Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-24
RESENTS CLAIM
OF EPISCOPA ALLAN
CATHOLIC TAKES EXCEPTIONS
TO STATEMENTS
Pastor Of Pasadena Church Says Eng
lish Denomination Is Not the
American Church, but Owes
Much to Rome

Rev, DR.. J.. ]. Wilkins memorial au-
dress of last Sunday on the occasion
of the 300th anniversary OF the Epls-
copal church in the United states mas
accustomed no little Juror in the Tallks .'
of churchmen of other denominatlons'
pov William Hughes, pastor of st.
Andrews church, Pasadena, taxes eN,
cention to several of DIR. wilkins
statements. He said last night:
IT saw in The Herald of June IL a
lengthy report of remarkable Sermon
by Very Rev. DR.. j. j. W1lklns, uean
and rector of st. Paufs Protestali'
Fniscopal cathedral. His sermon is re-
rnarkabIe alike for it's intolerance ana
misstatements. In point--of 1ntoler-
ance, it sounds like a sermon Whlcn
might have been preached 3OO years
ago in Virginia when that colony was
violently bigoted, rather than IKE d LII. III
centenary celebration OF the Ioulluins
of the Episcopal church in that coloiiy,
which was actually preached IN your
e,,iiehtened citv before an American
audience. ,,o
81 shall indicate five points, any one
of which would be enough to stamp the
sermon as remarkable.
"First-It asserts and supports as its
main thesis principle when is Ialse
alike to the American constitution anu
American history; it asserts tne ue
state upon church.
"Second-It makes a claim Ior the
Episcopal church and it's past IN tne
making of American history when Is
greatly exaggerated.
"Third-It mistakes if not intention
ally misstates, facts as TO the relisloii
of prominent Americans.
"Fourth-It attacks a huge body or
faithful American citizens and prands
them as intruders and aliens.
"Fifth-It disparages the work OF the
Puritans and denies to them the honor
which is their due.
Preachers Statements
"First-The preacher states:
"Tn things temporal, religion is de-
pendent upon the state. In thlngs
spiritual and moral the state Is de-
4ndent upon religion In the history
tno country has this axiom OF gov
lment been more luminously ana
undantly illustrated than in the his
4 of the United States. Religion and
les. Caesar and the church have
nxed together here from the earliest
Enings of our American republic.
THE essentially American principle
THAT each is supreme in its own
ohere and in no way dependent on
ie other, the church being paramount
things spiritual the state in things
ommon channel as the preacher
yould have them, but along parallel
ines the disentanglement of the TWO
iorces and the placing of them on par
Allel but independent lines, was pre-
cisely the accomplishment and glory
and right to permanency of the Amer
lean republic. Up to the time of the
colonization of America, the union of
church and state was universal. And
even in the coPnies, liberation, when
secured, was only to certain sects, to
the expulsion of others, till the found
ing of Catholic Maryland put all
churches on the same footing with their
own And as an instance of intolera-
tion, see Episcopal Virginia proscrib-
ing and hunting, fining, imprisoning
and banishing Quakers, Catholics and
nom conformists generally for their re-
ligion.
Deity Not Named
"The preacher further states:
"'When our great political forefath-
ers framed the constitution of the
United States, they wrote in their pre-
amble these words: Done in the year
of our Lord 177S" And of the states
that adopted their constitutions, after
this constitution was adopted, every
one embodied in it's instrument the
recognition of Almighty God as the
governor of the moral and spiritual
Universe. Illus dOu WAS put llllO lle
constitution; thus this nation was
made a religious nation
"Now. the reverend gentleman should
know that the name of God was omit
ted from the body of the national con-
stitution; and that this was probably
due not to any oversight, but to care
full deliberation. The lessons of. his
tory says Cornelison Gin Religion and
Civil Government in the United States.
page 205) especially as connected with
che founding Of some of the colonies
I(notably Virginia), aroused fear of
of religion with civil gov
}ernment, and to this fear the omission
must in large measure be attributed
Fear of the church of England
says John Adams, contributed as
much as any other cause to arouse the
attention, not only of the inquiring
mind, but of the common people, and
to urge them to close thinking on the
constitutional authority of parliament
over the colonies.
But would I deny that this is a |
Christian nation? BY 40 means, By