Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-13

as Bishops IN the Church of God and not
as representing their respective sees. With
such a basis of representation as is pro.
posed by some of our friends, the smaller
dioceses would find themselves entirely at
the mercy of the larger ones, and thew
could get no possible relief through any
action in the House of Bishops. Unless
the whole system of representation has
been wholly wrong and based on wrong
principles from the beginning, and the en-
tire scheme of legislation in the American
Church is shown TO have been founded in
error, We fail to see any reason for a change
except in the direction that we have pro-
posed, by reducing the number of Deputies
and hereafter being more careful in the
admission of new and weak dioceses."
The Christian advocate Meth saws
"Guilford, Conn, has been celebrating its
250th anniversary. The principal address
gives a long list of distinguished scholars,
artists, poets, educators, statesmen, mer-
chants and ministers who were born in
Guilford. But the address was badly
married by this passage: Nor do feel like
emitting the name of the Rev" w. H. H.
Murray, who was graduated from Yale
College In 1862, and was pastor for some
years, first, of the Corner Church, in Meri-
den, then of the Park Street Church, Bos-
ton, brilliant preacher and writer, who,
though the bright morning of his career
was soon clouded, would surely have won
lasting glory for his native town as well as
for himself if his moral had equaled his
intellectual Abilities On an occasion like
that 10 bring up wanderer from the faith
anI Nrnrl- Of tho i
scurity, commend his intellect, and call
attention to his moral delinquencieS, re-
minds US of discourse on Heaven sub
mitted to the writer when he was acting as
chaplain of a lunatic asylum, by one of the
patients for criticism. After giving list
of such angels as are named in the Bible,
he observed: Nor must | forget to men
ton that Satan, one of the most intellect
ual and by odds the cutest of the inhabit-
ants of the universe, was at one time
resident of this glorious abode, but on ac-
count of outrageously bad conduct was
compelled to leave for parts unknown"
The Rev. DR.. William Chauncey Lang
don writes to The Church of To, dan (P.
81: 81 am quite surprised that a name
less correspondent should think that your
honest words about the decay of learning
In the ministry of the church would be
disallowed. For my part, do not know
how any one can do otherwise than concur
with you. 1t is unworthy of men to refuse
to admit so patent a fact; and we surely
have not yet sunk so low that we do not
know what learning is. Who of us that
were once privileged to sit at the feet of
Hopkins and Delaney, Nottingham and
Lee, Potter and Burgess, can look around
now, without feeling that-save the few
dear Bishops and preSbyters who yet re-
main of that generation-there are none
to take their place? Estimably godly and
active men we have, both Bishops and
rreSbyters, wise master builders are some
of them-may God be praised for them
But, apart from four or five of our oldest
Bishops and an even smaller number of
our oldest presbyters, every one of them
over sixty-fye years old, there are not
learned men enough even in our episco-
pate, and certainly not in the presbyterate,
to furnish theological faculty worthy of
the church. A few years more-which
most of US middle-aged clergy will live to
the few now left will be gone
and scarce name will remain of repute-
save among ourSelves-as learned theo-
logan, or who will be remembered as such
fifty years hence. And the worst of it is
the apathy of the church on the subject"
The ChWchman (P. E.) says: "For many
reasons we sincerely trust that the ap-
preaching General Convention of the |
church may enter into as little legislation
as possible. Measures which have been |
already introduced must, of course, go on |
to completion. The liturgical work, which |
was so hopefully begun, ought to be either
finished or abandoned. The proposed |
hymnal, which is so much liked and so |
strongly disliked by different commentat- |
ors, ought either to be tentatively adopted |
or the whole subject ought to be indefi- |
nitely postponed. There are other mat
tiers, such as the 'Colored Question: which |
will probably bear no postponement, and |
yet it would be better to let even them |
pass than to take any action in the prem |
ises which cannot be adopted with sub |
stantial unanimity Beyond the subjects
which demand immediate settlement, it is |
to be hoped that no schemes of legislation |
may be introduced for which there is not |
a manifest necessity. The church is more |
than weary of superfuous canon tinker
ing 1t would be hopefully encouraging
If the coming Convention were to earn for |
itself the name of a missionary convention,
by applying its time and energies to mis- |
sionary problems in preference to all |
others. The church by her charter is a
body; her work is always and |
missionary work the supreme
interest with which she is charged is that
Of SDrpaiInCr tho r-pcpa1 nf oil ~
ects which might engage the attention of I
her great council, that of missions ought |
in reason and conscience to stand first"
The Licing Church (P. e. says: "One
Of the greatest objections to anything like |
a general revision of the prayer-book is |
the method which has hitherto been fol- |
lowed, and to which we are, rightly or |
supposed to be bound by our |
present constitution. According to this |
method, each change by itself, being SUBJ
mitted to the General Convention, and !
acted upon, must, after lying over for
three years, be ratified by the next sue
ceeding Convention. Thereupon it be-
comes legally part of the prayer-book.
The revision thus proceeds by disiointed |
parts and scraps. New committees being |
hPPOlhbSu SdCu NOllNtHllOU, no settled
is followed. The work done |
is of the character of patchwork. There
is lack of unity. The matter falls at
periods into the hands of differ
ent leaders, each of whom has his own
special fad, sometimes good, sometimes
bad. There is constant danger lest one
earnest spirit in his eagerness to carry his
own particular schemes may be tempted to
for the support of some other no
less eager spirit by allowing the introduc-
ton of innovations of an undesirable and
even dangerous character. But the most
serious aspect of the case is that which
affects the practical use of the Prayer
Book. The introduction of few changes
at time with the prospect of others at
each succeeding Convention, renders it
to set forth a standard Prayer
Book. Each priest must confuse or ex-
asperate his people land in the use of
these expressions we do not draw upon
by inserting forms with
which they are unfamiliar, until they be-
come Indifferent to innovation, and the old
jealousy for the integrity of the Prayer
Book is completely lost. With 1t goes
the most powerful agency this church has