, 1875-10-03


extended over almost a score Of years. had
historic ecclesiastical as well as superior and
Divine authority. 49,,
II this be 80, then or Protestant Episcopal
brethren may be Jet eeekine Ieordination at the
Methodists' hands. Especially as In the late
Conferences at Bonn, The Greek members OBJ
jected to the Anglican ordinations a. Irregular,
which they could not say OF the Methodist ordt-
uations. if they had descended from one OF tner
own rat,iArchs. This point may seem OF
trlhlug character to secular edllof, not I M nase
no doubt your correspondent deems it Of vital
importance. There can be no union IN the mind
of his church. unless Tco1dlnation is accepted.
and that will never be accepted BY chuFcn
which is satisfied il i:6 historic authority goes no
farther back than Wesley. but which may believe
to have had an authorization more perfect IN an
Episcopahan's eye than even his own-that OF the
Oldest Of the Christian Churches, by the very
confession OF Rome herHeH. 4 second reason
why this contamination, however devoutiy 10 oe
wished, caonot be effected. lies IN the tact thas
the Church life OF each ia around different
centre. It would be practically impossible Tor
the Methodist Episcopal Church to unite
with her sister, even if the latter "oula take
her name, unless she also consented to thas
xystem OF church and mlmstenA 1elatioHs'
xni,wu "a the itlbcr3ncF- 1t Ii not poshbie 10
narmonize the settled and the lhne1apt sss-
,ems- One eives the whole matter ot suppy @
II church and pastor into th1rd hands- iae
,ther retains that power and privilege ~
.he grasp of each church aud pastor. u -Netn tf
M,sm gives up her itinerAncy, che gives up ha!1, m
= not Also the other half, OF her efficiency. sre
las put her preachers into every hamlet necAaso
f51l. svnteu sent them. She has maintained .
far larger body OF clergy than the othef SYSTEM
could bare supported. She gathered converts
ished them by this wonderful system, Ii it Is
abandoned or falls into decay, farewell; = long
farewell, to all her greatness ahe WILL peeo1'o
rs though she had never been.
This system Of mutual surrender ne1 3ouuRel
sister Tfu pever embrace. Brought up under
the sesning liberty OF independence OF cnolce OF
n.stor. and Of paksh, ahe will never consent 10
icaye this matter to third party Inc
highest churchmAn in Chicago, even ~.
oe koyen hlmself would never accePt thls taW
a the o1lar of his life, nor would the highest
itual church rdmlt Of such liberty in the uihpg
Il its pulpit and pastorate. Ths Kev- Mf.
1rerser advocated such system 10: missionary
,reachers but never presumed to Suggest us
Rpheasion to The leading S, clergy: g,ts brt tbese
vin suffice. The Methodist Eplscopallans NIL
,eyer reject Wesleyan ordination for any to
hem. inferior form, and Protestant EPasconal-
ans will never reject the system OF callnS
md settling the pastor ior any; t;ono 20 'nfm Tbs
tfteer hundred Methodist clergy1nels in South
IN Illinois will have to be contented to ahlde
without the intellectual powe-. refinement. ana
napdard Of ecnols1ship, which would be secured
" the superPosision Of the i've MINISTERS OF Tue
,ouuper church, whom tbs Rev. Mr.. Dresser eu-
lantlv doeA not rank "a high Is some othera, for
,e saws, - great fault has been thas anybody
vas good enough for missionary. and prooa-
ly four out Of fse of these genttomen we're
erriug in that capaciey- The cnalcn o1 Iall-
marry that OF quarter OF million, and its ten
s1nnsand ministers sill hardly yet pass under tho
syiew Of quarter of that number, and re-re-
eiye imposition Of hands. The quarter might
eceiye it from the whole, nnd union
Va effected by their sceeptance OF the
rdere and institutes OF their elder sister =
. nerd once said ne NAB in doubt whether to join
he Methodist or tho Episcopal Church, DIT com
promised by joining tha Methodist Eplscopal
70 our brothers may settle ths olncuiss " J9Ia.
