Omaha daily bee., 1891-10-25
DONTAGRERNIGH THE BISHOP
Father Williams Takes Decided Exceptions
to Expressions Of Bishop Newman.
SOME VERY PUNsENT PEN PAINTING,
Winter Entertainments Provided by
the Young Mems Christian Assoc
citation Work OF Omaha's
Pastors and People.

The following from Rev. John Williams OF
st. Barnabas Episcopal church in reply to a
recent letter of Bisnop Newman will doubt
less DO read with much interest;
"a week ago an article from the pen OF the
Methodist bishop, Nowman appeared in The
BEE vigorously rebuked' tho Episcopal
church because 1t sees fit to exclude from its
pulpitS preachers over whose preaching, doc
trine or life it has not a shadow of control.
We'll, sir, there is nothing whatever in the
life, character or career of Bishop Newman
to qualify him to sit in judgment as the rev
ercnd censor OF the Episcopal church.
Whether we consider him as the dumb,
complacent court chaplain at a time when
whiskey rings and other corruptionists held
high carnival at Washington, as the junket-
ing high &C mmiSsloner and inspector general
of American colsuldtes at the nations eN-
pense, as 4 Jealous Methodist leaving his own
place and work in tho Methodist body for the
profitable shcpherding OF an Independent
Calvinlsting congregation and milking IA lall-
ure of 1t, or crossing the continent to preach a
sycopnantic, eXtrayagant eulogy Mt the
funeral of the somewhat common place son OF
"A typical millionaire, there is positively moth
in Bishop Newman to qualify him to sit in
Judgment on the Episcopal church, because
IL sees fit to exclude such as he from preach
ing tho gospel of contention in its DulpitS.
IL has quite as much as it cares to do in
taking care of its own doubtful preachers
without undertaking the impossible task OF
following up and driving out the errors of
their motley crowd OF congeners. were it to
throw wide its pulpits to every one who had u
gospel of his oWn to preach. With wesley,
we do not think that la Hful ordination is
necessary to Qualify one otherwise fitted to
preach; but, with him, we think that a lay
preacher should be responsible to the author
ity of the body for which he breaches.
That is, | think, the Methodist rule
for Methodists. If Methodists do not chose
to protect themselves from others, thai
is their affair. We view our responsibility In
a very different way.
DIR. Newman eulogizes DR.. Newton for
breaking the law he voluntarily vowed to
obey, and condemns the Episcopal church
for enacting a law that should guard the
faith of DIR. Newton's practitioners. DIR.
Newton denies at least two cardinal articles
of the faith which DR.. Newman is sworn to
maintain as well as we. He slashes at, and
denies both the authenticity and authority of
a large portion of the holy scripture whose
divine authority DIR. Newman is sworn to
maintain. Among other preachers whom DR..
Newton invited to preach in his pulpit, con
trary to law, was a Unitarian who denied
the supreme divinity of Him whom DR..
Newman is held to worship as God. But yet
DR.. Newman so itches for liberty to stand
in our pulpits, by right to preach, that he
can scarcely find words strong enough
for eulogy OF DR.. Newton, or in con-
demnation of the church which will
not permit him to preach, or have preached
any gospel he chooses.
10 deny the Godhead of Christ, and to
permit others to preach who do 1t, is as moth
ing to DR.. Newman, compared witlesy he fdel-
ity of the man who stands ready TO let DIR.
Newman take his turn with the depravers of
christianity to stand in his pulpit. DR.. New
man thinks it is unscriptural for the Eplsco-
pal or any other church to debar the preach
ing, in It's pulpits, of men whom it has neither
sent itself, neither have been lawfully COM
missioned elsewhere, ito SPEAK all the words
of this life" Very well, let him enforce that
principle in his own christian body. But
we must be excused if we do not seek the
law of holy scripture at his mouth.
He calls us %iiliDeral, and uncharitable, and
bigoted, because we cannot see as he sees;
but we do open our mouths many times to
speak of the rare devotion and high
character of Methodists, especially when
they are true to their own principles;
but DR.. Newman never, and no other Metho-
dist bishop ever opens mis- mouth to speak of
the Church of England or of the Episcopal
church in America, without sending forth
venom and Misrepresentation concerning it.
He speaks of our lack of charity in not
recognizing other christian churches, but
while they make great professions of friend
ship for other christian bodies there is no
nation or church into which the Methodists
do not send. when they can, apostles of divis-
ion, to draw ava converts from them. Into
Germany, into Scandinavia, as well as into
Roman Catholic countries, Methodlsts send
UDclr MISSIONARIES 10 ulEluc buc CurlSLlal
people of the land. 1t does the same thing
mere. There are Swedish Methodists, Nor
wegian Methouists, Danish Methodists, Ger
man MethodistS, and every sort of Methodist
that the body, that DR.. Newman represents
as so generous and charitable, can win away
from their own christian allegiance.
1t condemns sectarianlsm and proselyt-
ism, and it goes into every land
where it can to promote sect
arianism, and to make proselyteS. Ii harries,
yuhnrn it pnp every Christian rOD prpuntiOu
even when it holds out to it the right hand of
fellowship. That we do not, as n principle OF
our ecclesiastical life, except in rare Instances
of individual zeal and meddlesomeneSs. We
care for our own within our W borders.
and we send to heathen lands. We do not
plant our missions among Christians with
whom we are at peace, nor attempt to de-
prive other christian nations the sole right
of caring for their own people. And we do
not try TO divide those people when they
come among US, believing that it is better for
them, In the long run, TO keep together under
their own pastors than TO DO harried with
the divisions that perpieX ourselves.
| do not wish to accuse DIR. Newman of
wilful untruthfulness, but when he says that
the Church of Ell gland and the churches III
communion with it are numerically a small
body, while the Wesleyans cover the earth
he speaks that which is not true. 1t Is not
easy to get at exact statistics of the Method
lists, since they are split up in divers sects
and parties, but the ecumenicai conference
of 1881 IS said, on Methodist authority, to
represent Z, 10000 members and 5000, 900
population. Without wishing at all either TO
question or disparage this showing, we would
simply say that, 5000, 900 WeSleyans woulu
make "a very thin covering for the earth, or
even %, 600, 900, were they ali good Method
ISIS. Moreover, Anglican church members
are more in number than that, If the truth of
any cause can 90 proved by numbers. Be
sides, the Methodlsts do not even tiguratIvely
cover the earth. There are nearly 400, 900, 900
of other Christians. three-fourths of whom
would not recognize DR.. Newman's right to
breach, or administer the sacraments, be
sides 900. 900, 900 OF those who do not NJ me
tho name Of Christ, to the shame of our rent
aud divided christendom. DIR. New
man simply gushes, as his custom is.
DR.. Newman says; "AIl history is in proof
that some OF tho popes Of Rome and some of
tho bishops of the Church of England were
not proper channels for the transmission of
any kind of virtue, sacrameutal or PERSONAL
But very recent history admonishes us also
that il the transmission of virtue, sacra-
montal or personal, depends on the personal
character OF ministers, there mus be many
thousands of Mcthodists who are yot neither
converted nor balitised. MIR. Small, for one
example, is not uoNltn the odor OF Methodist
s%anctity what has become OF his converts!
Arc they, or are they not, possessors Of spir-
ituAl virtue, becaaSolof the somewhat doubt
ful character OF themau under whose minis
try they we're converted and baptizedi Be
sides, there is scarcely n week IN which one