The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-05-24

!
be sought the true measure Of It's health and
/ pr spouiy.
in inquirng. then. about the state Of the
| church. We are 10 look al its doctrine. disci
/ pine and worship.
| As - doctrinal teachings and preaching. We
| re happy In the belief. on not unreasonable
grounds, and without any undue portion oi
/ pride, that In no part Of the Church Is preach.
/ ed inosc pure and wholesome gospel ol
! Christ than among u. That reviying breath
/ Of the spirit of Christ that passed over this
| diocese during and through the fcryent and
I iaithlul nlnistraiiOn Of Bishop Moore and
! his contemporaries, under whose ministry
OF reconciliation the Church was
/ upiited from an almost extinct con-
! dition. stamped upon the Virginia Church
/ u character which 10 has not wholly lost
\ God grant iis sweet SAVIOR may never pass
| away But there have sprung up among us
as well In other parts OF the Church, errors OF
] doctrine, the prevalence OF which must. In
/ the next generation, prove fatal To the tone
| and character of that teaching ana preach ms
| which has always obtained IN tins Diocese
| Errors rarely come 10 harvest or ripen
I their fruits nm the same gcnoration, or even
| the same generation in which they are s0wn
| Springmg up I'm hearts and lives that are al
/ rea,iys established In religious character,
they are often for time harmless enough.
| aud rather lie harrcnlv IN the mind
| as mere variations Ol religions thought than
| enter into the life and religious character.
| he fruits of error are to be sought for In the
next generation, in those who, with inform
] fN character ana pnNlctionS, grow up under
| their influence. We must wait awhile, then.
| TO see the c0rrupting effects of those erronc-
| Ous beliefs gaining some currency I'm our
church, that deny Immortality TO the wicked
Jnd claim q future probation and possibility
| Of repentance afterdeath.
| n we realize. as we ought our responsible
| 10 fo the church that 10 10 come after us il
become, -s To be exceedingly caniions and
tender OF teaching dOtis.si,. which Will Ue
held hy them, not as variations OF fresh
D
ting ass an inheritance 10 our children teach
ings which our fathers havc never commit
tc 20 us.
As 70 discipline and worship. your commit
tee must restrict themselves 10 saying sum
marily that I'm the nature Of the case there
cannot be maintenance OF sound dOcirlue,
purity Of worship. ana innocency OF life
where discipline is despsed. Disregard OF
cauOus. Ol runlics, OF VOWS, OF legitimate au-
! tuOrity, of fOl1-establishet usages and orders.
and Of the general prevalence. instead. OF
self pleasing, self-Will and seli-rule must OBJ
yiously make impossible, ,not.only the contin-
uance OF sound doctrine and righteous living,
| hut continuance of any organic government
| Itself. which, being government by law and
authority. assumes the faithful adminlstr9-
| tion of law and authority. We feel con-
strained 10 utter here note OF warning TO
/ the diocese.
Because we are all. clergy and aity, alike
under authority, and neod 10 be digestlng all
thro life what we learned in childhood, that
i'm submitting ourselves TO all our Governors,
teachers. spiritual pastors and masters. con-
sisi' tho safety and perpetuity. of all gov
erument, ecclesiastical q, well as doines-
! Tie ana divine. James t,rammer, William
| \. Brooke nbEough, Beverly ID. tucker j II.
skinner L. NJ. Carson, 7. W. Reilly. Pike
Powers, Mann Page.
OTHER REPORTS.
Other reports were presented as follows;
by Rev. II. suter. on report Of the trustees
of the disabled clergy funds by Mr.. John
Green, ON the Episcopal Fund; by MIR. J..
NJ. Biacklord. on the Brotherhood: by Mr..
John l.. Williams. on clerical support; by
Colonel James II. skinner, on the Virginia
Female Institute.
Colonel James II. skinner made an excel
lent speech on the following resolution:
Resolved, That the affairs Of the Brother
hood be referred 10 a committee. and report
90 the next council. The resolution was
carried.
Rev. kinl0ch Nelson, ID. d., offered a
resolution that so much of Bishop Ran
dOlph's address as referred to changes in
the Prayer Book be referred 10 the commit
tee ON the subject. Carried.
