The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-21
THE PLEA FOR ONE CHURCH.
The Other side-A Reply to Rev. MIR.
Gai1oupe.

To the Editor Of the Press:
The argument of Rev. Mr.. Galloupe's
published sermon of last Sunday prove,
too much. If it proves anything, the CON
olusion is, not that all should join the
Episcopal church, but that all Christians
including Episoopalians, should return
to the Roman Catholic church from
which we all came out.
Mr.. Galloupe says that there can NJ
more be two churches in the same nation
than two infinites. All dissenters m us
return TO the old mother and accept bel
authority. This is just what the Roman
Catholic church says to us all, includins
Eplscopaiians, whose orders they deny
precisely as high church Episcopalians d.
ours. 1t Is poor ru lie that doesn't worl
cipal or the papal ls the true one. i
there is and can be only one church tt
which all owe allegiance, then clearly
the Roman Catholic is that church, Mr.
u. himself being the judge.
But perhaps Mr.. g. will demur to the
statements rs TOO general. and demand 6
bl II of particulars.
SJohn x, l6) is blunder to begin with
1t does not and cannot be made to mear
what he wished to prove Jesus does not
say one fold" but one clock" which
Is something quite different.
Item .(2). The argument from the
Rebellion. II nearly all the states had
seeded the principle of union would not
nave a,yalled. The Rebellion was put
down because the rebels were inferior in
number ana resources. But on-Episco-
pal1ans are ten times as numerous as the
Eplscopal1ans and correspondingly
stronger. But in the whole world they
are not says Mr.. G. Aye and there's the
rub, he proves too much, for If his argu.
ment is valid it proves the Roman
Catholic to be the lawful church. The
Anglican church is small compared with
the roman Catholic in all the world.
But We need not go beyond the United
states since it is Mr. G's contention that
IN the same country only one church hal
or can have lawful jurisdiction. The
argument from numbers in the United
States is conclusive for the -Eplsoo
pallans; If in all the world, equally sc
for the Roman Catholic church.
Item 20. The principle of unity ii
what restored the Union. Then it should
hive been equally effective in defeating
the Declaration of Independence, and
preserving the unity of the British
empire, long since gone beyond recall.
Item a.. The Historic Episcopate
That is Mr.. G's trump card But what
does 1t mean? Let Bishop Nicely reply.
who In a letter to the Independent, says
Non Ep scopal ministers are not duly
commissioned, have not the Apostolic
commission to minister the word and
sacraments in the Church Of Christi
That is to say they are not Christian
ministers at all in the strict sense of the
word. No more are their churches true
churches according to Mr.. G. And te
tbs complexion must we come at last.
Think of It'll Let the reader look ahou.
here in our own good state of Maine.
What has the Episcopal church done here,
and what is it doing to warrant sucf
singular pretensions, and such a ohal
lenge2 Note, just what is asked of ou1
clergy and churches of all denominations
is, that they shall step down and out OF
their pulpits, disband their churches, ano
confess themselves convicted Of false pre-
tences
II the Roman Catholic church were tc
come out with such demands there would
be some show of sense and reason though
it would not be very convincing then ane
| thus. But for small, though respectable
body of the High church Episcopalian
seriously to propose that the churches anl
clergy of Maine with all their history ant
present standing should come before tn
Bishop of their church to solicit fo
themselves the right to act as minister
of the gospel, is proposal which merit
no response, and can receive none.
/ A ON-EPISCOPALIaN.