5nct;y re- name OF Protestant in the more ar1sto-
,r.tc. uorc ancient, more Christian, and ever
more English title Of Methodists. Let Oxford
neAppear in their name, and the best period o.
Ill ta history in their life: Illl c4en eaen mus
rtrl so as to include permitted Sabbath ser
yice ~ vpur correspondent suggests, and Al
Wesley himself provided, and the Irotestant:
NAV add to 1ae1r e1cellencies OF liturgy ant
common prayer tue revival e1eseises h s ensees :,
xhfch the ecclesiastical and spiritual energy o
their sister church delights to reveal itself
Such growth toward each other may perhap'
LEAD to recognition of each others equal night
Is Church Of Christ, aod so pEou1ce 1raternlty
il not unity.
iii that result is reached all efforts TOR :
nJnaer rnion will fail. How Sensitive churcl
is On this vital question of its chu1cnhood yo'
can easily perceive. BY hdpposing the of9eatal
1t Bonn had refused to reeognlze me hraelsl
ordets, whose validity they questioned Ha'
:hev done shat the Conference would have i'm
nediately dissolved. For the High Clurc!
Aneelicaus would have repelled such an inslnun
Aon, Why should not Methodists repel Like il
munitions? It il becaute Of thus holAposltiol
that tho Committee appointed by our Gene11
conference declined to make any farther ad
fxnces in the direction of union The suvane
must bo mutual, and must recognize ou
shurches as churches, and our clergy as e4us1 tt
their own before they cau be united
Test this little closer. The wel-resd zen
tleman who ecnds that letter n1ny be LoT
Churchman, may be High, for ss he well say
there is more dootrinh affinity in the depart
neut OF freedom and will. md the doctrine
that grow out OF it, between Methodlsts an
Hirh.Churchneu, than Methodists and Low
Lat this gentleman invite the pastor OF tn
Methodist Episcopal Church nearest bus chnrct'
door, or any one OF the pastors ID tins cley, y
exchange pnlpits with him. Pe WILL hard!y
in a posltion to make second oder. Dr 43ng
j., as catholic an Episcopaliau as exists, at u
dedication Of his church had addresses m tn
afternoon by cle1gymen and different churchet
but he dared not invite them to assist at 1ta tof
mai conservation. nor has he ever that We nav
heard exchanged pn1p1ta WILL ouo VI Iteln'
This minute point. like the diamond jewel q
watch, supports tho whcle machinery an
movement Of this church It also shows ho'
impossible is any union until that pol1t .
shandoned. 1t would be as easy for the Mett
pdist Church to unite with the Baptist, with ou
any abandonment on the part OF the latte
church OF its essential dogmas Of mmersio
and close communion, Is to unite with tn
Episcopalians with 10 sbandonmene OF thel
dogma Of succession IN ordors. II the latte
sdmitted all ministers Of our church to equ'
rirhts, and sought to purify the stream IN to
future. there might be grounds for the po'
Eblitv Of q union. Such ID the course OF the tx
formed Episcopal Church. But that would M
the symmetry ct their ideas, and make the
shurch great at the expense Of its consistency.
Il isnot, therefore, probable that any hteI
sill bo taken in this direction. Nor IL 1t q
peclaliy desirable. It is mistake 20 suppo'
.i,at Professionalism is weakened By its organ
diyisioos. The i've great bodies Of this Chutc
no more prove their division than the fve te
min.tions OF the wrist and palm prove the bar
divided. The secta1i4s In the Roman Chufs
are uao1e ut war with each other than Z
CHURCHES OF Protestant Christendom. Put tt
Roman spostacy in battle array against tha1
and see if they are not oue- Look at Engus
0hr;.tisnity which Premier and Poet LAuIeA