The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-01-18
EPISCOPAL
DOCTRINE
Rev. ". N. Hughes, D. D., Gives
the Views Of that Church.
A FOrcibIe and Well Presented Ar
eument In Favor of the Greed
Adopted and Practiced by Its Ad-
herentS.

| HCECuNSs
On Tuesday evening the second of
| the course of lectures on the position
of the different Christian denomina.
tions In this country was delivered at
the Baptist Church by the Rev. DR..
Hughes of the Church of the Re-
deemer on the position of the Epis-
copal Church. The pastor of the Bap-
tist Church, Rev. Mr. Batten said
that owing to unavoidable circum-
stances, DR.. Bradford, of Montclair,
who was to speak that evening on
the position of the Congregational
Church was not able to be present and
DR.. Hughes had kindly consented to
exchange places with him.
DR.. Hughes began by saying that
he took it for granted that he was
there to state position, not to defend
or to attack others. That light not
heat was his object; that he was to
speak as judge rather than as an
advocate, to give what he believed was
the official position of the Episcopal
Church rather than his own opinions.
Its position is one reached by the
slow processes of eighteen centuries
of Christian events. "These are very
complete as well as ancient and in
many points confused" Three fea-
lures which may make it seem differ
ent from other bodies are as to it's
worship, its form of government and
its corporate aim.
AS to worship, an eminent minister
recently said that worship was al
most a lost art in a certain congrega-
tion. 80, no, sir, said lady who
heard him and who was a mem ber
of the congregation, "We all worship
our preacher. Several other illus
trations of this point were given to
show that the spirit of non reverence
might prove of danger, and that per-
haps the position of the Episcopal
Church in its emphasis upon a some
what dignified and stately form of
public service might not be of great
value to the spiritual welfare of the
American people. The standard of
worship should be that described in the
Book of Revelations where the four
and twenty elders took off their gol-
den crowns and bowed in alteration
before the throne.
Secondly, as to form of governm ent
The position of the Episcopal Church
may prove to be wholesome for our
common Christianity. In regard to
the Apostolic succession, - there are
many different views. All churches
of any vigor or life believe IN apos-
tolic succession. Presbyterians believe
that the continuity and life of the
church as an organization came down
through succession Of elders or pres
byters; Congregationalists claim
that APOSTOLIC continuity was and is
through the congregations. Opposed
to these are those who hold that there
never was an apostolic succession of
any kind and that our Lord never
founded nor intended to perpetrate a
visible organization of believers but
that any man at any time may, when
he makes up his mind that he will
at last preach the only true and un-
diluted Gospel of Christ, withdraw
and secede from all fellowship and
set up one for himself. The truth of
these different positions is a matter
of history and the first one hundred
and fifty years OF church history is
so scant in material and so purely
formative in action that great scho-
lars find ground for various views
on this point of apostolic succession
that is, as to whether it was Episcopal,
Presbyterial, or Congregational. The
Episcopal position to say the least is
not without a fair show of being
hictorically sound. For nearly thir-
teen hundred years it was accepted
and is held today in one form OF
another by probably the majority of
Protestants.
Bh let us try to get at the motive
force, the spiritual purpose of this
position. st. Paul in hic old age
wrote to st. Timothy, whom he had
left in charge Of the church at
Ephesus, these words 90, Timothy,
keep that which is committed to thy
trust. F" A sense of trusteeship seems
therefore to be imposed by the Holy
Scriptures. We must get the view
point that the gospel of Jesus Christ
our Lord is legacy left to all the
ages to be administered by Legitimate
trustees. In one form or another the
position of the Episcopal Church in
this country is verify and essentially
one of loyalty to trust.
For example there never has been
discussion in the governing body OF
the Episcopal Church as to the origi-
nal and fundamental Christian doc
trine. and there never will be.
"The New Testament of Our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. together
with its official Interpretation on the
broad lines of the apostles and Nicene
creeds are what the lawyers term res
adjuoica that is, matters settled
I