Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-05-18

| shall bring forth judgment, the tairest daugh-
| ter of heaven, TO victory. AT the close the
preacher clcquenty depicted the extension aud
victory of the kingdom of Christ
The Coupcil was again called to order at l25
o'clock by the President when the several
committees were announced
A petition from West virginia for the for
nation of diocese for that State, was then
| offered and referred to a committee on West
| Virginia.
Mr.. Petc,kin offered a resolution from the
trustees of the bishops residence in Rici moud,
TO sell that property whenever convenient,
which was adopted.
Col. Patton offered resolution, which he
hoped would be heard candidly and sobcry.
The resolution WAS this:
RcsoLted That the diocese of Virginia priz-
es eplscopucy and true apostolic succession as
a venerable form OF ecclesiastical government,
but does not 6ud that the prayer book holds
the ecc7,lsiue validity OF Episcopal order.
Col. Patton, who is from Albemare county,
stated that this resolution arose from hlmselt;
from no suggestion. He would have his hear
ers look at this matter without prejudice. He
ST forth his view most warm y, showing his cx
pcrcnce arising from his views. He said that
the resolut axis 10 deua of the continuity
OF the church or Of a true apOstollca succcsslon,
but denies their necessity Tor sacrameuta acts
as indispensable chaDnels oil grace, difference
a, wide as b.tween Romanism and Protestant.
ism. The speaker submits that the English
Church never held episcopacy as Indispensable
to the church. The speaker appealed TO the
authority aud principles Of the late bishop and
of DR.. Sparrow He would prove that DR..
Gus authorities on this subject. lie passed
over Craumcr and his associates IS plainly aud
hopelessly heri:ical on this point. The first
witness he produced was Bishop Burnett in his
23d article, who therein appeals 10 the action
of our rcormcrs towards foreign churches.
Bishop Kcble was next appealed to 10 his pref!
acc to Hookers Ecclesiastical PoIity. k=blc
in turn appeals to Hooker as not pressing the
validity Of Episcopal orders But kobIe must
have misreprcscuted Hooker, who wrote in re-
gard to church government not in regard to
the validity of sacram"nts.
DR.. N,rton here called the srcak.r to order,
as interfering with the time oil the several com
mittees.
Whcrcupon the President read the rules OF
ORDER but the rules were suspended In the
speakers favor, when hc proceeded In bis
speech.
F lie did not care pipch Of snuff what the
Council or anybody thought of him. He would
, |
said that the Holy Ghost was the author of the
ministry, the church's government. Blu this
I was in the first institution Of the ministry, not
It's perpeulty.
Hooker does not hold to the JUS diviGun the
episcopacy, but that it NAV be abolished il
necessary-bock 3. chap 9, Z IT, He does not
hold matters Of p0iity TO be taught IN the Scrip.
, lures, nay, recogulz 5 the orders OF Btza and
Caivin IS valid, though they were not cpiscu-
pally ordained Though he (l1ookerl valued
episcopacy he did not hold it as exclusive, and
maintained it to his death by receiving he
Lords Supper from Presbyterian divine
Saravia. The next witness the speaker brought
| up was Bishop Andrews, who intcrcrdrd with
the king in behalf Of Peter de Moulin. The
Bishop uses jus divinum as does Hooker, and
holds Bcza and Calvin to be really and truly
Bishops, though without the titles. Bishop
Hall was then quoted as holding the same sen
timeuts in his Episcopacy by Divine Right.
[ These men used these terms lar differently tronl
: t he way 10 which they now are. The speaker
, would call attention to the Episcopatc that King
James wanted to establish 10 Scotland, for he
thought this government favorable to monarchy.
ln consecrating Bishops for this Church Ban.
croft held that il not necessary to cnnsccratc
| them Priests before they were made Bishops,
aud his opinion was carried into effect. Again,
he would call attention to the case of the Chan
mel Islands, whose Churches were recogniZ d
as true Churches, though their Bishops We're
Presbyterian and were retained as true minis
tiers. These ministers acted under English au-
thority for two-and-a hall centuries without any
question OF their validity. Lastly, the Act OF
Uniformity was the great and terrible fact in
the history of our Church, aud this bccruSc it
has been the very foundation, the very ionS ct
origo malorum OF the discussion between High
aud Low Church. 1t was passed solely to
, establish unanimty throughout England =; ii
had no relation to doctrine whatever, as shown
by its provisions. 1t was not intended to deny
the validity Of Presbyterian orders, still many
have en- found to interpret this act as denying
the validity of non Episcopal orders. He then
concludes that for one:and bali centuries after
the Reformation Presbyterian orders were held
valid But for the opposite view we are n-
dcbted to the Tractarans. But more than this
the doctrine OF the invalidity of uon-Episcopa
orders is not taught 10 the Prayer Book. II
anywhere, it is taught in the 23d Article, or in
the Preface to the Ordina yet the history OF
the Preface shows that this view Is not laugh,
here. The word htaOfM 10 the Preface means
hqa7 not ualid The Preface ofl5G2 was made
TO contorm to the Act Of Uniformity. The
Church did not change Article NNlll, which
contained the doctrine Of the Church, and under
which for onc-and.a half centuries by prCcept
and example, she had declared Preshy!rria
orders as valid a. her own. The Preface aud
OrdinaI do not teach the exclusive validity Of
Episcopal orders, nay, the ordination or con-
sccratnn in tn" Prayer Book DO not necessarily
mean Episcopal ordination or conservation. The
speaker would then have his resolution to pass.
unIc>s it we're needless. But is the resolution
needless Ouce, in not a single diocese in the
United States was such a practice performed a.
has been introduced 10 the last fifty years
Ruua7ssm for rilualisrD is not dead as Mr..
Southern Chuchman has repeatedly told us.
1t is phn Tx that is ever Arising from lis
ashes. 1t Is source of great pain and MORT
fcatiou to see the tone Of the Missionary Bish-
ops, as exhibited 10 the Spirit Of Missions.
They call denominations Churches Juit1ings.
| They call the Episcopal Church the Church,
and exalt their offices unduly. The Bishop
of Texas is .dduc,d as au example. He calls
himself az apostle These thi' 6 are offensive
both to those within and without he fold. Ii
prays the Council to burst these bonds.
f-ll, t, L.