The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-07
Ali.couception of DR.. Rain.ford.

most interesting events OF lvu3.
Alisconception OF DR.. Rainsford.
The Brotherhood, of St. Andrew has
taken unnecessary pains to disavow re-
sponsibility for certain utterances Of the
Rev. DR.. RAISsFoRD of st. Georges
Church at Denten service held at Phila-
delphia under the auspices Of that guild.
As a lay order Of the Episcopal Church
simply for the spread Of CHRIsTs
kingdom among men, it obviously
has no competency and no function to
determine questions Of theology.
Laymen who assume the task Of taking
care Of religion are apt to be quicker
than priests and the best instructed
theologians in seeming out heresy.
Theological views which seem to them
novel and startlingly subversive may
be familiar TO every student of theology
a. views long held in the Church by many
of its approved teachers and expounders,
and wholly consistent with the articles
OF its faith.
This ia true Of the Episcopal Church,
more especially. The lines of distinc-
ton between doctrines and practices in
that Church are broad and sharply de-
fined. At the one extreme is the Prot
estant or Calvinistic party and at the
other Is the Catholic party, with it's
sacerdotalism and sacramentarianism
and its teaching Of the Real Presence.
To each the other may seem fagrantly
heretical Beyond them is the Broad
party, to which DR.. RAINsFoRD and many
OF the most influential and most intel
Actual OF the clergy Of both this country
and England belong; and to the Others,
more especially to the laymen Of the
other parties, all those clergymen may
seem to be alarmingly heretical.
We observe that the criticism Of DR..
RAINsFoRD started from a source in the
Catholic party. This is rather re-
markable, though not at all extraordi-
nary, because that party is itself accused
Of subverting tho faith of the Episcopal
Church and Remaining it. All Eng
land is now agitated by its determined
propagation OF doctrines and persistence
in ritualistic practices which defy and out
rage the whole genius Of Professionalism.
That party has gone to extremes 80 great
that unless it can be restrained sharply
there is danger that the Establishment
will ultimately be broken up.
The Broad party, to which DR..
RAINsFoRD may be assigned, has car
ried its liberality TO the extent Of refrain
ing from interference with this Catho-
lie movement. Its feeling seems to be
that IL anybody can get aids to religious
devotion from the Ritualist teachings
and practices these serve a good and
valuable purpose. 1t is not afraid OF
them, but rs tolerant Of every phase OF
Guardianship, 80 long as the essence
Of religion il preserved. Accordingly,
we have heard from no. Broad Church
source any severity Of assault on the
Catholic movement. These clergy
men do not seem to be at all agitated
because at. st. Jgnatius's and at the
Church OF st. Mary the Virgin the Real
Presence is taught, Professionalism Is
contemptuously treated, the COMES
eionai is set up, there is practically COM
munion in one kind only, and, generally
the forms and ceremonies and aces
series closely approximate to those Of
the Roman Catholic Church. They are
not heresy hunters.
The accusation made against DR..
RAINsfoRp, so far as we can make it out,
a that he explained away the doctrine
Of the Atonement, and denied inferen-
tally . the mediatorial work Of JESUS,
and, incidentally, took the view of the
Bible OF the so-called Higher Criticism.
But the accusation lies against the whole
distinguished school of theology to which
he belongs, q school which now is promi-
mont, IL not predominant in every Church
OF Christendom. Even the Pope has
instituted a commission to weigh the
evidences and conclusions its scholars
have to present. We have seen no exact
report Of the remarks of DR.. RAINsFoRD
at Philadelphia, but there is no reason to
believe that ne swerved in the least from
the position held by many OF the most
illustrious Churchmen OF this time or said
anything which would have provoked sur
prise in any one familiar with theological
teachings Of men OF the highest and most
. approved standing in the Anglican Church
and the Episcopal Church.
Only ignorance Of the present drift Of
theology could have discovered any
heretical novelty in his Philadelphia ex-
pressions. However strange these may
have seemed TO such ignorance, they
were different in form and expression
rather than in essence, and were wholly
In accord with the theological views
which are hold and taught in most the
illogical seminaries. Whether, in the
method Of expressing my beliefs depart
from established usage further than ID
wise, DIR. AINsroRD says in q letter
replying to Z criticism on him. is a