The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-08-04
!Tha Press and Banner.
w. A. LEE, EDITOR.
Wednesday, August & 1875.
a Dish of Theology-A Brief Reply.

A Dish of Theology-A Brief Reply
The last number Of the Il. Il. Prcshj
tcritu contains . long reply to our arti
Gle defending the Episcopal Churc!
from what we believed Tie unwaranta.
ole attacks Of that journal, and the de.
lay in It's appcaraLcc is attributed to the
fact that our paper Was only received
last week. The length OF The reply
;prccludes us from publishing it in oul
colnm:is, but we hope to be able to state
; the points Of difference between US sc
Clearly that there can be no miSconccp'
ton of our respective positions.
Before doing so, however, Let us adj
vert to the doubt expressed by the cdl'
torassto the policy of discussing rcll'
tgous questions in 2 secular paper. As
I a general rule we are disposed to agree
twith the view expressed, but we cannot
fhold thats$he secular press amay not al
Stines3 enter into 3tss theological arena
fanas soccasf6nmNI I,ningle dish OF reli'
gi0n and1pltheS.t But truce to this
topic '|-'.-rS'!72
| Now the charge Which we understood
the 4. R. Presbyterian to make in bis
first article against the Episcopal Church
Yves that it is High Ritualistic Church
and that, this High Churchism hao
driven off the Revs. Messrs. johnson
and Stevens, and would drive the
Church itself to Romanism. This
charge we understand the editor to re-
peat and re-aftirm in his last article. IT
| is true that he states that he had refer
ence only to q section of the church
the High Church party-but if we sho"
that the Messrs. Johnson and Stevens
have abandoned, not one section fol
another, but the Episcopal Church al
to~ethcr-that which the editor calls
the High Church section, but which is
none other than the only recognized
Protestant Episcopal Church-thel
there can be no doubt that the charge
japplies to the whole communion which
has been abandoned, or in other words
to the Whole Episcopal Church.
According to the view Of the editor
the Reverend gentlemen are still mem
bers of the Episcopal Church and have
ouly transferred their adherence from
the High to the Low Church party
This is an entire misconccption of tho
position of these gentlemen Of the par
ties in the Church which they have
abandoned. The terms "High and Low
Church" are not to be found in the
standards Of the Church, but ncvcrthc'
less designate certain phases OF rcll-
gious thought and practice, which give
character to parties, now co-eNiStlnG IN
the body Of the Church, and who CO.
opcratc in all church work. The McSSrs
Stevens and johnson themselves were
Low ChurcIlmcn until their late scccS-
sion, and so are hundreds Of devoted
pastors Of the Episcopal Church, who
though differing from some OF thcll
brethren on points of doctrine or mat
trrs Of ritual, still are content to rest III
th. fold of the Episcopal Church.
The causes which led TO the secession
Of the Reverend gentlemen are MOI
known to us. 1t is sufficient for lis thai
1hcv are not now members of the Epis-
cupal Church-that Church both High
and Low, which maintains its ground
and we suppose ever will in spite of dis
affection or schism. Mr.. Johnson him
self in his letter to Bishop Ecckwitl
admits the right of the Bishop to pro-
nounce sentence of deposition, which
would cut him Off from fellowship with
the Episcopal Church. The same SEN
tcnce WAS pronounced upon Cumnlins,
land we suppose will soon be pronounced
on Stevens. Ministers though they be,
they are not ministers of the Episcopal
Church, except in the same sense in
which the Methodist Church is styled
Episcopal.
The Messrs. johnson and Stevens
according to the editor, were tired OF
High Churchism, and "the world is get
ting tired of it and will drive it were il
belongs, among the Roman Catholics.'
Now can any one doubt that this Is q
charge upon the whole communion
abandoned, of Romish tendencies. Ii
is too clear for argument, and finds tho
strongest confirmation in the assertion
Of the editor, that errors of doctrine and
practice are in the standards and ritual
of the Episcopal Church.
To sum up the whole in a word; the
Episcopal Church, as we understand it,
the editor regards as High Church,
which its ministers are justified in
abandoning, and which is on the way
to Rome. What he means by High
Churchism, he has not explained and
we fear will find it difficult to explain