Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-15

tnelr Oegfee-poWer given TO the nlgnest
to convey to others the gifts and author
ity which the Chief Shepherd had i'm
parted to them. Upon these scriptural
facts the church, in her ordinal for the
continuance OF this apostolic min
istry, has full and indisput-
able authority to say, ''It isI
evident to all men diligently reading
Holy Scripture and ancient authors, that
from the apostles time there have been
these orders of ministers in Christ's
church-Bishops, Priests and Deacons,'
Thus by succession, net through one
but many lines, so many lines that it is
impossible to conceive OF any concur
renee of circumstances by which that
succession can be lost. We have it be-
yond peradventure in the Anglican
Church. We have it in the American
Episcopate and assert it as historic
fact which no candid student of history
can deny. 1t is here to-day in the per-
son of the Rev. Father, the Rt. Rev.
Doctor, the Bishop of Northern Califor-
mia, who by virtue OF authority COM
mitted to him by predecessors in the of
fee of Bishop, will confer upon the cam
didate here present the right to admin
lister the sacraments which Jesus, the
Christ, gave to his church as sacred
deposit to be dispensed only by those
who are duly commissioned.
The question naturally and pertinently
arises "By what authority doest thou
these things ?" 1t is an old question. 1t
was asked of Jesus by cavilling, sneer-
ing and skeptical pharisees. To that
question l reply: The Bishop of Northern
California represents the authority of the
church in these United States as positively
as does the duly commissioned Governor
of California represent the power of this
sovereign State. The church in these
United States is complete in herself.
She is an independent branch of the one
Holy Catholic and Apos tolic Church, for
the one church has many branches,
even as there are many branches of the
true vine, all recognized and blessed of
God if they bring forth fruit. The church
in America derives her orders from the
church in England, that faithful branch
which has spread over the whole earth
TO which we may apply the words of the
dying patriarch to Joseph: "Joseph is
fruitful bough, whose branches run
over the wall the archers have sorely
grieved him and shot at him, and hated
him. But his bow abode in strength
and the arms OF his hands were made
strong by the mighty God of Jacob"
The church in England, began in apos-
tolic days, probably was founded by
apostolic hands. l accept the pleasing
fact that the Gospel was preached to
Ancient Britons by the great Apostle to
the Gentiles, who compassed the then
known earth to proclaim the crucified
one as the Lord of Glory. In the second
century churches were built in that
island, which in this nineteenth century
is the grand Christian Pharos, sending
the light of the Gospel to dis
tant lands, guiding the peoples into
the way of truth. The church
in Britain had her independent, undis-
turbed existence until s. ken idolaters
entered the land and forced the old Brit
ons to seek refuge in the mountains of
Wales. Thither went the Christian
bishops, priests and deacons, and they
kept the fires burning on the affairs of
Gospel Truth. Bishops from Britain sat
in the early councils of the Church, and
by their piety and learning, checked the
spread of those heresies which in primi-
tive days threatened the faith. The Sax.
ons held the southern portion of the
island, and to them was sent from Rome
the missionary monk Augustine, who
afterwards, by foreign conservation, was
made First Archbishop of Canterbury.
He labored to induce the old Anglican
bishops to accept allegiance to the Bishop
of Italy, known as the Pope of Rome, but
they refused and held their Independent
jurisdiction until forced to yield to
usurped power and wear the Papal yoke.
This subjugation was accomplished in
part by the conquest of England by Nor
mans, who recognized the supremacy of
the Church Of Rome. Time does not
permit me to follow the various steps by
which this bondage became complete
and the old Church WAS bound hand and
foot by chains forged in Rome, and
the coward King John, A. D. 1900,
basely surrendered his royal dignity
and held his kingdom of England
as fef of Rome. This surrender was
avenged by King Henry VIII, who, A.
D. 1888, declared that the Pope had no
authority in England, and proclaimed
himself protector ard chief head of the
Church." Thus the papal usurpation
was cast off, and the old Anglican Church
| restored to its position of independent
dignity, this not made complete imme-
| diately but by successive acts ecclessias-
| teal and royal, through period of nearly
| 100 years in the reigns OF Henry, Edward
and Elizabeth. Thus was the church
cleansed of false doctrines and unscrip-
tural practices. The ancient Anglican
Church came again into her apostolic
inheritance, with Bishops, Priests and
Deacons, with the sacraments which the
Lord had ordained, with a form of wor-
ship intelligiole to the people.
| That glorious event, for which we de.
voutly thank God, is generally known as
the Reformation. More properly it is
styled the restoration, or the renovation.
A new church did not come into exist
ence; the old church was restored to her
place of dignity and power; the Apostles
and the Nicene Creeds were again pub
lished as symbols of the gospel faith, in
stead OF Papal rescripts which had no
foundation in gospel truth. Through the
ancient and apostolic Anglican Church,
subjected to Rome by the cowardice of
King John, delivered from usurpation
by Henry VIII, we of the American
Church have our union with the church
OF apostolic days.
cannot positively fix the time when
| the services of our ritual were first cele-
brated upon our continent, but of this |
affirm that the day after the colonists
landed at jamestown, Va, May IA, 1907,
an altar of turf was erected and decorated
with foliage and flowers. Upon it the
Holy Eucharist was consecrated by Rev.
Robert Hunt and administered to those
whom God had guided safely over the
deem waters To ha amonp tho. foundars of