Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-03

make a better showing.
1.-The pastor of that church has not
been sought in our councils; he has 1ol-
lowed an exclusive career. His com
nanions have not been OF the clergy In
our Church. 1t has long been the haolV
of our denominatioRal press to say MOTH
ing of brother going from US, out Dr,
Bridgman has taken the Baptists.
would have plucked out my eyes rather
than say anything to-day, were 1t not
for the interviews which he Furnished
for last Mondays papers and which are
\ libel on the Church. / should say, IN
the language of the world, that any man
who talked like DR.. Bridgman after he
had gone out of the Church acted ike
man trying to get square. The Wdtch-
man, one of our papers, dismlSses Or.
Bridgman in these words:
In no long time the Rev. DR.. Bridg
man has found rest for his feet In tue
fold of the Protestant Episcopal Church,
in which UniversaliSm is no obstacle TO
fellowship or promotion, as witness the
memory of Kingsley and the honored
status of Archdeacon Farrar. He was
confirmed with his wife, two sons, and
daughter, on Sunday last. We wish
him all possible satisfaction in his new
relations.
Il will leave it 10 you whether Or.
Bridgman'S reflection against the de-
nomination which has carried hun lOr
thirtv-fve years are in good taste. We
have furnished him with the good things
of life and treated him tenderly, ana
this is his return. DR.. Bridgman ac-
knowledgeS that his sermon on Unlver-
salism had little or nothing to 90
with his departure. That was out
pretext and a jugglery, then, when
he stated in his earlier papers that he
was afraid he was going to split the
church. DR.. Bridgman'S present reason
for leaving the church Is practically his
fear of criticism from the religious
weeklies. He says in one OF his inter
views that the Madison Avenue Church
| is indebted to the religious weeklleS Tor
the loss of his services, and that the ed
itorial rooms of most of these paper are
virtual slaughter houses He says he
knows that the devoted members OF his
church would be abused by the BaptlSt
papers. What glorious reason Tor
leaving the church of his childhood and
violating his religious vows. DR.. Brldg-
mans attacks are directed against the
Examiner and its venerable editor, Dr.
Edward Bright. | know the facts in the
case, because | worked for DR.. Bright
i'm the Examiner Office. DR.. Bridgman
suffered, il at all, because he was prac-
tically unnotced in the Examiner. L
know that it was DR.. Bright's purpose
to do everything he could to encourage
DIR. Bridgman, and | wrote myself as
fair paragraphs as could be written
about the Madison Avenue Baptist
Church. 1t took six times as long to
write them as any other articles, too,
because there was nothing to write
about. If there is nothing to speak
about, doesn't it seem strange that
there should be any complaint? Charles
De Witt Bridgman owes great deal to
DR.. Bright, and DR.. Bright's little finger
is of more value to our denomination
than DR.. Bridgman's whole body.
"Dr. Bridgman'S statement that II
any church is untrue to Baptist tradi-
tionS, Il council Of the local association
could be called to decide whether it
should be retained in fellowship, is a
| libel on the Church. DR.. Bridgman
can't point TO single instance where
the association has so acted. The idea he
puts forth is simply a theoretical one.
No power on earth can disturb Baptist
church once admitted to local aSso-
citation.
''Now DR.. Bridgman is confident that
he has secured liberty where he has
gone. As a matter of fact, he has bound
himself hand and foot TO canon law.
HereSy in the Episcopal Church is never
along theological lines. They will
take Universalst or any one
else if he binds himself to OBJ
serve the canon law. DR.. Bridgman
now has an ecclesiastical Superior'in the
person of the Bishop. In his own
Church he had no superior but Jesus
Christ. Then he has entered a Church
which stands precisely as we stand on
the question of baptism and communion.
Dr. Bridgman is melancholy because his
wife hasn't partaken Of communion with
him for twenty years. How is it in the
Episcopal Church? Hasn't George f.
PentecoSt been raising hue and cry in
India because the Bishop of Calcutta
wouldn't allow him TO receive commun-
ion in the Episcopal cathedral? DR..
Bridgman has canon law and
Bishop to carry now, and these he
wasn't burdened with before.
The facts are that DR.. Bridgman is
rather vain, not over strong, with a
hankering after liturgy and gowns and
veStmentS. am glad he has got them.
But there is a saying that a man passes
through childhood twice. A man who
has been thirty-flve years in one church
may be getting along now to his second
childhood. | am glad if it makes him
happy to have his gowns.
The effect of DR.. Bridgman's going
is the same to the Baptist church as Il
he had died-nO more, no less. He
should have gone quietly, and no one
would have said word. The Gospel is
mistaken, and our church has lost
nothing. What is the chat to the
wheat?"
Here's "A New Danger.
T1ii,fnapOfis journal