ON motion Of Rey. h. i. Sprigg, ID. d.,
the council unanimously passed a resOlu-
ti0n granting Bishop W hittle "a vacation of
four months, and tive hundred dollars TO
meet his expenses.
Major X. +. Scott was elected 10 ill va
cancy ON the board OF the Virginia lnsti-
tute.
Rev. b. d. Tucker offered resolution Of
/ thanks 10 the rector, wardens, and yestIy
of 80. Georges Church, and the people Of
| fredericksburg for hospitality.
The committee ON nineteenth canon, on
church discipline, offered "A resolution that
! the words IF communicates bc omitted
This was unanimously carried.
COMMITTEES REFLECTED.
The standing committee on church prop
erty was reelected. The diocesan mission
any committee was also reelected. The old
/ standing committee was on ballot reelected
with the addition Of Mir. l.. NJ. BlackfOrd.
A DOCrRINAL DISCUSSION.
R.y. james Grammcr, d. d., offered th,
/ following resolution:
| Resolved, that this council condemn the
7 teaching ana preaching In our pul pits OF th'
/ dOctiine which denies natural immOrtallty
/ or afirms probation and the possibility o
/ repentance after death, rs b<ing no part o
| { gospel committee ip The church.
/ Dr. ID. +. Sprgg, in speaking for the rcsO
/ tuition. said that ne would not discuss tn,
question Of conditional Immortality. liz
| did not think that the Council had right
/ 10 express Itself on the doctrines of thi'
/ ,hurch. lie thought il was right for the
! Council 10 avoid expressing itself ON any
doctrine Oft be church.
Or. Kiu0ch Nelson said that reference
| had been made 10 the II article Of the Ori
| ginal articles, as having referred 10 this mat
ter and had been quoted rs showing tha
| the church had taken action indirectly II
reference 90 this doctrine. This he shOweI
could not have been the case.
Rev. Carl L. Grammer spoke, opposing
the consideration OF the matter by the COun
ell and said this was not the body to pas
on this d0ctIfnal subjec. The ecclesiastica
| courts were the proper places To decld
! these doctrinal questions.
Rev. ". 4. Roberts said he thought thai
We ought 10 diNest the subject of its per
s9nal element. lie thought that the 'Oun
ell, for the sake Of the purity Of doctrine
/ ought 10 take action.
Rev. James Grammer said that the objec
of his resolution was not to limit priyat'
| Judgment but that he thought that for pu
rity Of doctrine the Council ought 10 eX
press It's opinion.
Rev. John Il. Newton thought that as th
subject had been brought before the Coun
ell. the Council. if it indefinitely post
p0ued the matter would endorse the doc
irine. and this. he said, ought not TO be.
Colonel Robert Mithers thought the COuD
eli ought not 10 consider the matter, AM
shat is ,-o,.ld DO oiunply condemnation q
the gentleman (Rey. Nelson Dance VIII
preached in the morning.
Rev. j. :. Ilanckel, ID. D., said proyiden
tally he had been absent this morning, ant
. so there was certainly nothing personal il
the matter Ia f0rcible address he shOwe'
the Council was perfectly competent 70 pas
the resolution.
After much discussion other motion
were withdrawn. and the following wa
offered by Rev. B. ID. Tucker as covering
the whole matter:
Resolved That the Council especially en-
dOrsc tnat portion OF the repor OF the com
n.ittee on che state OF the Chuich. which ro
lers 20 doctrine, ard orders five thousan'
OF tlg sHne 10 De distributed throughout tn
Glucsre.
Ih5 was unanimously passed.
NIGHT SESSION.
| At night Mr. Thomas Potts read the re
port Of the Committee on Finance. The re
port showed that last year about $4,000
had been collected. Sil.2B3.Sj Of this ha,
been paid ont for Bishops salaries and othe
expenses, $500 had been invested, tn
treasurer has up tO this date received s.,
200 on the contingent fund.
THE COLORED CHURCH.
Bishop Randolph then read the report o
the Committee on the Canon Thirteen oI
I.l. 49, A f,I 4 IL