New-York tribune., 1901-01-20
"AUTHORITY AND TRUTH. :"
HIGH CHURCH MANS STATEMENT OF
THE POSITION OF THE ANGLO
CATHOLIC PARTY.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

CATHOLIC PARTY.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: My attention has been called TO a recent
editorial in The Tribune entitled Authority and
Truth" This seems 10 me to be fairly typical
expression Of the popular mind in regard TO re-
Igon. and especially Of religious thought IN the
Episcopal Church. Like the great mass OF such
writings to-day it is quite misrepresentation or
inimical to the position of the High Church
man." 'Rituast' or Conservative in the Epis-
copa Church and the religious world. 1t is seldom.
If ever, I think, that or hears that posi-
tion fairly stated and if you will permit me the
privilege I will try make clear the relation in
which High Church man. conceives himself to
stand toward the liberal religious thought OF
the day, as set forth in this editorial
In the first place allow to say that have
not had the opportunity of reading Dean Ere
mantle's course of lectures at Harvard, and only
comment upon the conclusion assumed in the
editorial, that they ARE complete denial OF the
fundamental positions of the Anglo-Catholic party
in the Church" Whether not the lectures are
so subversive of the tenets of the "Anglo-Cathoic
party" Is, hope, still open question. At least
I think 1t can be shown from the quotations OF
this very editorial that they not "a complete
denial of the fundamental positions of the Anglo
Catholic party" The editorial thus defines the
position Of the "Anglo-CathOfc party: The
main contention OF the Anglo-Catholics is that
the Church is divine organization, to which, In
the beginning, sacred deposit Of truth was given,
and whose officers commissioned by COu
Himself TO transmit that deposit from age to age
This is substantially correct. But the Broad
Church man. of whom Dean Fremantle is d dis
tinguished representative. denies this theory, not
merely untrue In point of fact. but perneious
In his lectures the Dean took pains to emphasize
the fact that the Church is not much
ganizaton of divinely commissioned oficeholders
a society whose object is to spread abroad
among men the moral ideas of Jesus
THE FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH
From this. then. 1t would appear that the rever-
end Dean did not deny the Divine commission, but
only emphasized the purposes for which the otfi-
GERS of the Church Were divinely commissioned 1
do think that any High Church would
maintain that it not the object of the Church
TO spread among men the moral ideals of Jesus
Yet this is. cOvertly least charged against them.
The editorial proceeds to say: He declared there
is neither Scriptural historical warrant for
the conception of the Church which makes its
chief function that of worship. Its only for
being is that it makes men better by whatever
means. and things to-day It best do
that by throwing the weight of its influence into
all the great secular activities of the age" 1t is
certainly not much TO say that the chief func-
ton Of religion is to know God and hold COM
munion with Him. and any worship worthy of the
name cannot mean more nor less than this The
cursory reader of Holy Scripture OF
Church history cannot possibly fail to recognize.
should suppose. that the supreme principle in
Church and Scripture is the worship service Of
attain TO the best possibilities of our human
Would the editorial have US to understand that
the Dean made such a statement without any
historical warrant for the conception Of the Church
Wbv the necuIiar eorv of the Christian reIaon
is the personal love- worship and devotion OF every
fest in the flesh cannot imagine why any High
church man should deny that the Churchs only
excuse for being is that 1t makes men better 6y
whatever means. This Is true saving and
Paul And what He came TO do that IL IS the pur
ways. We are told that as things are today it
Lhe GngTcn) & can oes6 90 mat naHe men better
great secular activities of the age Is this in any
Catholic party? OF course not. But why, let me
ask should the Church cease to worship God II it
great secular activities OF the age? From these
Church is radical and can never be r-conciled-'
from the account as given in the editorial The
Broad Church conception does not seem be quite
%e as the maniword aspects Of to
thropc service OF ycIson -b 6r 'nG @ pnaa @
commandment is to love God and the second is like
THE HIGH CHURCH CREED.
few lines further on We are informed: While
their ii. e, the "Anglo-CathoIc partys'O ultimate
appeal is TO authority the worlds ultimate appeal
is 10 truth" Authority and truth" are evil
IDENTIFY not convertible terms in the mind of tho
editorial writer. but they are synonymous in the
mind OF an anglo Catholic" And just here lies
believe the difference between the Broad Church
or world conception of Christianity and that of the
AnCIo-Catholic" party. Broad Churchmen and
the world accept that true. and, therefore, au-
thoritatiVe, which COmmeudS itself as reasonable
to scholars and scientists. On the contrary, a
High Church man holds that the conclusions OF
scholars and scientists may may not be true so
long as they do not cOntrOVert the Catholic faith
And by the Catholic faith is understood the his
torlcal Interpretation OF the Apostles NiCene
Creed-not every philosophical. political moral
any age country Now the Catholic creed may
be true IL may be false except for consider
alton, and that is. its authority! High Church
man. believes that Jesus Christ was God, incar-
Very God; begotten, not made; Being of sub
stance with the Father; by Whom all things
made; Who. FOR US men and for salvation
down from heaven" That He taught certain
called His Apostles certain spiritual truths
and commanded them TO go teach all nations. The
summary OF that teaching is contained in the
creed. which has been preserved and perpetuated
by the successors OF those Apostles down to this
day. High Church man. then does not accent
tho Catholic religion because il is reasonable or
scientifically demOnsrabe. but because he believes
II to be the teaching of Jesus Christ Whom @ be-
ueVcS To be God OF heaven and earth, and in Whom
we live and move and have being" So far as
Individual reason learning is concerned, agnos-
UCtSm, tnhdeltty, SwedenbOrgianiSm, Christian Sci
ence or Calvtnism may appeal to men
able and therefore, authoritative. but the Catholic
faith does not rest upon the wisdom of man. but
OF God We do not simply admire a Huxley or q
Noltare or Swcdenborg, q Mrs. Eddy, or a
Calvin, but We worship Jesus Christ. the Supreme
Character and Personality OF all human history.
To quote again: There no need" thew
say q. e., Liberal Church men, like Dean Ere
mantlc) ito assume the fact of an infallibe Church