted to showing what
should be the qualifications Of an Epis-
copal minister. He makes wide dis
tinction between the minimum that may
be sufficient for candidate for simple
admission into the church to believe, in
order to an assurance Of salvation, and
the maximum that u minister OF the
church is expected to believe and teach
who isin full accord with the Fathers who
formulated Its Creed, its Thirty-nine
Articles, and its Catechlsm.
According to Mr., Armstrong; ideas,
salvation is matter OF degrees. There
are the saved, then the more saved, and
finally the most saved. OF those who are
simply saved, little more perhaps can be
said than that they have escaped hell
"Bnt," says Mr., Armstrong, "the full sal
walton ot the Gospel Is not merely an
escaping Of hell" It is also, land much
more Immediately, a deliverance from sin
in ali ita powers" that Is, from "its blind.
ing and ignorance.prOducing power, as
we'll US It's moral pollution" The "mdst
saved" Is he "who not only possesses tho
purest fOunt OF moral feeling and purost
practical life, but who has also attained
the most comprehensive and most sharply
cut knowledge Of divine truth" To bring
men and women up to this status Of saliva
ton il, Mr.. Armstrong holds, the obliga-
ton Of true minister Of the Church.
Passing from this point, the reverend
gentleman considers briefly the duty that
rests upon nm Episcopal minister not to
benarrow but comprehensive in his steacll-
ings lie quotes one Of the questions that
Is propounded to candidate for orders
In the Church, to the effect that he will
teach It's essential doctrines "as this
Church hath received tho same" The
trouble Is that one minister takes the
Greed for his exclusive standard Of inter.
probation, while On other takes the Thirty
Nine Articles, and still an other perhaps
the Catechism. According to Mr.. ARM
strong, II takes all these together to con-
stitute "thc Church's system Of truth,
which in itself Is rounded and symmetri-
cal" No man is to be pressed unduly as
to his spcculations and interpretations
Of specific points contained in any one
Of them. As far rs possible, the Catholic
motto is to be adopted, viz; din essentials
unity, in non essentials liberty, and in all
things charity"
Mr.. Armstrong; discussions upon this
point remind us Of the question once put
to mn English ChurChman, "lIave you
ever known any one who believed all the
XXXTX. Articles OF the Church," and
who answered, n have known them
all believed, though not all by the same
person." This answer no doubt illus.
tratos what the reverend gentleman socks
TO inculcate, and what everybody In this
age Of tho world ia coming to recognize,
that no large number Of people can be
kept together, either In religion or poll
tics, upon n narrow platform. 1t
also, to some extent, seems to Illus.
trate another truth that Ia not
touched upon in Mr.. Armstrong;
we'll written article, viz: that all cs.
sontial truths were not laid down a few
hundred years ngo-in tho dark ages Of
the world ,-.by the men who fashioned GER
tain creeds that are still professcd by
vast numbers of people who do not really
believe in them,-creeds that very many
Of the coniessedly great and deeply In
structed intellects oil tho world utterly
repudiate as containing many things, not
only that are not true, but that exercise
pernicious influence on the side Of
error.