Daily globe., 1878-03-18

cerlty and truth. Whether our usual lauguage
10 "believe what you like, . only stay with me,
church give answer. This indeed, we acknowl-
edge, that ''after the way which some call her
esy, so worship we the God of our fathers, be-
lieving all things which are written in the law
and the prophets and the gospel. And herein do
we exercise Ourselves, to have always con-
science void of offence toward God and toward
man.
1t is said ''that the Protestant Episcopal
church has no power, no principle to
restrain license of thought among its
adherents. 1t processes its liability to err as
q judge, and tells the individual that it is his
duty to examine its testimony. and its decis-
ions, and to judge for himself
We concede that we have no power to control
thoughts, for even God exercises no such power.
The Divine principle is to furnish food for
thought, that so the mind may be restrained by
occupation. In view, then, of the fact that our
church puts into the hands of her people the
pure word of God, in translation of match
less grace and accuracy, and book OF common
prayer that knows no superior for simplicity Of
style and depth of meaning. In view of her
Christian year, and round Of festivals and fasts.
and frequent preachings, we may claim that
she has very decided principle for restraining
license of thought, the true principle which
sets the mind at work, and does not stint and
dwarf it by terrors and penalties.
She does, indeed, profess her liability to err,
for ito err is human,' and she reads in
Gods word that churches presided over by
apostles fell away into error, and she knows
from ecclesiastical history that once Anthana-
sius stood against the world (Liberius Bishop. of
tome included) and in her 10Th article she SOL
emnly asserts that 'as the churches of Jerusa-
lem, Alexandria and Antioch have erred 80
also the church of Rome hath erred, not only
in their living end manner of ceremonies, but
also i matters of faith" In such company,
she ia content to be fallible, but if may be al
lowed to play upon words to be fallible, is not
to be fallable--to err is not to be lost, and SO
our church is confident with all confidence, that
God will cast away none of His people, but
will in His own go',d time gather them together
from all the far countries into one fold and
under one Shepherd beside these still waters,
where neither error nor danger shall ever gain
entrance,
Our church does tell the Individual to
judge for himself, for she will have reason
able and willing service-the allegence of free
of the head, not the bending of the knee; The
love of an understanding heart, not the dread
OF a superstitious soul. And yet she furnished
the principles and rules of Judgment, and in
her 34th article she says: ''Whosoever, through
his private Judgment, willingly and purposey
doth openly break the traditions and ceremo
MES of the church, which be not repugnant tc
the word of God, and be ordained and approved
by common authority, ought to be rebukeo
openly"
1t is said that 1.-The 9Th article in the English
book Of common prayer enumerates thre,
creeeds, the Apostles, the Nicene and the Ath
anasian. and adds that the three ought to be
believed, as they may be proved by most GER
tain warrants of Holy Scripture. The American
| Episcopalians, who met A. D. 1889, to organic
| the Protestant Episcopal church of America
did not believe that the Athanasian creed coult
| be proved by scripture, and refused to allow
it in their Book of Common Prayer
! Isuppose the organizers of our church wer,
competent to decide their own position and be
| lief. This, then, is what we read in the pre-.
face to our Prayer Bonk: ''This church is fa1
| from intending to depart from the church u
Eng land in any essential point of doctrine
discipline or worship, or further than local cir
| cumstances require"
! 1t is said that 'the Nicene and apostles
creed can, and perhaps yet will be dropped, o
at least altered, and what then will be left
What logically there should be-nothing."
''Can and perhaps will be- This is what j
CALLED the logic Of insinuatior
and would be ruled out of court, and ough
to be ruled out of courtesy. 1t is the pla
of child who shoots paper pellets for po
gun. 1t is poorer business than giving to air
nothing a local habitation and name. I'll
easy to conjure up phantoms to alarm uneasy
souls or people the closet with ghosts to kee
restless children quiet but churchman sim
ply laughs with scorn at the potent spell O
| fancy which can conceive of the altering Q
dropping of the creeds. And having them i
most sure keeping, what is there that is left t
be desired? What logically and scripturall,
there should be-nothing.
It is said, 'There is no other Protesta1
church within whose pale there exists so muc
religious communism. The Episcopal churc
! is very bedlam of conflicting opinions. It
rank communism
And this charge is propped up by
First-A recital Of the names of few of i
sections, "RituaGsm, High, Middle, Low an
Broad Church. u
Secondly-By an allegation of certain co,
Trajectory acts, such as saying mass and hea
ing confession on the one hand, and denoun
ing such practices on the other, or teachin
baptismal regeneration here and denying
there.
Thirdly-By a quotation from the bishop
Ely, conceding to layman of the church, WI
believes in transubstantiation or the immac,
late conception, the right to receive the Lord
supper.
Our business is with the props; if we ca
pull them out the charge which rests upon the
will fall. First then for the names of the Sc
tions
it? What does it look like? We confess O,
ignorance and ask for information. Even il
ventive telegraphists seem never to have heal
of it, and this leaves just four, all of which v
know about. few, says St. Peter, ''that
eight" and four is just half of eight. Whe
double vision? High, Low, Broad" VIII
are these but the names of degrees, not Of o
posites; and how very mild and peaceful tn,
sound alongside of Ultramontane and Gallica
Jansenist and Jesuit.
And now will translate these names into Il
language of politics for the information OF tt
people. They are extreme, conservative, mo
crate and radical. Did you ever know of
society of men whose views did not fall in
these four phases, and would you, my brethre
citizens OF great b ic, have your country al
otherwise! Paroles. what would we do witho
them? Why, run into despotism or anarch
Partisanship, indeed, is to be abhorred. An
how little of that there is to-day in the Protes
, ant Episcopal church, let the last general co
disturbing elements within us and things tn
, make not always for peace. Sometimes we
. not dwell together quite as brethren shoul
+ Apostles even in the company of their Lo
! strove who should be the greatest, and Paul al
Barnabas actually quarreled. But when
Anglican hears of the boasted unity and hs
! mony of the church of Rome, he exclaims
ancient Britons did of the Roman legion
''They lay waste and call it peace.'' wi
E reference to the alleged contradictory acts
I individuals in the Protestant Episcopal churc
. we nigh: dismiss them at once as ''irreleva
! and out of court - but we will not avail GU
! selves of this privilege, but will give answ
direct y.
, 1t is Disraei, believe, who says that 81
, , gle bull frog in meadow will make more moi
than whole herd of industrious oxen. So
very few self-willed men will make more moi
than thousand Of their loyal brethren.
. the whole Anglican church, the number of tho
who are even charged with doing these alleg
contrary acts, is so small as to be ludicrous
those who know the facts
: Again, it is matter of public knowledge th
everv clergyman of the Protestant Episcop