Evening star., 1886-11-04

THE PROPOSED CHANGE In THE NAME OF tn
EPISCOPAL CHURCH

THE PROPOSED CHANGE In THE NAME OF THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Rev. Phillips Brooks, la a sermon I'm
Boston sunday, reviewed the work OF the Epis-
copal convention. His expressions have at
tracted wide attention and comment He said
in part:
There is no doubt i'm our church today q
tendency 10 narrow it's conception of It's life,
ard instead of thinking OF itself as one COM
poslte part oi this great mnltituhe which makes
up the church liie OF our America, To usurp To
Itself certain eNciusiveness, a superiority
which really amounts to a certain monopoly
OF the claims OF that which must appeal TO ali
the Christian church in general. This desire
has declared itself i'm that which has been
mooted Tor some time, but which has rot come
10 any really strong assertion OF itself unt III this
last conventions desire TO change the name
of our church. In this convention IL has been
SO strong that IL has claimed the COM yention for
ltseit. The one thing that characterizes that
convention, tha, gives IL Importance and Sig
nifcance Is the effort made upon the part of one
portion aud resisted upon the part OF another
portion, 10 claim a new name Tor the church
here, not TO know It. longer as the Protestant
Episcopal church, but To know IL as the Church.
Oh America, or the Catholic church IN America,
or The American Catholic church; 10 call IL 10y
some maine which shall distinctly declare for
IL that which was asserted I'M regard To Ii, that
II and IL alone constituted the true egiti.
mate church OF Jesus Christ i'm the United
States OF America.
IL do moi think it would be very well that we
should call ourselves that which, I'm fact, we
should be, the church OF America-the church
which really Was doing the work In the UHited
States. Now no man pretends that is NJ. No
man pretends tnat our Episcopal church IL
really doing anything like such preponderat-
maine like that kespec able, more IN than AMI re- .
spectacle, is the work she Ia doing: "A work that
her children rejoice I'm aud delight TO help "A
work 50 large that one may well give his LIE 10
It's forwarding: but, at the same time, by the
side of Tie other great denominations OF Chris
tlans In our land, y work thai is comparative
small.
1T is not possible for us to assume this posi-
A fpr ug tn saE n nil
the great numerical church Of America There
are mulutudes Of people who hold that
from the time of the apostles down, bishop
has always been consecrated by bishop until
TO our present Bishop OF Massachusetts, there
ministered by the direct touch OF hand upon
head, In direct generation after generation
there has come a commission 10 administer
The Christian gospel In this land which be-
longs 10 no man who II outside Of that con-
cesslon; that every minister standing In the
pulpit OF the Episcopal church gets his right
70 preach from the TACT that he has been or
dalned by bishop who stands In Linear sue
cession 10 the APOSTLES who were licensed 10
preach by Jesus Christ himself There IN no
line In our prayer book. there Ii not a word i'm
any OF our formuiaries, which declares any
such theory.
cit has always been something that has been
held by 1ndivtduals, a theory that has recon-
mended itself to certain classes and kinds OF
minds, aud a theory which many and many
ministers and laymen in the Episcopal church
have thoroughly disbeleyed. / teiI you freely
and frankly never could receive a ministry
which seemed 10 me 10 have its sanction there.
L never could officiate, for one, IL / believed
that In officiating declared my belief in the
exclusive right OF those who were thus conse-
Grated, and SO unchurcied and turned out OF
the ministry the great multitude ot God-serv-
Ing men who are doing His work in other de-
nominations than ours"