New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-20
CONSEOU ENCES AND A PANACEA.

CONSEQr' ENCES AND A PANACEA.
Now without laying an approach to stress on
this latter point what is before US is the posi-
BILE addition Of these ton ceremonial or doctrtna
items 10 the lawful e-pansiveness Of the Church
Of England These ten points indicate the
character % the comprehension demanded
Every one ~ them is Illegal. save that !
and 6 are conditioned by occasional necessity or
nv local law They will be either conceded or
denied so far as the epiacOpate can do eitne-.
II conceded what consequences ensue' IL Wouio
he hopeless because Impossible ~ rehearse the
issues ~ such a concession. Let the life and
death agonies OF the sixteenth century be con-
cealed from view Hide away in oblivion the
conflicts OF theologians ~ bishops. Of statesmen.
Of sovereigns Ignore the rise Of reason In the
horizon Of European intelligence and the blaze
Of mental brliance which has illuminated Eng
land since she accepted the Reformation, ard the
absence Of which has caused ignorance 10 hang
like pail over Italy and Spain and Portugal.
who rejected IT, Let the callosty Of the national
conscience petrify It 70 such hardness that IL
will be nsensible 10 the memories NJ the mar
tyrs and to the influence Of the Reformation IN
every department OF individual. social or pubno
life Forgei It's perennial power upon thoughs.
upon domestic happiness. upon civil and re-
ligous freedom upon missionary enterprse ma
tiona prosperity and ever-enlarging concep-
ton Of the brotherhood Of man. and let us fasten
upon such possibilities as are involved in tho
ecclesiastical comprehension demanded by Lord
Halifax
They are (a) organic The Church Of England
would then be an organism Of antagonismA-
The Church Of Rome would ne legally and actu-
ally within the Church Of England. The Lnr6S
Supper would be here sacrifice and there -
communion: here a mass. a. which there need
not he communicates there service Of praise
and thanksgiving with communicates. Here We
should have a ceremonial which neither
primitive catholic nor scrpturaL There we
should have that which was primitive and cath
Ole because Scrptural. Thus antagons,ns
would exist In the same organism. But antag-
onlsms are in their nature exclusive. even to In
tolerance The nation would be impatient and
wearied of each
Hence, organic antagonism would issue in cb>
distinction The Church would he dsestab-
shed The parochial system would then be
shattered The seizure Of revenues OF old
churches and cathedrals would complete the
ruin by sacriegiOus coniscation. There would
also follow the organization o. hundreds OF vil-
lagos the paralysis Of missionary aggression at
home and abroad. the drying up OF the numer-
Gus springs Of benevolence which the Church
brings schools, to hospitals to dispen-
saries. to asyums. all moral and philan-
thropic causes and objects; ard. together with
these. there would he the naturalization Of the
public conscience. people soon becomes in
fected with the contagion OF plumber. It spreads
with the rapdty Of plague. whitening the gar
den Of the Lord with the OF responsibility
and with the simoom of greed
DANGER OF DISRUPTION
With these consequences we should have
disruption Four churches would compete each
claiming apostocity. continuity. catholicity and
holiness The condition would affect 1c) the
Throne The disesta bshment OF the Church
carries with it the release OF the sovereign from
any obligation 10 maintain the Protestant relig-
ion as now by law established The sovereign
might be OF any faith OF TO faith. These r.
suits would and before very long (d). affect our
PRAYER Book Al present that manual OF public
worship is the parent OF the Irish. SCOTCH.
American and colonial expression Of oorporatsl
devotion. II speaks to-day with one voice Thar
voice is clear and sweet and adequate to the
spiritual convictions and 10 the devotional en-
thusiss SIN OF the three historic schools II 10 not
sufficient IL is not clear. the fourth. Hence
the unauthorized services and the extracts from
the Roman Missal. II the concessions In view
were made 10 expand our present compre-
hensiveness and 10 embrace spiritual antason-
isms much that is In the Prayer Book now must
be excluded. Much that IL not in IL must Do tn
serted But the insertion would represent NJ
urgically what the conceded comprehension
would represent by Incorporation. II would be
an association NJ light and darkness. OF truth
and falsehood Of iron and clay. OF the vsrnrity
Of the Holy Scriptures and the traditions Of an
Italian sect
The moral effect OF all this would b react1nu-.
AIRY and paralyzins There is not field Of spir-
itual enterprise which would not suffer. There
IL not a nation on the earth which the disaster-
would not touch. There is not moral fountain
IN the wide range ~ English civilization which
would be unaffected by the greatest overthrow
Of moral resource the centuries have ever WITT
nessed II these consequences wait upon ths
concessions demanded by Lord Halifax. then
thew must be denied. Their denial Will, a.
u sNfKx