The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-19

ho silent or withdraw and it is manifest
that this applies to any and every one who
has lost his hold upon any of the accepted
doctrines OF his church: this Is necessary
conclusion from the bare fact tnat the
minister is hy his ordination VOWS, bound
to teach ana preach the doctrines of tnat
branch of the church to which he belongs:
and If he cannot. or does not. accept such
doctrines If he finds them burdens upon
his conscience. common honesty docs not
leay. him the alleged alternative OF mere
silence hut auras his withdrawal, II"
must not ,r. ai- mothers bread and yet
reyiie her pied and formulated doc
trines: for t.vever much those accented
doctrines mav vary IN their inherent i'm
pOrtanCe ana cSScntiaiity. there can be
no question of their binding Obligation on
profess their belief in them.
This much. then. is certaln-that the
pastoral letter places the House OF ihl>n-
OPS in the strange and startling attitude
nf rapldiatins some formulated doc
tr!nes of their mother church. while con
tinuing TO eat her bread Ana ScarGely
less strange and surprising Is the 1act mat
the letter does not state what are the
formularics meant ,,,
all the members of n" Church. LOT il'lI
spiritual guidance and rditiCation. and Tet
the letter fails to say what are 'ItSe
repudiated fornlularisS of which modern
christianity Is SO laudahly seeking 10 uH-
load the church and the consciences OF
Put This want of specification requires
that the faithful and conscientious priest
bound 10 teach and aGtua45y ,'.,.,i1 ,ettiiiiE
reformation GoCtrinesl. should aINiouSI!
and carefully inquire. and. II possible, as
certain, what are these repuNteled It.ni It!
nation formularies Ana IN proSeSut!.nS
this necessary and all important inquiry
the letter does vOuChsafe US. TINS ASSIST
nnCe namely. that the formultries meant
are of such importance that. in tAe EltM
Of the writer of the .etter, ana OF ne
House of Bfshnrs the church has exalted
them into an identity with the esSefl tlii
symbols of the Catholic faith Hence,
therefore. there can be no aouD, "a, as osen % etl
judgment of the church as TO ths essen
fiaIity OF the rcpudiated formuiaries
''Rut what are they? We need seare5y ,lI5y
pause to DISPOSE OF tf.e SusSss',UI. ,,. t+SIy
~ hose adopted by the church. but those
adopted by the Icnomirauonai bod'es, lor
this suggestion is fully answered by VIVA VIVA
is said above. TO the effect that the OBJ
-Soyio,,s rorrni,laries are some which the
cbi1rrh herself has exalted so high, and
modern Christianity seeks TO abase.
so with this light, we must prosecute
our inquiry as to wha; fqrmularies ar, are
meant and. In doing this, necessarily
certain facts must form the basis OF our
INQUIRY. or, rather, tho inquiry must De
pursued in the light OF certain am, iarHs: ,,s:. =,
go. down the fact that the articles OF re
lgion are by all odds tle most lfnport4ins an.
OF all the for,nularies adoptea Dy iie
deed If il should he averred that they are
tho only such formula r!es 70 which one
can imagine the language OF the pastoral
letter TO refer. who could deny the as
sertion, or point out any other formula
ries that could Cc meant?
Another most significant circumstance
is the fact that there are. in the Church Of
England and IN our brs nch of tho church
NOT n few who desire, and have made ef
fort; to release the clergy from the oblt-
CATION of these same articles. Anyone fa
inIl!ar with church history In England,
end especially at tho time OF the oxford
Movement in the early part Of the last
century knows what efforts were made to
get rid of the reformation doctrines of the
| articles. or to make them conform 70 Ro-
man Catholic theology by putting such a
| forced and unnatural construction upon
them as would elimiua-e all therein that
| distinguished the reformed doctrine from
Rone'S teaching.
'.The ancient symbols OF the Catholic
faith were not changed in the Reformation
period. nor in anyway involved. the Ro-
| man and the Anglican branches alike held
| to the ol1 creeds. but these articles of re-
| ligion were drawn up and adopted for the
very purpose of putting; into distinct and
] authoritative form the doctrines which
distinguished the reforrlers from Rome