The semi-weekly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1879-1882, 1881-08-25

Sermons by the Rev. William H. Oden-
heimer, D. D., late Bishop of New Jer-
sey and Northern New Jersey With
an Introductory Memoir, edited by his
wife. New York: E. P. Dutton &
Co. 1922 PIP. 377.
Few more acceptable memorials of
Bishop Odenheimer could have been
given to the Church than this volume
Of thirty sermons, with the introduce
tory memoir edited by bis wife. In
some respects the history of the bish-
op was exceptional not to say extraor-
binary. Upon his ordination to the
diacor ate be was appointed to serve
Bishop De Laney, then rector of St.
Peters church, Philadelphia. With
in a few months DR.. lie Lancy was
elected Bishop Of Western New York
and Mr.. Odenheimer, still too young
to be ordained priest, was invited to
be his successor in church over
which Bishop White had presided,
and which after Christs church, was
the most important parish in che city.
He administered it with signal ability
and instituted in it the daily service
and the weekly Eucharist, the first
minister in our branch of the church
to restore this primitive usage; and
they were continued while he remain
ed connected with the parish, which
was until his election as Bishop Of
New Jersey in 1859 1t was then re-
gerded as an innovation and disturbed
the peace Of some. To reassure the
min Is Of those who had misgivings,
Bishop Odenheimer made leisure in
the intervals of parochial work to
publish two little books 1.-THE Or
igin and Compilation Of the Prayer
Book" and "The True Catholic no
Romanist." They were most admira-
bly, done, and gave the Church many
facts Of history not as familiar then
as now, and the authorities upon
which they were based They proved
that the author was not osly possess
ed Of accurate learning, but that what
some might have thought novelties
we're in reality only q return to the
old paths, and that in being loyal to
the truth he was also loyal to the
Church. They had wide circula-
ton and we could hardly name two
books which though hardly too large
for the vest pocket have done SO
much good. They we're an armory
Of facts by which the Church could
be defended Owing to some cause
they were always sold at what SEEM
ed . large price, when measured BY
their size instead Of their worth and
this may have limited their sale. It
would be boon to the Church ifthey
could now be repubIsihed at much
less cost, and scattered, broadcast
among the people Whoever is "a
miliar with these two books will not
be surprised at the character of the
volume of sermons. Bishop Oden-
heimer was Churchman 10 the truest
sense of the word. He believed in an
exalted apostolic order, but he no less
held fast to the evangelic truth, and
in that truth as the Church has re-
ceived the same. The sermons are
simple statements of what the Church
would have us believe and to do in
reference to the points Of which he
speaks They are 50 admirably selec-
ted that We are inclined to believe
that the bishop himself must have set
them aside for publication or at least
have passed some Judgment upon
them. The volume will be most ac-
oeptabie to the clergy and to the peo-
pie whose bishop be was for twenty
years. It is handsomely printed and
bound, and its value is enhanced by
q good portrait Of the departed bishop.