Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1875-02-10

the CHRoNICLE Thursday morning,
was the sensation of the day. The
tenor of public comment was SYM
pathy with the Rector, and general
recognition of the fact that he had
been Of great usefulness in the religious
work Of the city.
The following is a copy of the letter
of resignation:
ST. JoHN's REcTORY,
February Sd, 1875.
To the VdrdeRs and Vcstrymca Of ST.
Johns Church, Khoruihe:
GENTLEMEN: Having after much
prayerful consideration aud mental
conflict decided to transfer my minis
terial office and work to the Reformed
Episcopal Church, l hereby tender my
resignation of the position of Rector of
st. Johns Church, to take effect Mon~
day, s IN inst
/ will add but few words iHexplana.
ton of this serious step. The rapid
development and growth of sacerdotal
and sacramentarian errors of late years,
in the Pro estant Episcopal Church,
have led many serious thoughtful per-
sons-clergymen and laymen-to eX-
anime more carefully than before the
sources of these perversions of the
truth. This examination has led to a
widespread conviction that with all Its
excellencies, the Book of Common
Prayer retains certain germs of error
which have grown as a perverting in
fluence into the whole system of be
lief and practice in a large majority Of
the clergy and members of the Church.
This overwhelming majority have been
thus educated into uuscriptural views
of the ministry and the sacramento.
Many have become deeply convinced
that there can be no effectusl remedy
for the evil in question without re-
vision of the Prayer Book that shall
altogether remove these sources of err
ror. The impossiblity of securing such
revision in the Church, which, by Sc
we're proscriptive legislation, binds the
use of the objectionable offices upon
her ministry with despOtic power,
while she does nothing effectually to
, repress the worst eXtravagances of
, Ritualistic errnrists, has led to the or
ganization of the Reformed Episcopal
Church. In this Church there is the
same historic ministry in three orders,
the same sublime Liturgy, and the
same general system of government,
as in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
But the source of errors and strifes
that have vexed the Church in the
ages past, and of hierarchical oppres~
sion, have been eliminated. If there
can be Church with such a happy
combination OF the prescribed and the
free, of liberty and law, of truth and
charity, of the primitive and the mod
ern, Of beautiful order in itself aud
large catholic liberation towards other
forms of Church gov eminent, as to
gather to itself the affection aud gradu-
ally the adherence of Evangelical
Protes antism, 1t is surely to be found
in this Reformed Episcopal Church.
: In this fold l propose, If the Lord will
! to exercise my ministry during the
} years that yet remain to me on earth.
+ 1t gives me pleasure to feel that
; leave 81. Johns church united and
prosperous and that u spiritual bond
exists between the retiring Pastor and
many of the people, that neither the
separations oflife nor the deeper event
of death can dissolve.
, Praying Gods choicest blessing upon
you, gentlemen, and upon the flock you
4 must for the time represent,
3 l am Yours,
, Respectfully and affectionately,
j. HowARD~SMITH,
Rector Of st. Johns Church.
; The following is copy of the resolu-
tons adopted by the Vestry of the
Church in accepting the resignation /:
ST. JOHNS CHURCH, Feb. Sd, 1875.
At meeting of the Ves.ry this day
held, the following, (amOng other pro-
ceedings) was adopted:
Resolved, That we have heard with
: deep aud unfeigned regret, of the de-
termination of our esteemed and be-
r loved Rector to resign the Pastoral
= charge of this Church that we honor
: his sincerity, his conscientiousness
{ and his zeal in advancing by every
2 good word aud work the Kingdom of
! Christ; and we earnestly hope that
wherever his lot ia hereafter cast in
the Providence of God, the blessing of
. our Lord may attend him in all his
e labprs, and crown them with abundant
2 success.
Resolved, That Committee Of three
q be 8ppoin ed to communicate the pre-.
= ceding resolution to DR.. Howard
y Smith, aud to express TO him more
' fully our friendly sympathies and our
! best wishes for his future usefulness
anu "tlIdlts
A true copy:
/ VIM. NJ. BAXTER,
4 Secretary.
' DR.. }HOward-Smith has accepted Il
call from new parish in Newark
{ New Jersey, organized under the Re
formed Church movement. Newark
is "a large city and the field seems to he
. a promising one.
q DR.. Howard-Smith has been zeal
. Gus worker in his field of labor here,
T and has unquestionably left the parish
a stronger aud more united than when
: he came here. There have been differ
ences of opinion between him and
a some of his pari,hiouers on the ques-
+ uCns presented in his letter, but aside
: from those, we understand, his work
has been blessed and the Church
strengthened. He will leave Knox
willie with the BEST wishes of its Chris
. tian people with whom he has hearth
ly cp-nperatpd in all religious and ben
| pVUlpnt work