The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-15


is wholly within my own discretion.
Such Is not the case. A bishops powers
are constitutional. not absolute. In thu
| matter OF ordination ne can only act when
certain preliminary action by others that
heen had, but when this is the case and
threshold Of the minitary, the canons OF
ordination declare that the bishop
| .'shall" not "mayh then proceed to take
order for the ordination of the person
who has met the preliminary tests in the
All these have been applied In the case
Of the person to whom your letter re-
fers and l have received n certificate to
that effect from the standing committee
of the diocese W hich is as follows:
ITO the Right Rev. II enry g. Potter,
d. D., eto. Bishop of New York:
1--WE, whose names are underwritten
being a majority of the whole standing
committee of the diocese Of New York.
the said committee having been duly
of New York, do testify that the Rev.
Charles Briggs, u. D., candidate for
priests orders, hath laid before us salts.
factory certificates that for the space OF
three,years last past Tor since thet27th day
of May in the year 1898, that being the
date of his admission to deacon's or
ders) he hath lived piously. sobsrly and
or held anything contrary to the doct-
rine or discipline of this church; and
we hereby recommend him for admission
to the sacred order of priests (the advice
and consent required by the canon to
the dispensation of the remaining portion
of the term Of candidateship and service
in the deaconate after May 10, 1899, be
ing expressed by the signature of three
fourths of the members of our commit
tee In witness whereof We have hereun-
to set our hands this second day OF March
in the year Of our Lord 1899.
Morgan Dix, 0ctavne Apologize. ]. S.
Shipman, S. Nicholson Kane, II. Z.
Won Post, Thomas X. Harris"
Under these circumstances and unless
some charge affecting the character or
teaching Of the Rev. DR.. Briggs, which
was not covered by the foregoing tssti-
monial had been presented to me,
should not consider myself as having
discretion to disregard the plain impera-
tive Of the canon. ---..-'----
But nothing of the sort has been ad
duced. The book, the teachines of which
have lately been challenged, has been
for .somestim before the public, and the
standing COMMITTEES Of the diocese has
been convened since recent and particu-
lar attention has been called to 1t. 1t
was. in my Judgment, competent to that
DOuy, IL ~ Adu ECU Nv w w ~, w "
call the certificate originally forwarded
to me, on the ground that 1t had toen
signed gunder . Misrepresentation or
with insufficient knowledge but this 1t
has not seen fit to do. l must therefore
accept that certificate as final and l shall
do SO.
beg, however, that you will not sup
pose that ! am seeking to escape from my
personal responsibility in the matter of
the ordination Of DR.. Briggs by retiring
behind sthS action of my constitutional
advisers II have not the slightest de-
sire to do so. The outory against the
author Of the introduction to the Study
Of Holy Scripture" is chiefly to be de-
plored because it betrays such lamenta-
bic ignorance of the progress OF sound
learning and the Judgment Of tie best
Christian scholars. One Of these, a
bishop, writes:
"You may be interested to see that
the old staid Christian knowledge socie-
ty re-published my little pamphlet on the
Bible which contains the SAME principles
that are elaborated in y0ur treatise. l am
indignant at the Misrepresentation, or,
we will hope, the mis-understandings Of
some of your critics.l Have they, for the
FIRST time come across the Interpretation
of speaking with tongues which harmo-
nize that book with the epistle to the
-Corinthiansf Have they never read Dean
Plumptre's article on the subject In
Smiths dictionary Of the Bible Sss
In a-word the author OF The Intro
duction' To the Study Of Holy Scripture"
has simply stated conclusions which the