CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17571, 15 May 1919, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MODERATOR AND ANGLICAN B.

(To the Editor)

I Sir,—l am indebted to "C.L.W." fo» ! his courteous, though imperfectly mI formed, letter. Ho gives me an ex- | 'cellenb opportunity ot removing some misconceptions regarding the historic ' position of that oranch of the one . ! Cathoiic Church of God of which i | have the honour to be a Presbyter- ! bytic or bishop. It will doubtless ' | surprise "C.L.vV." to learn that .a j stating the Anglican position lie is at ; the same time stating the Presbyterian ; position, and-,that tne position which ihe is antagonising is not tlie PresbyI terian position at all but a position I which has always been vigorously antagonised by Presbyterian churchmen. > r: so happens that in my inaugural j address i deal with this very question. iof the relation of the Presbyterian j Church to the. Universal Church, and stato that relation in terms almost identical with those in Which "C.L.W.," states the relation of the Anglican Church to the Universal Church. "C.L.W." says: "W« make our deacons, priests, and bishops mill-, isters of 'the Church,, of God,' not Qf, ■ the Anglican communion. . . Ani glicans hold that every baptized . j person is a member of the Church of | God." My words are these (I >vaa dealing with the matter historically) : — Ir-The Presbyterian doctrine was that' I when a Minister was ordained it wu - not as the minister of a congregation ot tlie minister of a denomination, % but , as a Presbyter of the Catholic Church; nhen an associate or a child of Christian parents was vreceived by baptism, it. was not into a congregation or • dedenomination, but into the Catholic Church'; andl when the Holy Table was ' spread, it waa not the tatue of a con- f giegatton or of a denomination, but ot the Catholic Church, to Which-all ', who were in full communion with any. ■''. o a the one Church were welcome." Anglicans and Presbyterians are entirely • - s-s one on this essential point, r < ' C.L.W." is evidently confounding Reformed Churchmen with tho^e ©eC- [ taries or Separatists whom they har« been among the most prominent m Again, "G.L.W.," i» tu. ■• eiror in holding that ti«s Church of, / ' Scotland—or Kirk, as he calls jt, thereby unconsciously testifying tto its true national character as speaking the lati» r guage of the nation and breathing tlie spirit of the nation \as a matter erf ( < fact, it is much more the Church of ' the Scottish nation than is the Anglican Church the fchurch of the English nation) —he is in error in holding that the Church of Scotland neither - ,c!aims nor believes necessary an apostolically descended ministry. ,On the , contrary, no Church in Christendom is move careful in maintaining the orderly succession of that office which iodisput- ' ably goes back to the ordaining hand*o* the original messengers of Christ, ■ the office of Presbyter or bishop. Wherein we differ from Epriscop&U&ns ? ; is in setting aside the office bf diocesan bishop, for which we find no clear scrip--tural or historic warrant, and which, developing as it did into mediaeval prince*bishops and the Papacy, seems to us undesirable. In thus acting, <'. nur Scottish Keformers were at one with tlie Reformers generally through-- ■ out the National Churches of Europe:, . The one Reformed Church (with the' doubtful exception of the Swedish) - that adhered to mediaeval episcopacy was the dhurch of England, aod she ciily as % matter of espedisncy, not or , principle. Archbishop Crammer was in theory as convinced a Presbyterian as John Knox. (The Presbyterian section of the Reformed Church has

always vastly outnumbered the Anglican. Again, I thank "C.L.W." for the opportunity he" haa afforded me. If he will be kind enough to give me his address, I shall have much .pleasure in sending him a copy of the address which I delivered from the chair of .

the General Assembly, as this deals At some detail wifch the matter in question tion. If people would only be care- , ful to get hold* of the true facts, howmuch misunderstanding and trouble would be avoided!—-I am, etc., W. GRAY-DIXON.