The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-24
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
BISHOP WHIPPLE, OF MINNESOTA,
TALKS OF WHAT HE NOTICED
WHILE ABROAD
FRIENDLY SPIRIT MANIFESTED
Mission Work of the Church as
Constituted I'm America-Dr.
Briggs Controversy Is Pro-
nOunced Not So Serious as 1t Has
Been Made to Appear.

NEW YORK. May 23.-Rt. Rev. Dr.
Henry Benjamin Whipple, Episcopal
bishop of Minnesota who has just return
ed from England. said to reporter:
The most remarkable thing that no.
ticed in England was the friendly spirit
manifested in every quarter to our coun-
try, and with it great desire to learn
more about the organization of the mis-
sionary work Of our own branch of the
church.
There has been a good deal of talk
in England and elsewhere about the crisis
in the Church of England on the ques-
ton of ritual. I believe that all this is
to be settled by the wise counsel Of the
bishops. A council of advice was in ses-
sion, presided over by the archbishops of
Canterbury and York, to which all these
questions were presented by reprenesta-
tives of the different schools, and
thought 1 detected in all minds convic-
ton that the Cody counsel ond advice
OF the bishops would be followed
But the question which was most
prominent, and of which 1 saw most, was
that connected with Christian work at
home and abroad. 1 think that the great
heart Of England realizes, as it has never
realized before, that God has placed these
English-speaking races in the forefront
of humanity, representatives of constitu-
tional government and Christian ciYilIza-
tton, to carry their benefits to all the peo-
pie of the earth, and underlying this de-
sire for closer relation with the United
States was the thought that we had a
common mission to do for humanity
l. Il
peace congress, but so far as 1 could
judge the attitude was one of hopeful
ness that out of this meeting the horrors
Of war would be mitigated If not entirely
done away with. Educated Englishmen
give the czar of Russia credit for the
highest motives in proposing the confer
ence."
BRIGGS CONTROVERSY
In response to an inquiry as to how
the English clergy regarded the Briggs
controversy, Bishop Whipple said they
did not know anything about it. He said
that he had not heard the subject men,
toned. Asked about his own opinions Of
the Briggs case, he said:
Il have not read DR.. Briggs book, and
consequently could not criticise it intelli-
gently. but will say that 1 have the ut
most confidence in Bishop Potter whom
I have known through all of his ministry
He never loses his head. In every fiber
OF his being he is loyal to his Master and
to the church of which he is the chief
shepherd.
This question which agitates so many
minds is not new question. The Bible
IS a very wonderful book. 1t was two
thousand years after the first chapter
was written before 1t was finished. 1t
was not gathered together until fifteen
hundred years after the last author died.
During these years of its history, theories
Of medicine and government and science
have been turned and overturned again
and again. The Bible has been In the
past and will be In the future the revela-
ton Of the gracious purposes OF God to
His children, and the story of His infinite
love.
There is a divine element of the sacred
Scriptures which it is impossible that any
human theory or human investigation
can ever touch. A devout Christian need
not have the slightest doubt or anxiety
over critical scholarship. Truth does not
fear investigation, and L am sure 1t will
be in the future as 1t has been in tho
past that not one iota of Gods truth and
His revelation can ever be affected by
honest examination. DR.. Briggs has re-
ceived much praise from scholars of DIFF
ferent communions, even of the Roman
Catholic church, and 1t is only fair to
believe him when he declares that from
his heart he accepts the creed and the
doctrine of the church"