Year: 1868

Lecture BY Bishop Whitchouse.


On Tuesday evening, March IL, the Right Rev.


Henry J. B. Whitehouse, Episcopal L,shop OF llli-


nois, delivered lecture on the Lambeth Confer
ence, or the Anglican Communion" at Trinity
church, in Chicago, iii. He sad:-In order
to convey any proper idea Of the weight


Of that solemn assembly it would be neces-


sary to go into the details and the condition


Of the events that had brought about that con-
vocation Of bishops. The Lambeth Conference


was convention Of the bishops of the Angli can


communion. It derived its name from the place


in which it was held, which was the Lambeth


Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canter-


bury. In the chapel of that palace the assembly
had met-that chapel from which for years the


divine Word had been sent forth. Those
who know of that place could at once
feel the sacred associations which the
name of Lambeth carries to the heart. The Angli-
can communion would require more lengthy
explanation. There was the Church of Briton,
the Eastern Church, which was the Greek, and the
Western Church. These churches were at one
time practically united on the little isle of Britain
and sent out the doctrines which were to convert
the world. The Church, therefore, Of the British
Isle was one Of the great branches of the Church
OF Christ and has ever retained its purity and the
creed of the Church. and preached the great truths
OF Christ. There is tradition which says that on
one occasion several of the Savon maidens were
taken captive to Rome and offered for sale as
slaves in the slave mart. They were seen by the
incumbent of the Papal See, who admired their
beauty, and hearing that they were heathens felt
compassion for them. This led to the sending of a
the charge of Augustine, who was consecrated
bshop-not for the Italians, but an Anglican


bishop. Shortly after his arrival in that country
dssensions had sprung up between the Anglican
and the Roman, and the Roman and the Anglican
churches were for long time distinct and
separate churches; but the breach was finally
healed, and the whole again came under the domi-
nation of Rome. The Church of the Anglican
communion never had severed its connection with
the true Church of Christ. The Anglican Church
had been noble and energetic in her mission,
which had spread over North, South, East and
West. No sooner had she firmly established
her faith at Rome than with the true Chris
tianty of dear mother she fastened to spread the
truth OF Christ over all parts of Europe. 1t
ton that it was the original of our Church that
it began with Henry VIII.; but it was not.
1t had been the custom of the Romanist to ask
where was your Church before Henry the
EighthY' The true answer is that the Church is
one body, that it has always been the same, not
having severed its connection. Henry the Eighth
died in communion with the Church of Rome. He
had only prevented Rome's jurisdiction within his
realm that he might preserve himself. The Church
of England reformed as Church, as branch of
the Church of Christ, throwing off foreign domna-
ton, and she had, by diligent research, gone back
for ages and sought out the faith of Christ and





Rome held the same dogma. And now, having
brought the Anglican Church down to the present
day, we will look at what constitutes that Church.
Bishops from all parts of the world had met to de-
termine that question. There were in the Anglican
communion It's bishops, presiding over rs 900 or
iained clergy, who were spread over the entire
universe, to preach the Church Of Christ. This is
what composes the Anglican communion. He
the different churches of the Anglican
in the world, and said that they all
reflected back with credit on the mother church.
The church that had come to this country had
been trying experiments, and, thank God, these
experiments had been successful In Africa, we
have been said to look upon the horrid spectacle
Of bishop that had strayed from the church, and
who, by his philosophy, had tried to convince the
world that it was sinful to pray to God. The
colonial churches took alright at this, and called
for conference Of the bishops of the church to
meet in the land, where they could be gathered
under the protecting wing of the mother church.
Then it was that he was permitted to be
present at that Lambeth Conference, where
TO join with the mother church in distributing to
The world that true gospel as preached by the
Anglican communion. For this reason was the
Lambeth Conference called. The apostacy Of that
Bishop of Africa was the principal source of the
lambeth Conference. That convocation of seven
which he thought was one Of the most wonderful
productions of the age. There was not q line i'm
that precious epistle which ought not to make
every one praise God that he had lived to see the
day when such loving and Christian document
had been given to the world. When that pastoral
letter read every bishop to his feet. That
was the assent that was given to it. He said that
he might detain them much longer by entering
into the details of the numerous ramiications of
the subject, but he only wished them to give their
undivided attention to one subject, the unity of the
church.