Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-21
THE CHURCH CONGRESS

tant Episcopal church in the United States opened yesterday, preceded by holy commun- ion service held at Trinity church which opened at 1O:3O o'clock. The church was | thronged to overfowing. Many ladies were
 among the number. Many people went away \ being unable to find seats. Mr. Hedden ofh- ! ciated at the organ and the boy choir clad in ! white sang finely. The music rendered was as follows:
 | Opening voluntary-"Sonata,'
 Kyrie, sanctus and Gloria in Ex-
 orertory Anthem Awake; awake,
 put on thy strength, O Zionn. .Dr. Stainer Posttude-" "Marche Celebre". ..Lachner The regular Episcopal service was read by Rev. MT. Wildes, of New York city secretary
 of the congress. Bishop Nicely of Maine, the
 champion of Gree Churches" was the cele-
 brant of the communion service. In the ' chancel with him were Bishop Williams, of I this diocese, Bishop Whipple, Rev. MT. Wildes and Rev. MT. Nichols, assistant rec tor of Trinity. The venerable Bishop Whip pie, the philanthropist who has spent so many years in laboring to improve the con- | dition of the Indians, delivered an address | on the communion. He was listened to with profound attention by the large audience \ His address was peculiarly appropriate to the communion service and showed the earnest | missionary spirit of the man as he spoke of | the field for church work and the millions
 who need to be brought into communion with the only living and true God.
 After the address by Bishop Whipple those of the congregation not communicants were dismissed when the sacrament of the Lords Supper was administered by Bishop Will Hams.
 Prominent in the congregation were Bish- op Dudley of Kentucky, Bishop Niles of New ! Hampshire, Rev. Philip Brooks of Boston, Rev. Dr. Tiffany of New York and Rev. John Henry Hopkins of Pennsylvania. Many in ! the assemblage scanned almost every face 1 to find the venerable F. W. Farrar, D. D., Arcndeacon and Canon of Westminster, England, but only to be disappointed. Canon Farrar did not arrive in the city in time even to attend the afternoon ser vices. He came about 1 o'clock and was met at the depot by President Porter, whose guest he will be while in the city, and was driven to the residence on Hillhouse avenue and dined. After short rest Canon Farrar at about 8 o'clock entered carriage in waiting at President PorteF's residence and was driven, accompanied by President For ter, to East Rock Park. On his return he put the finishing touches to his paper, which ! he read last evening, on the Christian Doc.
 
 about the same height as President | Porter. He is a substantial, we'll built and ! genial-faced gentleman, looking in excellent health. His step is firm and elastic and he looks like 8 man of affairs and is of dlgni- ! fed and commanding presence. AT cARLLs OPERA HOUSE. The first session of the congress was held at Carll's Opera House, opening at 12:30. An immsnse congregation was in waiting. There were many ladies present. On the stage was an imposing array of distinguished clergymen. There were about one hundred seats on the stage all of which were occu- pied. Tables for the reporters occupied the space usually devoted to the orchestra At the left of the stage was 8 Steinway grand
 piano, where Harry P. Earle, organist of St.
 Thomas church, presided. The exercises
 were opened by the singing of the hymn
 commencing: Sing my soul His wondreus love. Who, from your bright throne above, Ever watchful OCT our race, Still to man extends His grace.
 J. O. Gould, the cornetist, assisted with
 the instrumental music, while Rev. Dr. Mar tin, of New York, led the singing which was joined in by nearly all who were in attend ance. The effect was very fine. Next came the inaugural address by Right Rev. Bishop Williams.
 BISHOP WILLIAMS
 Ip opening bade the congress welcome in be- half of the diocese of Connecticut and ex- pressed the hope that all might bear away
 pleasant memories of the session in this city,
 work and effect of the congress, it's temper
 and spirit, the bishop said:
 It is true that we are net here to decree
 anything, to bind ourselves others to any thing, to pass any hard or fast resolutions
 which are to be maintained and enforced ill
 the face of any or all opposition. Indeed, it
 is almost, if not quite truism, to say this.
 But even truisms are not altogether without
 their use We should most of us, I doubt
 not, accept the saying of Sir Henry Wotton:
 Puritus desputandi scorbi eeclesiae. But
 surely disputation for the sake of forensic
 victory and discussion in the interests of
 truth are widely different things; though
 they they are readily confounded by persons
 who are either unable or unwilling to take
 the trouble to distinguish things that differ
 Mere disputation is less than worthless alike
 in it's temper and it's results. Fair and hon.
 est discussion can meyer issue in anything
 but good.
 I suspect that good deal of the unbelief
 which is hastily charged upon the discussion
 of the Reformation period of the sixteenth
 century, is rather to be traced to habits of
 mind engendered by those scholastic dispu
 tations and exhibitions of intellectual gladia
 torship, which after the revival of learning
 became so popular in Europe, and came, one
 may say, into the place of the knighty tour
 naments of earlier days. When 2 scholar of
 those times could enter the lists with
 three hundred and nine propositions which |
 he was bound to maintain against all corners;
 when both attack and defense consisted al-
 most wholly in adducing authorities pro and con on every point; inventing wire drawn doubts as to the massing of those authorities and tripping up each others rules by every
 trick of word-splitting authorized by the subtleties of dialectic fence; then surely only . f111 I most sacred and awful, must have come to be regarded as a plaything to be sported with, a ball to be tossed about
 by skillfnl combatants, in short an utter i'm morality.
 No wonder, then, that 6 terrible vengeance ! followed such fearful perversion. No won I der that they who had thus hardened their \ own hearts against the just claims to rever ! ence and humble obedience of that which | stands next to God himself should have been
 left to follow out the way which they had ! chosen to the bitter end of indifference first Il and at last of unbelief.
 Why, it may be asked, should one speak ! of this? Simply because there are many, ! very many persons, who, confusing this cap I tious and unreal disr1tation with honest and
 manly discussion, shrink from and fear the l latter because of results which are due only to the former, and dread the eGDtsct of diff I fering thoughts and convictions that are liv- ! ing and real, because of the deep wrong and 1 abiding harm that have been wrought by those unmeaning contests in which thoughts
 and expressed convictions, methods and re- suits, are alike shams and unreslities Let | it be understood everywhere and always that
 truth, all truth can never differ, suffer or be \ endangered by frank and free discussion, I provided always that one thing is borne in mind.
 In all departments Sf human knowledge or ! Gelisf-and it is difficult to see why the ere | denda of the Christian faith should be except | ed from tiiis iaH-there are certain great \ truths which in thefaselves considered lie | outside the limits of possible discussion and from which ,as basis, all discussion must start I In science, for instance, no one but man | ignorant of it's first principles would under | take to disenss the phenomena of what we | term the solar system with another who de- | nied the existence of any central sun round | which that tystem revolved.s With such 8 | one that elementary scientific truth might be | SO far matter for discussion as to involve it's certainty as an absolute and fundamental \ truth but till that was settled and admitted any further discussion of the phenomena al. | luded to would surely be barred. The dis cussion presupposes certain admitted and | k,I1;,La1 he and fhis opa o1nopO ba