clearly defined. Nor are they unreasonable nor contentious in insisting that the ground and authority for interpretations and opinions claimed as of catholic sanction be definitely stated, before the whole Church, through legislative enactment, or pronouncement, is asked to give sanction to these exclusive claims by denying those who hold a different view the liberty to express their convictions in conference and co-operative relationship.

By such restrictions, the General Convention would give practical sanction to views and contentions, to theories and opinions, which, when they have been considered on their merits, have never received the official sanction of either the Anglican or the American Church. This is not the way to change Church polity.

That the English Church Fathers conferred and co-operated with ministers not of her order, is a fact written clearly in the pages of history, and that among the first bishops consecrated in this Church in America, there were those who did so, is likewise known to all who

know the early history of this branch of the Church of Christ.

To depart from this historic position; to allow any claims of catholic authority or interpretation to deprive churchmen of liberal or inclusive conviction of the right, with the full authoritative sanction of this Church, to express their conviction individually and collectively would be to reduce the comprehensiveness of this Church down to the limits of a school of thought, and would brand her, in the face of the world crisis, as a separated sect, cut off by her insistence upon liberty and true catholicity from the Church of Rome, and by her exclusive claims from conference and co-operation with Protestant Christianity.

While it is not asked that any legislation should be enacted forbidding those who hold these exclusive views from retaining them, and acting in accordance with them, so far as conference and co-operative relationship with Protestant communions is concerned; it is asked, and insisted, that this Church shall not

consent to legislate, or give official pronouncement that shall restrain the inherent liberty and cherished conviction of others, whose loyalty and devotion to the Church is unquestioned, in the light of her historic position, and in the presence of her authoritative standards as they honestly and unequivocally understand and interpret them.

The point to be clearly borne in mind is, that to legislate, requiring all to confer and co-operate with those not of this communion, would be to give the authoritative interpretation and sanction of this Church to the liberal and inclusive view of the Church, and would be unfair to those who hold other views; while, on the other hand, to refuse permission and deny the right of those who desired to enter into conference and co-operative relationship with protestant communions to do so with her sanction, would be to give official endorsement to the position and views and contentions of the extreme, often called catholic, party in the Church.

If this Church remains fully possessed of a

sound mind and a well-balanced judgment, she will persistently refuse to legislate to require or compel to co-operate or confer with other communions those who cannot consistently do so. She will also persistently refuse to withhold her official consent from those who desire such conference and co-operative liberty.

CHAPTER XVI

THE APPEAL TO THE PAST

T can be conclusively shown that every dis

IT

puted dogma, taught and held by the Church, and authorised as a note of catholicity, can be established by quotations from the ancient fathers, or the ancient councils. From similar sources the contrary propositions can also be conclusively established. This statement is true, for instance, of the doctrine of transubstantiation, or of any interpretation of the real presence of Christ in the Holy Communion. It is true of the doctrine of priestly absolution, and of various interpretations of the apostolic succession, and of the growing claims of the papacy. The ancient fathers were far from being of one mind. Nothing is gained