The Irish standard., 1907-04-06

the Light that enlighteneth every man
that cometh into the world. The wis.,
dom Of man is folly unto God.
much has been made of the ques-
tion of Anglican Orders. 1t seems to
me to be utterly impertinent to the
greater question of ones individual
duty to Christ and His Church. One
who is truy a bishop or truly priest
can be false to Christ. Was not an
apostle q betrayer? The Catholic
Church, as learned before, and know
with certainty now, could wish that
Anglican orders were valid; it would
remove one Of the greatest difficulties
in the way of reconciliation. There is
no desire on the part Of the Catholic
Church to deny any fact; it is only
that she is bound to recognize and
state facts. The Greek church agrees
with the Roman Catholic Church in
its opinion Of Anglican orders, as is
proven by the recent ordination in
New York Of former Anglican cler-
gyman. 1t is plain that however COM
plimentary Greek bishops may be, they
refuse to jeopardize their orders by
admitting into communion with them
m Anglican without reordination.
"But if the Anglican orders were
valid, my duty would be the same.
Oriental heresies, as a rule, had genu-
inc bishops and priests; but their
crime Of dividing the body Of Christ
was not less heinous because Of that,
but more so. The vital question is one
Of obedience to the Living Church.
Where is that Church? How can 1t
speak to me? He that heareth her
heareth Christ, and he that despiseth
her despiseth Christ. In Peters ship
there is truth, there is safety; thus
the Blessed Master preached to the
multitude on the seashore; thus He
breaches ever; where Peter is, there
is the Church.
again, every Christian body. save
the Catholic Church. is losing or has
lost it's reverence for the Bible, and
those who made Of the Bible fetch.
awakening now to the falsity of their
understanding Of it, have gone to the
extreme of reputation. The Church
maintains her original position, holds
Il in profound reverence as Of old and
uses 1t more extensively than ever be-
fore.
1.-THE Catholic Church has never de-
MED her word, nor has her faith in
the truth and perpetuity of the Gospel
Of Jesus Christ failed because she has
based that faith not on chance opin-
ions of men, but on Christ, the Divine
Teacher. The crowning absurdity of
Professionalism is revealed by the re-
cent. assertion of President Eliot. Of
Harvard, that religion can be nothing
better than a mere working hypothe-
lis, and like science, be forever shift
ing its teachings according to the dis
coveries of the day. Such religion Is
xOL 1Cll6lOHt ~ itAtuiy uCcSh sSo w oS
called ethics, for ethics claim to reach
down to the fundamental laws of life.
tt"Finally, the conceit that the Angli-
can Church can be brought back to the
true fold of Christ by individuals that
see the light and try to hold it back
rather than follow it, is founded on an
over appreciation Of the part the in
dividual must play in the divine econ
omy Of his, Chruch. Christ could, IL
He chose, raise up the very stones to
be sons Of Abraham and He does not
demand that any man should be more
than what the Spirit of God shows him
that he ought to be. Christ is COM
petent to take care Of His Church and
has promised that the gates Of hell
shall not prevail against her.
1.-THE dreams of broad churchmen
that Anglicanism will be the rallying
point of so-called liberals, the dream
Of the so-called Anglo Catholics that it
will be the rallying point of distracted
Christendom are equally founded on
an unwillingnes to face facts as they
are, and to recognize the natural con-
sequences of tendencies as inexorable
as laws that make for death. The
hope that has for so many years
buoyed so large a number of Anglicans
and made them allay persistent doubt
has grown more vain and neeting.
Tho Rev. DR.. Huntington, rector Of
GrHce church, New York, the greatest
product of Episcopalianism in the
United States, has recognized this
truth, and with honesty confessed it in
a letter to a young Episcopal clergy
man, recently published in the Living
Church, of Milwaukee, and the Church
Standard of Philadelphia. He says:
4 7 have labored for peace; and now in
the very communion which some Of