Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-05-03
knAaveea,e,s ylsr or the Cese.

The Herald, OF Monday, sGys that Mr..
Nicholas QIsckenbos, who ID understood to
be aciine as counsel for the prosecutors Of
the charges against the RaE. MF. Newton,
said to a reporter of the Herald: "The
charges being now in the hands OF thu
bishop. the newspapers, IN my judgment,
ar. raj lie tribunal before which TO try the
caae. Judging from what has appeared in
the public press within the past day or two,
Mr. Newton thinks differently. 1t msy not
be amiss, therefore, TO suggest that the rev.
ereud gentleman had better husband his re-
sources, as he will need them all when he
finds himself before an ecclesiastical court 10
answer the score OF charges contained in
the presentment. 1t is quite apparent
that the sccusei considers himself safely
inlrenched behind The decision Of the Priyy
Council in the csees of Rowland Williams
and Henry BiisioW Wilson, the Privy Couu-
Gil being the final court OF appeal in England
in causes ecclesiastical. Indeed, M. Newton
Is almost open to the suspicion OF haviCg
consulted those trials as a sort Of ecclesiasti
cal chart by which to ascertain how near he
might safely sail 10 the maelstrom Of inhdei-
ity without being iUgulfed. l am entirely
familiar with the two Euglish cases referred
20, and there will be no difficulty IN demon
s,rating TO he satisfaction of any coart that
there is scarcely anything Analogous in the
questions adjudicaled in those cases and the
charges embodied in the presentment against
| Mr.. Newton.
"The Rev. DR.. Williams, in the diocese Of
Salisbury, AID the Rev. Mr.. Wilson, in the
Jiocese OF Ely, were arraigned in two sepa-
| rate suits Instituted before the Arches
Court then presided over by the learned DR..
Llshing;on. The charges were instituted
under the Church Discipline act, for pub
fishing in a book called ESSAYS and Rerisiss
- al l. H. a
| liams, entitled 'Bunssn's Biblical Researcher
add the O her by Mr.. Wilson, called 'Sessces
| Eistoriques de Geneva both of which, it is
alleged, contained erroneous and heretical
doctrines contrary and rspugnaut TO the
doctrine and teaching Of the United Church
| of Eng land ana Ireland. Attention was first
called 10 the character of the work by an
| article in the Westminster RerietO OF October,
| $780, which wss followed BY an attack il
tbs Quarterly of January, 1861. A memorial
condy mniug the work was signed by 10000
of the clergy and presented at Lambeth.
| The charges brought against DE-. Williams
| 10 the Arches Court were originally twenty
two and those against Mr.. Wilson nineteen in
number, but thsy were finally reduced 10
| three. Both Of the accused were found
| guilty, and IN escn case sentence OF suspen-
sion db o6fcio ct bsRtfcio was pronounced for
the term of one year, with costs. 1t wss
from these sentences that separate appeals
were taken and the cases carried to the
Privy Council, where the Judgments of the
| Arches Court of Canterbury were reversed
| in both cAses, but upon strictly technical
grounds. The Lord Chancellor (West5ury)
delivered the opinion Of The Court, from
which he Archbishops of Canterbury and
York dissepted.
The Rev. Mr.. Newton ia either not fsmil.
Jar with these cases or else is not informed OF
| the nature of the charges sgainst himself
now in the hands OF The bishop, or he never
would have stated that the views held by Dr.
Williams, for which that gentleman was ar
raisned, are precisely the same as those en-.
tertaiued by himself. Mr.. Newton says the
| Episcopal Church would put Itself in prst-
| ty position by affirming the contrary 10 the
general principles ne enuncia,ed in his ser
| mons, and that common sense will save the
Church from such fatal bluuder. He
claims, moreover, perfect right TO hold the
opinions he does and still remain in the
Episcopal Church, and insists that de-
NAL CT that right would be revolution. Nov
! all this sounds very fac; but unless Mr..
Newton is as gifted in prophecy as his
printed discourses show him to be in theolo-
~ he may find himself mistaken in his
| boosted security, and his will be another in.
stance in the history Of human affairs, as
| Mr.. Webster once said, when the yigor and
success of the war have not quite come up
to the lofty and sounding phrase OF the
manifesto" In the event OF The bishop
reaching the conclusion that the interest of
the Church requires an inv stigaticO the in
quiry will by no mesEs be as broad as Mr..
Newton seems TO think. The court, as was
decided in the Gorhsm case, has no jurisdic-
ton TO settle matters OF faith or to determine
| Th at ought TO be the doctrine Of the Episeo.
| pal Church. Its duty will extend no further
than TO ascertain the true construction OF
those articles of religion and of other matters
referred to in the charges according to legal
rules for the Interpretation OF statutes and
written instruments, and, on the other hand,
to ascertain the plain grammatical meaning
of the passages in the Presentment which are
charged as being contrary TO or iuconsisent
| with the doctrines Of the Church. Beyond
this the court csnuot GO, and, knowing as l
do every syllable of the presentment, there
will be go necessity 10 travel outside of those
wise limits to secure the conviction of the
| accused"