The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-06-12

A correspondent of the Boston Herald re-
marks: Extracts which you published in
yesterdays paper from Rev. p. b. Morgan's
sermon, preached to his late parishioners in
Cincinnati, will be readily understood by
members of the Episcopal chuch. His de-
lection to the reformed Episcopalians excites
no surprise among those who have been &C
quainted with his previous history. One
who is now high dignitary in the Episco-
pal church once said of him to a friend,
when he seemed utterly lrrepressible at a
meeting of clergymen: Some men are
fearfully and wonderfully made" and a
slight examination of his very remarkable
sermon will show persons not connected
with the Episcopal church how much weight
is TO be attributed to what he says about 1t.
He says: II am a churchman. Most sim
cerely do L believe in the ancient faith, the
two sacraments .aad the three-fold ministry
of this church" And the chieforg of this
Reformed Episcopal church says: 1--WE have
eliminated baptismal regeneration, sacra-
mental grace sacerdotal function and apos-
tOlic succession. We have less of these than
others, because we have none of them what
ever" And these are the people whom this
believer in the three-fold ministry of this
church seeks as the truest representatives of
"evangelic truth and apostolic order!" But
this is not all. He seeks to degrade the
church which has borne with his vagaries
many years by identifying it with the church
of Rome. He says: 81 do solemnly affirm
that the doctrines and practices peculiar to
the Roman Catholic church are, one and all,
save the supremacy and the ihfallibilty OF
the pope, held, taught and practiced with
out let or hindrance in the so-called Pro-
testant Episcopal church" This informa-
ton will be new to most people. I never
knew it before. There are thousands of peo-
pie within the Episcopal church who never
heard OF it, and who would be greatly ex-
cited if it were true. 1t is a good thing to
say if a man wants to beat a retreat but not
a right thing to say, unless il can be proved.
Now, it may be that some few people can be
found here and there who believe all, or
nearly all, that he mentions. But who are
they? They are simply isolated persons, and
If these are their private opinions, no one
can prevent their holding them. They are
not the current teaching of the Episcopal
church. They are not held even by clergy
men who are most distinct and urgent in
maintaining the principles and usages
the action of the late general CON
vention ia this city as authority for his state
ments, but it would puzzle a Philadelphia
lawyer to tell when, where and how the
bishop and clerical and lay deputies put
themselves on the record to substantiate Mr.
Morgan's remarkable statement of our almost
identical union with the church of Rome. A
lew ptOple HtIe anu ILtIe HOlulDR du
vanced" views no more commits the Episco-
pal church to what Is called ritualism, or
Romanizing teaching, than one swallow
makes a summer. This church is very COM
prehensive, and reasonably allows large per-
sonal liberty of opinion. If it were not so,
Mr.. Pliny Morgan would have been shown
the door long ago, for he has been a strenu-
Gus advocate of that form of itInerant revi-
valism which the Episcopal church could
never bring itself to indorse. 1t is quite I'M
fair, to call it by the mildest name, to at
tempt to fasten upon the whole Episcopal
church what can only at best be called the
private opinions of few persons within the
fold. The truth is that this church was never
further from Romanism, and never more
thoroughly Identified with the best things
in Professionalism, than it is to day You may
ask pinety-nine churchmen out of one hun
bred, and they will tell you so. No one can
object to Mr.. Morgau's honest change of
opinion; no one wishes to keep him where
he does not wish TO be; but protest that 1t
is not by falsifyIng the posi- of the Fps
copal church toward the church of Rome
that his change of religious belief is entitled
To weight or respect. J. II. w.