The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-28

CHURCH UNITY PLEA
Bishop Potter's Able Letter
10 the Clergy of
His Diocese.
PRIMATE OF CANIERBURYS REPLY
Anglican Church Impatient Of
The Things That
Divide 1t.

The Right Rev. Henry Potter, Bishop
of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese
of New York. has addressed a letter to
the clergy of his diocese on the all i'm
portant subject of 'Churc Unity"
He repeated the address a few days
before the diocesan convention in his
annual speech. In the course of his
remarks he said
with a new age there come not only
new men, but new crises. and the wis
dom of the church will be to recognize
their existence, and frankly and courage
ously to accept their demands. "A year
ago, in this place, I spoke of some of
them. which concern our social struc-
ture, and which are a product of those
strange and difficult conditions of which
u fathers never dreamed, and which
the wisest of them could never have an
tlc1pated. But there are Others concern
ing most of all our ecclesiastical life,
which to us here. at any rate, must needs
be OF pre-eminent concern, and which
we may not pretend to ignore. Conspicu-
Gus, II not foremost among them, is a
Widespread unrest, accompanied in quar-
tiers geographically and ecclesiastically
the most remote by an earnest and 81
multaneous longing for the reunion of the
several portions of Christ's flock
throughout the world. I may not at
tempt to trace their history here, but no
one of us can be unmindful of their ex-
pressions both In other lands and in our
own
TIMELY REPLY.
"a venerable ecclesiasticism, i~ncarnated
in the person of a venerable and en-
gaging prelate in the Vatican, has
lately breathed them out in terms of de-
vout longing to which We must all re-
spond; and the head of the Anglican
Christendom has answered that plain
tive, II somewhat vague, utterance N
words which are verify both timely and
wise. They are most timely, I think.
Tor surely the times were never so ripe
FOR the lessons which they enforce, inc
they are most wise, for they lift a mat
ter, much obscured by amiable Sentiment
true light. Never before, | think, has las
Garlgsen Wbiob been diT,d 50 impatient Of the
were at liberty to speak here of the
strange and startling confirmation of
ms ~ wh.ch came to me not long g
whose temper has been supposed to be
the least friendly n f~raternal-and
meyer We're the hearts of men, at any
world, SO widely or deeply Stirred With
a desire to be not only of one faith, but
OF n fellowship and one order in
Jesus Christ.
AIM OF THE CHURCH.
The counsel is of enduring appl.ca-
ton, dear brethren, in all our contro-
versies and speculations. Our passion
for. over-precise and minute construction
ana definition must needs have it's mani
fold limitations. both for the trial of
our faith and for the g~reatening and
deepening. of our charity.
I'm such temper then, let us arise to
our great opportunity, and seek worthS
lily to improve it. If we would cali our
selves the American Church, let us pray
God for such enlargement of our vision.
make it the refuge of all doubling and
storm-tossed souls, the true mother of
rich and poor. of the seeker after truth
n the finder of it, of the sanity soul
and the returning prodigal alike. ali
walking in its light, n fed with its
immortal bread"