CHAPTER II.

Consideration of the common and popular Objections to Episcopacy and to the general Economy of the Episcopal Church.

EPISCOPACY is found in a variety of forms over the Christian world, of which the Roman church is most eminent; next to that, the Greek church; next, the church of England; and next, the Episcopacy of the United States. The American Methodists are under a form of Episcopacy; and so are the Moravians, or United Brethren. There are some other forms of Christian organization, which have the semblance of Episcopacy; and numerous Christian institutions, in our own country and elsewhere, as I shall have occasion to show, are under the control of the Episcopal principle. Nearly, or quite all of our voluntary religious and benevolent societies are of this last class.

The Roman and Greek churches run nearly parallel in their general design and structure. But the features of the church of Rome are more before the world. They are gigantic and imposing; and for the powers it has usurped and employed, it has been terrific. At present it lies under the ban of the public opinion of the civilized world, so far as its former usurpations and abuse of power are concerned. The Protestant world, as is well known, has declared off, renounced connexion, and disclaimed all responsibility in its arrogance and abominations. As a subject of history it is interesting and awful to contemplate. The Pope is the great hierarch, and a temporal prince; his college of cardinals are his council, and the aristocracy of his realm; the archbishops are an intermediate grade and connexion of the priesthood; the bishops another; and the numerous orders of inferior ecclesiastics of this stupendous hierarchy fill up

the complement between the papal throne and the people of that numerous-most numerous-and wide-spread communion. The vast economy of this notable Episcopate is principally of human invention a great political institution, whose powers, concentrated in Rome, and emanating thence, have made the kings of the earth tributaries, have trod upon the necks of abject princes, and made Christendom what it was three centuries ago; since which time, under Protestant influence, and that infidelity which its own enormities created, the power of Rome has waned, and is waning, to set and rise no more. The church of Rome is duly appreciated; and a proper estimation of its grevious corruptions of Christianity, and of its usurpations and abuses of power, still leaves room for all that respect for the Protestant churches, which they can fairly claim, and for all that is desirable. They are not responsible for anything, but what they are and what they do. The declared object of their secession was to cut off and purge away what was bad, and retain what was good; but the church of Rome is the parent of them all. If one is vicious on that account, so is another; but no wise and fair jury would bring in a verdict against a child for the sin of its parent-the imputers of Adam's sin to his posterity excepted, admitting that they are wise and fair. At any rate, Protestants are not sufficiently orthodox in this case of their own, to confess for the sins of popery. They disclaim responsibility-they renounce, they abjure all connexion, all allegiance-and eschew all sympathy. And the world, being jurors, have acquitted them. Let not any man, then-above all, let no Protestant Christian-be so unworthy as to declaim against Episcopacy, because it came down through the church of Rome. In doing that, he sets the seal of condemnation on his own forehead. The argument would be equally good against the Bibleagainst Christianity, and everything that belongs to it. An argumentum ad invidiam is unworthy of any fair mind -it is proof of a bad heart-it is the mark of baseAnd yet, how often is it used against Episcopacy, because Popery is an Episcopacy! But we shall see

ness.

by-and-by, who are Episcopalians openly and fairly, and who covertly, though I will not say unfairly.

The church of England, the immediate parent of the Episcopal church of the United States, is an overstrained Episcopacy, having archbishops attached to it. It is vitiated, also, as being connected with the state, and in a measure under its control. The American Episcopal church may and ought to be regarded, as a reformation of the parent stock in both these particulars—as is the fact. She is also reformed and expurgated from all those adventitious and unhappy results, which in England flow from a union of church and state.

An attempt to bring odium on the American Episcopal church, because her parent is connected with the state in Great Britain; or because the English church has archiepiscopal sees, is as unworthy as to charge her with the sins of popery; and the argument bears with equal force-which it must be confessed is no force at allagainst the American Presbyterian church, because her parent is the established church of Scotland; or against the New York Dutch Church, because her parent is the established religion of Holland; or against the Lutheran church of Pennsylvania, because hers is connected with the state in Germany; and so on. There are too many involved in this species of guilt, that any with their eyes open, or with a conscious self-respect, should be likely to tolerate such an argument.

