The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-22

by individuals in the parish and in tho
city with reference to the present sltu-
alton Of affairs AZ the Church Of the Cool
Shepherd. The following Is the rcctol's
answer:
The conditions under which a rector Of
q parish I'm the Episcopal church admin
listers It's affairs and the conditions under
which n Baptist minister acts as bdstnr
of his congregation are by no means rro
and the same. According TO the funda-
mental thought and purpose OF the EWt-
Copal church a clergyman is ass it were.
married to his parish The relation has
always been considered a permanent enc.
The rector Is supposed to be pastor In
spirit and In truth. lie IS supposed to be
II true aud loyal under-shcphcrd of the
Great Shepherd and Bishop Of mons
souls.
But suppose this phase Of the subject
Is ignored. suppose we consider the sec
Ond suggestion: "WhCn they DCrsccutc
you i'm this city. flcc We into another"
That is the very thing the rector of the
Good Shepherd has been trying to do a1
along. But for one cause or another no
has not been able to bring it to pass.
He has been as willing and as ready to
give up his present position and omOl T.
mcnts as any of his parishioncrs could
Justly wish. But the events of the last
two weeks have changed all this. lie has
recently been forced into an altDgcthor
different position. lie cannot now rcmal
true to himself his church and his cod
and submit Willingly for Il mnmcut to
the kind of pressure that il now bcins
brought to bear upon him. For. if he
should he would not only stultify himsllf
he would stultify the ministry 20 which
he belongs. and he would most lament
ably stultify the whole church # G,d.
For II must be remembered, even Christ
himself was finally compelled to take "a
firm and irrcyoCab!" stand. however hc
had spoken ANA acted before and as Il
result Of that final stand ne was forced
to submit himself to Il most corrupt
judge, and amOst unhOlY Judgment. The
Truth was declared to be lie 10y the due
course Of legal process. lie who was
the Truth was condemned to that NEST
disgracCful ignOmny of the cross. llc
suffered He died But "thc third day Tie
rose again from the dead" and so it must
ever be.
Tho question at issue now, therefore. Is
not what friend or foe thinks Of the rec
tor of the Church of Good Shepherd. II
is that his GOd-givCn conscience makes
him most firmly believe, because ne is
most profoundly persuaded or IT, it is the
best and nohlcat thing To do under cN-
listing circumstances.
The rector of the Good Shepherd was
/ placed in his present position, not simply
at the will of the CONGREGATION tu teach
and to preach what was pleasing to thnir
ears. lie was sent to preach 10 them and
to teach them the truth OF Cod I'm christ
Jesus our Lord. "out Of the Scriptures
lie was sent to give "faithfu diligence
always so to minister the doctrine ana
saCramCntS, ana the discipline of christ,
as the Lord hath commanded. ana as
1 this church hath received the same. ac-
COrding to the Commandments of Cod"
| What. then. if he has offended one here
| and another there" What if i'm due
course of his sacred duties, he has felt
/ himself compelled to act contrary To- the
/ wishes ard desires of those who have
/ shown themselves willing aud able to
! marshal most powerful influence against
/ him? What Of it?
lie has done his best i'm the past TO
avoid such combination of circum-
/ stances as those he has recently been
/ forced To come up against lie did this
because, for the time being, he conSid-
/ cred that course the proper one to take
for the best interests Of al concerned.
/ But now he can continue in such Il course
no longer. lie has been forced to take a
different stand. And behold. the result.
/ Not that ne desires it to be thought on
/ believed that the recent sermons on ,ho
/ Seventh Commandment brought the re-
quest for his resignation. Not mt all. The
/ cause which led To thal result has been m
| operation for years, and the formal OK
preston of a desire To That effect has
/ been known to him for the past nine OF
ten months. Vet the real fact Of tho
mattor remains the same. 1t was because
/ he had already offended SOmo and failed
/ to please others i'm the due execution oi
| his sacred duties that the present Conli-
tons have come into existence. So that
even though it must be admitted that the
recent sermons were but an aggraVluior
of the situation, not in themselves rs