New-York tribune., 1909-05-15
DISCUSS CHURCH UNITY
BISHOP DOANE SPEAKS.
Thinks Possibility of Merger Not
Likely To Be Realized.

Boston, May 1.-THE outlook for visible church
unity topic which interested a large audience
to-day at the Episcopal Church congress, which
closed its sessions after number Of prominent
nen had spoken. The conclusion reached was that
there can be no visible church unity without full
recognition of she validity of the priesthood and
the sacramental system. One Of the speakers eX-
pressed the opinion that no help toward the de-
sired end can be expected from the Roman Cath
ole Church until the idea OF 2 primacy at Rome
supplants that OF the PaTacy-
Bishop William CrosweI Doane Of Albany,
thought that the possibility Of visible church unity
was not likely TO be realized in this world. The
Rev. DR.. II. II. Oberly. of Elizabeth N J., was of
the opinion that the first effort toward unity must
be made with the Protestant denominations An
ether opinion that given by the Rev. Dr.. Will
lam r. Huntington. of New York who said that a
merger of churches unless carefully arranged and
constitutional grounds. would place the Episco-
pal Church in great danger, humanity speaking. OF
being badly bruised between the upper milestone Of
the Roman denomination and neither milestone OF
the Protestant Federation"
The Episcopal Church was arraigned by the Rev.
Dr.. William F. Faber, Of Detroit. for what he
called a lack Of unity within its own ranks
THE Office and Work of the Holy Spirit Nlthn
and Without the Church" was discussed by Canon
H. Hensley Henson. of London; the Rev Dr. Jo-
seph c. H. Barry. dean of the Nashotah CNls)
Theological Seminary and rector-eiect Of the
Church Of St. Mary the Virgin, New York; the
Rev. Melville K. Bailey, OF New York and the
-
The congress was closed by a brief farewell ad-
dress by Bishop William Lawrence, the general
chairman.
BISHOP DoANE's ADDRESS.
Bishop Doane's address was, in part, as follows;
The outlook for visible Christian unity, that is
70 say, OF unity that involves uniformity so % %
10 obterate al differences of religious opinion or
expression Of feeling not likely to be real
3zed world That beautiful picture OF tente-
costal days when they all IN one pIaSv, -;
accord, continued in prayer and suppllcatlon s Is
and hearts, but hardly forward with the hope OF
future realization Everywhere there Is ,e{ a GeTp
TO together 1t is in The air We breathe IN me
atmosphere through which We look: God grant II
People look in different directions for the fu!4.
-nent of this vision: some Romevard some 10 v t.5
old churches OF the East, and some TO the great
Rome is concerned at present. to me almost
blank With the great oId e Eastern c6uTcne st Iessf
TbaT o1,T ewes were turned more. as they used TO
be toVar.5 the Catholic movement in Europe and
do think it is our bounden duty TO take steps @ Iow-
whose separation is hardly yet hardened into stiff
the doubt of the validity of its first eIscop5I ( con
secratcn, because the courts ss hare @ 55se1rsdeS
As 10 the Protestant churches separated from
us and from each other. the two strong Ia@mbetn @
statements must be borne in mlnd-nrst tlaL ere
should he taken 10 do what will advance the re-
slnon of the whole of Christendom and 10 abstain
and. secondly that the Anglican Church mQst con =.
tend for valid ministry as they HnaeTSraha @ @ n.
.1nunion of which they are members. but II IS @ no
part Of their duty TO Iro4oqnoe % sT B otber
scomunion We in danger Of both lnPateneee
and irnpertinence if viii devise distinct and def
.7ite plans about it The three things that are
needed patience and PRAYER anG c9nIet en-
T-ris+endonl can he drawn together without touch
as,inr @ with the great moral question of the day
which would gel s US IN s +0g2R 1eak KID down e4Gh soe as
d o tsnd d tS tSara at Tpion % Between our differ
and agreements
DIR. HUrNTTNGToNs ADDRESS.
Dr. Huntington said in part:
II is thought by many that the two chief con-
Germs Of the twentieth century are TO pc the con-
Really, the two chief concerns of the twentieth
century are 10 bf fa fTs+isn church The two
are closely allied Il united Church " hich,
realm and it may yet he the achievement of a
"a true cosmos. SO re-creating on a far grander
I do not undertake to grapple with both Of these
,Ereat subjects, but confne myself to the OUTLOOK
F-TFere are four theories upon the subject. I
sthem the imperial. the liberal the federal and the
econstitutionaf The imperial theory lodges suprem-
lacy in the person OF single eccIeslasIe {nTGne
lat definite SPOT desire 10 speak resPectIulIy s oI
IA theory which in fun view Of the assembled forces
xion Of such thinkers as Ward. Newman and Bru-
snetiere. 10 name no others; The Roman move
Iof the need Of a religious element in the ednca-
lon % me Eoug 5i1 ana II IN bss % t,e great 9dyantaGe
i,of sprealine on grounds ancient lineage TO i'm
EeiveiV 10 those coming from the British Isles II
lthe absoutism cf the Roman Curia is 10 be broken
up. be by forces set in motion beyond the
ssea. Tie alleged rock Of Peter cannot be dyn2-
knitted from this distance The shells viii not reach
Next comes the liberal theory. If the imperial
lssm would pound US into unity, liberalism would
Vsporize IN 1.-THE result cloud Carried 70
hts logical extreme. liberalism merges the church
a-ross by the flag and does away with all sacra-
he despised 1t backed by the full force Of lib
[erai Judaism and by other purely thefstic forces
Next comes federalism The Federal Council or
l4he Churches of Christ in America is indeed body
iworth taking irto account. It's meeting last year
sn Philadelphia was indeed nleInorahle event ana
ets report Just issued is epoch making volume.
E3ut are thirty denominations really closer to one
ssdges7 Must not the lines Of union in such case
continuallv threaten 70 become lines Of fracture?
TThe effort shows splendid courage ana a mos.
vraseworfy faith. hut il seeks 10 mingle forms of
roiity which cannot coalesce.
There remains the constitutional theory This
proposes 20 segregae certain essential principles Of
beiief and Fovernance, TO account these c9nsttu-
tional and all others statutory II conternplateS
snerger, but such a merger as conserves the rights
Yof all parties 1t lays main stress on the council
k-hristian Church Until it becomes universal the
sdesired reconciliation between democracy and
lChTistianity must wait nave no WISH 70 II1pEe
ia Casssndra. but venture 10 predict that unless
Esquarely on this that have termed the consutu-
ttional ground II viii be in great danger, humanity
iepeaking OF being badly bruised between the upper
f,niistone of the Roman denomination and the
k.1ether rnilstone Of the Protestant federation.
Il lacks just three DAYS OF being forty-four years
since here in Boston IN the old Trinity Church
Summer street, long since destroyed. the invi-
1Ston IS OF an s zIe,- i1own as me Church
on the subject assigned 10 this morning nv
the courtesy OF the society the sermon was pub
fished under the title. American CsthOlicty." A
tateered copy of the pamphlet is still in nv nos
session Looking il over the other day. in anticj-
patton of this discussion. came upon the follow
..AIlow me TO suggest three prominent charac-
fsticS by which truly national church In this
country would be known. Let term Them the