The American Episcopal church, by common consent -certainly in all reason-stands acquitted, first, of the sins of popery; and next of the vices and responsibilities of the English establishment, as a political institution; and is to be judged on her own merits. She stands forth to the world under what she asserts and claims to be the simple, pure, primitive, apostolic form-an Episcopacy, with three orders of clergy, under the common denominations of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons.

The ecclesiastical organization of American Episcopacy is as follows:-A general triennial Convention, constituted in two houses, viz. the house of Bishops, and the house of clerical and lay deputies, is invested,

by a constitution adopted in 1789, and since amended, with powers of general legislation, supervision, and control-legislation being supposed to involve the last two attributes. The body, however, is purely legislative. Every bishop is ex-officio a member of the upper house; and the lower house is composed of a representation of the clergy and laity from each diocess, not exceeding four of each class. The deputation of any one diocess can at will divide the lower house on any question, by requiring the clerical and laical votes to be declared separately the decision to be based on a majority of suffrages in each order, provided such a majority comprehend a majority of the diocesses represented-the votes of each diocess, and of each order separately, be they more or less, counting as one in a case of division. There must be a concurrence of both houses for authenticated acts. Consequently, either house may be a check upon the other; and the laity of the lower house may be a check upon the clergy of the same house, and mediately upon the house of Bishops.

The Bishops of the several diocesses are elected according to rules adopted by the convention of each diocess, and are consecrated by a Bishop, with at least two to assist him. No Bishop can perform Episcopal functions in another diocess, without the consent of the Bishop thereof; or in case of vacancy of the Episcopal chair, he must be authorized by invitation. Bishops and clergymen are amenable to the court erected by the convention of each diocess for the trial of their own Bishops and their own clergy, in case of delinquency. At the trial of a Bishop there must always be one or more of the Episcopal order in court. A sentence of degradation on a Bishop, Presbyter, or Deacon, can only be pronounced by a Bishop.

The Convention of the diocess of New York is composed of the Bishop, who is ex-officio president; of the clergy, who have pastoral charge, or who may be missionaries; of clergy, who are officially connected with literary institutions; and of lay delegates, of one or more, from the vestry of each congregation. The clergy

and laity of the convention deliberate in one body on all questions that come before them. The votes of the

clergy count one for each; of the laity, one for each congregation represented; and a majority of the votes of the two orders jointly are decisive, except when any five voices shall require the two orders to vote separately, when a majority of each is necessary to a decision. The choice of a bishop is always by division, as aforesaid.

I know not, whether these are fair specimens of the elementary principles adopted for the government of the other Diocesses in the United States; but presume they

are.

The number of Diocesses in this country at present is 22; of Bishops 17-one being a Missionary Bishop; of Clergy 772; and of congregations probably from 800 to 900-590 being reported for 12 Diocesses. Communicants in 19 Diocesses 36,416-in all probably about 40,000.

Here, then, we have the entire array of the Episcopacy of the United States, and of the fundamental principles of its Ecclesiastical organization.

The first of the common and popular objections urged against this system, which I propose to notice, is-its power-dangerous power. It might, perhaps, be sufficient to reply, that if those who have adopted it and placed themselves under it, are satisfied with it—it is enough, inasmuch as all who come into connexion with it, do it with their eyes open. The argument in proof of this imputation, however, must, I think, be made out in this way: The Episcopacy of Rome is powerful and dangerous; and so is the Episcopacy of England; therefore, the American Episcopacy is powerful and dangerous. As the entire portraiture of the last, with its principles of organization and government, has just been laid down on these pages, I may, perhaps, be warranted to say, that the above reasoning from Papal and English Episcopacy is what is called in the forum-a non sequitur. For those not learned the version is-It does not follow. All who have eyes can see for themselves