Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-20
WILL NOT SUBMIT.
Rev, Mr., MacQueary Further
AvOws His Religious Inde-
pendenCe When
NOTIFIED OF HIS SENTENCE.
Still Defiant as Ever in the Face of
His Condemnation.
he SENpS HIS RESIGNATION In,
requesting That Steps Be Taken Against
lis Deposition.
iE SENpS HIS RESIGNATION In,
requesting That Steps be Taken Against
lis Deposition.
NO PROBABILITY OF His RETRACTING

Queary, a presbyter of this diocese of Ohio
was by written presentmeut of the stand
ing committee of said diocese, dated Oc.
tOber p, 1890, duty presented for trIa
under Title ., Canon ., Sections l and O
the Digest OF the Canons; and according tt
the canons of discipline of this diocese o
Ohio, upon the charge of holding and teach
ing publicly and advisedly doctrines con
trary to those held by the Protestant Epis
copal Church in the United States o.
America, and upon the further charge Of
having, by such holding and teaching, been
guilty of an act which involves breach oi
his ordination VOWS. SAID obnoxious doc
rrines and the manner of holding and teach
ing them being plainly set forth in said
presentment, and
Whereas The ecclesiastical court of this
diocese OF Ohio, after a fair and public trial
of the Rev. Howard MacQueary, upon the
said presentmenJ and after a patient con-
sideration of the record of the case, have de-
clared in writing. signed by majority of
them, that they find the Rev. Howard Mac
Queary guilty o. each o. the charges set
forth in the presentment as aforesaid.
The Sentence of Suspension.
Whereas, This finding Of the court. to-
gether with the evidence and an artested
copy Of all the proceedings, has been deliv-
erred to the Bishop according TO the canon of
this diocese, accompanied with the canon
lca)lv required opinion Of the court as to
what sentence should be pronounced, which
opinion is that the Rev. Howard Mac
Quearv should be suspended from the func-
tlons CT the holy ministry for the period of
six months, in order that he NAV have time
TO reconsider his errors and give evidence
that be will no longer teacn and publish the
same. and that in case the Rev. Howard
MacQueary fails TO retract his errors and
comply with these conditions aforesaid within
the six months of his suspension, he should
then and thereupop be deposed from the priest
hood ol the church.
Now. therefore. we. William Andrew Leon
ard, D. NJ. of divine permission, exercising &C.
clesiasticaI and spiritual jurisdiction in this
diocese OF Ohio, do hereby pronounce upon the
Rev Howard MaCQ Heary sentence of suspen-
sion from the exercise Of the functions of the
holy ministry in all and every particular: and
In accordance with the above cited opinion of
the ecclesiastical court for the period of SIX
months now following this 18th day of March,
1881.
Given Six Months to Repent.
And furthermore sentence that il at the ex-
plration Of six months from the 18th day of
March, 1881, he shall not have retracted and
given evidence that he will no longer teach hi.
errors Of doctrine, in which under the present
ment aforesaid he has been found guilty he
shall be thereupon deposed from the priesthood
of he church.
In testimony whereof we have hereuuto
caused our Episcopal seal to be affixed. and do
subscribe our hand, this 18th day of March, in
the wear of our Lord one Thousand eight hun
dred and ninety-one in the Trinity Cathedral
Church, at Cleveland, o., being the second year
OF our conservation.
WILLIAM a. LEONARD. Bishop of Ohio.
The Rev. Howard MacQ Queary to-day received
the above official noutication from Bishop
Leonard, of Cleveland that he had been found
guilty OF heresy, and in consequence was suS-
pended for SIX months. The minister was MT
at all backward in expressing his opinion of
the verdict.
MacQueary's Opinion of 1t.
What is your opinion of the verdIctfr was
asked him
81 think il both unreasonable and unjust 1t
is unreasonable, because it rests on the absurd
supposition that man who has devoted years
of earnest prayerful study to theological
problems may alter hIs opinion in six months
At the dictation of ecclesiastical power in
order to retain position in a church which
dOe- not want him. Ii should have been a
Clean-Cut disposition or acQuittal. For this
sentence is simply an expedlent. adopted to ex-
IrIcate the church from a dilemma. and in
order 10 wln for the church reputation for
lenIenCe and charity; but every one who is
familiar with ecclesiastical proceedings, and
has read The denuUcIatiOn of me by the 'relig- |
lOwne-s OF such preteuse.
''Eetract. indeed! Why should L? What has |
been said or done TO convert me from my |
alleged errors? 1 have been denounced and |
prosecuted ana condemned. That method of |
converting heretics has proved futile for CEN |
Turies. Ii Is an a achronIsm, contradiction |
Of the great principles of the Reforma ion of |
the sixteenth century, which established the !
right of private judgment IN religious matters
suu II Is return TO the darkness of the Middle |
Ages. |
Cannot Believe Old Doctrines.
The old doctrines lack facts to support |
them and therefore l can never believe them. |
The verdict is unjust for several reasons: |
First-It violates the fundamental doctrine of !
the Protestant Episcopal Church. which |
tea,h.s that the creeds must be lnterpreted by |
the Sc pJuTe, NOT the Scripture by the creeds |
This contention Of mine was admitted by the |
prosecutor durng the trial. but the court has /
not interpreted the creeds by the Scriptures /
If they had they could not have found me |
guilty., since the prosecutor did not impugn the |
passages of Scripture / citeQ in support of nv |
Interpretation Of the creed.
"SecOndly, if this verdic: be correct the |
Bishop, the prosecutor. the judges and all the |
clergy in the church are heretics. None of |
them believes in the literal meaning of the |
article in the creed on the resurrection of the
body. The prosecutor admitted this contention
also. No intelligent person believes that a |
mans body. which has lost a leg OF an arm for
instance, Will AT the last day he resurrected
without its arm or leg Yet if the creed be
literally construed We must believe that the
very body that was buried will be resurrected.
1t VIII Foster Hypocrisy.
III this verdict is correct the church should
SET up an ing uisitiOn to hunt out the heretics !
and bring them to justice. The woods are full
of them, including the bishops and other
ecclesiastical dignitaries who reject our material
resurrection. This verdict condemns honesty +
and candid speech and will foster hypocrisy |
And why have been condemned? Not because |
denied the truth The prosecutor took par
ticular pains to impress upon the court that Its |
duty was not TO consider the truth of my views, |
but simply their conformity to dogmas formu- |
lated in an age of superstition and ignorance |
The prosecutor knew well enough that il was |
much easier show their non-conformity to |
the letter OF the creeds than it would be 70
refuse either their truth or their Scripture
lessness.
"At any rate it should be distinctly under.
stood and remembered that the truth of NV
opinions remains untouched by this verdict l
am glad that rwO members of the court had the
courage 10 vote for acquittaL i am personally
grateful - them. This action shows that there
Is room tor difference OF opinion even on the
legal aspect OF this question. There were men
who actually wanted the Bishop to depose me
without trial This verdict adopted by bare
ma jority, and even partially against that will.
should be a severe rebuke to such bigotry.
Other Heretics viii Follow.
off there were an appellate court in the
church should appeal the case, and believe
could win it, But unfortunately there is no
such court hope that one result of this trial
will be the establishment of such a court, |
if the church intends to deal with |
heretics' in tine future with the strong arm of