The Saint Paul globe., 1899-05-15

Made Pubic IN Letter "rittcu ~
Prominent Lay Member of the
Church-Dr. Briggs, After a Rest
in Europe, VIII Take Up His
Work in New YOrl1-The Services
Were Simple.
NEW YORK, May H-In the pro-
cathedral on Stanton street, Rev. DR..
Charles A. Briggs. who was suspended
for heresy by the Presbyterian assembly,
was today ordained a priest of the Epis-
copal church. He was ordained together
with the Rev. Charles A. Snedeker, and
the ordination ceremonies were conducted
by Bishop Potter. The little church was
crowded with people and the ceremonies
We're notable for the quietness that pre-
vailed.
Those who expected from the great
oItcry of the past three or four weeks,
some sensational features were disap-
pointed. There was no scene and no ex-
ritement and no protest was filed at the
beginning, during or at the close of the
ordination. There was nothing notable in
the sermon preached by Rev. DR.. George
William Douglass.
The ceremonies were very long, COM
mencing at 10:3O o'clock and continuing
until late in the afternoon, If ANYTHING
the services were hurried/ little, and the
general communion winch followed the
communion Of the postulants or candi-
dates tended to extend the time.
There was large crowd about the lit
tie pro-cathedral church as early as $50
o'clock This increased as the time for
the ordination ceremonies approached
After the Sunday school had finished it's
exercises the vicar, Rev DR.. Paddock
was approached by Inspector Cross. of
the police, who held a conversation with
him. Several policemen were outside the
church and some in the church. The
church does not seat more than 800 peo-
pie ana there were about twice that nun
Der sitting and standing.
Bishop Potter drove to the church with
the candidates for admission. Rev
Charles A. Briggs and Rev. DR.. Charles
A Snedeker. Rev. DR.. Cornelius B.
Smith, who was to present DIR Rr,oos
and who is emeritus rector of ST James,
ehurch, and Rev. DIR. George P. Nelson
VINO was to present Rev Dr. Snedeker
ard VINO Is one of the assistant secre-
tarles OF the diocese, arrived later, to-
sether. with them was Rev. Dr. Os-
Dorhe, OF Trinity church, Trenton N. J
All of these went to the office of the
vicar
Bishop Potter was asked what he had
TO say preliminary to the ceremonies. He
SAID he had received no protest. He
smiled at the thought of any of the OBJ
Jectlng clergymen' appearing in the
church and making a scene He, how
ri hot
from layman protesting against the
ordination Of DR.. Briggs, and this letter
was written under misapprehension of
the facts and the law and he had an
sWered It, He did not desire to give the
name OF the layman, who he said. was
high up in the councils of the church
1nasmucn as the letter he himself had
written, in answer to 1t, was general in
Its nature and set forth his position. he
had no objection to making 1t public
The letter is as follows:
BISHOP POTTER's POSITION.
Your letter of the 5th inst. is before
me, ana nave given the matter to which
1t refers my best consideration You ex-
aggerate, however, my powers and are
In regard to. them, under considera bic
mlsapprehension. In asking me to ire
fuse to ordain Rev. DR.. Briggs "to take
the responsibility of acting in the case as
II demands, zen and Ito have the courage
under the impression that my action in
the matter is entirely within nv discre-
ton: The bishops powers are constitu-
tonal, not discretionary. In ordination
he can act only when preliminary action
by others has been had. When this 10
done, ana candidate stands at the
threshold of ordination, the canons Of
ordination declare that the bishop shall. "
not may proceed with the order of or
dination OF the person who has met the
preliminary, tests in the premises. All
these tests have been applied in the case
of the person to whom your letter refers
and have received a certificate to that
effect from the standing committee of the
diocese. INC
Under these circumstances, and unless
some charge aHectfng the character or
teaching of Rev. DR.. Briggs, which was
mot covered by the testimonial had been
presented to me, l should not consider
myself as as having discretion to disregard
nothing of the sort has been induced
The. book the teachings of which have
time before the public, and the standing
committee of the diocese has been con-
vened since its appearance, and particu-
lar attention has been called to It. In my
judgment 1t was entirely competent with
that body, if it had seen fit to do so. TO
nave recalled the certificate originally
forwarded to me on the ground that it
had been signed under a misapprehen-
sion, or with insufficient knoWledge but
this It has not seen fit to do I must,
therefore, accept that certificate as final
and 1 shall do SO.
RESPONSIBILITY ACCEPTED
beg, however that you will not SIM
pose that am seeking to escape from
my personal responsibility in the matter
of the ordination of DR.. Briggs by retir
ing behind the action of my constitutional
advisers. / have not the slightest desire
to do so. The outcry against the author
of 1.-The Introduction to the Study of HoI1,
Scripture. is chiefly to be deplored he
cause it betrays such lamentabIe igno-
: rance OF the progress of sound learning
and the judgment of the best Christia3 q
scholars One of these. a bishon u1rites. =. .
'You may be interested to see that fbe
old staid Christian knowledge society re-
published my little pamphlet on the Bible
which contains the same principles thai
are elaborated in your treatise I am
Indignant at the misrepresentation. or
we will hope, the Observation-Disclosures ~
some of your critics. Have they, for tho
first time, come across the INTERPRETATION
of the speaking with tongues. which har-
monies that book with the Epistle TO The
Corinthians? Have they never read Dean
Plunptrees article on the subject in
Smiths Dictionary of the Bible?''
In a word, the author of "The Intro
duction to the Study of Holy Scripture
has simply stated conclusions which the
best learning and the most deyout minds
have accepted before him.
do not myself accept all of them. but
that any of them denies or impugns any
fundamental doctrine of the faith can
only be shown by mutilations or perver-
sions of what the author has said, which
note +hA predtc+ion with which ,7,,,