New-York tribune., 1891-05-06
POPULAR DISSERTATIONS.
THE EPISCOPAL CONTROVERSY.


BISHOP SEYMOUR DEFINES 1T AS QUESTION
OF MORALITY RATHER THAN OF THEOLOGY.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Possibly a few words OF mine may help to re-
move some misapprehension which seems evidently
TO prevail relative to issues which engage popu-
lar attention.
In order to reach the real question raised by men
who deny one OF the articles Of the creed OF
Chrisendom violate the provisions Of the canons,
suppose pass over without remark the charges OF
narrowness, bigotry, persecution, etc. mado against
the Church by the gentlemen who deny " the fHdh
delivered unto the saints hnality and break
her laws, and TO the ground Of complaint wmch
many OF Us have against them.
The Bible. the Book of Common Prayer, the Canons
of the Church are public property thoy are In pr1ht
and any one who wishes to do can buy them ana
read them. When these gentlemen In reference 10
whom some of feel sggreved offered themselves for
ordination, they knew what they were doing They
were not going blindly into system OF when they
knew nothing very little There were certain con-
ditions antecedent to their taking orders with wch
they were obliged TO comply and with which they od
comply, else they would not have been admitted to
the dlaconate to the priesthood. These conditions
cover the acceptance OF the Scriptures Of the Old and
New Testament the Word Of God, conformity to the
doctrine discipline and worship Of the church, and
obedience to canonical authority.
Our complaint is that certain gentlemen openly
and as a matter Of fixed and continued action
repudiate these conditions, on which alone they OBJ
tained the positions which they occupy and seem to
insist upon retaining their positions while they avow
as strongly their determination 10 trampe under foot
Il whole or in part the conditions But, II Is said,
these gentlemen have outgrown their earlier con-
victons. They honestly entertained them when they
ordained but now they their errors and in
conscience are compelled TO dsown them. Certainly
1t is right to do so No one finds fault with this
1t is something else quite aside from this which oc-
casons distress. It is that when these gentlemen
discover the alleged mistake which they made when
they voluntarily answered the questions OF
the Ordinal and made deacons and pres
byters- they do not at once relnqush
their orders, cease to minister in Church whose
doctrines they longer accept, and whose system, as
regulated by law, they repudlate
Our grievance against Colenso, for example, was
not that he dscredited the Bible and denied in sub
stance the Ncene Creed-thls may have been his mis-
forune-bu it that after he had ceased to believe
the Bible to be the Word Of God and refused the
axioms of Revelation the Church Of England holds
and cnjoins them he still allowed himself TO remain
in the position Of Bishop of that Church, to draw
his support from that Church, and TO admit men to
holy orders and to require Of them. as he was com
PEELED to do belief in what he disbeeved and the ac-
ceptance of what he repudiated,
The question is, to mind, Of morality, not
Of theology. 1t may never have occurred to these
such reflections. II may possibly be that in their
minds there is a satisfactory explanation, and we say
this the readily because it seems that they do
not regard the Nccnc Creed, far IL goes. as a
inalty They 10 think that the creed OF
ChrislcndOm adopted a resolution Is passed by
the Legislature, 10y majority or twO-thirds vote
II there be Misrepresentation upon such point 1t
would lead - msapprehension upon other cognate
questions and possibly upon the morality OF their
status in the Church. when they had come, from what
cause, TO deny in whole or In part her faith.
Let me In word seek to correct this error. The
creed OF Chrstendom is lnalty. 1t cannot, as to
Office OF the undlsputcd General Councils not to
pass the creed by majority any other kind OF vote
1t TO bear witness TO the faith, to state what the
faith The question proposed to the bishops,
coming from the different of Christendom, was
What has been the teaching Of your Church on that
point from the beginning and their simply met
that inquiry. As the older In its foundation
so It's testimony weghtler its authority was
greater and when its origin went back to Apostle,
10 was an Apostolic sce," and its testimony most
valuable. The Church had the creed, the axloms
writings from the hands of the Apostles and others
ST. Paul for example. when writing part OF the New
Testament, in his first letter to the Christians of
COrnth quotes three articles from the creed couched
in the very phraseOlogy which still enshrines these
fundamental truths. lie calls ii the Gospel and
saws he gave as he received IT, and that their saliva
ton depended upon their holding 1t fast Il Cor XIV,
feel satisfied that there must be some great mis-
possibly be able to set down something which may
help 10 correct II. Very truly and faithfully yours,
GEORGE F. SEYMOUR.
Snrinp pfeId Ill Anril o. 1901